southern oregon-northern california

H
halibuthitman
Hello all,
I am leaving on sunday for Bucks lake and Lake davis in northern California, taking my 15yr old son for a week and a half. My question is does anyone know of a small to medium creek between portland and basicly redding or shasta that has some decent flyfishing for trout? doesn't have to be spectacular.... just a place to stretch some muscles and swing a fly, any info would help. Thanks Brad and Mat:think:
 
O
OnTheFly
halibuthitman said:
Hello all,
I am leaving on sunday for Bucks lake and Lake davis in northern California, taking my 15yr old son for a week and a half. My question is does anyone know of a small to medium creek between portland and basicly redding or shasta that has some decent flyfishing for trout? doesn't have to be spectacular.... just a place to stretch some muscles and swing a fly, any info would help. Thanks Brad and Mat:think:

You know.......I have driven down I-5 numerous times to CA. and I often thought of stopping and fishing the Klamath River right below the I-5 bridge. If I'm not mistaken, there is a turn off and a way to get down there. I have no idea what's in the water but it always looks real 'feeshy'.

The only small creek that comes to mind would be Hat Creek east of Shasta near Burney.Those lakes you mentioned must be good if you're driving all that way and staying so long. What kind of hatch do you expect?
 
Raincatcher
Raincatcher
Rest area?

Rest area?

OnTheFly said:
You know.......I have driven down I-5 numerous times to CA. and I often thought of stopping and fishing the Klamath River right below the I-5 bridge. If I'm not mistaken, there is a turn off and a way to get down there. I have no idea what's in the water but it always looks real 'feeshy'.

The only small creek that comes to mind would be Hat Creek east of Shasta near Burney.Those lakes you mentioned must be good if you're driving all that way and staying so long. What kind of hatch do you expect?

Is that at the rest area? I love that rest area and have often thought about trying it out. Last time I went to Lodi,there were a couple of gents fishing there. I have no idea if they caught anything. Good luck on your trip and...
Be safe.
Barb
 
H
halibuthitman
yeah thats the rest area, and was already on my plans, I will report on it when I get back. Lake davis is one of Californias premier trout lakes with fish up to 7-8 lbs I fish the weedy end with leech patterns but sometimes a nice drake hatch comes off and there is always some midge activity. Bucks lake is the better of the two and its a brook trout and mackinaw show, my son has always wanted to catch a 15 lb class trout and I feel like gauranteed sun so its my best hope for both, I will be trolling plugs for the macks ( its a little late though, ice off is mack season ) and casting drys from a float tube to the brooks, I have an old heddon 2 wt Ive been dying to use. Thanks for the info, I too have always wanted to fish the rest stop down there. Don't catch all the springers while Im away! ;)
 
O
OnTheFly
Yep...that's the one! Someday I would like to do this: Drive down and get a Ca. F&G licence and the latest fishing scoop from The Fly Shop in Redding. Head east and stay in or around Berney and fish Hat Creek, Pitt river and maybe Fall River Mills. Also pontoon it on Baum and Brittany lakes. Leave early on the last day and fish the Klamath River rest area. OOOHH YEAHHH. Except for the Klamath part, this trip's been in my head for over 5 years.
 
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flystro
Halibut. You are going to be driving past some of California's best fly fishing streams. The Upper Sacramento, the Pit, and the McCloud. The Upper Sac runs along I-5 for quite a long way. The area around Dunsmir is a nice spot to check out.
 
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halibuthitman
oh yeah!

oh yeah!

Now thats the kind of info Ive been needin! :dance:thank you very much! local knowledge cannot be beaten! I,ll be sure to post pics ( even though its not oregon )

" most of my money I spent on trucks beer and boats...the rest of it I wasted"
 
H
halibuthitman
thanks all

thanks all

well after carefull inspection of the material provided by flystro I have decided monday morning will be spent on hat creek, at a location that is supposedly californias 3 best miles of dry fly fishing, I will stock up on my caddis and pmd selection and bend some fiberglass I hope. I havent fished a true spring creek in about 5 yrs... awsome!
 
