Leslie Ajari fishing on the Lower McCloud River ·
The next stop on our trip was the McCloud River in Northern California. Not too far from the Upper Sacramento, about a couple hours due to some slow driving on a rough. dirt road noteworthy of flat tires we were told by some frequent visitors. We fished the Lower Owens below McCloud Reservoir from our base at the U.S. Forest Service’s Ah Di Na campground.
The water where we started was heavy pocket water, so I showed Leslie how to fish nymphs without an indicator. You need lots of weight to get the fly down quickly and maintain control either high sticking or leading the fly in a style called Czech nymphing.
She picked it up quickly and began feeling the bottom. It was not long before both of us hooked a fish. Mine was small and came off, but when she yelled out for me, I could see she had a nice fish. Playing it like a veteran in the fast water, she finally landed it when I told her to back-up and get the fish in the calmer water next to shore. Needless to say, dad was proud of her. The fish turned out to be a beautiful, thick-bodied rainbow of around 16 inches. Unfortunately, it was the only sizeable fish caught during our two-day stay.
Later that evening, we had fish rising to caddis and Pale Morning Dun (PMD) mayflies. Leslie did well on the PMD, so I switched from the caddis I was fishing.
The next day, we went upstream from our camp and fished hard. The only thing I had to show for the experience was a loss of seven flies with no bites. Leslie did manage one fish, but did lose a lot of flies, as well.
We took a break for lunch and to tie some much-needed flies and then returned to the river for the next session. After catching a couple of fish, I took a spill and could not regain my feet due to the slippery nature of the bottom. My waders began to take on water despite the presence of a wading belt. It was a struggle, but I managed to stop my downstream descent and regain my footing.
I headed back to camp after taking off my waders and emptying the water. It can be a frightening experience when this happens. When wading this stream, I would recommend some form of studs or stream cleats and a wading staff. The rubber bottom boots that most manufacturers have switched to due to invasive species concerns do not hold as well as the old felt soles. We had staffs, but I was not using mine at the time. After putting on dry clothes, I walked back prepared to wet wade since my waders were thoroughly soaked. I found my daughter fishing just below camp and we began to catch fish on dry flies like the previous evening. We used both light-colored caddis and PMD imitations.
We did not catch any of the brown trout that are in these waters. Guess we will have to come back some other time and try again.
We packed up our last day after fishing the morning and headed to one of my college friend’s homes to retrieve my fly fishing vest that my wife sent. The shower was most welcome.
Bruce is a long-time area fly fisherman and past president of Tahoe Truckee Fly Fishers.
FISHING REPORT (See Sightseeing for water levels.)
Boca | Inflow is at 65 cfs and the outflow is 49 cfs. Try powerbait or nightcrawlers. Throwing lures from shore also has been working. Fly fishers have been catching some fish near the inlet mostly nymphing.
Donner | Fishing has been good. Nightcrawlers and Powerbait seem to be the bait of choice. Mackinaw and Kokanee fishing has been fair. Fly fishermen are catching some fish with streamers.
Lake Tahoe | Fishing has been fair to good for mackinaw. A guide is highly recommended if you are fishing for mackinaw for the first time. Toplining and shore fishing is fair. Most shore fishermen use inflated nightcrawlers.
Little Truckee River | The flow is now at 65 cfs. This is still a low flow for this water, but better than last week. It is barely a subsistence flow for this fishery. Fishing will be tougher at this level. Try a hopper dropper set-up, now that grasshoppers are active, or some other dry dropper set-up.
Martis Lake | Zero kill. Catch and Release only with barbless artificial lures or flies. Some small cutthroats and an occasional large brown and rainbow can still be caught here. Smallmouth bass have been introduced in this water.
Prosser | The lake is fishing fair to good. Powerbait and nightcrawlers are the best bait. Smallmouth Bass are beginning to bite well with the warming water. Lure and fly-fishermen are also taking some fish from shore and near the inlets.
Stampede | Fishing has been fair to good from shore. Kokanee fishing has been fair. Mackinaw fishing has been good. Smallmouth Bass are beginning to get active. Fly fishermen have been doing well near the inlets with nymphs and streamers for trout and in the coves for Smallmouth Bass.
Truckee River | Flowing out of the lake at 366 cfs at Tahoe City. The flow through Truckee is at 414 cfs as of July 22. Fish have been caught on nymphs, emergers, dries and streamers. The main hatches now are Caddis, PMD and Little Yellow Stones. Little Yellow Stones should begin to wane soon. Nymphs and dries imitating these hatches have been the most productive. Streamers also have been good. A hopper dropper set-up should be better now. Warm weather is causing the water to warm into the 70s by the evening. Try and fish early in the morning to mid-day for the best results while the water temperatures are acceptable. Fishing from Boca downstream should be your best bet now.
Other Waters | Davis and Frenchman have been fair to good. Damselflies are now beginning to show is good numbers with the recent warm weather. Fish also are being caught on blood midge patterns and Callibaetis imitations. Water is now warm at these lakes and fish have gone deep as in most of our area.
