Don Q's fishing report for week of July 17-23

Here is this week's fishing report for rivers, lakes and stream in Nevada, Northern California and the Sierra. This report is for the week of July 17-23. Be sure to pack sunscreen, plenty of cold beverages and your fishing license.

ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF:
Ried Bridges reports:
The Almanor Open is in the Books and the top anglers were...
Congrats to our top Smallmouth Bass anglers at the Club's Almanor Open held on July 13th: 2nd Place & Big Smallmouth Bass, Chuck Johnson with a 3-06 SMB, 1st Place Michael Rigney with three Smallies weighing 4-00 of Mountain Bass-Association, and 3rd Place Robert Tibbetts also of Mountain Bass Association with a 2-02 SMB.
It was a tough tourney, with very few 13" fish caught.
Many dinks were, but those keepers were far and few between.
Chuck is the newest member to join our Club and now has the best SMB of the year with 4-tournaments to go...Way to go!
Again, a hearty congratulations to our top anglers this year and a big, big thanks for those who attended this year, those able to support the Club, and hopefully we'll get to see more of you next year at the  1-day to be named in June 2014 Sierra Nevada Bass Club Topaz (Team) Open! 
Remember, anyone fishing a Club sponsored Open may join the Club for the remainder of 2013 at half price. 
For more information please visit the web site or contact me directly.
Ried Bridges
President and Managing Member
Sierra Nevada Bass Club, LLC
(775) 443-5728
www.nvbass.com

ALMANOR LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
A lot of traffic has filled the waters of Almanor right now, but the good news is that clarity is great and bites are picking up, especially in the early morning and the late afternoon.
Water levels have dropped so keep an eye out for water hazards.
There is no definitive spot to go fishing at the moment, so it is recommend to just move around till you find a spot that is good for you.  
Courtesy of Almanor Fishing Adventures.

BISHOP CREEK AREA, CALIF:
Rick and Patti Apted - Lake Sabrina Boat Landing (760-873-7425) (www.lakesabrinaboatlanding.com) reports:
Lake Sabrina:
Don’t forget to pick up your license before hitting the Lake.
Watch out for the Deer – they are on the move!
We’ve got boats for rent and YES you can get to the DingleBerry Inlet!
Well, we’ve got a bit of good news and a bit of bad news.
We’ll start with the bit of bad news – the Lake is starting to go down – about 2 inches a day right now.
The good news – fishing has been good for most and great for others!
Also, had sightings of two bald eagles at the back of the Lake.
And NO new sightings of any bears.
Fishing the DingleBerry Inlet with Nightcrawlers, Power Bait, or Jigs.
Trolling leadcore at 5 colors or in the shallows with a Nightcrawler or in the channels with a Nightcrawler.
Shore fishing with Nightcrawlers or Power Bait.
Got a good load of stockers from the Department of Fish and Game last Thursday. They’ll keep stocking as long as they can get to the water.
Some of the great fishing memories this week were Preston Torres of Moreno Valley with a 3-1/4lb trout caught on a gold Kastmaster – his friend Pablo Hernandez of Yucca Valley landed a nice 2-1/2 pounder on a RoosterTail.
Birthday memories for Shawn Kekilian, JR catching a nice rainbow with Dad Shawn and sister Ella on his special day.
Local Bishop resident Richard Burnach caught not one, but two NATURALS (meaning they were born and grew up in this Lake) on MiniJigs and Plastic Worms – one weighed in at 4-1/2lbs the other at 3-3/4lbs – he had caught and released a bigger one last week – way to go!
Another massive amount of cement is on this week’s agenda for the Bridge – this is the actually road bed.
The completion date for the bridge is the end of September.
This week’s temps are expected to be in the mid-40s for the lows and in the upper-70s for the highs. Best pack a poncho just in case the monsoonal weather returns – slight chance for this coming weekend. You can check NOAA’s website at http://www.weather.gov and enter ASPENDELL, CA on the site and it will give you a fairly good hint at the weather up at the Lake or check in with Howard at www.MammothWeather.com.
Also, check out NOAA’s Facebook page - US National Weather Service Las Vegas Nevada – the Lake was pictured in one of their posting!
We are now open Sunday thru Saturday from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm – we serve Breakfast from 7:00 am to 11:00 am and Lunch from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm – Homemade Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream from 7:00 am to 6:45 pm.
IF YOU’RE TAKING A BOAT TO THE BACK OF THE LAKE AND PLAN ON GETTING OUT or HIKING INTO THE BACK COUNTRY – DON’T FORGET THE BUG JUICE – THEY ARE HORRID – Remember when using the bug juice and SANITIZER you need to really wash your hands before fishing - then rub some Salmon Egg juice, worm dirt or Anglers Bros Trout attractant to take that smell off.
Also, remember your polarized dark glasses and sunscreen.
And, of course, we'll have HOMEMADE pie & ice cream, sodas, beer, wine, coffee, tea and hot cocoa!

