CLOSING IT DOWN – 2026 TRINITY RIVER STEELHEAD SEASON
Mario Guel – March 5th, 2026
It’s over. The 25’/26′ season on the Trinity River has come to an end. I am so stoked on yet another season on my favorite piece of water on this crazy place we call earth. There’s no other place like it. Yeah, you might have some other spots you like better but this is my paradise. Trinity River, CA. I owe her everything.
I showed up to the river being perfect. Serious. Steelhead green in my backyard. We had a big storm while I was away with up to 10 feet of snow on some peaks in Tahoe so the river was BLOWN while I was away. By the time I showed up, she was ready to GO!
For the first trip of this final stretch, I had the homies from LA show up to get their shot at catching some steelies. Two fly fishing foos who had better mustaches than me. Brown as f*&# too bro. Haha. Serious. These foos were so Latino/Los Angeles, I was pinche intimidated! Haha. Irving and Max. Irving actually got into fly fishing by hearing a podcast I did with David Gravette as Irving is a skater foo who grew up in the streets of Hollywood. How sick is that? And he got his homie Max into fly fishing. They had never indicator fished before and I kept saying that they showed up at the right time. Perfect time. Well, anytime is perfect time but this was PERFECTO. Right away we had action behind the house but there was a bit of a learning curve. But I tell you what, these foos are naturals. Naturals at having fun foo! Jaja. The weather was perfect too. Clouds, rain, and a bit of thunder. At one point, Max said, “Eh, I think I got one.” And holy s*%$, he had one…and then it was gone. But guess what. We didn’t care. We cared about the fact we had a boat filled with three brownies with matching mustaches and special beers to consume. Then Irving capped off the brown float with a brown trout! SO SICK!
I can’t count how many times Irving said Thank You during the day and honestly, seeing these two dudes from LA enjoying the float in my Clacka was everything. Thank you guys for showing up and for making me tacos. I can’t wait for the next float.
Then I headed over to the Lower Sac the next day as I had 3 dudes in the boat. Yep. 3 people. Ouch on the muscles is right. I was down as one the bros was a young shredder. The flows at the Sac were perfect and low! I was expecting it to be a bit more fire but we had to work hard for the bites we got. What was most important was to get Lincoln on fish, and that we did. Again, some rad people from So Cal showed up to get in the Taco Boat. I am so grateful for David and Brandon for showing Lincoln how to enjoy fishing. It’s not always on fire but it’s important to enjoy the homies first, the views next, and then the fish. The Lower Sac owned us as few fish just didn’t stick and when we saw that thunder cloud coming, we bailed quickly to the take out with a few stops along the way. I want redemption boys.
Then it was the last day of my season on the Trinity River with Justin. Right away, we got into a couple of fish. Just had to get the rust off after they popped off and work down river to find a couple more. They just weren’t the size we wanted until we got to the last hole. My house hole. And there it was. The last fish of the season. I kept thinking in my head, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we hooked the last fish in the last hole at my take out?” I don’t give a s@#$ how cliche it is to say this, but blessed. So amazing. What a rad way to end it. She was a pretty down runner who has seen a lot over the past few months and it was a fitting fish to define the season. Beautifully weathered and seasoned.
And that was it…it was over. Look, Herbie said something that made a lot of sense to me. Not all fishing reports are hero reports. Not all fishing reports come out because the fishing isn’t always the best and also, not all the fish make it to the net. I’ll say it again, if you want guaranteed fish, don’t hire me. If you want big fish, don’t hire me. If you want fun, and a good boat with a safe float, hit me up. I’ll promise you fun. I can’t help but be stoked that I am able to take you down the river. I can’t help but be stoked that Taco Fly Co. exists because of you. I am truly and forever blessed and these reports will help remind me when I am old, or when I am grumpy, or when I decide to hang up the oars, that fishing saved my life.
Thank you Taco Familia. Thank you Colleen. Thank you Megan. Thank you Charlie. Thank you Redington. Thank you Brown Folks Fishing. Thank you Yakima. Thank you Lewiston Hotel. Thank you Trinity River. I love you.
-Mario