LAKE OROVILLE: Oroville remains the location for big landlocked king salmon, and the best action has been from 45 to 65 feet in the morning before dropping to 70 to 110 feet once the sun comes out. Black and white hoochies on the shallower troll before switching to Brad’s Cut Plugs behind an 8-inch Pro Troll dodger in chartreuse, pink, or orange in the deep column.
FEATHER RIVER: Fishing is slow on the lower river, but shad are being caught at the Outlet. A few small stripers are biting in the Beercan Beach area.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Red Bluff to Colusa: Shad fishing remains good, but the run has peaked. Some large resident stripers are being caught in swimbaits and glide baits. Sturgeon are still in the river and have been biting best at night.
SACRAMENTO RIVER, Verona to Colusa: Stripers to 14 pounds are being reported, but the action is spotty. Shad fishing is fair. Fishing is very good for catfish near Knights Landing, with fish over 10 pounds common. Plenty of sturgeon are still in the river.
TRINITY RIVER: Fly fishing guides are catching small steelhead and brown trout on flies. Shore anglers also are catching fish near Junction City on flies, spoons and spinners. Spring salmon season opens July 1. Flows over the weekend at Lewiston were 719 cfs, as the spring flush slowly subsides. Flows at Douglas City were 824 cfs, while flows at Junction City were 884 cfs. Flows at Hoopa were 2,240 cfs.
AMERICAN RIVER: Shad are being caught at Discovery Park, and upriver between Sunrise and Sailor Bar. Fishing is best in the evening. Some stripers are being caught by anglers fishing for shad. Flows increased to 2,100 cfs on Sunday.
SHASTA LAKE: Shasta is fishing great, according to guide Jeff Goodwin of Jeff Goodwin Guide Service. “We’re getting limits or near limits most every day. Losing fish has been the primary factor in not getting limits most days. We’re primarily getting rainbows right now, but we are getting some browns and some Kings a lot of days we are fishing. The same water surface temps are hanging on at 75 degrees and we’re getting the majority of our bites trolling hardware at 30′-40′ deep. Some really productive spoons right now are the Trinidad Tackle Popped Eye spoon, Dick Nite Spoon, and the Brad’s Kokanee Cut Plugs. Enhance them with the new Pautzke Bait Co. Fire Gel and you’ll get bites! Believe it or not, we’re just getting started and this years Shasta Lake trout season will once again, be great!”
The weekly fishing report, compiled by Western Outdoor News, highlights the best angling opportunities in the north state. The report is limited during the COVID-19 pandemic, but will return in full form soon.