BISHOP CREEK AREA, CALIF:
Jared Smith - Parchers Resort (760-873-4177) (sierrasmitty@cebridge.net):
South Lake:
It was very quiet at the lake this week but most of the folks that did fish the lake from a boat or from shore managed to scratch out a few fish, mostly on Power bait & Nightcrawlers. Trolling, plastics and lure bites are slow.
Summer releases continued to draw the lake down this week, not exactly the best thing to see in early July.
The reservoir forecast from this spring has been totally inaccurate thus far so it's anybody's guess if or when we'll have enough water to stock fish - of course we're all hoping to get fish in the water as soon as possible but time will tell. In the meantime, folks are getting by catching holdovers.
South Lake Landing will continue to operate on a limited schedule, open Friday, Saturday & Sundays from 7am to 5pm until further notice.
Folks wishing to rent a boat Monday through Thursday should check in at the Parchers Resort office anytime after 8am. Weekday boat rentals are only available to experienced boaters, weather permitting.
South Fork Bishop Creek:
The week started out a bit slow but things really picked up following a DFW stocking on Wednesday. Fishing stayed steady throughout the weekend with baby nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, sierra slammer jigs, and panther martins working best. Best spots on the creek include any of the campgrounds and anywhere the creek crosses the road.
Lots of little Brookies & Browns being reported on crawler pieces.
Flows on the So. Fork are moderate, most areas are accessible and fishable.
Top fish out of the creek was a solid 2.82lb Rainbow caught by John Fagan from Sun City, CA on a white Sierra Slammer jig.
Weir Pond:
Weir Pond continues to produce for both fly fishers as well as the spinning folks. The fly guys have been doing well on dries early and late in the day and the conventional anglers are doing best with crawler pieces
Intake II:
Great fishing was reported late in the week following a big stocking by the DFW which included some bruiser Brood Stock fish to 3lbs. Gulp garlic pinched crawlers were the hot ticket for Tim Weber of Palmdale who caught 22 fish (all but 5 released of course) topped by solid 2.25lb Brooder.
North Lake:
Weekend anglers, especially the bait dunkers, reported exceptional fishing at North Lake with some anglers reporting as many as 20 fish per rod.
Yellow power bait and inflated crawlers were working best.
Trail Report:
Rainbow Pack Outfitters cleared the last stretch of snow on the pass making it 100% open.
The first JMT & PCT thru-hikers are starting to show up in force.
The popular day-hike trailheads are snow free and wide open for hikers.
A quick reminder that overnight parking for the Bishop Pass trailhead is in the designated spaces at the upper lot at South Lake or anywhere along the road below Parchers Resort. All open parking between Parchers and the trailhead is designated as day use only.

BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707)
(www.kenssport.com) reports:
Bridgeport is still fishing pretty well overall, though there has been some difficult days this past week. Seems as though the fish are moving around a bit so finding them on some days can be a chore.
There's still been a few anglers trolling and doing pretty well with some rainbows and browns up to almost 5 pounds showing.
Most folks are bait fishing near the Rainbow Point area with power bait, crawlers and power eggs, we've had fish up to 6.5 pounds come in this week.    

BRIDGEPORT RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Pretty tough conditions for fly fishers currently. Thick pond weed in all the channels and near the inlets. Rainbow Pt. has open water in the 20 foot range and this is your best bet if you can find some clean, algae free water. 
Boat launching still possible by the “bath tub” area.
Jeffery is still putting out rentals off the shore at the marina, call him for information on these and where to launch.

