Sacramento River trout fishing report

Sacramento River trophy rainbow trout fishing in both the spring and summer months!

The Sacramento River is seeing its spring bite pattern emerge and boy are we seeing some nice adult size rainbows. Spring brings warmer weather and plenty of sunny days on the Sacramento River in Redding. The rainbow trout move into the upper stretches of the river in town and many will be spawning in the Sacramento River and its tributaries. The presence of winter and spring salmon will also bring thousands of rainbow trout to the Redding area where they will anxiously await ripe King salmon that will be dropping eggs. The trout love salmon eggs and its a mainstay in their diet. In addition to the King salmon in the river, the sucker spawn also happens in the spring. For the two aforementioned reasons, drifting cured roe and imitation egg patterns in the spring can be very effective. We can fish from our big power boats or if fly fishing is your preferred technique, we have Captain Justin Thompson and a few other highly skilled fly fishing guides to run those fly fishing trips for us. This is a highly productive catch and release trip with lots of action for all our clients to enjoy. We do have some options for catch and keep trout fishing if you want to take home some fresh trout fillets. If trophy hunting is what you like to do, we have a venue that can produce trophy class trout nearly every trip we fish. We have something for everyone and this very popular spring time rainbow trout fishery generally gets pretty full. Give Jaynie a call at the office and she can explain our trips in more detail and get your trip reserved if thats what you would like to do. Don’t let another year slip by you without experiencing the amazing rainbow trout fishing in Redding, Ca.

Sacramento Striped Bass Report!

Captain Jeff Brady has been down in Colusa fishing the Sacramento River for Striped Bass. We want our clients to have a great time fishing with us so we put in the time before the season starts to make sure we are on top of the best fishing possible.

SACRAMENTO RIVER STRIPED BASS FISHING

March is just a few days away and even though it feels like May with all this great weather, we’re still a few weeks away from seeing an upswing in the Striper populations in the Colusa area of the Sacramento River. Releases from Shasta Lake into the Sacramento River have been bumped up a bit but we’re going to need some water for not only our Striped Bass migration, but also for our King salmon smolt releases from Coleman National Fish Hatchery in March and April. Pulse flows or a high water event is very helpful in bringing Striped bass up into the Sacramento River system, but it also aids in the outmigration of our baby King salmon.

Captain Jeff Brady has been fishing for Striped bass down near Colusa and he reports more bass are being found daily. Its really early in the game, but reassuring that we’re seeing some Stripers in the low flows this winter. Jeff has been drifting minnows and trolling diving plugs for the Striped bass. Both techniques are fun and the Striped bass really hit these presentations hard. It always surprises me just how hard these Stripers pull. We’re in for a great season so stay tuned and I’ll keep the reports coming!

Capt. Jeff

2020 Sacramento River King Salmon Fishing

2020 SACRAMENTO RIVER KING SALMON

Early season Sacramento River King salmon like this one pictured above really shine!

The 2020 Sacramento River King salmon season is going to be set during PFMC meetings by state and federal fisheries managers sometime in March! The supplemental fishing regs come out shortly thereafter in April. The Sacramento River run forecasts will be out soon, and if the forecasts are similar to last season, we will have a two salmon daily limit again this year. New for 2020 will be the inclusion of jack salmon retention for salmon measuring less than 27” inches! This is a new regulation for the Sacramento River and will help with setting limits and harvest numbers during years when run forecasts are down for returning 3 year old salmon. Two day anglers will likely be able to possess (4) Kings, so for our long distance clients, that means a trip often very worthwhile.

Most years we see the results of the Sacramento River catch numbers on the season openers in July and August and will get a feel for what we’re looking at for a salmon run. Some years the Sacramento River King salmon are a bit behind schedule and a slow July 16th opener can be misinterpreted as a precursor to poor fishing looking forward. Thats not always the case and last year we had a good July 16th opener and landed 5 kings. The August 1st opener above Red Bluff yielded 4 Kings in the net. Every season is different and its anyones guess on what to expect so far this year. The season opener will come and go and I’ll be out there to report the results.

