SCR's Annual Special provides real value in the late summer, early fall season at the Ranch.  Two days fishing, one night lodging for just $250!  The special ends October 15th when rates revert back to normal. This year, with the late spring and warming, great fishing is extending into this period.  Come on over and knock heads with some hard-fighting bruisers!

 Thanks to the women's flyfishing group, the Mayflies, from the Shasta Trinity Fly Fishers, for their outing at the Ranch.  This Redding, California area group is active and enthusiastic! Contact them here.

 Met a fellow fisher from the Golden Gate group, as our stay overlapped a day.  He mentioned he had broken a rod on a very big fish in the North Pond.  If you gotta break a rod, I guess that's the way to do it.

From a long-time fan of the Ranch, Steve Metaxas from Eureka, a report about fishing during the first part of December 2010... thanks Steve!  We will post this report to the Fishing Reports page soon.  Thankfully, the weather is warmer now than when Steve fished. For a teaser, look at the historical averages for late January! Definitely in February we'll start seeing some really nice stretches of fishing weather.

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Comments: Yes. Winter fishing. Was a warm 9-12 degrees most morning fishing and a sweating mid 20's in the afternoon. But then the fish don't care, they're wet anyway. Fishing in the winter takes time, patience and much fly changing - the swines. Finally after whipping the water to a foam, working voodoo spells and offering various prizes the fish gods smiles, or the rainbows felt sorry for me. 

Caught maybe 12-15 fish, the biggest I got to the net twice, third time I lost. Long story. I sure the mothers were plugging their children's ears and will be making calls to Mike about the thugs staying at his cabin. It was the type of fish that make you dream at night... 

The rainbows were, as usual, breath-taking color, fat and different everytime you caught one. From burning runs to grunting it out. They ranged from 2 lb-ers to the orcas that made you happy you weren't swimming. How big ??? So easy to get into the big is better - but the net is 22-24 inches across -both orca's wouldn't fit into the nets. Problem why I lost both. Better to say that then say my ability was lacking... scary.

Winter fishinig is fun, cold, and frustrating. But if you caught a BIG raindow every cast - it wouldn't be fun. But the I'm a lunatic. :) I will return for battle again. 

 Late Fall/early Winter fishing at Sugar Creek Ranch can be a special experience.  Wetting a line in between the typical cold weather fronts can be really productive, as seen in this recent report from Doug and James Smith of Fremont, California.  Check here for a monthly weather forecast.

James Smith with a 5-pounder!

Doug and James Smith, Fremont CA

Arrived morning of 11/23 to 7-degree weather and started fishing the north ponds. My son, James, hooks first 6-pound trout an hour later. Fish were rising all over, top water fishing though was slow.  My son's first big trout came on a olive streamer with full sink line, his second fish came around 2 p.m. on same streamer. At this point my son was on fire and continued to show dad how its done. I on the other hand stuck to the traditional top water and midge patterns and caught many healthy trout to 18". It seems funny that we consider 18" small when fishing Sugar Creek Ranch. 

All the large fish were dark in color indicating a spawn is coming soon. Again, Mike was a great host -- coming down and starting camp fires to keep us warm. This was my fourth trip to Sugar Creek Ranch, and I will have to say my most challenging, with the cold and short days. Dress warm, guys!  

Fishing at Sugar Creek Ranch is HOT in the winter months!  We left early due to an impending storm,  but caught many small trout to 18" and five over FIVE POUNDS. Where else in California can you do this with your son?

 Just returned from a short stay at the ranch.  The weather was warm, part of what the weather people were calling the "Autumn Heat Wave".  Still, fall in just over the horizon.  You could see your breath in the morning, and early color trees have turned about 60% to their fall colors.  Oaks are still green.  All-in-all outstanding weather.

Since things were more like the end of the summer rather than the beginning of fall, the fishing was slow.  The trout are fat and sassy and have seen a lot of flies, so finding an aggressive redside to snatch one of your flies was not the easiest project to pull off.

