Some of the best year-round wild rainbow trout water in the country flows through Redding, California. A tailwater of Lake Shasta and Keswick reservoirs, the Sacramento River runs rich and cold. A perfect habitat for diverse populations of aquatic insects and the feisty trout that eat them. The best way to experience this great fishery is out of a drift boat. In our Clackacraft Fly-fishing guide model drift boat you can safely and comfortably access this great river.

The Sacramento River is a diverse fishery and the target species changes with the section we float. The section from downtown Redding to Anderson hosts the renowned wild rainbow trout fishing the Sacramento River is famous for. Lesser known and offering more solitude and spectacular scenery, the section between Anderson and Red Bluff hosts great steelhead fishing in the winter months and great dry fly action in the spring and fall. From Red Bluff to Colusa, the Sacramento grows larger receiving flow from tributaries all around the central valley. When the conditions are right, the section below Red Bluff offers the opportunity at a mixed bag day of stripers and steelhead! The Sacramento River is truly a gem of the north state and it would be my pleasure to share these waters with you. Trips include lunch, snacks, drink, rods, reel, and terminal tackle.

Certainly, a valuable consideration before planning a trip to the river is the water flow. Water discharge down a river is measured in cubic feet per second. California’s tailwaters are dam controlled and water flow varies dependent on weather conditions and power demand. As a result, river conditions fluctuate frequently. For that reason, I provided a link below to The U.S. Geological Survey flow gauge for the Sacramento River located below Keswick Dam.