McCloud River (Wild Trout Fly Water)
Near Mount Shasta · near McCloud / Mount Shasta · Shasta Cascade
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- advanced
- Best season
- Late spring–fall (fly season)
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required. The lower McCloud (including the Nature Conservancy Preserve) is legendary wild-trout fly water — special regulations (barbless, catch-and-release sections, limited-access preserve with a rod reservation system). A wading, fly-only river.
What is here
- Features
- Legendary wild-trout fly river · Nature Conservancy Preserve · Native McCloud redband strain · Cold, clear, forested canyon
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Not permitted
- Good for a first timer
- No
Fishing detail
- Water type
- river
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Fly
- Boat
- shore
- Target species
- Wild rainbow trout · Wild brown trout · Native redband trout · Bull trout (historic)
- Intl tip
- License required. Legendary wild-trout fly water with special regs (barbless, C&R sections). The Nature Conservancy Preserve limits daily anglers via a rod reservation — plan ahead. Technical wading; fly-only ethos. Late spring–fall. Combine with Mount Shasta and the McCloud Falls. Hallowed, challenging water.
The guide
The McCloud River, tumbling through a deep, forested canyon on the flanks of Mount Shasta, is one of California's most storied …
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to McCloud River (Wild Trout Fly Water) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 41.16, -122.07