Top 10 Fall Fly Fishing Trips in California

By Lost Coast Outfitters

October 2^nd, 2020

Fall offers some of the best fly fishing of year. Steelhead and salmon are pouring into our rivers, brown trout are staging for spawn, striper begins their migrations back into the delta and rivers, the rivers begin to drop back down to their normal flows and the leaves begin to change color. In fact there are so many options that it can be hard to decide where to go and what to do. Below is a list of our favorite California fly fishing destinations; if we were to go outside of California the list may never end. So, without further delay, here are Lost Coast Outfitters' top 10 Fall Fishing Trips. We will start closest to home and work our way out from there.

Top 10 Fall Fly Fishing Trips in California

World Series Bite

Go As! We might sound like a broken record at this point, but the bay is San Francisco's closest and most badass fishery. The best part is you can fish it before and after work, or do a sunrise mission and be back home before the family is even settling into cereal and Saturday morning cartoons. Hit up China Camp, Alameda, Crown Beach, Corte Madera Creek, Richardson Bay, Paradise Beach, Angel Island in the next month and a half and you stand to have some incredible fishing.

Book A Guide in the Surf | Join a Surf Clinic | Flies for Fly Fishing The Surf

LEARN MORE ABOUT FLY FISHING THE SURF & BAY

Putah Creek

A local favorite of bay area residents, Putah Creek runs super high through the summer months providing water to the Valley's Orchards. While it is fishable at these high flows it is far from ideal. Last year they dropped the flows on October 15th and I am willing to bet we see similar timing this year. Putah Creek is not for the inexperienced as these fish have PHD's in flies and drifts. So look to a guide to shorten your learning curve.

Book A Guide On Putah Creek | Watch Putah Creek Video |

LCO's Guide to Fly Fishing Putah Creek

Primetime on the Delta

The CA Delta offers up some of the best opportunities to target large stripers of all of our systems in California. The biggest challenge this time of year is finding a great Captain who can help put you on the fish. It's Truly a world-class fishery and if you have not fished it in the fall you are missing out.

Book A Guide on the Delta | Watch Delta Video |

Egg Drop on the Lower Sac

This actually might not need any explaining, but the Lower Sac goes from its normally good to great to AMAZING in the fall. The salmon come up the river spawn and trout and steelhead get keyed in on their eggs. This drift boat fishery requires very little casting ability making it a great way to get beginners interested in fly fishing. It can be hard to find a good guide when it's going off. My Little Brother Dustin is guiding this year and I highly recommend getting in a boat with him.

Book A Guide On Lower Sac | Watch Lower Sac Video | Lower Sacramento Fly Fishing Report

Steelhead on the Dry: Trinity, Klamath, Rogue

Well, steelheading is getting underway, but what very few people know/do is skate dries for them. September and October are my favorite months to skate dries for these fish on the Trinity, Klamath, and Rogue. Skating dries for steelhead you typically don't want full sun so hunt shade or fish early morning and evening. Check out Andras Outfitters for an excellent guide on the Rogue.

Watch the Klamath Video

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October Caddis Hatch

With October comes the October Caddis Hatch on the McCloud, Upper Sac, Pit, and North Fork Yuba. This is the proverbial last supper for many of these trout before waters temps drop and their metabolisms with it. I am sure there are October Caddis in other places but these are a few of my favorites.

Shop October Caddis Flies

Downtown Browntown

Brown Trout are fall spawners. So many of them are starting to stage for spawn. Of course, we are not recommending you pull them off redds (in fact don't do that) but knowing this info can put you into some toads. Many fish who hang out all year in the lakes will head up the rivers to get it on. The McCloud, Upper Sacramento River, Pit, Hat Creek, Stanislaus, American, Rubicon, Truckee River, and Eastern Sierra are all good places to get in on this phenomenon.

The Lakes

Of course, there is the obvious Pyramid Lake opener on 10/1 where you stand a chance at tying into a 20+ lb Lohattan Cutthroat. The allure is pretty obvious!

There the less frequented Davis and Frenchman lakes where near perfect rainbows chow late season snacks.

Watch Pyramid Lake Video

Eastern Sierra Bliss

Fall colors erupting out of the mountainsides only overshadowed by the dramatic peaks surrounding the valley are just a few of the visuals you can expect to see on a fall trip to the Eastern Sierra. That's not mentioning the shots at happy brown trout and rainbows looking to chow as much as they can before winter sets in. A trip to the Eastside from Bridgeport to Lone Pine is a photographer's dream. Hit up Jim Stimson on the eastside as good of a guide as he is a photographer.