I was going through some photos and discovered a few from an old trip to California. The Upper Sacramento River is a fantastic fishery that extends for miles and miles along I-5 north of the town of Redding. It is extensively covered in tourist documentation as well as maps provided by The Fly Shop in writing. You know those guys – you’ve probably received a bunch of catalogs from that.
On this particular trip, I checked in and got the advice to try the spot at Ney Springs. It’s a long haul up I-5 from Redding to get there, but the directions were good and, after bumping down a rough dirt road, I rolled into the parking lot approximately a quarter mile away from the river.
It was a short downhill walk to see the beautiful vista spread in front of me. Classic trout water!
I threw on a nymph and began fishing the pool below the rapid. The river was running strong on this particular morning and I had to be careful as I waded along the shoreline. I eventually was closed out by the high bank on the right and the water was running too fast to risk a crossing.
This trip was before I was smart enough to buy a satellite beacon to use in case I got into trouble. Therefore, I did not want to take any chances since nobody would find me here for days. The river downstream from where I turned around was intriguing. It runs through a short flat section and then pitches down and escarpment to began running towards the main highway.
Upper Sacramento River Trout Fishing Bottom line: As I sit here chilly in the cold winter, I’m California dreamin’
Spillway from the dam upriver
The downstream view into the turn
Unless stated otherwise, this article was authored by Steve Moore