Salmon remains a mystery but bass bite strong in Lake Oroville
Lake Orville: The lake continues to spew water, dropping 10.5 feet in the past two weeks to a height of 861.02 feet and a decline of 84 percent. King salmon remain a mystery for the most part, but the 13-inch long king salmon has sometimes been taken on white shirts tipped with anchovies behind an 8-inch double-sided green Tornado Flasher at 40 feet at 2.0 mph. There are some huge baits in the Limesaddle part of the lake. Bass fishing remains good for numbers at depths of up to 30 feet where the fish are loaded to the scent of the abundant pond. The plastics on a vibrating head, a weedless Bass Union head, or jigs are all considered producing small spotted bass.
Shasta Lake: John Boitano, Phil’s Propellers, made a very slight change in movement with a strong bass bite in the main body and better movement on the arms. The rocks at Pete still yield spinners, swimbaits and crankbaits that are fished right on the walls. In shallow water, weightless cinquefoils still drift with the current. Lead body anglers have had some success spooning in deeper water or vomiting under piers and against bridge piles. The trout is light, but the conditions are very good and the bait balls are starting to pop. Previous reports have recommended bottom tools at 65 to 75 feet using shadow patterns, trolling at 2.0 to 2.2 mph. The water level is 79 percent.
Trinity River, Willow Creek: The entire Trinity was muddy earlier this week as restoration work and rainstorms turned the watery chocolate. As of Thursday, it started out clear, but it was still muddy over Hooba. Fishing effort remains light with spring trout peaking. Summer steelhead should start appearing in greater numbers during early September. Recreational spring salmon fishing, which usually begins on July 1, has been cancelled, as well as fall chinook fishing. Flows on Sunday were about 1,000 cubic feet on the Hopa Scale.
American River/Sacramento: Keine’s Fly Shop reported good conditions with a fair early start to the season for steel but mostly smaller fish. The water level in the Nimbus dropped to 3,900 cubic feet. Conditions have been stable for most of the past two weeks. Some striping events between Howe Ave and Paradise, also reported by Sac Pro Tackle, but numbers are low.
Feather River: Guide Pete Franco is still working on the outlet side of the drifting nightcrawlers and roe and has seen quite a few steelhead spawning in the 1-3lb range, with an occasional fish up to 4lbs. Conditions are good, and the water level is steady at 3,538 cubic feet. The water temperature ranges from 64 to 68 degrees.
Sacramento River, Keswick Reservoir to Red Bluff: It doesn’t really matter who you talk to, they will all tell you that the conditions are very good and the bite is great! Flows are perfect at 9,500 cubic feet. It was fixed with just a bump here and there. Side drifting roes, night crawlers, MagLips for back trolling, spinners, and flies all work.
Sacramento River, from Colusa to Tisdale: Slow with the occasional bar.
Sacramento River metro area: Uncle Larry at Sacramento Pro Tackle reported slow motion at Discovery Park, Miller Regional Park, and Verona. Occasional guard still taken from Lower America. Lots of rumors but few catches reported.
The Bi-Weekly Fishing Report, produced by Western Outdoor News, highlights the best fishing opportunities in the Northern State.
