Shasta Lake has made an incredible rebound after seeing its second lowest point since the reservoir was filled in the mid 1940’s. Shasta bottomed out at 144’ feet below full pool this past fall and California washing to be in dire straights if we had another dry year in 2023. Fortunately we received good fortune in the way of some of the heaviest rains and a mountain snow pack California hasn’t seen in decades. Shasta has risen over 110’ feet since its low point this past November and is now forecasted to fill to full pool by the end of May.
3/23- One of our nicer brown trout caught this spring season on Shasta Lake.
Surprisingly, Shasta Lake has remained in a fishable condition throughout the steady rise we’ve seen this winter season which has now landed into spring. We have a bit of floating debris which is normal during big water years, but we’ve still managed to continue our trolling program which normally consists of 6-8 lines in the water most of the days we fish. Water clarity has been pretty good, especially in the lower sections of the lake around the Pit River Bridge and Shasta Dam. If there has been a challenge in conditions, it would have to be that we’ve seen some of the lowest surface temps I’ve ever experienced on Shasta Lake’s main body. Winter water surface temps have averaged in the 45-46 degree range and thats definitely created some problems with the bite. The trout and other lake species have demonstrated some lethargy it the bite windows have been short. We’ve had days with 15 trout landed and some days with less than 5 which is a bit on the slow side for most of our Shasta Lake trout fishing seasons. Conditions are about to change in the coming weeks and we should be into some fast action fishing days on the lake very soon!
Shasta Lake Shad have been in the 2-3” range most of the 2023 winter season.
One of the keys to success this winter has been to locate the Shad which really hasn’t been that hard to accomplish. Most areas of the lake have held Shad schools and the abundance has actually been quite impressive. Every trout we’ve harvested this season has been loaded with Shad in this size range. Thats not a common condition we generally find in these fish most winter seasons I’ve experienced. Having all of this bait thriving in Shasta this year is a great sign of a healthy lake. With all the Shad present, it hasn’t been hard to figure out what the fish have been keying in on. Finding lures to troll for the winter trout has been a simple task and pretty much anything that matches the hatch will get bites. I expect this trend to continue now through the rest of the spring and well into next fall.
3/23- Big brown trout fishing on Shasta Lake will be plentiful now that the water temps are on a slow rise.
With cooler water temps this year, our spring fishing pattern should last well into June before the fish start to go deep to escape the warm surface temps summer brings to Shasta every year. Until that occurs, we’ll be trolling the top 20’ of the water column where that bait will be suspended just like we have been all season so far. The use of side planers, divers, and downriggers will be the preferred trolling techniques just like most cold water seasons we fish on the lake. Shad patterns will be best from now well into the fall season when the Shad typically get more difficult to find. Trolling speeds will likely remain productive in the 2.5-3.0 mph range but will likely need to be slower beginning in July. I don’t see us fishing deeper than 60’ by the end of July but time will tell.
Limits of really nice rainbow trout for Bob and Arlene of McKinleyville, Ca. this past March season.
All things considered, I think we are going to have a great summer/fall season on Shasta Lake. With ocean/river King salmon fishing closed in 2023, many of our guides and clients will be focusing on fisheries like Shasta Lake that see a downturn in bookings due to the fact we focus on the river salmon from August-December every year. I see this closure as an opportunity to spend more days fishing on Shasta Lake this year opposed to years in the past where Shasta took a back seat to the river salmon fishing season. We are confident many of our river salmon fishing clients will enjoy fishing for trout and salmon on the lake this year instead. We will have 3 USFS permitted guides available for Shasta Lake fishing trips this summer so our schedule should accommodate hundreds of angler trips in the coming months.
Call Jaynie at (530) 510-2925 for more information about our Shasta Lake fishing trips and for our available dates on the schedule. Let’s have a great 2023 summer season on Shasta Lake!
