Many years ago, when I was in high school, a couple of my friends and I went steelhead fishing on the Trinity River. We camped at Douglas City Campground. It was cold and rainy, with overnight snow, and we all slept in tents. We were teenagers, and somehow, we made it through the three days and two nights without catching hypothermia—the alcohol assisted our endeavors to stay alive.
During the trip, we got skunked. I was the only one fly-fishing. The other three guys were spin fishing with bait casters, and even the bait they used didn’t work. My high school friend Frank had a Chevy SUV with four-wheel drive, and we got it stuck on nearly every muddy road around the Douglas Bridge area. I was starting to get tired of not catching fish and digging out Frank’s truck!
We drove into Weaverville, CA, and got reinforcements with a fake ID. Then we hit Herb Burton’s Trinity Fly Shop. I immediately went to the flies; I only had a few bucks to spend, but I was determined to pick the best fly to catch a fish. I was looking at the selection when Herb asked me how we were all doing. Herb looked at me and asked if I was the same kid who worked at Powell’s. I replied yes, and the conversation continued for a while—which started to tick my buddies off. They wanted to get back to camp or the river. Either way, the beers were going to get opened. Herb sold me three identical size 6 Brindle Bugs, with the note that I would probably lose some.
That point changed my fly-fishing career forever. The Brindle Bugs worked, and I landed seven fish in the next day and a half. I felt like I was the “King of Missoula,” to quote a Norman Maclean line. My buddies got upset because I returned all the steelhead to the river. But I pulled out a $20 bill hidden in my wallet for emergencies, and we ate like kings the last night.
Fast-forward a couple or three decades, and now I am the person who recommends the flies to folks. Like many of the people who helped me years ago, I want the folks I talk with to have a great experience and catch fish. When I need to know what flies and tactics work for a specific river, lake, or creek, I have many guide friends I contact for advice.
I reached out to multiple guides and shops around California to get a good look at the flies and tactics these guides are confident in for this fall season. Many of these flies are for a particular river, others can be used in other rivers or creeks. I will let you folks fish for them wherever you like.
TRINITY RIVER
The Trinity River is one of those rivers where you can fish using multiple tactics: dead drift with an indicator, swinging flies, and high-sticking flies. Whatever you like to fish, you can do it here. In certain months, you can even fish dry flies. It’s a great river.
The first person I contacted was Herb Burton, the legendary guide, master fly tyer, and the Trinity Fly Shop owner in Lewiston, CA, who helped me all those years ago. Herb has been fishing, guiding, and advising fly-fishers on the Trinity River for four decades.
Herb’s pick was the Kit-Chucky-Joes-It. This fly is a skater; it’s designed to be fished just on top of the water’s surface and swung so that it skates across it. This creation is the brainchild of Kit Kreick, Joe Howel, and the late Chuck Van Geldern. Herb says this fly catches fish in both the Trinity and the Klamath. The fly is dressed (tied) sparsely, not bulky like many skating flies. Herb likes to fish it in “Grease Line” style, with the fly swung or skated broadside. Herb states that fly-fishers need to be more patient on the hook set with this fly. Let the fish “roll its eyes” before you lift the rod to set the hook. Many times, just a relaxed pulling on the fly line will set the hook while using this fly.
I love that Herb still recommends traditional flies, which many modern fly-fishers need to fish and treasure just like we old-timers.


Peter Santley is a local guide who has guided many different rivers in California. When I asked Peter which fly he liked for the upcoming fall season, he had no hesitation: the Mossback. I love it. The Mossback is a traditional steelhead fly tied on an extra strong hook in size 6 and is the dark version of the Brindle Bug I mentioned earlier. Peter uses it to imitate the Isonychia nymph. The Isonychia hatches twice a year on the Trinity River; one hatch is in late June, and the other is in September and usually runs into early October.
Peter fishes the Mossback without using an indicator or high stick rig. He likes to swing it. His spey rods are lined with RIO Scandi body shooting heads tipped with a clear 10-foot intermediate (1.5-1.75 ips sink rate) Versileader with a 4- to 5-foot 10-pound Maxima Ultra Green Monofilament leader. He swings the shallower, faster-moving water 1 to 4 feet deep. He likes this water, especially when the salmon are in the river and hogging the deeper pools and holes. As I mentioned, he likes the Mossback tied on a strong, solid hook. He tells me the grabs are violent, and the fly-fisher needs to survive the first five minutes of the fight—a strong hook helps with that.
Tim Fox, a guide with over 35 years of experience, had an answer that was also old school. I love when guides return to older patterns and tie them using traditional methods. When a fly-fisher fishes with vintage patterns, you link yourself back to the fly-fishers of the past. Tim tells me his top fly is his version of the Hares Ear. Ever since I’ve known him, Tim has always carried Hare’s Ears in his fly box. His version of the Hare’s Ear has a slightly longer tail than the traditional one. He ties it on a Mustad S80 hook (3X strong) for strength. He usually fishes the Hare’s Ear on a dead drift indicator system while fishing out of his drift boat with clients. He tells me he has no issues swinging it out after high-sticking a run. He also targets the shallower riffles water with the fly while the salmon are in the river.
