Big, hearty fall rainbow and brown trout are caught every year on Shasta Lake, beginning in late November!

Fall is right around the corner and that means its time to start thinking about fishing Shasta Lake for its big rainbow and brown trout. Many of these trout will begin to resurface to feed on baitfish and will eventually follow their food source back up into the river arms where they will spend the winter and most of the spring. Shasta Lake tributaries contain ample spawning habitat for both the adult class of rainbows and brown trout. The browns will start their spawning migration in early October and the rainbow trout will typically spawn in the spring. Knowing this helps us to locate these fish along their migratory routes throughout Shasta Lake. The majority of our fishing will be done trolling side planers for surface feeding trout, but we will send a few presentations down to 20’-30’ to target the inactive fish. Rarely do we ever look for trout in the cold water months below 30’. Fishing the surface zone makes it easier to target these fish and takes a lot of the guesswork out of locating these fish in this giant body of water. Side planers used to target surface residing trout is the very best way to catch these fish, especially the big ones. We have some great days on Shasta Lake in the fall and some not so great days, but we always work hard for our clients and often times are able to put some big trout in the box each day we fish. Unlike our summer months, fall fishing can be very unpredictable due to unstable weather and an up and down barometer. We fish most every day on Shasta Lake during our target periods of the season and thats what makes us stand out over many others. Guiding more days of the year on Shasta Lake than any other guide service allows us to maintain the top position on Shasta Lake year after year. There are many good anglers that fish Shasta Lake, but there is no substitute for time on the water. If fall or winter fishing for big rainbow and brown trout sounds like something you would like to experience, please call us to get more information about this special fishing opportunity. We’ll look forward to hearing from you!

Capt. Jeff Goodwin