Located just 30 minutes south of Chico, California the Feather River is home to some of the most productive Steelheading in all of the Sacramento Valley. When fishing for these hard fighting Valley Steelhead we tend to target them more like trout. We know that Valley Steelhead actively feed on caddis, mayflies, salmon eggs, and salmon fry. Because of their active feeding behavior the Feather River has a reputation of being one of the more predictable fisheries in the Valley. Prime months for targeting the Feather River are September-December and April-June when the fish are still strong and bright.
One of our goals when guiding is to make customers for a lifetime rather than only for a day. Therefore, the Chico Fly Shop always provides current and accurate evaluations of local fishing conditions. Average fishing conditions usually consist of hooking three to five adult fish per rod. Numbers aside you can always count on the hardest working mellow tempered guides to provide you with a positive fishing environment for anglers of all skill levels.
The Chico Fly Shop guide staff prides themselves on knowing the small intricate subtleties of the river. Knowing which runs are currently holding fish is our job. This is why we prefer to use our drift boats or 16’ jet sled as taxies. This way we can fish the bulk of our day from outside of the boat on remote water. When fishing from outside of the boat wading is generally no deeper than your knees and most cast are short 10’-30’. If wading is found to be difficult or not your thing, don’t worry, we can fish as much as you like from inside the boat. We never forget that a day on the water with us is always your day.
Our guides favor fishing 9’6” 6-7 wt fly rods, floating lines, 9ft leaders, split shot, and a two fly setup. Flies generally consist of caddis larva and emergers sizes 12-14, mayfly nymphs sizes 14-16, eggs and alevins. When presenting our flies we try to get them down fast and drift the bottom. Many of the Feather fish sit with there noses right behind gravel benches or drop offs. This method of nymphing starts with a dead drift and finishes with a soft swing. Grabs occurring in the top of the drift can be soft or subtle, while grabs in the bottom of the drift tend to be savage. Casts are generally short to ensure staying in good contact with your flies throughout the entire drift. Other primary methods include float fishing with indicators and fishing a swung fly with wet tips or dry line.