Brian Clemens, a Northern California guide and fly designer, had all kinds of patterns he loved for the Trinity River. Brian explains that the Trinity River is his favorite river to guide for steelhead in Northern California. You can catch fish on dries, nymphing, high-sticking, and his favorite technique: swinging. Brian guides both the upper and lower sections of the river between September and April; where and when depends on conditions and fish migration.
Brian’s favorite stonefly pattern is his creation: the Clemens’ Steelhead Stone in black. When the river gets off-colored, he likes his fly in midnight pink. He also likes to fish the old-fashioned Black Rubberlegs that are heavily weighted. His “when in doubt bug” is a Copper John in red or blue. He likes anything purple and buggy! Bright-colored glo-bugs or San Juan Worms in pink, are his other favorites.
Brian’s preferred fishing tactic on the Trinity River is swinging. He loves the grabs that the steelhead and big browns provide when taking a swung fly. Brian fishes traditional flies such as the Black and Blue Hoh Bo Spey Fly, the Royal Spey Fly, Silver Hiltons, and Green Butt Skunks. I couldn’t nail him down on just one fly. He also swings Jerry French’s Mini-Intruders in olive and orange, and olive and copper.
KLAMATH RIVER
The Klamath River has seen many changes in the last couple of years, and with the dam removal hot water and sediment have flowed into the river. As fly-fishers and conservationists, we must do whatever it takes to restore this mighty river to its legendary former glory.

When I asked Herb Burton about his favorite fly for the Klamath, he didn’t hesitate: Mr. Pimp. Big fish love them, he stated. Mr. Pimp is designed by Tom Weseloh, Kit Kreick, and the legend himself, Herb Burton. They are designed to imitate the lamprey eels that use the Klamath and the Trinity River systems as their spawning and rearing areas. Many of the coastal rivers have lampreys, I have even seen them in the valley river system. These flies are tied to fish mid-to-deep water where most of the lampreys live in the river.
Herb likes to fish these flies dead drifted, swung, or twitched. You can add movement just by raising your rod tip ever so often to make this fly move in a “jellyfish motion,” he says, which will entice even the most stubborn fish. Herb also says that there is a large population of freshwater eels in Lewiston and Trinity Lakes and the fish there also love Mr. Pimp.
I fish the Mr. Pimp fly in black and purple on the Feather and Yuba Rivers in the springtime. With these I use a RIO Streamer Tip Intermediate Line and add the rod lifts many times while swinging these great flies.
SACRAMENTO RIVER
The Sacramento River is a fantastic fishery. There are wild rainbows at the upper portion of the Sacramento River and a considerable striper population in the lower portion of the river to the delta. The river is home to salmon, steelhead, smallmouth, and largemouth bass. Not to mention the native Sacramento pike and catfish. In this article, I will break down the definition of the Sacramento River into two different sections. The Lower Sacramento River runs from the Sundial Bridge to Red Bluff, CA, and the Sacramento River runs from Red Bluff, CA, to the delta.
I asked Tim Fox what his top fly is for the Lower Sacramento River. His reply was his version of the Bird’s Nest. He calls it Mr. Fox’s Version of a Bird’s Nest in natural brown sizes 14 and 16. I was shocked by this reply. I thought it would be his Fox’s Poopah in tan or cinnamon (they’re my choice). He told me he picked this Bird’s Nest because it works all year. The poopahs are superb, he went on to say to me, but they only work for seven months out of the year. That’s why I love Timmy—he’s a straight shooter.
Tim also explains that he fishes this Bird’s Nest underneath an indicator out of his drift boat—but he also likes to swing them in the evenings on a long 10- to 12-foot 2X taper leader. He loves the grabs he gets by swinging this fly.
I contacted Shane Kohlbeck, a fellow guide and fly tyer who guides out of The Fly Shop in Redding, CA. Shane and I usually talk about fish when we see one another on the river; occasionally, we exchange flies.


When I asked Shane what his favorite fly was, he said, hands down, a Perdigon. He loves them. I asked him why he loved that style of fly. He told me he loved the solid hook set right in the upper lip of the fish’s mouth. He and his clients don’t lose many fish using that fly. He also likes that it is designed to sink quickly and comes in various colors and sizes. Shane did tell me that he likes olive Perdigons. He listed the Quill and the Red Halo Perdigons with olive bodies.
Shane also likes that the fly is durable, and his clients can catch multiple fish on one fly. I asked Shane if there were any other Perdigons that he would recommend. He said I have a couple of my own that are still in the developing stage. Shane is a typical guide, just like the other guides in this article—always looking for the next best fly!
I asked a Northern California guide, Joe Vasquez, about his favorite fly for the Lower Sacramento. He had several, including Brown Rubberlegs, Lance’s Jigged X-Mays, Mercer’s Jigster PMD, and Hot Spot Jig Olive. Joe likes to fish these flies underneath an indicator while fishing out of the driftboat. If you are wading the Lower Sacramento, you can fish these on a high-stick rig.
