August 1st Sundial Section Re-Opener…
August 1st marks the re-opener of the top section of the Lower Sac River here in Redding, CA. Drift boat guides call it the “Sundial Bridge” section - but entirety of the the river below Keswick Dam is also open (Caldwell Park or some call it Lake Redding) which is upriver of the Posse Grounds Boat Ramp and Sundial Bridge. Anyway, I’m getting into the weeds…IFYTYK.
I guide the opener and days after every summer and I really look forward to it!
Is it crowded? Certainly. Are there lots of guide boats and DIY boats? Absolutely. Is the fishing really worth it? You better believe it!
Every year is different… conditions are always a little different, flows are a little different each summer, fish populations are a little different, etc.
This season’s take:
Flows are a bit higher than they have been in the past (but normal for a wet year) at 14,000 cfs. This may be considered a “tougher” flow to fish for many and not easy to backrow all the usual spots. You have to change your strategies.
Winter-run salmon are actually showing up and and have been spawning. We are seeing far more winter-run salmon this season which is REALLY COOL. Trout are super keyed in on the eggs at times. BUT… the bug game is still strong. Primarily caddis.
Average sized trout are smaller than years past - but healthy, fat, and abundant. It’s no secret that the typical avg trout these days in the LSac is smaller than it was 2-3+ years ago. There are a few reasons why:
1. Lack of salmon biomass these past few years being a major factor. Without the abundance of salmon eggs and fry and flesh in this river… we won’t see as many truly huge rainbow trout like we are accustomed to seeing. It’s that simple… salmon = big rainbow trout in this fisherey.
2. Some high-flows years recently that have altered or “scoured” the substrate in places. It’s complicated, but also ties into the habitat and the places where trout hold.
The population of trout is still very strong. There are thousands of fish per mile and they are fat and happy. And, they will soon grow up into bigger fish. We may need to re-calibrate our expectations on the Lower Sac just a bit. Instead of seeing avg trout of 16-17” along with plenty of 19”-22” fish… we are now catching mostly 10”-14” fish with that occasional 18-20” trout.
All in all I am happy that the river is now open from top to bottom and we have fantastic water conditions. The river is COLD and the COLOR is the good green. It is a good time to come fly fishing.
We have been experiencing “cooler” weather lately (LOL, don’t laugh 95-100 is cool for Redding in August… Could easily be 110 degrees rn) and even a few afternoon thundershowers possible.
I look forward to the rest of August and experiencing the caddis hatches when they really get going at some point real soon! The caddis grabs are the BEST.
Happy Fishing…