2020 KING SALMON fishing on the Sac

We had a productive opener in 2019 below Red Bluff, Ca. and landed these 5 bright King salmon.

The Sacramento River opens to King salmon fishing below the Red Bluff diversion dam on July 16th again this year. Since removal of the diversion dam, the season opener hasn’t been all that great in recent years. The salmon don’t stay in the lower river below the fish ladder at the dam since its been removed, and now they just shoot up to the cool river temperatures in the Anderson area where the Coleman Hatchery is located. We’ll still fish in the Red Bluff area though and often find some really nice Kings from July into August. If you want to get into chrome river salmon, July and August are always a great option. Not as many Kings around, but very good quality fish.

On August 1st, the Sacramento River above Red Bluff opens and that is the official kick off of the King salmon season for us in the Anderson area. On August 1st, guides and anglers from all over will converge on the Barge Hole which is located at the mouth of Battle Creek on the Sacramento River. Its not uncommon these days to see 40, 50, even 60+ boats in the Barge Hole on August 1st. Its a busy place to fish that day, but the action can be among the very best you can find in any one river in the west these days. Numerous boats with numerous rods bent over on big, bright King salmon nearly all day long. Most boats will have limits before noon and the Barge hole boat traffic will slowly disappear.

Check out this link which is a video of 2019’s August 1st opener above Red Bluff in the Barge Hole on the Sacramento River.

SACRAMENTO RIVER FALL SALMON

Limits of Sacramento River King salmon like this one can fill your freezer quickly! Bob and Arlene Hansen told me last year that they had the best salmon trip ever last year in September when they fished with us.

By September our salmon season is in full swing and we’ll most often be found fishing down in the Corning area below Woodson Bridge. The bulk of the Sacramento River fall run Kings will be moving through that section of the river at that time. Most of the Kings we catch in September are in great shape and make for great table fare. They move through the lower river quickly until they reach the cool water in the Woodson Bridge area where they will stack up in the holes and rest before pushing further up river.

This section of the river is a relatively slow moving section of the river, but has all the features of most rivers like riffles, runs, and pools. Our boats are all designed with this type of river fishing in mind and we most often drift roe, covering lots of water and putting baits in front of a lot of fish. This typically translates in high success rates for our clients on our boats and is very easy for most of our clients to perform on their own. Catching a big King salmon on a spin rid is an absolute challenge and a lot of fun too! Drift fishing includes an active approach to catching these big salmon and you’re not just sitting in a seat all day waiting for a salmon to swim into your presentation. We go find them and thats why we catch so many Sacramento River King salmon and steelhead using this technique.

Come fish with us and bring family or friends, its a great trip for all!

SACRAMENTO LATE FALL KING SALMON

Late fall Kings are some of the freshest salmon of the season on the Sacramento River above Red Bluff, Ca.

The late fall run of King salmon on the Sacramento River normally show after the first few rains of the October-November timeframe. These fish have spent a few more months in saltwater than the fall King salmon and are typically the bigger of the two King salmon runs. Its not as big of a run in numbers compared to the fall salmon, but its the size and quality of these Kings that attract anglers from all over the country. The weather isn’t as nice, and it can be cold, but when you bag a few of these beauties, its easy to forget about being uncomfortable during your trip. The best fishing is typically in mid November through December and for the first time in a long time, the Sacramento River King salmon season will stay open for two weeks longer. Fishing for late fall king salmon on the Sacramento River above Red Bluff has been extended until January 1st, 2021 when it closes again until mid July, 2021.

The late fall season is somewhat less popular, mainly because the fair weather fishermen are at home staying warm or some of them are taking advantage of their hunting seasons elsewhere. That means light pressure on the river and plenty of elbow room for you and your group on the water. We primarily back troll big sardine wrapped plugs for these cold water kings and wait for the afternoons to sometimes break out the drift fishing rods. It can be a slower paced day that usually involves a warm thermos of coffee, something on the boat bbq, and a little time next to the propane heater keeping the chill off. Plenty of time to relax and kick back before that big King buries your rod and heads back toward the Pacific Ocean!

