Antelope Creek Lodge
When The Fly Shop owners, Mike and Bertha Michalak, first saw this special property they fell in love with it. We think those of you reserving time here this season will understand their excitement and really enjoy this wonderful ranch.

Antelope Creek Lodge is located on the Northeast side of majestic Mt. Shasta. Traveling North on I-5 and then East on Hwy 97 out of Weed, it is approximately an hour and forty minutes from Redding, the home of The Fly Shop. The property is comprised of 328 acres of meadows, pines, aspen, cottonwoods, one and a half miles of meadow stream, two lakes and a knockout lodge. The elevation is 5000 feet, which accounts for the presence of aspens and dictates a shorter season than we enjoy on many of our properties. It also means that summertime temperatures are quite pleasant and you can expect wonderful fishing all season long.

The Stream
Antelope Creek flows right through the middle of the ranch and offers approximately 1 1/2 miles of meadow fishing for rainbows and browns. The creek is a typical meadow stream with many undercut banks, flats, pools and tailouts. It flows in two different braids through a park-like area at the top of the property before joining near a grove of aspen downstream of the barn area. There are willows along many of its banks, which offer quite a lot of cover, as well as stretches that flow through aspen groves and open meadow. It twists and turns its way all through the rest of the ranch. The fish are not huge, but when a two pound brown or rainbow shoots out from under a deep bank to nail your dry fly, you'll be most pleased. Hopper fishing during the summer can be excellent and should be attempted.

The fish in the creek are very good at hiding from the eye of the angler, but they are in there and able to be caught. The cut-banks are very deep and you'll need to put the fly as close to those as possible to have success on this creek. Stealth is a key to success on this part of the ranch. The ability to roll cast is a must to succeed on the creek. Many of the best holes don't have a lot of room for a backcast and the rollcast would be a much better way to present your fly to the Rainbows and Browns. The fishing here can be difficult compared to some fisheries, but hooking into that first fish will remind you of why you are there. There is no better feeling than putting that dry fly in the perfect spot and having a large fish rise to the surface for a take.

The Lakes
There are two lakes on the property that are teeming with large trout. The Upper Lake, the smaller of the two, is filled with both Rainbows and Browns while the lower lake is filled exclusively with large Rainbows. Either lake can be very productive with either streamers, nymphs or dry flies. You can look across the water and see many large fish cruising the surface, but don't get too encompassed by these ones. Remember, these lakes are full of trout and many of the largest fish are hiding in the depths.

The Upper lake at Antelope Creek Lodge is the perfect size for walking the edge and sight casting to the cruising fish. There is plenty of room to get a quality back cast and also some great places to take cover from the view of those cruising bruisers. Due to the size of this lake there will be no need for float tubes or pontoon boats. You can access all of the water by walking the edges (no watercraft allowed). The lake is surrounded by many varieties of trees and is just a pleasure to experience. During the majority of the day you will find this lake to be shaded by those same trees. It is a great place to get out of the sun and still catch some monster trout.

The Lower lake at Antelope Creek was just completed in 2003 and was designed specifically for this destination. There are deep holes and shallows to fish along with fallen trees in the water to help create the natural habitat for lake trout. The Rainbows are all large, starting at 2 pounds and going up to 10 pounds. This lake is able to accommodate up to 3 pontoon boats or float tubes. Not that you need to have a watercraft, but it does help to get to some of the deeper areas. Fishing from shore can be very productive here as the fish cruise the surface and shallows. There is plenty of casting room and you are able to get the necessary distance to reach most fish. There is also a dock set-up on one shore of the lake that can be used as a casting platform or a prep area for your watercraft.

Rates:
$295.00 per night, per angler, meals included.
$165.00 per night, per non-angler, meals included.

Click HERE to view more of The Fly Shop's Private Waters.

1-800-669-3474

michael@theflyshop.com

4140 Churn Creek Road, Redding California 96002