CONVICT LAKE AND CONVICT CREEK, CALIF:
Convict Lake Resort (800-992-2260) (www.convictlake.com) reports:
Hello Convict Lake fishing report followers!  
It was a week of milestones at Convict Lake Resort in a few anglers journey.
Important events such as first fish and largest fish caught have been reported at the store. Don't let this fishing season pass you by before you set a few of your own angling milestones. Make sure to stop by the general store to get up-to-date information on what is working out on the lake and at the creek. 
Catch of the Week: 
Congratulations to Steve Micheli of Carlsbad, CA who landed a stout 4 pound rainbow.  Steve hooked this toad with Salmon Peach Power bait and was fishing at the Inlet.
Other Notable catches this week:
Josh Penney of Huntington Beach, CA did a great job by landing a 2 pound 13 ounce and a 2 pound 6 ounce rainbow.  It's hard to beat a day fishing when the results are two quality two pounders.
Jamie was using rainbow Power bait and was fishing at the Inlet.
Zachary Singh of Menifee, CA caught his first fish on his first cast. Zachary hooked his first fish ever with a night crawler at Convict Creek.
Way to go, Zachary!
Tactics/Bait: 
The most successful Power bait colors were rainbow, sherbet and salmon peach. Choosing garlic Power bait is always a wise decision. Red/gold Thomas Bouyants, Rooster Tails and Gulp Pinch Crawlers were also very productive in the lake this week.
Convict Creek also fished well this week. It may have been stocked but I didn't get any official word if this was true.
Try using Mice Tails, Power Worms. Other locations to try are the South Shore, North Shore, Jetty, Outlet, West Shore, Creek, Handicap Pier and Hangman's Tree. 
Here is a list of other baits/lures that can be productive:
Trout Teasers, green or brown Marvel Fly Lures, Panther Martin, Needlefish, Thomas Bouyants, Green Wooly Booger and Lip RIpperz Hatchery Dust on Power bait.
Other Resources:
View our Convict Lake Fishing Map and Fishing Rig Suggestion  brochures.
Both brochures are available in the General Store. 
Derby News: 
The Ambush at the Lake Fishing Derby will be starting on Monday, September 2nd for a chance to win $6,000 in Resort Prizes!
Also mark your calendars for the Morrison's Cash Bonus Weekend on November 1-3. $2000 in cash prizes.
Weather: 
Next week's weather is panning out to be a typical July for the Eastern Sierra.  The forecast for next week has the highs hovering in the high-70s. During the evenings the lows will be in the low-50s. There is always the potential for afternoon thunderstorms during the summer months. Here is the National Weather Service link that is usually quite accurate: 7-Day Forecast Convict Lake. 
Sunrise - Sunset:  
Sunrise this week 5:45 am - 5:49 am and Sunset 8:18 pm - 8:15 pm.
Stocking: 
DFG stocked the lake on July 8nd. 

CROWLEY LAKE, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Some good reports from Hilton Bay and Crooked Creek last week.
Stevie's Wonder gray or copper zebra midge patterns in ten feet of water.


CROWLEY LAKE, CALIF:
Kent Rianda of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
Water conditions:
Water temp has soared to about 65°F on the bottom across the lake.
Algae is not too bad but some stringy stuff here and there.
Keep those flies clean.
Some surface crud moving around daily here and there also.
WARNING-
The lake is much lower than previous years.
Watch out for Pelican Point which sticks out way into the lake. Look for white buoys and pass to the east.
Also the islands just north of there are poppng out. Watch for buoys and go slow coming in when it is rough as buoys are small and tough to see in chop.
Fishing conditions:
Good to Excellent. Big Hilton has been the most consistent with a good mix of fish from 8 to 22". They are also off the point at Little Hilton. Still holding in 13-17 ft of water about everywhere.
Fishing is tough some days if algae is stringy as fish leave.
North end has fish at Six Bays real deep and some right out in the middle in 13-14 ft. Not consistent - but can be good any day then off the next.
Same for McGee.

CROWLEY LAKE, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
June was very good here, and after the current algae bloom recedes we should see some good fly fishing in late July & August.  Currently it is ugly. 
There are very good numbers of catchable sized browns and rainbows this year and these fish will grow about 2-3 inches this summer. Should be a fair amount of 14-16 inch fish by September. 
Weed lines are out to about 14 feet in all areas. Big Hilton is the new McGee Bay these days as the fish adjust to the new low water levels in the lake. 
Chironomid hatches remain huge on the high pressure days. 
North Arm is spotty, and locating a clean mud bottom is difficult. 
Keep your flies as clean as possible, look for a weed free bottom in depths of 14-17 feet.

