DELTA TRIP

Just a short drive from the Bay Area and the State Capital in Sacramento the rich waters of the Delta has some of the best fly fishing in the United States. Fed by the Sacramento and San Joaquin River drainages the Delta consist of 1200 miles of sloughes, channels, and flooded islands filled with Stripers and Largemouth Bass. Stripers are caught year around in the Delta, but the best fishing occurs from September through April as the fish migrate in from the Pacific Ocean and spend most of their time in the Delta before they head the rivers to spawn.

Fly fishing is one of the most effective techniques to catch these trophy game fish as we use streamer flies and surface poppers to land fish from one to over forty pounds. Twenty fish days are common and the occasional catch of largemouth bass and king salmon make this a very unique fishery that one has to experience. We fish out of a comfortable 18 foot boat equipped with casting platforms in both the front and rear. Lunch, equipment, and flies are included on all trips.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT:
For subsurface fishing, an 8 or 9 wt. rod equipped with a running line and either a LC - 13 leadcore or a T-14 shooting head or a 350 grain 24 to 30 foot sinktip. For surface fishing a 6 to 8 wt. rod with a WF floating line. Saltwater leader material in the 12 to 20 lb. range. Flies of choice are clousers and whistlers in the 3 to 6 inch range with chartreuse, gray, white, and black being the most popular colors. Surface poppers in the 2 to 4 inch range with the shad crease flies working the best.

DIRECTIONS:
All trips leave from Tower Park Resort & Marina ( www.towerparkresort.com ). The Tower Park Resort is centrally located in the California Delta, on Highway 12, 5 miles West of Interstate 5.  My boat is kept at Bean Shed, the first guest shed past the boat ramp.

PRICES:  $450 / One or Two Angler(s)

STANISLAUS RIVER TRIP

Flowing out of Lake Tulloch just east of the town of Oakdale is a wonderful tailwater fishery that is full of wild Rainbow Trout, Steelhead, and Striped Bass. The river is open from January 1st till October 15th and is managed as catch and release water with artificial lures and flies with barbless hooks. We use a three man outcast raft or our Hyde drift boat to float several different sections of this scenic river and access the best fishing.

Winter Steelhead fishing can be excellent from January through March while the Spring and Summer is a great time to catch big Rainbows on dries, nymphs, and streamers. The late Spring and Summer Striper fishing is very good and we often have days where we catch both trout and stripers in the same stretch of river. Lunch, equipment, and flies are included on all trips.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT:
3 and 4 Wt. rods with floating lines for dry fly fishing. 5 and 6 Wt. rods with floating lines for nymph fishing. 7 and 8 Wt. rods with a 250 to 350 grain sinktip line for streamer fishing. Most of our leader and tippet is in the 4x to 7x range. Flies of choice are caddis pupa, golden stoneflies, prince, birdsnest, and flashback pheasant tails for nymphs. Use small spinners and Bwo's as well as caddis and stimulators for dries. For streamers we fish a lot of small clousers and small rainbow trout patterns.

DIRECTIONS:
Take 120 East off of Hwy 99 in Manteca and proceed to the town of Oakdale. Go through Oakdale heading toward Sonora and take a left on Orange Blossom Rd and follow it until it crosses over the river. Park in Army Corps park to the left.

PRICES: $400 / One or Two Angler(s)

MOKELUMNE RIVER

The Mokelumne flows out of Lake Comanche and make its way down to the Delta. It is a tailwater fishery that offers some excellent fly fishing for Rainbow Trout and Steelhead. The river is open from January 1st till the end of March and then the river reopens the Fourth Saturday in May and stays open until Oct. 15th.We use our three man outcast raft to access some wonderful wadable water that gives the angler a chance to catch rainbows on dries, nymphs, and streamers all in the same day. Besides excellent streamer fishing this river is great for swinging flies as rainbows in the 10 to 22 inch range take the fly aggressively. Lunch, equipment, and flies are included on all trips.

RECOMMEND EQUIPMENT: 3 or 4 wt rod with a floating line for dry fly fishing. 5 or 6 wt rod with a floating line for nymph fishing and a 200 to 250 grain sinking line for streamer fishing. For nymphs use caddis pupa and prince nymphs, along with flashback pheasantails. For dries use caddis and parachute adams. The best streamer patterns are wooly buggers and leaches in olive, white, and black.

DIRECTIONS: Take Hwy 99 to either Hwy 12 or Hwy 88 and proceed to the town of Lockford.

PRICES: $400 / One or Two Angler(s)

LOWER SACRAMENTO RIVER

The Lower Sacramento River flows out of Lake Shasta in Redding California and its cold waters provide some of the best trout and steelhead fishing in North America. Great fly fishing can be found from Redding all the way down to Corning, with almost 60 miles of great fishing it 's easy to get away from the crowds on this spectacular river. We use our Hyde drift boat to access the best water where 30 fish days are not uncommon.

The Spring time is an excellent time to fish the Sac as caddis swarm the banks and the best dry fly fishing of the season get the big bows looking up. Although the river comes up during the summer months, usually flowing between 10,000 and 15,000 cfs, the cold water produces some of the best fishing on even the warmest days. The Fall is a special time on the Lower Sac as thousands of king salmon migrate upriver from the Pacific Ocean and use the wonderful spawning riffles on the Lower Sac to complete their life journey. Rainbows and Steelhead line up behind the mating salmon feasting on eggs for several months and offering the angler a chance to catch a fish of a lifetime.

If one day on the Lower Sac. is not enough you may want to try one of our overnight campouts, where two days of fishing and a night under the stars has become one of the best ways to experience this great fishery. Pacific Adventures provides each angler with a tent and very comfortable queen size air mattress. A wonderful dinner is served by campfire just after the evening dry fly fishing ends. Morning starts with hot coffee and another amazing day of fishing. Spots are limited so book early. As always, lunch, equipment, and flies are included on all trips.

RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT: A 4 or 5 Wt. rod with a WF floating line works best for dry fly fishing. A 5, 6, or 7 Wt. 9 1/2 ft. Rod with a WF floating line is the choice for nymph fishing. Flies of choice are caddis pupa in both olive and tan, flashback pheasant tail nymphs, prince nymphs, and stonefly nymphs in golden and brown. Egg flies work great during the salmon spawn! For dries, try Elk Hare Caddis and Parachute Adams.

DIRECTIONS: From the Bay Area or Sacramento take I-5 North to either Red Bluff or Redding depending on the float.

PRICES: $400 / One or Two Angler(s)
              $950 / Two Anglers / Two Day Campout