During my conversation with Joe during this article, I reminded him of something he told me years ago. He told me a client asked him why they weren’t catching fish while the other drift boat folks were in the same run. His simple answer to his client was, “They have the right fly for this run.” That is why having the flies that work consistently for guides needs to be in your fly box. Maybe you will have that right fly when it means hooking fish or not. That is why fly-fishing guides carry a vast array of flies. You never know what they’re going to want to eat!
I also reached out to Hogan Brown. Hogan is a guide and master fly tyer. He is also involved in many other fly-fishing groups, including being a director of Cast Hope, a fly-fishing organization that takes kids fly fishing. I can ask Hogan anything, and I always get his honest answer. His mission is for folks to catch fish, and he loves sharing his knowledge.
When I asked him about his favorite fly, I got this answer: Adachi Clouser. Steve Adachi designs the Adachi Clouser to imitate all types of minnows. Hogan picked this fly in the color of chartreuse for several different reasons. Hogan says that Steve ties this pattern in a bulletproof manner. He said I don’t think I have ever worn out a fly—just lost them. Second is how Steve layers the materials; it creates a 3D (three-dimensional) profile to push water; it looks natural, which is incredibly important for striped bass. Third, Hogan believes that a fly should have a lateral line; this fly does. Hogan went on and said that the Adachi Clouser is the perfect striper fly.
Hogan fishes this fly on a 9-foot 9-weight saltwater-style fly rod with a fighting butt and oversized guides. His fly line is the AirFlo Sniper Line Intermediate to a type 7. It matters on the flows of the river on which line he fishes. Hogan adds that he varies the retrieve based on the fish’s personality that day.
FEATHER RIVER
Ryan Williams, a guide and master fly tyer known for the Float-N-Fly at Oroville Lake, also guides the Feather River. Ryan is a guy who gets right to the point. Like the others, I reached out to him and asked him what the go-to fly for the Feather River below Oroville Lake is for steelhead. His response was simple: beads. He fishes beads the most while the steelhead are gorging on salmon eggs.
As far as his “Numero Uno,” his favorite go-to nymph over all the years would have to be the Bird’s Nest. He laughed and apologized for not telling me a secret nymph to use. He states that he likes the Bird’s Nest because it looks like many different insects in different life stages, depending on the size and color. “It’s just a great fly that always works for me,” he says. He will use it on a typical indicator rig with no bead, size 14, in the color of tan. Ryan said that when he tied his own Bird’s Nest, he would use a lighter-colored dubbing instead of the wood duck flank to match hatching of the pale caddis in the Feather.

Ryan told me his thought process for this traditional Bird’s Nest is that there are many specific patterns, and many of the same ones get fished by a lot of anglers. Fish see the same modern flies day after day, so many of the older, essential flies we know work great are now in a situation where the fish probably have rarely, or maybe have never, seen them. He believes a Bird’s Nest fits in this category.
Tim Fox had the same opinion as Ryan. He loves the Bird’s Nest on the Feather River and ties his own version of it. Tim’s Bird’s Nest is black with a ruby-red bead. He ties it on a Mustad S82 or a Tiemco 3761 hook, with red wire rib and natural bronze mallard duck fibers. He likes this fly on the Feather River because he caught a massive steelhead with it years ago, and the fly has been producing ever since.
Brian Clemens, another local Feather River guide, had some different picks for his top fly for the Feather. He listed several flies as a “toss-up” between sure flies. His first pick was Thurman’s Jigged Bird’s Nest in natural and peaches & cream. His second pick was Hogan’s S&M in olive, and his third was Mattioli’s Trout Spey Intruder in olive.
He likes to fish the nymphs underneath an indicator and on a multi-fly rig either from the drift boat or wading, especially during fall or winter. The other flies he likes to fish on the Feather River are Prince Nymphs, Blowtorches, San Juan Worms, and Doug’s Peaches & Cream.
Brian likes to swing Mattioli’s Trout Spey Intruder in olive during spring to imitate sculpin minnows. He also swings traditional flies such as Hartwick’s Duct Turd the Assassin and for a crayfish imitation Brett’s Klamath Intruder in rust/olive.
Lance will be sharing flies for more of California’s spectacular and diverse rivers in the Winter issue, published January 2025.
Fly Tyers featured in this article:
Herb Burton
Trinity Fly Shop
530-623-6757
Tim Fox
Mr. Fox Outfitters
530-949-0238
Shane Kohlbeck
The Fly Shop
800-669-3474
Hogan Brown
HGB Fly Fishing
530-514-2453
Ryan Williams
Fly Fish CNV
707-365-9891
Peter Santley
Peter Santley Fly Fishing
530-318-7073
Brian Clemens
NorCal Fly Guides
530-354-3740
Joe Vasquez
Mojo Bella
916-591-7082
I absolutely loved this article!