DAVIS LAKE, CALIF:
Don Rotsma of Fly Fish With Don (775-722-8418) (www.flyfishwithdon.comn) reports:
Wednesday July 11 - Fishing is still slow, even with cooler temps and the lake surface temps now back to around 70.
We had some fish working on damsel nymphs this morning for about 30 minutes and things looked promising. Then the wind came up at 10 to 12 mph with higher gusts, everything quit.
Went out over the weekend and for the last 3 days with fair to poor results.
Weeds are near the surface and look perfect, just not enough bugs to get the fish going.
I'm headed to Oregon, Montana, and Idaho for a couple of weeks to find some decent fishing.
Got some good reports on the Owyhee River, Hebgen Lake, the Henry's Fork, and Silver Creek so we are packing up.
See you in August.

FALL RIVER, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
The Hex hatches are going on right now, making fishing great!
Swinging #16 Pheasant Tail nymphs trailing #18-20 black Zebra midges is a good, simple setup right now. Expect a productive fishing adventure!
Courtesy of The Fly Shop.

FEATHER RIVER, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
There are only a few stripers left in the river. Not much to report. 
Courtesy of Johnsons Bait & Tackle.

FRENCHMAN RESERVOIR, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
The catches at Frenchman’s has been superb! Most anglers have been catching their limit, with many of the fish ranging between 9 and 12 inches. It is advised to use power bait and nightcrawlers for the best chance to get some hook-ups. 
Courtesy of The Wiggins Trading Post.

HAT CREEK, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Yet again, expect another good week of fishing on Hat Creek, which will likely draw many other anglers as well. Traffic has been moderate but there is always room downstream of Power House #2 riffle.
It is recommended to use #16-#18 PMDs and Cripple Mayflies.
The best times for getting hook-ups have been the early AM hours and just around sunset. 
Courtesy of The Fly Shop.

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Water flow is  9 CFS. Fishing is good. Some Tricos in the am, BWO's around mid day. Best results with nymphs.  Buckskin nymphs, caddis pupa and small pheasant tails. Some decent dry fly fishing in the afternoon with CDC caddis and Hot Creek caddis.

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Kent Rianda of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
Water conditions:
Super clear.
Fishing conditions:
Great! Depending on the time of day, it can be great! Evening dry fly fishing is excellent! Fish will take almost anything right before dark.
If you do nymph, make sure the rigs are very short cause of the weeds.
Set on everything!

HOT CREEK, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Spring creeks by nature have more stability and are good choices to fish in low or high water years. 
The weeds are a major factor this summer and forget extended drifts in most of the popular runs. 
Fishing a dry fly is the best way to get on fish currently. 
Look for a strong caddis emergence with some smaller mayflies at times.  Step back and see if you can locate an individual fish that is “pattern” feeding. Lead your cast well upstream if possible, and if you get rejected after a few casts, wait until the fish gets confidence and begins rising again before making another presentation. 
Longer leaders will get more looks for sure.

JIGGS / ZUNINO RESERVOIR, ELKO COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Unfortunately, Jiggs has dried up.

JUNE LAKE LOOP, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Grant - Gull - June - Silver Lakes and Rush Creek:
Silver Lake still seems to be the best for float tube fly rodders fishing black or purple woolly buggers on full sink lines doing well.
Rush Creek flow is 30 CFS..
Royal coachmen, elk hair caddis,prince nymphs and copper Johns. 


KIRMAN LAKE, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
July 15, 2013
We're still getting some good reports from Kirman, leech, damsel and scud patterns have been the best. Early mornings and late evenings have been the best time to be there lately and the fishing slows quite a bit during mid day. Most of the cutts are still ranging from 18 to 26 inches and the brookies are running from 15 to 18 inches.  

KLAMATH RIVER, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Fishing on the Klamath has been shifting from good to fair that past week, with reports indicating only a few anglers have been able to catch a lot of steelhead, ½ pounders and rainbows.
One might find a few schools of rainbows eating Golden Stones and some adult Salmon Fly Dry might attract some attention, but don’t bet on it.
Better conditions will come after summer.  
Courtesy of The Fly Shop.

LEWISTON LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Similar to last week, the Rainbows in the lake are either catching Carpenter Ants or chasing after crystal buggers, so fishing has been fantastic. With the hot weather happening it is best to fish in the early morning hours.
Flying nymphs is a good idea. 
Courtesy of The Fly Shop.

