Upper Sacramento River Fishing Guides and Conditions, California

About the Upper Sacramento River

The Upper Sacramento is a wading river and it is one of the best in the West. From Box Canyon Dam below Lake Siskiyou it runs south through Dunsmuir and Castella to the head of Shasta Lake, dropping through granite pocket water, plunge pools and boulder gardens with Interstate 5 and the Union Pacific line following it the whole way. That access is unusual and it is the river’s great gift: dozens of pull-offs, marked river access trails, and a fishable run within a few minutes of a parking spot for nearly forty miles.

The fish are wild rainbows, mostly in the ten to sixteen inch class with a real chance at larger, and they are strong out of proportion to their size in the fast water. The river recovered from a 1991 chemical spill that killed everything in it, and the recovery is now the standard story guides tell on the first morning. Short-line nymphing and high-sticking dominate technique, with excellent dry fly fishing during the summer caddis and October caddis emergences.

The Delta gauge above Shasta Lake reads the whole river. It is a small stream by tailwater standards, and the numbers reflect that: a few hundred cfs is normal summer water and wades comfortably, while spring runoff can multiply that and make the pocket water unfishable and genuinely dangerous. Winter storms come off the Pacific and can spike the river overnight.

Dunsmuir and Mount Shasta City are the base towns, both small, both with fly shops and lodging, and both a short drive from the McCloud and the Trinity if you want to spend a week fishing three rivers.

Access

Box Canyon Dam and the Cantara Loop: top of the river near Mount Shasta City.
Dunsmuir city accesses: numerous marked river access trails through town.
Prospect Avenue, Hedge Creek and Mossbrae area: walk-in access in the upper canyon.
Sweetbriar, Shotgun Creek and Sims Flat: Interstate 5 exits with campgrounds and trails to the river.
Castle Crags State Park: park access with camping and river frontage.
Delta and Pollard Flat: lower river access near the gauge above Shasta Lake.

Seasons

Late April through mid-November is the general season on most of the river; check current rules before you go.
Late April through June: runoff dependent, big water early, then excellent as it drops.
July and August: prime wading, caddis and stoneflies, cool canyon mornings and hot afternoons.
September through November: October caddis, fall colors, low clear water and the fewest anglers.