Fly Fishing Guide Lower Yuba, Sacramento and Feather Rivers
Memories that will last a life time.
Ben Thompson Outdoors is a full time year round fly fishing guide service based in Northern California. We work hard to get on fish while providing a fun experience for everyone involved. We target wild trout, steelhead, striped bass and black bass on some of the best fisheries in the west. We cater to all skill levels from first timers to lifelong anglers. We practice catch and release and care about the future of our fisheries. Captain Ben Thompson is credentialed with the US Coast Guard, licensed with the CA DFW, insured and bonded.
River Stripers
The rivers in the Sacramento valley in Northern California hold some of the best opportunities to catch large stripers on the fly on the west coast. Targeting striped bass with a fly rod is exciting- stripping streamers on sinking lines that are voraciously attacked by predatory fish is a thrilling way to fish. There are resident fish that live in the river year round providing plenty of opportunity to target them
Lower Yuba River
The Lower Yuba is a scenic wild trout river between Marysville and Grass Valley. While often overlooked, it is one of my favorite rivers because the fish fight exceptionally hard and there can be great dry fly fishing opportunities. It is also the closest floatable trout river to the bay area and Sacramento, making it an easy day trip for many anglers.
Lower Sacramento River
The Lower Sacramento River near Redding is always a great option as it is open year round, and most often boasts exceptional size and quality of trout. Whether you are looking for big fish, numbers of fish, steelhead, or scenic views- there are over 50 miles of guidable water to accommodate you and we can choose the float to best suit your needs.
Lower Feather River
The Lower Feather River near Oroville has multiple runs of steelhead throughout the year. It has both wild and hatchery steelhead, and often can provide good numbers of fish, making it easier for people new to the steelhead game to catch their first.
Lake Bass
There are numerous local lakes with lots of spotted bass in them. We target these bass on fly rods from December through May. April and May are prime time- very beginner and kid friendly, making it great to bring new people into the sport of fly fishing.