MAMMOTH LAKES BASIN, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
George Lake - Mary Lake – Mamie Lake – Twin Lakes:
Middle Twin Lakes is the best bet for fly rodders.
Doc's Twin Lake Special black or brown.


MAMMOTH LAKES BASIN, CALIF:
Kent Rianda of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
George Lake - Mary Lake – Mamie Lake – Twin Lakes:
Water conditions:
Clear.
Fishing conditions:
Good- great....depending on the wind.
Float tubes are recommended to pull streamers with at least a type 3 sink line. if fishing from shore, dries will be more effective early morning or later in the evening.

ORVILLE LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Action remains steady at Lake Oroville for bass at around 30 feet using jigs, shaky head, dart head and drop shot worms. 
Courtesy of My Outdoor Buddy.

OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Upper Owens River:
Current flow is 110 CFS. Special regulations still in effect upstream of the Benton Crossing Bridge. Fishing is  good. Try egg patterns, San Juan worms ,Prince nymphs and copper John's.
Lower Owens River:
Water flow is currently 201 CFS. Nymphing is the best  bet. Try WD-40'S, pheasant tails and hares ears.


OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Upper Owens:
Very good conditions overall here, although you will have issues with weeds and off colored water at times when the cattle wade in the Hot Creek tribs. 
Very strong caddis activity with smaller mayflies showing late mornings. 
There are more small browns around than I have seen in a few years, and a few cutty’s still holding in the deeper pools. 
Flows are great currently, and I hope they will hold for the summer but would not bank on it. 
DFW plantings in the campground section downstream from the bridge. 
I like Assassins and flashback PT’s in the #16 & 18 range for nymphing.
A few skeeters around so have your bug juice ready on the calm mornings.
Middle Owens:
You will not see release rates of 202 CFS in mid-July very often friends.  They have dropped significantly in the last 10 days. 
I am looking forward to it cooling down some in the OV and you can bet your best rod I will be drifting sooner than later this summer. 
We have had some good catching in the mornings as the flows are damn near perfect-the heat just puts them down by late morning. Too many ticks for me to wet wade down here, but it is a way to cool off and fish the late afternoon caddis crunch in the wild trout section if you are careful.

OWENS RIVER, CALIF:
Kent Rianda of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
Upper Owens River:
Water conditions:
Good. 110 CFS as of 7/10.
Fishing conditions:
Great one day....off the next day. Just got planted heavily, so it can be good depending on scouting efforts. Water temps are climbing so midday might be better to dead drift streamers.
Owens River Gorge:
Water conditions:
Great. 45 CFS as of 7/10.
Fishing conditions:
Good. Since summer is upon us make sure to watch ur step for those long, fanged creatures. Take plenty of bug spray.
Pleasant Valley Reservoir:
Water conditions:
Water level is high.
Fishing conditions:
Water is high due to activity by DWP. Since the lake is high most of the fish have moved into the stream section of the lake.
Rock Creek:
Water conditions:
33 CFS as of 7/10. Clear!!
Fishing conditions:
It's all about the dry flies. A full nymph rig might be a little challenging with low flows. A dry/dropper is a preferred technique for nymphing.
Rush Creek:
Water conditions:
Good. 36 CFS as of 7/10 below Grant Lake to Hwy 395.
42 CFS as of 7/10 in between Silver Lake and Grant Lake.
Fishing conditions:
Fair to good. This is the time of the year we all dread. The runoff is about to taper off, so the water temps are increasing. It will be good in the cooler time of the day. Dries mostly. Really hit the undercut banks in the general reg section of Rush Creek(between Silver lake and Grant Lake).
Lower Owens River:
Water conditions:
Good. Flows are at 276 CFS as of 7/10.
Fishing conditions:
Great. It's been really hot so wet wading might not be a bad idea. Fishing is still consistent. Mostly nymphing. occasional dries throughout the day.

PIT RIVER, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Traffic on the river has been busy despite reports indicating fishing has ranged from fair to great. The heat will definitely affect the water conditions currently but by all accounts the quality will improve.
Expect to catch a lot of rainbows with #14-16 nymphs. 
Courtesy of The Fly Shop. 

