Fall Fun on the Upper Sacramento
By Tom Chandler on Sep 27, 2006 in Fishing Report, Fly Fishing, Upper Sacramento
Fall on the Upper Sacramento isn’t all 7x and #22 BWOs (thank god). Ahead of us lie the October Caddis, and all those pocket water trout don’t suddenly disappear, leaving empty stretches of river behind.
After my last midriver trip to the Purgatory of Fussy (and Missed) Fish, Dave Edmondson and I stayed upriver. We hiked the tracks for 15 minutes to a stretch of pocket water where 7x tippet is never needed and the trout eat reasonably sized, reasonably tied flies. I couldn’t wait.
The parade of cool Fall colors begins. Check out the surreal (and unretouched) pink grass.
Congratulating ourselves on being crafty, immensely talented fly fishers, we got into trout right away shortlining dries in the pocket water. Oh happy days.
Though I’d tell you that technical fishing - with its long leaders and small flies - is my favorite variety, it rarely causes me to laugh out loud like I do when hunting trout in short pocket water seams.
It’s challenging wading, but it’s also an ongoing carnival of fast-striking fish, missed hook sets, and bright, neon colored fish. In short order, we both had lots of strikes, and the annoying computer hassles of the day just drifted away.
I fished a catskill-style #16 PED (small for pocket water) which worked just fine. Later, when the sun was off the water, we shifted our attention to a pair of dry fly runs, where I caught (and missed) several more on the same fly before switching to a parachute, which seemed to deliver a higher hooking percentage.
Dave Edmondson ties one on (he does that away from rivers too).
The bugs were the usual evening mix of ovipositing caddis, midges, #16 PMD spinners, 18 PEDs, #20 BWOs and a few other odds and ends (and not too many of any of them), but no October Caddis poked their heads out just yet.
This weekend will likely find me backpacking near Lassen (some alpine lake fishing on the agenda). The variety of fishing around here is enormous, and trying to get it all in before the temps fall, the snows come, and the bugs stop weighs heavy on me. Oh, the burden… See you all Fall long, Tom Chandler.
Technorati Tags: fall, Lassen, October Caddis, PMD
BCM | Sep 27, 2006 | Reply
I would love to see what those “bright neon colored fish” looked like. If they’re remotely as dazzling as the pink grass, they certainly would be worth a photo. Any pictures?
Tom Chandler | Sep 27, 2006 | Reply
I tend not to shoot photos of smaller fish, probably because I don’t use a net on the little guys. And last night, I was having too much fun fishing to shoot many pictures…
Still, there’s no shortage of neon on the Trout Underground. A while ago I ran closeups of trout colors on my “Scale samples” post.
And just a few posts back I had a 16″ Upper Sac Rainbow in the net (shot with a flash, so the colors are wild).
rriver | Sep 27, 2006 | Reply
Great report TC.
The October caddis has started here on the Rogue, but not in big numbers. They look quite grand flying around. I think I’m just about to start to tie some. The fish are taking a variety of dries here, but small (18 and 20) elk hair caddis and comparaduns seem to attract the biggest fish.
When the caddis get going that will change. I’m still looking for the holy grail, known as a october spent caddis the works on the Rogue. Mine look ok, except to the fish.
Anybody have a spent October caddis pattern?
- rriver
Tom Chandler | Sep 27, 2006 | Reply
rriver: Chris Raine ties a pattern that works, but frankly, it floats like hell (CDC wing) and I’m continuing the hunt.
Gold Star to rriver for knowing it’s the spent caddis that really catches fish during the latter stages of the October Caddis hatch (especially after the first couple hard frosts).
Best I’ve been able to do is tie a pattern with a fairly flat wing and a deer hair body under the dubbing to help foat the thing.
It rides low but rarely disappears, which is fine.
Perhaps we need to have an October Caddis fly competition here…
yellowstoner | Sep 28, 2006 | Reply
Say guys, try the Light Cahill from Park’s fly shop. It sounds crazy, but the right size works wonders. Grease it good, tie the body a bit fluffier, and splay the wings a bit - I like ‘em pretty wide . .works great - I’ll post a rendition soon - it’s about that time up here too.
Here’s some links, I couldn’t get Richard to answer my email about copying the photo - too busy fishing, I suppose.
Site Home Page:
Fly Page:
Fly Picture: http://www.parksflyshop.com/images/Flies/Light%20Cahill%20Wet.jpg
Yellowstoner
Tom Chandler | Sep 29, 2006 | Reply
That’s it Yellowstoner. This is the third wholly dubious October Caddis fly recommendation I’ve received from a Montana resident over the last two years, and I’m basically calling bullshit on the entire state (and its trout) as a result.
In fact, I think it’s time someone blew the lid off the “Montana Fly Conspiracy” - fly fishing’s equivalent to Watergate.
I’m going to post a new article in response…
yellowstoner | Sep 29, 2006 | Reply
Try a trout’s eye view for you pattern making:
http://www.troutnut.com/im_regspec/picture_1810_medium.jpg
Comparitive photography ought to inform you efforts too:
http://flyfishyellowstone.blogspot.com/2006/07/yellowstone-flies-flies.html
Climbing into the brain of a trout is harder than picking locks in a hotel.
Yellowstoner
rriver | Sep 29, 2006 | Reply
Give it to them, TC.
With the runoff, and winter, the Montana trout season is like 3 months. One Northern California/Southern Oregon year is worth 4 Montana seasons. It’s no wonder they don’t know a caddis from a mayfly. They forgot while trying to figure out where they put their fly rods nine months ago. :)
- rriver
Tom Chandler | Sep 29, 2006 | Reply
I have some suspicions surrounding Montana trout that I’ll explore in a future post…
rriver | Sep 30, 2006 | Reply
Yellowstoner, that wet cahill looks pretty good. I would certainly fish it. Its close to a fly I use (that I call a march brown wet). That flied would cover both caddis and mayfly emergers, but wouldn’t work for a spent caddis.
I hope you realize I was teasing you about Montana. Its the last refuge for Oregonian’s fleeing the California hordes pouring in here.
- rriver