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OnTheFly
Hey halibuhitman....I have been wanting to try Hat Creek for years. Let me know how you do. Some of the info I've obtained from simple research of that area told me Hat Creek can be very challenging and somewhat stingy. However, you might consider taking an over night bag with you if you lace into a big one with that 2wt.
 
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Irishrover
Irishrover
Halibuthitman..........I know you will be coming from Scappose so I-5 will most likley be the route you take. However if you should by some chance decide to come back via hwy 97 by way of KFalls take a look at Collier State park rest stop. From the parking lot it's a short walk to both Spring Creek and the Williamson River. Have a great trip.
 
B
barthmonster
I really miss that Bucks Lake area buddy ! I fished the Mill Creek without much luck 15 years ago. Some buddies tied into a lunker brown at Silver Lake (4x4 only ??) near Bucks lake. That place up there is heaven on earth isn't it ??

Brad
 
V
Vectorpete
I would call Will at the Ashland Fly Shop, he knows all for that area. Tell him Pete sent you
 
F
flystro
Report?

Report?

So Halibut? How did the trip go? Any good reports/pics?

-Justen
 
C
coyo7e
halibuthitman said:
Hello all,
I am leaving on sunday for Bucks lake and Lake davis in northern California, taking my 15yr old son for a week and a half. My question is does anyone know of a small to medium creek between portland and basicly redding or shasta that has some decent flyfishing for trout? doesn't have to be spectacular.... just a place to stretch some muscles and swing a fly, any info would help. Thanks Brad and Mat:think:
I drove to McKinleyville down 199 this last weekend for Father's Day, and the Smith River was freaking GORGEOUS, I almost didn't come home. :)

I'm hoping to get down there sometime soon, my dad used to fish the Smith River all the time when he was in college, and I'd like to continue the "tradition".
 
V
Vectorpete
coyo, was just in Eugene today helping a client with his steel deck railings. Do you flyfish the McKenzie and other places around there. I'd like to hit the river or streams next time I have to go there. Looking for direction.
 
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halibuthitman
flystro said:
So Halibut? How did the trip go? Any good reports/pics?

-Justen
Wow, ive been busy since my trip and lack the time for a proper report, so here are a few pics of hat creek and the s fork of the feather, promise I will give a better report soon!
 
C
coyo7e
Vectorpete said:
coyo, was just in Eugene today helping a client with his steel deck railings. Do you flyfish the McKenzie and other places around there. I'd like to hit the river or streams next time I have to go there. Looking for direction.
Sorry I'm actually pretty much a total fly-fishing newbie again, and I don't have a vehicle at the moment so I'm pretty much only fishing around Eugene proper.

Check the location-based fishing thread on this forum, there will be an area for whatever river or lake or pond (if it's a stocked pond, it'll have its own area in my experience,) and you can probably get way better info than I could provide unfortunately.

I found out that a longtime acquaintance of mine is an ex-guide guide and hasn't fished anything but flies in most of his life so i'll be grilling him for info shortly, but my basic fly-fishing skills are so rusty (I haven't regularly flycasted since I was probably 14, and I'm more than twice that age now) I'm embarassed to chat him up about fishing until I can at least not hook him in the neck if we went out on his boat.. :naughty:

The Caddis Fly Shop in Eugene is also a great resource for info on local fishing, runs, etc. They're a bit out of my price range generally, however if you go in and chew on the employees' ear about conditions they will generally be able to tell you what you want to know. I'd avoid Homewaters in Eugene for similar but oppsoite reasons - the owner will be an all-around douchebag to you a lot of the time if you don't walk in with a phat stack of bills and a decade of knowledge under your belt, every other time I go there and try to chat him up I feel like I got shat upon.

2Bros in Eugene is another friendly (if hard to find) shop with a ton of good and knowledgeable people, although they seem to not be a flyrod shop, there's a dude named Larry there who can ID your rod from 40 yards and repair it for cheap/free when it's possible.

Sorry I can't contribute more personal fishing know-how right now, however next Summer..! :D
 
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