Freestone · Mixed · Northern California

Upper Sacramento River

The Cantara Loop railway bridge spanning the Upper Sacramento River canyon, the river below.
Poor · Rainbow Trout
Parachute Adams · 12-18
Poorlive now
Not the day for it
River high but settled. Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level1.21 mLast reading 6h ago
  • Water temp23.0°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Parachute Adams
Parachute Adams12-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
1.21 m
Last reading 6h ago
Water temp23.0°C
ClarityClear
Weather31°C
WindS 11 km/h
Pressure1013 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Warm — slow
23°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Water at 23°C. This is the line where catch-and-release kills brown trout. Do not fish for them today.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Green DrakeHatch
2
2
Flav (Small Western Green Drake)Hatch
2
3
2
Mahogany DunHatch
2
2
American March BrownHatch
2
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Rainbow Trout fly box
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW general trout season; some reaches open all year — verify.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Water here around 23°C. Nothing cooler within range — carry a thermometer.
Gallery · 2
  1. The Cantara Loop railway bridge spanning the Upper Sacramento River canyon, the river below.
    Upper Sacramento at Cantara Loop
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Supporting
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Sacramento River (Above Shasta Lake)' (CAR5252203320000209092549), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Fully Supporting. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR5252203320000209092549

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 6 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature3 × 28%0.8
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time40 × 13%5.2
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity53 × 12%6.4
Limiting factor: Water temperature (23°C) is outside Rainbow Trout's preferred range (10–18°C)= 51
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
What would change the calculation
Cooler water — back toward the 10–18 °C ideal band — would lift the score and ease welfare.
The dawn and dusk windows score higher than the midday lull.
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • TroutLast Saturday in April → 15 November
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts