Upper Sacramento trout stay fair-to-good as water cools into the mid-60s

The Fly Shop’s Sept. 10, 2026 Upper Sacramento River report rates conditions fair to good as nights cool. Water near the lake is hovering just below 65°F — a welcome mark — but a mini heat wave is in the forecast, so carry a thermometer if you fish lower in the system.

No solid angler reports came in that day. The shop still expects fishing above around Dunsmuir to be solid. Late September is when more lake-run rainbows and browns start heading up to spawn.

Daytime is little-black-bug season: Zebra midges in #18 or smaller, BP Weiss nymphs, black S&Ms, black Micro Mays, and other tiny nymphs in frothy water, plus midges. Toward dark, smaller dark Missing Links and Adams; Rubberlegs, Perdigons, Poopahs, and Bird’s Nests still belong in the box. The report also tracks Upper Sacramento flows at Delta — check that gauge the morning you go rather than relying on a stale number.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: NorCal Fish Reports — Upper Sacramento River Report (The Fly Shop, Sept. 10, 2026).