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
River flows are high this week but fishing has ranged from fair to good, with the heat wave spreading over the north state creating some great caddis hatches in the evening.
Conditions should improve as the week continues. 
Courtesy of The Fly Shop.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (UPPER), CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
The best times for fishing are in the early morning hours and then during a dry fly session sometime during the sunset. Caddis and Callibaetis hatches in the morning so use black midge patterns but E/C Caddis, Simulator or Golden Stone Adults are great dry flies during the evening.  A decent Stone Fly hatch near Ney Springs takes place during the evening as well.  
Courtesy of The Fly Shop.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
As of July 9, 2013, water flow is currently 14,250 CFS. 
Spin fishing for Trout and Steelhead on the Sacramento River has been excellent. Our average days are 25 to 40 hook ups. We have been using roe clusters with 4 pound test, on light action rods.
Some days we have been back trolling small Flatfish and Hot shots.
These fishing trips are taken by jet boats, and can hold up to 6 people comfortably. Lots of action. Great for the kids, families, and larger groups.

SACRAMENTO RIVER (LOWER), CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
Fly fishing:
As of   July 9, 2013, water flow is currently 14,250 CFS.
Lower Sacramento River fly fishing report, fly fishing is good. 
Early morning and late afternoons best.
Catching Huge Rainbows now. Excellent trout fishing ! 16 to 25 inches.
Using Prince nymphs, Iron Sallies, Pheasant Tails, Poxyback PMD's, 
Black Rubber Legs and Green Gidgets.
Boat traffic is heavier from Posse Grounds to Anderson River Park.
Call or email us today. We offer daily guided fishing trips, 7 days a week. Drift  boats or Jet boats available. 
We cater to all methods of fishing.
Daily drifting Redding, California and Anderson, California.
Groups and Clubs welcome, we can accommodate ANY size group.

SAN JOAQUIN/RED’S MEADOW, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Current flow is 50 CFS. Fishing is good with attractor dry flies like stimulators, sierra brite dots and royal wullf.


SAN JOAQUIN/RED’S MEADOW, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Very good fly fishing conditions currently. 
Water levels are just about perfect for wading all areas. 
The wild fish are “opportunistic” critters and will take most attractor or dry fly adult patterns in the #14-18 range. 
I prefer hi-vis or parachute mayfly & caddis imitations; however most profiles will get grabs if presented properly. 
Avoid conventional  positioning and work from the tailout of a  run, incrementally moving upstream and hitting the shadows and pocket water in each run.
Don’t leave food in your cars-the bears are on the lookout for donuts and French fries!

SAN JOAQUIN RIVER, CALIF:
Kent Rianda of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
Water conditions:
60 CFS as of July 10.
Fishing Conditions:
Water is crystal clear! Challenging conditions. Flows are dropping fast and water temps are increasing.

SHASTA LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Everyone is getting hook-ups right now! Fishermen are catching their limits of Rainbows and King salmon, especially around Bridge Bay and Packers Bay. Rainbows can be caught near the surface in the morning but descend to roughly 80 feet during the day, so use Hummdingers  Wiggle Hoochies.  
Courtesy of Sacriver Guide.  
                                                                                                       
SHASTA LAKE, CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
July 15, 2013  Shasta Lake guided fishing - Northern California fishing Lake Shasta.  We offer daily guided fishing on Lake Shasta.
Lake Shasta fishing has been great! 
Catching salmon and trout now,  Rainbow trout  on the surface and salmon, 100 plus  feet deep.
The Dry Creek area, using Cripp Lures and Wiggle Hoochies. 
Seeing smaller fish now, really working for the bigger fish.
 Lake Shasta is place to be for lots of action and great trout fishing & salmon fishing. Bass fishing has slowed a bit now.

LAKE TAHOE:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
Limits have been easy and the fish are running from 1 to 5 pounds with some breaking into the double digits. Best method is still minnow dodger set up in 150 to 200 ft. Fishing has been good in Sand Harbor area and Cave Rock. Kokanee are showing up in good numbers. Try using plugs and Vance’s sockeye slammer number 2.

TRINITY LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
No current fishing report, however good news: March through June are the favorite months for experienced bass anglers there. The lake has good populations of both largemouth and smallmouth bass. It also holds the California record for small mouth bass! A dredger piles at the head of the lake, as well as other structures found in the coves and points throughout the lake provide excellent bass fishing for most of the year. Spring always provides the hottest action, as both species move into the shoreline to spawn.
Courtesy of Fish Trinity Lake.   

TRINITY RIVER, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
Conditions have not changed, as fishing has been fairly consistent on the Trinity, especially with small steelhead and brown trout. Water conditions are tolerable and there is little to no traffic. 
Courtesy of The Fly Shop.