Come fish for Sacramento River late fall King salmon fishing with our Captains Jeff Goodwin, Justin Thompson, and Jeff Brady!

BOOK YOUR 2020 KING SALMON TRIP

Booking your 2020 Sacramento River King salmon fishing trip is easy and we have (4) great guides fishing for King salmon again this year. That means we can accommodate groups up to 24 anglers on any given day, but we typically only fish the number of people in a party, per boat, that books their day of fishing with us. This means that we are a fishing guide service, not an open load charter boat fleet. Private trips are our forte and we have made our fishing trips a very private and personal experience for our clients. We will run open boat trips on occasion so single anglers can get in on the great fishing as well, even if they don’t have another person to bring with them.

Booking your trip now is a great idea. We are a top rated northern California fishing guide team and fish over 500 trips during the year. We anticipate a lot of bookings again this season and will likely break 600 days on the water fishing with our clients. Late August, September, and October are prime months for salmon fishing on the Sacramento River and we will fill our schedules completely. You can book a trip through email, by calling direct, or even send a text message to (530) 510-2925. Our office manager, Jaynie Goodwin, will get back to you and help you get your Sacramento River King salmon fishing trip reservation on the books!

Thank you! We are looking forward to having a great salmon fishing season with our amazing clients again this year! See you at the boat launch!

- Captain Jeff Goodwin

LEARN MORE ABOUT FISHING FOR SALMON ON THE SACRAMENTO RIVER

• Drift Fishing For Sacramento River King Salmon

• Curing Eggs For Sacramento River King Salmon

Shasta Lake King Salmon Fishing

On the heels of several years without plants Lake Shasta's Chinook fishery is on the rebound and roughly a year away from being amazing says guide Jeff Goodw...

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

Sacramento River Striper Fishing

Schools of Striped bass on the Sacramento River will be arriving in the Colusa area soon!

Our Striper season on the Sacramento River begins around the beginning of April. Striped bass migrate up river to spawn every spring during the turbid flows of the spring water releases and snow pack run off. The Striped bass schools can number in the thousands and when they arrive, the fishing is really good! Many fish can be hooked and landed in a single day making for a memorable day on the river for sure.

No experience is necessary to be successful fishing for Striped bass on the Sacramento River. We primarily troll for Striped bass so letting line out and holding a rod is all thats necessary. the preferred method for catching Striped bass is to drift live minnows through holding water. The Striped bass can find these small minnows even in trubid, dirty water. They don’t mess around when taking the baits and savage strikes are the norm.

Striped bass fight very hard and even keeper size Stripers can really put up a fight. Often times, the Striped bass are such good fighting fish, many people thing they’ve hooked a monster! Not usually, they just fight hard and don’t seem to tire easily. Most of the Stripers we catch are 3-5 lbs, but we catch Stripers in the teens and twenties every year. 18” Stripers are the minimum size though and they must be at least that big to retain. The per person limit is two stripers with four in possession. Striped bass fillets are very tasty and many of our clients use the meat to make fish tacos. My favorite way to eat them for sure!

It should be another great season this year and we’re looking forward to seeing our clients bending rods on these great fish very soon! Call Jaynie at the office to set up your Sacramento River Striped bass fishing trip before April! (530) 510-2925, thank you!

Shasta Lake brown trout fishing!

Spring brown trout on Shasta Lake!

Shasta Lake is known as one of the best brown trout lakes in the west and the spring brown season is right around the corner. A few browns are being caught, but typically we’ll start to see daily scores in the month of March and April. This is a period of the year where the brown trout are holding on structure in the top 30’ feet of the lake and presenting lures to them is as easy as it gets all year. Hungry and full of energy after spawning in late fall, these bruiser browns are in prime shape and eagerly take properly presented lures.

