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Fishing Report

Trinity River/Lower Sacramento/Shasta Bass Fly Fishing Report

Trinity River/Lower Sacramento/Shasta Bass Fly Fishing Report

Dave Neal reports on February 12th, 2025

 

Trinity River Steelhead and Trout:

I wish I had a great report on steelhead fishing the Trinity River… but between incessant rainy weather and increased dam releases, there have not been many fishable windows so far in February. 

On a wet year like this - the fish are definitely winning. And good for them. 

I can only imagine how many wild steelhead are ripping up the tributaries this season and finding the right conditions to do their thing. And with all the Trinity River restoration projects, like off-channel flood plain habitat enhancements, (Oregon Gulch, etc) the young fish will have what they need to grow and prosper in the future. We shall see the fruits of the labor in a few seasons to come. 

Also in other cool news… the Trinity hatchery received a 35” steelhead that swam up the ladder recently. Give that fish a blue ribbon!

Fishing conditions continue to be tough with high flows from the dam. Releases were increased this week from 1500cfs to 3500cfs. According to the recent snowpack survey, the Trinity Alps are over 120%. The Trinity Lake is nearing full pool at 2,021,627 acre-ft and about 27’ from crest. The BOR has increased release flows down the river to draw down the reservoir in order to conserve capacity for future inflows.  Did I mention Carr Powerhouse tunnel is down for maintenance? So, the river itself is the only avenue for water to get to where it needs to get to. We got more winter still…

Lower Sacramento River:

Even less to report here… the river is unfishable and currently closed to recreational boating while she unleashes at 60k cfs. Same story, Lake Shasta is getting full and current capacity needs to be increased for future runoff and storm events. 

My last day on the Lower Sac was January 31st and we did have a decent time fishing in the rain. We were just beginning to see the spring caddis emerge and some BWO's...

When the flows drop a bit more (like half) I’ll float it asap when it’s under 30k. It can fish well in spots at 30k if you know where to focus your time. Bring the bright colored round things and maybe some rubberlegs.

Shasta Lake Bass:

The one bright spot right now is that our local reservoirs are fishing well for bass. Not wide open yet for the fly angler - but the fly fishing will only get better in the near future. 

This is where you will find me on my days off right now… and I've had a lot of days off lately! There are days/times when I’ve found spotted bass moving into shallower depths along the steep banks and it widens our ability to target them w/ various techniques. 

Reach out to me if you wanna do some springtime bassin’. We anticipate Shasta Lake to achieve full pool AGAIN for the 3rd summer in a row! It’s an awesome fishery for spotted bass and the occasional smallmouth. 

The lake is very healthy right now with an abundance of baitfish over the last few years leading to some fatter than average bass. A full reservoir provides lots of habitat and the fishery really shines. If you have not tried bass fishing w/ a fly rod or it’s been a few years… THIS SEASON would be a good time to go!

Another appreciable bonus to a full lake is the shade canopy provided by the dense conifer forest on those north slopes and rolling oak groves on the south exposures. Lots of shady pockets and driftwood piles provide epic topwater action later in the season and fantastic lunch spots to rest in between fishing sessions. Our Nor Cal lakes and reservoirs are stunningly beautiful in the spring green-up when at full pool and filled to the forest floor. Come see it close up! 

Thanks and happy fishing…


David Neal

Reel Adventures Guide Service
Social: @ReelAdventures
Mobile: 760-914-0465
 

 
 
 

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Lower Sac & Lake Oroville Fly Fishing Report

Lower Sac & Lake Oroville Fly Fishing Report
Lower Sac Striper Report
The river is stable and settled after a fair amount of rain in late December. Fishing has been fair and very typical for the winter. Clarity is about 1’ in most areas requiring BIG and LOUD flies - black and purple, all black and all with rattles. Fish will feed usually in low light conditions or during the warmest part of the day. When we have no cloud cover, I find midday during the heat of the day is best and when there is cloud cover and the low air temp for the day is not as bad, low light conditions during the early morning and evening are best. Winter is not a numbers game, but can provide some true trophy fish for the angler that wants to put in the time.

Lake Oroville
With the recent rains the lake has been coming up, but seems to have stabilized a bit, over the last week. There is less moving water coming into the lake than there was a few weeks ago with the big rains right after Christmas. That said, most creeks are running strong and there is plenty of moving water coming into the lake in the deeper coves. Water clarity is good and fish are concentrating on Japanese pond smelt that are schooling up and can be seen on most fish finders. Fish will also eat dark leech patterns early and late in the day and in the shade. Fishing should continue to improve over the spring and topwater options as well as stripped fly options will increase. 

Capt. Hogan Brown 

Fly Fishing Guide

Co-Founder of the Cal Bass Union

Owner Alluvial Marketing Collective


 
 
 
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Lower Sac & Lake Oroville Fly Fishing Report

Lower Sac & Lake Oroville Fly Fishing Report
Lower Sac Striper Fishing - We have officially entered winter striper season with the time change and the first rains of the year. Usually, this means water temperatures drop to what we consider "winter temps," slowing the fish's metabolism and shortening the feeding windows during the day. With the fish being more lethargic, the number of calories they need to consume changes, meaning they tend to favor larger, more infrequent meals, in our experience.
Winter can be tough for striper fishing on the river and we traditionally say that it can be very good or very tough, with most of that being out of our control—or our anglers' control. That said, you never know unless you go, and some of our biggest fish of the year come during the uncertain winter months.

Lake Oroville Report - Lake Oroville is fishing fair to good as our fall/winter season gets underway. Wakasagi minnows are schooling in the backs of the forks and spotted bass are beginning to congregate around these schools. The key to catching fish this time of year is locating the schools of bait, so electronics are crucial to success. Early mornings have been best on sunny days and as the sun rises, it's important to focus on shaded areas, where fish pull off the bait schools. Float and fly rigs, with the float set at about 10-12 feet, have been most effective and flies like Ragan’s Drop Dead Minnow are getting the job done.
Fishing should continue to improve over the next few months as rain starts moving water through the tributaries and creeks and baitfish move higher in the water column.

Capt. Hogan Brown 

Fly Fishing Guide

Co-Founder of the Cal Bass Union

Owner Alluvial Marketing Collective


530-514-2453
 
 
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