TRINITY RIVER, CALIF:
Kirk and Lisa Portocarrero at outdooradventures@sacriverguide.com and www.sacriverguide.com (1-800-670-4448) report:
July 9, 2013 Fishing report. Currently, Water is at 450 CFS.
Trinity River Salmon fishing and steelhead fishing has begun! 
Fishing for salmon is slow, water really low. 
There are a few fish being caught, we will see number increase as the weeks go on. Methods of fishing will be bouncing roe and pulling plugs.
 Please give us a call to reserve your day on the water.
Trinity River fishing is conveniently located 40 minutes West of Redding, CA  fishing from the town of Weaverville, California.

TWIN LAKES, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
July 15, 2013
The Twins are fishing well, mainly in the early mornings and late evenings.
Bait fishing with crawlers and power bait seems to be the best right now. We've had fish up to almost 5 pounds come in this past week.
If you want to give trolling a try go with blades and crawlers, needlefish and thomas bouyants.   

VIRGINIA LAKES, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
July 15, 2013
The Virginias are fishing great these days, lots of nice fish being landed, some up to 3 or 4 pounds.
Kastmasters, thomas bouyants, crawlers, power eggs and power bait have all been successful.
Fly anglers are using mini leeches, stillwater nymphs, seal buggers, prince nymphs, soft hackles and zug bugs.   

VIRGINIA LAKES, CALIF:
John and Carolyn Webb of the Virginia Lakes Resort (760-647-6484) ( HYPERLINK "mailto:vir@qnet.com" vir@qnet.com) report:
July 13, 2013
I believe Mother Nature’s condition has greatly improved and things are looking up weather-wise for this next week without any hic-cups.
The bite picked up after the double dose of fish hit the water and everyone is walking around the limits on stringers and heading down the road or back to camp with smiles.


Bait for the week:  
Nightcrawlers held again this week along with rainbow glitter, salmon peach and garlic green power bait.  Trout were also hitting mouse-tails, and a lot of personal-garlic mixes of power bait set-up.
Lures:
Still working are Red/Gold Thomas Buoyant’s, gold Kastmasters, plain gold spoons.  Some Lil’ Jake’s did fairly well in black with yellow spots or the gold with red spots.


Fly: Action was good using Olive Matuka (VL Special), caddis emergers, Rickard’s callibaetis nymph, black sedge still worked well, large black ants, Renegade’s Grey Hackle Peacock’s and green body mosquitoes.
Big fish for the week(all caught at Little Virginia): 
Daryl Uecker of Laguna Niguel, 5 lb 1 oz Alper on #16 nymph, July 8. 
Chris Sebourn of San Clemente, 5 lb 3 oz Alper on a fly, July 10.
Don Bennett of Filmore, 6 lb 2 oz Alper on a lure, July 10.
Rick Lewis of Claremont 6 lb 3 oz Alper on power bait, July 11.
Brandon Bruce age 9 of Bakersfield, 3 lb 8 oz Alper on power bait, July 11. 
Randy Christiansen of Barstow, 5 lb 9 oz Alper on a nightcrawler July 11. 
Dick Barnett of Ojai, 2 lb 5 oz Alper on garlic power bait July 12. 
Paul Sebourn of San Juan Cap, 5 lb 3 oz Alper on a DTL special July 12. 
Marty Toomey of Visalia, 5 lb 13 oz Alper on a Lil’ Jake Lure July 12. 
Ann Russell of Lakeside, 5 lb 2 oz Alper on a crawler July 12. 
Michael Cotton of Nevada City, 3 lb 3 oz Alper on a crawler July 12. 
Mike Inge of Fontana, 3 lb 13 oz Alper on a worm July 13. 
Jenn Inge of Fontana, 5 lb 10 oz Alper on power bait July 13.


Backcountry: Action has been excellent small mosquitoes and black gnats black ants, and green body mosquitoes from Blue Lake up through Cooney, Frogs slowed to a creep due to the high volumne of anglers hiking in and out of the area.  Both Moat and Red Lake used a lot small dries to catch the evening bite, but the size was rather disappointing from the reports.
The mosquitoes:
Are still around and doing a good job sucking blood so don’t forget to stock up on Off or your favorite “DEET”.