I primarily troll for the browns in Shasta Lake and find that often times, big, fast trolled spoons are my top producers. One lure that I favor for browns is the Optimizer spoon made by Trinidad Tackle. There are two sizes that are available, but honestly I don’t have a size preference because they both catch fish. Refer to the photos in this report for some of the top colors I’ve used, but really, color isn’t always a big deal. Trolled at 3.5-4.0 mph, these big browns don’t inspect these lures, they chase them down and crush them.

#4 Optimizer spoons!

I troll Optimizer spoons off of downriggers with setbacks of 150’ feet or more. Occasionally, I will also troll straight off the back of the boat with keel or snap weights to get the spoons down below the surface. Sometimes the browns really like the prop wash and will smash a spoon directly behind the boat. Side planers are a strong favorite of mine and I’ll tell you why. First, side planers get the lures away from the boat and on days when the browns are boat shy, side planers are very effective. The second reason I like them is because you can cover so much more water. Instead of trolling a spread of lures just a bit more than the width of the boat, you can easily cover a 75’ foot patch of water in a single pass. Its also easy to put big lures against the bank where big browns like to hang out in the spring.

These are just a few tips or ideas I’d like to leave you with when you start thinking spring browns. One way to get a good grasp on how I fish for browns on Shasta Lake, is to book a trip with me in March or April. I’ve taught many people who like to fish for big browns how to catch them. My March schedule is getting tight, but I currently have several days in April available. We have some tough days hunting big browns, but we also have days when we get 3, 5, even 7 multi pound browns in the boat in a single day. Give us a call its time to book your Shasta Lake brown trout trip!

Sac River Trout Fishing

Winter rainbow trout fishing on the Sacramento River!

Flows on the Sacramento River have been dropped to 4,000 cfs from Keswick Dam. This is the minimum flow for our power boat trips. There are still salmon spawning in the Sacramento River in the Redding area and this really helps locate the trout in this system. Because the trout are feeding heavily on salmon eggs dropped by spawning salmon, using single egg patterns is a great choice when fishing for Sacramento River trout. We will side drift these single egg patterns over areas salmon are known to spawn. This technique is very effective and we can cover a lot of ground quickly.

When the egg bite just isn’t happening, its often times a good choice to pull plugs or bait divers on the Sacramento River. Slowing things down and getting these presentations down in the areas trout will tend to hold often times will result in a territorial bite or an impulse to eat bait presented in this fashion. Letting plugs dive 60-70’ feet behind the boat is one of the techniques that entices some of the biggest Sacramento River trout of the season. Its a slower paced style of fishing, but the strikes these trout display are often times savage! Our biggest trout to date on the Sacramento River is 6.13 pounds and was caught on a small diving plug.

This past week has seen some productive fishing, but the best is yet to come. When the spring releases from Shasta Lake begin, we will see a much better bite from the rainbow trout in the Redding area. Some of the best fishing for the biggest trout happen in the spring. Your Sacramento River trout fishing trip is just an easy phone call away from becoming a reality. Be sure to get your date scheduled to take total advantage of the excellent Sacramento River rainbow trout fishing here in Redding, Ca.

- Capt. Jeff

Sacramento River Striped Bass Fishing

Best day ever! Lets catch some Sacramento River Striped bass!

The 2020 Sacramento River Striped bass season is roughly 60 days away. We’ll be fishing for Stripers as time gets a bit closer and we’ll have a good idea of what the run progress is and what the water conditions will present. Captain Jeff Brady has already begun the logistics part of the season and will be setting up base camp in the Colusa area. A lot of work goes into preparing for a big season of Striper fishing. Fortunately, Captain Jeff Brady has been doing it for years and is the best man on the team for the job.

All indicators point toward another great season on the Sacramento River fishing for Striped bass. This coupled with the fact we’ll have boats on the water several days a week, will surely make this 2020 season one to remember. Having multiple boats available to book Striped Bass fishing trips allows our guides to run one trip per day, per customer. This means your group will be able to fish a full day or until your Striped bass are caught and retained as your two fish limit. Either way, we show up expecting to work a full day for our clients.

