Fly fishing in California is rapidly approaching the legendary status of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. With many blue ribbon waters, healthy fish, and good access, come see why so many people are making California their first choice in fly fishing destinations. We offer fly casting instruction, on-stream fly fishing schools, and some of the best guided fishing trips available. You will learn a lot in a short amount of time and will have a great time in the process.

~Our Goal~
To provide you with a unique fishing experience that improves your skills and provides a lifetime of happy memories.
Our guides are the best in the industry. They have knowledge, passion, and a sense of adventure. On top of that, they are nice people. Call us to book a trip and you will not regret it.

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Owner of Buck A Bug
12 years of guiding experience
I will make sure you have the day on the water you want. We will fish from a comfortable boat with great equipment and the necessary flies to be successful on the water. I will not treat you like a puppet and just tell you what to do. After fishing with me you will know how to be more successful any where you choose to fish. I will not put you out when the conditions are less than optimal. I want you to have a great day and will work with you to make that happen.

"The big difference between a great angler and a fisher is a regular job."

10 years of guiding experience
One of the best Steelhead guides in California
Intimately familiar with the Lower Sacramento and Trinity River Systems

Mike has paid his dues and is great at what he does. He is consistently on the water over 200 days a year and is always on top of what is working and where to be. He definitely has a gift when it comes to guiding. He is also a great person and you will enjoy fishng with him.

McCloud River

.The McCloud River is probably the prettiest river in Northern California. It flows into Lake Shasta to the East of the Upper Sac and is open during the regular fishing season. This river does fish well the whole season. Access is limited to the top and bottom stretches of the river. This means anglers must walk a while to get to the least used stretches. Access is provided by using the Pacific Crest Trail.
The McCloud River has a run of very large browns that come up out of the lake each fall to spawn. During this time anglers have a chance of hooking a brown of a lifetime. The majority of the year is spent catching one of the three strains of rainbows that call the McCloud home. They are the McCloud River fine spot, the Kamploops rainbow, and the red band trout.
There are a bunch of hatches throughout the season that bring the trout to the surface. Patterns such as Adams, Cahills, and Blue Wing Olives are very productive. Nymphs like a Prince and Pheasant Tail work well fishing on the bottom.
This river receives the least pressure of the headwaters of Lake Shasta, but it is arguably the prettiest of the three. It is the most consistent throughout the season and is known for the large browns that come up from the lake each Fall. Some of these monsters reach double digits.
Anglers need to be in fair to good shape to make the hike into the canyon. The Pacific Crest Trail provides access to most of the river. Anglers can see deer, rattlesnakes, mountain lion, and occasionally a bear.
This is a great river to work on your skills. On any day fish can be caught on nymphs, dries, or streamers. Your efforts are often rewarded with acrobatic rainbows and hard-fighting browns.

Upper Sacramento River

The Upper Sac flows into Lake Shasta and is a beautiful river to fish. It is open all year but the peak season is still from May to November. Much of the Upper Sac is accessible from one of the many roads heading off of Interstate 5. The high amount of drive in access allows anglers to easily get to the most productive stretches of the river. Anglers can cover a lot more water this way.
This river has so much good access it is easy to find stretches with few other anglers. There are nice fish in every riffle, run, and pool. This is low-impact fishing at its best and an angler will feel right at home standing in this blue ribbon fishery.

Lower Sacramento River

The Lower Sac is one of the best tailwater fisheries in the United States. It comes out of Shasta Lake and flows right through the city of Redding. Not only does it have great numbers of fish, it also has fish of great size. Some of the monster trout reach and exceed eight pounds. The Lower Sac is open all year and has some great hatches that will bring many fish to the surface. It is a challenging river to fish and even some of the best guides shake their head from time to time. But when the conditions are right, it is a magical place to be.
Summer months offer the best dry fly fishing. We usually start around noon and fish until dark to get the best surface activity. Spring and fall are good months for fishing with nymphs and the occasional dry fly. When the salmon are in the river, anglers using an egg imitation can do very well. To round out the fish’s diet, there are tons of mayfly and caddis insects to feed on.
Not only do nymphing techniques work, but there are ample hatches that bring trout to the surface throughout the year. Because there is little walk-in access, the drift boat allows you to hit the good water all day long.
The Lower Sac also gets a good run of salmon and steelhead that will challenge the skills of any angler.

Trinity River

The Trinity River is rapidly becoming the go-to river for steelheading in Northern California. Each year the runs have gotten bigger and offers both wild and hatchery steelhead that can reach double digits. From the mining town of Lewiston to the confluence of the Klamath River near the Hoopa Indian Reservation, anglers can find miles and miles of clean flowing river. The Trinity is a small river by western standards. The average release is between 300 and 500 cubic feet per second.
Steelhead start showing up in the lower river in early August and fresh runs of fish move up river through December and January. Spring is a good time to fish dry flies for adult fish that have held over.
Along the Trinity River anglers are likely to see osprey, heron, bald eagles, deer, and the occasional black bear. Most of the river is on Bureau of Land Management property or National Forest which keeps the stretches wild and scenic.

The Fishing
Anglers can enjoy one or more days on the river fishing from 16 foot drift boats or easy walk-in access along most of the river. The drift boat allows anglers to fish some of the more remote and inaccessible stretches.
Steelhead
Adult steelhead range in size from 4 to 15 pounds and average about 7 pounds. This is a great river for fly fishing as good drifts are often rewarded. Six to eight weight fly rods with floating lines are all that are needed. But make sure your reel is loaded with backing because you will need it. Anglers can swing flies or they can fish with nymphs along the bottom.
Trout
Trout angling for rainbows and browns can be great on the river with both dry flies and nymphs. These fish average 12 – 14 inches with some browns going over twenty inches. This is a great river to teach someone to fly fish because they are absolutely going to hook trout. Even in the summer, anglers have an opportunity to hook an adult steelhead that has stayed in the river.

Our beginning casting class is for the person who has never tried fly fishing. The class is designed to teach the knots and various casts necessary to catch fish on a fly. It is a five hour class and is limited to six people. $75 per person. After the class students will be able to:

* Rig reel with backing
* Attach a fly line
* Add a leader
* Tie on tippet material
* Tie on a fly
* Load the rod properly
* Cast 30 feet of line
* Roll cast
* Control size of loop
*Make slack line casts
*Mend the line on the water

We will also spend time learning basic fly fishing strategies, including reading the water, fly selection, and proper presentaion.

We provide all of the needed equipment and teaching materials and a light snack.

We offer a One Day Fly Fishing School to get new anglers familiar with fly fishing. The class is conducted on the stream and is designed to teach you how to effectively catch fish on a fly.
It is a full day class and is limited to three people. The cost is $150 per person and includes lunch, flies, and necessary equipment. You will learn a lot and have fun in an enjoyable atmosphere.
After the class students will be able to:

* Wade safely
* Read the water like a hunter
* Identify the Strike Zone
* Select the proper fly
* Make various presentations
* Fish nymphs with confidence
* Identify hatches
* Effectively fish streamers
* Control drag
* Identify strikes
* Hook, play and land fish

After taking our class, each student will be able to go to other rivers with the confidence in their ability to catch fish on flies.