WALKER LAKE, MINERAL COUNTY, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
No new updates. No Lahontan cutthroat have been reported or seen at Walker Lakes since 2009.
Launching is not possible right now.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, NEV:
The Nevada Department of Wildlife (www.ndow.org) reports:
East Walker Flow is currently at 78 CFS.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
East Walker River:
The East is hanging in there still. It's running at 79 CFS today.
It's starting to get a little warmer than we'd like but the fish still seem to be healthy and not too stressed out.
Mornings and late evenings are the best time to fish, during the heat of the day, from about 11am to 5 pm it's best to let the fish have a rest.
There's been some good trico hatches in the mornings so there's been some good dry fly action during that time, also some good dry action late in the evening with caddis, if there are no fish coming to the surface during these times it's best to go with small midges and caddis nymphs on the bottom.
The Nevada side of the river is also fishing well and there seems to be a lot of fish hanging out on both the Sceirine and the Rosachi sections.
Patterns to try: trico, drowned trico, elk hair caddis, e/c caddis, parachute adams, fox's poopah, midgeling, buckskin caddis, 3-wire caddis, zebra midge, san juan worm, mercury midge, silver streak and rainbow warrior.     Sceirine Ranch:
July 15, 2013 
The ranch is still fishing well, the temps tend to be a few degrees cooler down there due to a few springs that empty into this section. Most of the same patterns have been working on the ranch that have been working on the California side of the river.  
Hunewill Pond:
July 15, 2013
The pond has been fishing pretty well this past week even with the weeds having grown up for the summer. It's a little tough to get around the weeds so you need to fish the areas where they haven't grown too much.
Midges under an indicator, damsel and leech patterns doing the best.   

WALKER RIVER, EAST, CALIF:
Steve Osterman of Performance Guide Service (760-934-6101) (www.performanceanglers.com) reports:
Water flow has been up and down and is currently 79 CFS. Fishing  has been good. Midge patterns, baetis emergers and pheasant tails.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, CALIF:
Kent Rianda of The Trout Fly and Troutfitter (760-934-2517) (www.thetroutfitter.com) reports:
Water conditions:
Flows up to 68 CFS as of 7/10.
Fishing conditions:
Slow. So, if you take a look at the flow graph, you'll see the step ladder effect from the last 5 days. that's not particularly a good thing. Very inconsistent flow mean inconsistent behavior pattern. not saying you can't get in some, but it might be a little bit more challenging than last. Should be able to get in some quality fish....depending on the time of the day.

WALKER RIVER, EAST, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Tough here this summer.  Flows have been pulsing with water demands, but pretty much staying below the 70cfs mark most of the summer. 
Aquatic weeds in the channels and along the banks are making presentations difficult while nymphing. 
The fish are once again seeking the insulation of the deepest pools and runs due to elevated water temps. 
Stimulators, caddis adults, damsel fly nymphs, birds nest and broken back midges are all good options in the choice holes. 
With Bridgeport Reservoir being so low this summer, the fish in this tailwater may become quite lethargic due to low dissolved oxygen content and warm temps.
Hit the low light periods and avoid the mid-day slump.

WALKER RIVER, WEST, CALIF:
Tom Loe of the Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-935-4250) (www.sierradrifters.com) reports:
Very good currently.  Running low for this time of year but still plenty of pocket water and riffle water to make it fun to fish using a dry/dropper bead head combo in the canyon and Pikel Meadows areas. 
Hard to beat a #14 Stimmy with a crystal tiger midge or crystal olive caddis larva #16-20 as the nymph & dropper.

WALKER RIVER, WEST, CALIF:
Jim Reid of Ken’s Sporting Goods Store in Bridgeport (760- 932-7707) (www.kenssport.com) reports:
The West is fishing excellent this past week, lots of nice fish up to 4.25 pounds. Gaby Vernoff bagged the 4.25 pounder on her first fishing trip ever.
Lots of nice pan-sized fish are also being caught.
Power bait, power eggs, salmon eggs, crawlers and small spinners are doing well. Fly anglers are using beetles, ants, hoppers, humpies, royal coachmen, prince nymphs and pheasant tails.    

WHISKEYTOWN LAKE, CALIF:
Shasta Cascade Wonderland Association (530-365-7500) (www.shastacascade.com) reports:
No real changes, conditions are still improving.
Expect more reports as the summer months continue. 
Courtesy of Mike’s Fishing Guide Service

— Don Quilici is the Outdoor editor for Carson Now and www.SouthTahoeNow.com. He can be reached at donquilici@hotmail.com