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Northern California Fishing Season
Sacramento River Fishing Season
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Species
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Jan
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Jun
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Jul
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Aug
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Sep
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Oct
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Nov
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Dec
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Sturgeon
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Stripers
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Shad
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King Salmon
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Steelhead
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Trout
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More Info...
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Shasta Lake Fishing Season
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Species
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Jan
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Feb
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Mar
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Apr
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May
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Jun
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Jul
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Aug
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Sep
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Oct
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Nov
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Dec
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Landlocked King Salmon
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Largemouth Bass
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Smallmouth Bass
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Spotted Bass
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Blue Gill or Sun Fish
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Crappie
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Trout
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More Info...
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Legend
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Closed
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Fair
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Good
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Peak
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Note:
These seasons are based on averages we have seen over the years. Because our weather is not the same every year, the seasons can vary due to changes in water temperatures, water depth, and severe weather conditions.
Your guide will always tell you when he sees a change coming.
Fishing Reports
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Book a fishing trip now
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Steelhead are ghosts that dart from cover to cover. Pound for pound, they outfight any fish in the Salmonidae family. Ken can teach you the skills you need to hunt them down and land them. More...
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The year starts off in January hunting down and fighting the elusive
Steelhead
and trout; their leaps make your heart pump a little harder than when you
sit watching those fishing shows on TV.
Then along comes the Sturgeon
about mid-February ... And you thought the Super Bowl was over!
Like pro-bowl bound superstar linebackers that never seem to run out of steam,
they just want to punish you. With each throb of their bodies against the line
you can feel your muscles tear. And just when you are about ready to throw in
the towel, you have landed the bruiser. Your arms are like so much putty, but
your mind is focused on just one thought: "When's the next one gonna take the
bait, so I can get punished some more?"
Along about March, the sturgeon slow down and the
Stripers
begin to show. Pow! They attack with all the vengeance of a hungry school
of piranha as they take heart-stopping yanks on your poor little plug that was
only trying to get back onto the boat and safety.
California Striped bass are hard fighting fish. Once you hook on to one of these feisty sluggers, you will be spoiled for life. These opportunistic fish are voracious feeders and will strike on a variety of baits. More...
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Later into May, the bigger stripers show up—like bullies of the block—to
help their little brothers and sisters pull your arm out of its socket. You might
be sitting around, doing a spot of fishing, when all of a sudden out of the corner
of your eye, you spot one. Then another, and another...until the surface is black
with them. Bump! One hits the side of the boat and you think they want to sink
the boat so they can eat the occupants. In reality, they are spawning and you
have nothing to fear. Then as suddenly as they appear, they disappear back into
the depths from which they came.
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Known as the poor man's tarpon, the American Shad has a life cycle much like a salmon. They're members of the herring family. Although they only grow to about 6? pounds, you'll think you are fighting with a much larger fish. They will truly test your equipment.
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With the fading of the striper comes the rising of the
Shad,
with their brilliantly colored bodies flashing in the warming waters. It's time to
relax with a little spinning rod and a jig. You find a likely spot to anchor. You
think this will be a relaxing afternoon on the water, but then a freight train gets
a hold on your line and begins stripping line like it's in a hurry to get to
all-points-south on time. As you coax him to the boat, you notice he's brought a
friend along. So another jig is offered, and bang! the friend you thought was just
a passenger was the stand-by conductor and he has an urgent schedule to some far-off
place, and he had to be there yesterday. With the sun setting and the light fading,
you think to yourself, "just one more..." and so the day ends.
Now it's July, and with the waning of the shad, you start thinking about the coming of the
Kings salmon.
The days seem to go on forever as the nights flash by.
Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned angler, Ken will share with you his techniques, show you how to use the equipment, and guide you through the fight.
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August... and the kings have arrived. As though they were an invasion coming in
chrome silver armor, they strike out at Kwick Fish and lay waste to Roe that get
in their path. First they come in small numbers as if they were scouts...
Then September comes, and the armies start massing. Battling upstream to a sure
victory. Like an opposing force we back-troll our Kwick Fish and bounce our Roe.
Crash!! He's on!! He takes our breath with runs while we watch the line disappear
off our reels. "Chase Him!" is now the battle cry, for we're losing ground. The
rest of the lines are cleared and our sites are on the king. With each victory
comes celebration and with each defeat a sigh, but don't despair, another one is
sitting just behind us waiting...
By October, the army is in full force and the battles continue. Fish On!!!
Fish On!!! Fish On!!! Battling on through October, November, and December, the
monsters come into view, and the fights are intensified. By late December, the
seasons are winding down, but just around the corner, it can all begin again.
Fishing Reports
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German Brown Trout. These marauders stay deep in the bowels of the lake during the warmer months of the year. In the cooler months they come up close to the banks and are very aggressive.
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From January to February, these menaces of the deep come up from their lairs to
prey upon any unlucky smaller fish they may find. The big boys patrol the banks
and love nothing more than to rip, smash, and grab any fast moving target. The
Bass
are lurking lower in the water column as the big females are starting to produce
the next generation.
From March to April, the big Trout
are still on the hunt as they herd the shad around like a cowboy herds cattle to
the marketplace for slaughter, and the Bass are now beginning to come up from the
deeper water into the shallows to spawn and guard their brewd. The Salmon are
making their way towards the dam to gorge themselves on Shad where the currents
have pushed them.
Sturgeon hang out on flats at about 60 feet of water from late spring to summer.
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From May to September, the Trout
have moved back to their lairs, and are coming out to hunt in the late evening
until dawn, and the bass have come off of their nests and settled into their
summer homes. The Catfish are now on the prowl for food in earnest. They're
moving around the bottom of the lake like the clean up men after a big game
at a sporting event. The Sturgeon are still hanging out on flats about 60 feet
watching everything that is going on above them.
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In the early fall, bass look for food to put on much needed fat for the winter, they lash out at anything they think they can catch and devour.
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October to November, finds the Bass looking for food to put on much needed fat
for the winter, like a grizzly getting ready for hibernation. They lash out at
anything they think they can catch and devour. The trout are becoming more
active now, and are on top of it all.
December, finds the Bass down looking for a condo to rent for the winter, as
the Trout are coming out to play, frolicking in the fading light of evening.
The Catfish are in their warm and cozy winter resorts, and through it all,
the Sturgeon have a front row seat at the 50 yard line.
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Fishing Reports
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View our rates
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Book a fishing trip now
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