Northern Calif.

I’m planning a trip this coming spring to Rocklin,CA to visit my brother and family. My brother doesn’t fish at all, but said some of his friends do fly fish. Was hoping we have members from that area and to get some advise as to areas to fish around there and what type of flies might work well.

Thx’s
Mike

Putah Creek used to be good. Haven’t been there in a while and I hear it’s suffering from a mudsnail infestation. Give this guy a call http://www.putahcreekflyfishing.com/

Thers always the Upper Sac. if you’re willing to drive a bit. Here is a good blog for info http://troutunderground.com/ and a link to Ted Fay http://www.tedfay.com/

There’s probably a few FAOL members in that area. I remember reading one or two guys from Lincoln, CA. That’s not far from where you are heading, maybe 15 miles. Also a few members in the Sacramento area. Good luck and Merry Christmas. Jimsnarocks

Putah Creek may be the closest place for you to go from Rocklin - probably less than an hour from Rocklin. I have personally never fished it but there is an article in this months Northwest Fly Fishing magazine. Also, I think there is a fly shop in Napa, California ( and perhaps even the American Fly shop in Sacramento) that may offer guided trips on Putah Creek. If you go there clean all of your gear really well to kill the snails so they don’t get transported to other streams.

I’m not sure about the American River it runs through Sacramento – very close to Rocklin.

If it were me, I would drive the 2 hours up to Redding and book a guided trip through The Fly Shop in Redding - on the lower Sacramento. Ask for a guide named Matt Dover – he will fish you into the ground (water) and he knows what he is doing.

Keep in mind that the spring time is run off time and many of the local streams and rivers may be quite high. The lower Sacramento in the Redding area isn’t generally a problem because flow is controlled.

Good luck.

Flyfisher’s Guide to Northern California

http://www.wildadvpress.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=17&zenid=22fd25ed41643a397ef0d3f712039bc3

After talking with a couple friends of my brother, who live up in that area and are novice fly fisherman, they also recommend the Redding. Planning on a trip around April/May if all goes well. Really looking forward to it.

thanks for all the great info. :wink:

Mike

If you go up to Redding… The stretch of river between Shasta dam and Keswick dam offers some exellent fly water. Generally overlooked and underfished. I took in a seminar on that stretch last spring at the 2008 fly tying conference in Albany. The man doing the presentation is a local there around Redding. He reccomends using a float tube, walking up to just below Shasta dam, and floating the stretch back to Keswick. The water is not rough. The access is from the Keswick end (south) you drive in to a parking area and walk the trail a little over a mile up to Shasta. From his presentation and the many photos and videos I saw there, the water is a must stop if you’re in the area flyfishing. I plan a trip there this coming spring. The Fly Shop just south of redding can give you info…ModocDan

Hey ModocDan, thanks for the info, we’ll be helpful. Don’t own a float tube yet, but it’s on my “wish list” when funds are available :slight_smile:

Mike

Not to far of a drive from Rocklin up highway 50 is Ice House Rd. There are many small lakes and streams as you go along the way. If you have a jeep you can venture beyond Wentworth Spring at the start of the Rubicon trail. There are small creeks and lakes all along the trail in that part of the Sierras. I used to fish Loon Lake/Gerle Creek. Here is a link to the El Dorado National Forest. http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/eldorado/recreation/dev-camp/loongerle/

Hey Mike… I should have mentioned, quite a bit of the stretch of the Sacto river I spoke of is accessible by foot from the bank, there is a streamside trail all the way up to Shasta dam. From what I’ve seen much of it is probably wadeable…Dan
…Tread carefully…There be rattlesnakes (true all over N. CA )

Yea, my brother mentioned the same thing about snakes. He’s not an outdoor person, but allot of people he works with at the Wm., Jessup Univ., are avid, but novice fly fisherman. I’ve talked with one of them, via email, and he alluded to the same warnings :slight_smile:

I plan on printing out this thread later, some very helpful information. Atleast I’ll have some idea of the area and not look like a total tourist :idea:

Mike

The area between Keswick Dam and Shasta Dam is Keswick Reservoir. It can fish good but it can also be very tough. There is very little wading. You can use a tube but you will be dealing with a strong current all day and access is a nightmare. There is a trail all the way but there are very few places you can get in the water. Most streams in NCalif open the last weekend in April. There are some open year 'round. The Lower Sac below Keswick is a good bet and is definaltly world class but it is best fished from a drift boat. There are a few spots you can access it and wade but you would probably be better off going to the Upper Sac between Shasta Lake and the town of Dunsmuir. It is a blue ribbon stream with very easy access right off of I5. Just about any exit you take off of I5 will drop you into excellent fishing. High Sticking nymphs is the most productive way to fish but you can also do very well on dries at the right time. Here is a couple of pics I took last winter

There are many options available to you depending on the run off. Putah creek was mentioned and it is close to to Rocklin but it does have NZ mudsnails and you would have to dis-infect your gear if you plan to fish other locations. The American river is close and I think it has a Spring run of 1/2 lbr’s Steelhead, it also has some stripers. The Silver fork of the American is close off HW50 for small trout. The lower Sac around Redding can be good and there are some spots around town that you can wade. The upper Sac is awesome and has many access points. It depends on how much you want to drive. There are several still waters not too far away (Amador, Comanche pond & Fuller lake). The Mt Lassen area offers many rivers but is about 4 hours away. Try calling one of the local fly shops for suggestions when you get closer to coming out.

Fly Shops
Sacramento: Kiene’s 1-800-400-0359 20mins from Rocklin
Redding: The Fly Shop 1-800-669-3474 ~2.5-3 hrs from Rocklin
Dumsmuir: TedFay Fly Shop 1-530-235-2969 ~4 hours from Rockin to Upper Sac

Good Luck,

Jet