SHASTA LAKE KING SALMON FISHING
Shasta Lake was once known as one of the best land locked King salmon fisheries in the west, but 2016-2017 saw a sharp decline in the stocking program because of the lack of available surplus King salmon eggs from Iron Gate Hatchery on the Klamath River. Policy changes and the rearing of Feather River Hatchery King salmon in Region 1 facilities has the King salmon numbers on the rise in Shasta Lake once again. Annual plants in excess of 70,000 juvenile King salmon during 2018 and 2019 have the King salmon populations at fishable levels and they are getting bigger, and bigger every month!
We took a break from pursuing King salmon on Shasta Lake due to the low numbers and small sizes during the past two years while guiding on Shasta. The numbers just weren’t there and the size of the salmon just didn’t rise to the level we strive for when fishing with clients. I’ve started to spend some time targeting King salmon on Shasta Lake once again and I’m pleasantly surprised ate the size of the salmon and the abundance thus far. The Kings are averaging about two pounds early in the season and I expect them to grow well in the summer of 2020.
2020 Shasta Lake King salmon caught by Gracie Goodwin.
SHASTA LAKE KING SALMON FISHING TACTICS
The King salmon in Shasta Lake are like all salmon in that they are big feeders. Their sole purpose in life is to roam the lake and look for food to curve their never ending appetite. For this reason, catching King salmon in Shasta Lake isn’t that difficult once you find them. Shasta Lake is a big body of water and finding them can be a challenge at times. Knowing where the King salmon tend to hang out is important, but the number one element used to successfully findi King salmon is locating proper water temperature.
King salmon will most often be found roaming water temperatures between 48 degrees and 52 degrees. They will certainly leave the cold water to find food, but generally speaking, I’m looking for water below 50 degrees. King salmon like to sit in the dark when they aren’t actively feeding on Shad that are high in the water column like they are in early spring and early summer. under most conditions I will find dark water past the 40’ feet mark in Shasta Lake most times of the year. This gives most King salmon anglers a starting point when looking for King salmon in Shasta.
There are some locations in Shasta Lake that tend to traditionally hold King salmon during most months of the year. The most widely known areas include the section of the lake near Shasta Dam and the deep waters of the Dry Creek arm north of Shasta Dam. King salmon can be found roaming open water or schooled up on structure in or around those two areas. The Kings can be found in many other sections of the lake as well, but the deep, cool water near the dam is a solid choice when looking for Shasta Kings.
TROLLING GEAR FOR SHASTA LAKE KINGS
There are dozens of gear types that will take King salmon on Shasta Lake, but for the sake of not overwhelming my readers, lets talk about the most popular set up used on western lakes for Kings. I like many others favor a dodger/flasher combo with squid hoochies. These are very effective under most conditions for catching Kings on Shasta Lake. Any combination of these presentations will take land locked King salmon. Two of the most effective dodger/flasher colors for me are white, blue, or green. I tend to color match my combinations and find that the Kings will key in on one color or the other on certain days.
I tend to troll these presentations at 1.8-2.2 mph under most conditions which is in the perfect range when fishing dodger/flasher combos. Depending on which attractor you decide to use, leader length is a key element to consider. For dodger combos, I like to run a 10”-12” leader behind the dodger to my squid. Squid patterns have little action on their own so the movement of the dodger is what gives the squid the action needed to attract King salmon strikes. When using a flasher, like a 8” Pro-Troll flasher, I tend to run my leader lengths at 21”-28”. These are not absolute numbers, so always check the action of your gear next to the boat before sending your gear down. If the leader is too long, your squid won’t move much with your dodger/flasher. If its too short, it will move too fast and may not attract a strike from a salmon that may be following your gear.
These two presentations are very effective for catching land locked Kings in Shasta Lake, but during most times of the year will also attract big trout. If you wish to expand your presentations for Kings, try using small spoons behind your dodger/flasher combo. Spoons are a great choice as well and will catch Shasta lake trout and bass which will keep your lines popping all day.
SHASTA LAKE SPRING KINGS
Shasta Lake is known for some of its best King salmon fishing of the year during spring. One of the reasons the King salmon fishing is good in the spring is that the upper water column is still cold. This keeps the Kings from swimming deep to find their comfort zone like they have to do in the summer time. Another factor to consider is the spring migration of the Thread fin Shad down to the main body of Shasta Lake in the spring. The Shad will come down in large schools and will be found in the warmer water on the surface and along the shoreline of the lake. This will bring the King salmon to the surface areas along with every other predator in the lake.
As a point of reference for this time of the year, I generally find Kings above and below the 40’ foot line in the lake. Recently 50’ feet has been a good depth for me running gear down with downriggers. I have picked up some Kings off of side planers in the 20’ foot range as well. Lake temps are around 49 degrees on the surface now so thats plenty cool for the Kings to swim around in, especially early in the morning. Start high in the spring for Kings in the morning, but remember to drop your gear down when the sun hits the water.
This is a short and simple version of fishing for Shasta Lake King salmon. Volumes of information can be written on this subject, but this is a good place to start. Start catching Kings and learn along the way is a solid game plan in my book. This is the year to start fishing Kings on Shasta Lake again so get out there and give it a try! If you’d rather shorten the learning curve, book a trip with us and we’ll help you get dialed in. 8 hours on the lake with us can takes months, even years, off the time it will take to get this fishery figured out.
Tight lines,
- Capt. Jeff