The best overall fishing for me was at the South Pond, which is definitely making a comeback.  Fishing an original damsel nymph pattern over two days and about 3-1/2 hours of fishing, had 20 takes, netted 11 fish including a beautiful four-pound male.  Some fish grabbed the fly so hard, the tippet broke on the take.

Fishing really takes off for the fall at Sugar Creek Ranch after October 15th.  I always like to be there after a couple of hard freezes.  Those temperatures knock out a lot of the land-based bugs, and slow some of the other bug hatches, and the fish seem to notice the decrease in food supply!

Some of the most exciting fishing around is at the ranch in the late fall.  My best rainbow here ever, a 10-pounder, was caught at the South Pond on Nov. 10th, on a dry fly.

During "downtime" I worked with a lopper, clearing willows from the south bank of Lone Bear pond.  There is much-improved casting room and access there now, at least until the willows reappear for next year's growing season.

Enjoy the great fall weather and fishing conditions at the ranch this autumn!

Wes Wada

 Linda and I stopped at Sugar Creek Ranch for an overnight at the lodge on Sept. 29th on the way back from an extended trip through the Oregon Coast and the SF/East Bay area.  

I tested the latest version of an original damselfly nymph pattern on Tule Pond and had a handful of takers, it's a fun fly to fish.  The afternoon fishing was under toasty sunshine.  We then went to Bob's Ranch House restaurant in Etna for a nice early dinner, including famous pie.

When I got back onto the water at 6:15 p.m., it was immediately obviously that the hatches had started some time ago.  I would advise being out there at least by 5 p.m.  The evening hatches were some of the best I have seen all year!  Many bugs, many rise rings, many swirls.  
 

October caddises are hatching out in numbers (dead drift an Oct. caddis pupa for this action).  These big bugs explode out of the water, so the dry pattern isn't nearly as effective.

Profuse hatches seemed to be the rule this short stay.  The middle ponds were blanketed hatching mayflies in the afternoon - neat to see this time of the season.

The next morning was devoted to blackberry picking. To avoid the sun, we went out at 7:15 a.m. and could see our breath!  Fall is coming, yep.  We harvested nearly two gallons of the succulent purple beauties!  Berry season is about 60% over at the Ranch.  The fate of the berries shown below:

Wes Wada

Here's a tip to enhance your bank fishing experience...highly recommended!

A fellow fisherman, Mike, was using these items in his boat for stripping baskets.  They are pop-up leaf bags that are roughly 16" across by 17" deep.  They collapse down into a package 1" high.

These things work like a charm to keep your line from tangling in weeds and branches, always a pain when you're zeroed in on a big trout, and then blow the cast because of a line tangle.

http://tinyurl.com/2aflq6a  (opens a separate new window)

I ordered mine here, and they are a professional outfit and dependable.  The price is good as I have found anywhere.   

If you want a more compact model at 12" x 13.5" go here: 

http://tinyurl.com/29gwfpn

I am keeping one of the larger ones in my car, and it accompanies me to bank fishing sites to make my line behave itself. 

And a late addition:  one more and a bargain... a black 9" diameter x 13" high model marketed as an RV trash can.  I found it at WalMart in the RV supplies section for $5.  One thing I have done with these is to use a carabiner clip to attach it to a belt loop. 

Wes Wada

Alder Pond is the Ranch's smallest and prettiest pond, one of the reasons it is also the site of the group picnic area.  Alder is the southernmost of the four middle ponds. At most 5-1/2' deep, the pond is prone to masses of aquatic vegetation, which are a real job to remove!  

The picture above was taken last week, showing the pond's surface free of weeds and very fishable. This is currently a site for fast fishing and dry fly action for smaller trout.  Sometimes that's a welcome break from the challenge of fooling the big PhD trout in the north ponds.

Wes Wada

Between the three of us, some 20-24 fish larger than 20" were hooked, netted, revived and released.  The best topwater action was on dry terrestrial patterns.  Walt caught four huge 'bows the first time out using a black midge pupa below an indicator.  A variety of buggers produced a good number of big fish.

It was quite a different trip.