Guided Trips
Summer/Fall Destinations
Klamath River: The Klamath River is California’s salmon and steelhead super highway. Throughout the year, the Klamath sees fresh pushes of steelhead, half-pounders, and Chinook salmon. It is a large river with exceptional runs, tailouts, and big gravel bars making it a great place to swing flies on Spey rods.
In the summer and fall months, SOTS offers float trips on the Klamath River. Wild summer run steelhead and fall Chinook salmon begin to enter the Klamath system in July and will run through the end of October. This is premier floating line fishing for half pounders and steelhead with the occasional Chinook Salmon thrown in the mix. The Klamath offers big, long, traditional steelhead runs that are excellent for swinging a fly. This makes the Klamath an ideal spot to spey fish for salmon and steelhead and is an ideal place for anglers to learn how to spey cast and swing flies for steelhead.
In October and November, SOTS offers drift trips higher up on the Klamath River chasing half pounders and steelhead. This can be a beautiful time of year with the fall colors changing and fewer crowds. This is also one of the places we host the Jefferson Spey Sessions, a three-day class geared towards Spey fishing for steelhead. More information can be found here….
Trinity River:
In the Fall months, SOTS guides the mid-lower sections of the Trinity River that are better suited for swinging flies and floating line fishing. The Trinity is the largest tributary of the Klamath River and sees a good run of summer/fall run steelhead. Over the years the Trinity has been know to get a little crowded but we offer a unique program that typically gets you away from the crowds and fishing over some of grabbiest fall run steelhead on the west coast. Most of our fishing on the Trinity is done with floating lines and fishing around the surface. Trinity fish can be extremely surface oriented and can be a great place to chase your first steelhead on a dry fly.
Winter Steelhead Destinations
California's North Coast:
From mid-late November November through March Steelhead on the Spey Guide Service offers guided trips on California’s North Coast winter steelhead rivers. We focus our attention on the Smith, Eel, South Fork Eel, Van Duzen, Trinity, and a select few other rivers to remain nameless. These rivers are some of the most scenic in the country and boast good returns of hard fighting wild steelhead.
The rivers of California’s North Coast are some of the most famous winter steelhead waters in the world and is where targeting steelhead on the fly began. In the last 10 years restrictions on logging, eliminating hatcheries, and 100 percent catch and release on all wild steelhead are among the leading factors that have successfully rehabilitated these rivers. These rivers not only boast healthy returns of wild steelhead but also offer spectacular scenery. Emerald green waters lined by giant California Redwoods provide no better backdrop when fishing. Winter steelheading is not for the faint of heart. We are searching for a grab or two per day. While this is not a numbers game, these fish are usually chrome bright and full of fight. These fish average 7-8 lbs, with fish in the mid to high teens hooked each season. Every cast lends the opportunity of landing the fish of a lifetime!
Steelhead on the Spey Guide Service offers full day floats and walk/wade trips. We target these fish using two handed spey and switch rods utilizing skagit lines, heavy sink tips, and big flies(yes, sometimes the size of a dead rat). We offer spey casting instruction but do recommend some spey casting experience for these trips.
Trip Information
Steelhead on the Spey Guide Service offers guided and instructional trips for salmon and steelhead on California’s North Coast Rivers. SOTS trips consist of either drift boat or walk/wade trips depending upon rivers and conditions. Our guides are extremely knowledgeable and experienced and will help tailor your trip to meet your angling needs.
Typical Guide Day:
Anglers will meet their guide in the morning, typically around first light, run a shuttle if needed, and get rigged and ready for a day of fishing. From there we will utilize a drift boat/raft or vehicle to cover various steelhead runs. Over the course of the day you will cover a variety of runs searching for fish. Lunch and snacks are provided on all trips and usually consist of fruit, salads, sandwiches, soups, chips, cookies, etc…We can also accommodate any dietary needs, just please let us know ahead of time. After lunch you will cover more water until the end of your day. Day trips typically consist of 8-10 hours on the water. Over the course of the day we will offer insight and instruction to give anglers the best opportunity at hooking fish. We will have a variety of rods, reels, and lines for demo use if needed. We also tie and fish custom flies designed for the rivers we are fishing. These are proven patterns that are hand tied by SOTS guides.
2021 Trip Prices:
$700 for Lower Klamath Jet Boat trips, 1 or 2 anglers.
$600 for all other trips. 1 or 2 anglers. Two day minimum on Winter Steelhead Trips
Booking Policy: A 50% deposit is required to reserve your date(s). Payments can be made in the form of cash or check. A full refund of your deposit will be granted if you cancel outside of 30 days of your trip. Trip cancellations within 30 days of trip will result in loss of deposit or putting your deposit towards another trip. If you must cancel within 30 days, a refund of your deposit will only be granted if your date is filled. In the case of unusual circumstances, exceptions can be made. Trip cancellations due to extreme weather or water conditions will be rescheduled or refunded. Deposits are fully refundable during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Trip Includes:
What You Should Bring:
Steelhead on the Spey Guide Service offers guided and instructional trips for salmon and steelhead on California’s North Coast Rivers. SOTS trips consist of either drift boat or walk/wade trips depending upon rivers and conditions. Our guides are extremely knowledgeable and experienced and will help tailor your trip to meet your angling needs.
Typical Guide Day:
Anglers will meet their guide in the morning, typically around first light, run a shuttle if needed, and get rigged and ready for a day of fishing. From there we will utilize a drift boat/raft or vehicle to cover various steelhead runs. Over the course of the day you will cover a variety of runs searching for fish. Lunch and snacks are provided on all trips and usually consist of fruit, salads, sandwiches, soups, chips, cookies, etc…We can also accommodate any dietary needs, just please let us know ahead of time. After lunch you will cover more water until the end of your day. Day trips typically consist of 8-10 hours on the water. Over the course of the day we will offer insight and instruction to give anglers the best opportunity at hooking fish. We will have a variety of rods, reels, and lines for demo use if needed. We also tie and fish custom flies designed for the rivers we are fishing. These are proven patterns that are hand tied by SOTS guides.
2021 Trip Prices:
$700 for Lower Klamath Jet Boat trips, 1 or 2 anglers.
$600 for all other trips. 1 or 2 anglers. Two day minimum on Winter Steelhead Trips
Booking Policy: A 50% deposit is required to reserve your date(s). Payments can be made in the form of cash or check. A full refund of your deposit will be granted if you cancel outside of 30 days of your trip. Trip cancellations within 30 days of trip will result in loss of deposit or putting your deposit towards another trip. If you must cancel within 30 days, a refund of your deposit will only be granted if your date is filled. In the case of unusual circumstances, exceptions can be made. Trip cancellations due to extreme weather or water conditions will be rescheduled or refunded. Deposits are fully refundable during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Trip Includes:
- Instruction and insight from a hard working guide
- Lunch, snacks, and water
- Use of any demo rods, reels, and lines
- Terminal tackle such as custom flies, leaders, etc..
What You Should Bring:
- A valid California Fishing license and Steelhead Report card in possession
- Waders, wading boots, and rain jacket
- Rods, reels, lines, flies you like fishing
- Your favorite sodas or alcoholic beverages