Striped bass can be finicky some days and they often move locations on the river, sometimes many miles. This being said, we catch Striped bass the majority of the season year after year. Its a great fishing trip for family, friends, or a group from work. We have the ability to fish 18 anglers if your group fits that description. We do what we can to keep our parties trips private, but some groups don’t mind sharing a boat for the day. Either way, we’ll let you know what to expect before your trip. If you want a private trip, we can accommodate those requests as well. Just let us know at the time of booking and we’ll set up a private trip for you.

April and May 2020! Check your calendar, call your friends, call your or family, get on the phone and call Jaynie at our office to schedule your trip! (530) 510-2925, Thank you!

- Capt. Jeff

F & G Commission considers Sac River Salmon season extension in 2020.

2019 Sacramento River late fall King salmon.

California’s Fish and Game Commission is considering a new proposal to extend the Sacramento River King salmon fishing season. Currently, the Sacramento River King salmon season ends on December 16th of every year. In recent years the Sacramento River late fall salmon run has been robust and has more than provided for necessary egg takes at Coleman National Fish Hatchery in Anderson Ca. Coleman NFH Managers and Staff have done an excellent job of managing this fishery, and the numbers of returning King salmon returning to the hatchery supports a season extension.

The proposal is to extend the Sacramento River King salmon season above the Red Bluff water diversion, two more weeks, which will extend the season closure to December 31st. Traditionally returning late fall King salmon start to show in the Anderson area in mid to late November. The bulk of the run arrives in January so anglers on the Sacramento River fishing for late fall King salmon currently only see the first of the returning King salmon before the river closes on December 16th. The season extension will give Sacramento River anglers two more weeks of recreational salmon fishing in 2020.

This is an exciting development for Sacramento River salmon fisherman and I applaud the Nor Cal Guides and Sportsman Association, Coleman National Fish Hatchery Managers, and the F & G Commission for making this extended salmon season possible. Its communication and cooperation amongst organizations and fish agencies that makes these kinds of opportunities possible. California’s Sacramento River has the potential to play host as a world class King salmon fishery, and its decisions like this that are certainly a step in the right direction.

I’ll keep our readers up to date on developments in the coming months and will announce the regulation change when it takes affect.

- Capt. Jeff

Beginner egg cure with pro results

Curing eggs like a Pro

My go-to ingredients for a base brine cure for salmon fishing.

Curing eggs for salmon and steelhead fishing has always been revered as an art and most of the people who have little experience in the egg curing process find themselves to be a little intimidated for fear they will ruin them during the curing process. Good quality eggs are hard to come by for most and when the opportunity arises to cure up some eggs harvested from a salmon or steelhead, waste is not an option. Fortunately, the Pautzke Bait Company has come up with a product line which provides for an old school method of curing eggs that gives anglers who are new to curing, professional results. Anglers curing their own salmon or steelhead eggs can purchase just a few Pautzke egg curing products and can easily cure their own eggs that will in turn be very effective when fishing for salmon or steelhead.

Pautzke products for curing eggs like a pro

Pautzke Red Fire Brine is the foundation of this curing process.

When curing eggs for salmon and or steelhead fishing, I generally use three to four products from the Pautzke Bait Company that will help achieve the results I’m looking for in a quality cured egg skein. In some cases, I will use just one of the Pautzke Bait Company products I’ll mention below to achieve a base cured egg skein that will catch salmon or steelhead. Most of my egg cure recipes are brine based, especially when curing previously frozen eggs harvested from salmon or steelhead. I also use dry or powder mix cures, but for this article, I’d like to focus on the technique of wet brining the eggs to cure them. Brine cures are the easiest to master because they are very forgiving and almost always turn out great.

The first ingredient I use for wet brine curing is Pautzke Fire Brine. The Fire Brine comes in a 1 quart bottle and can be purchased in many colors, but I typically use two colors for curing eggs. The red Fire Brine is what I use for curing salmon roe and the clear brine is most often used for steelhead roe. The Fire Brine contains salt, sugar, and bite stimulants which are alone, enough to cure eggs that will catch salmon, trout, and steelhead. But, there are several ingredients that can be added to the Fire Brine to change the outcome of the cure depending on which species you are fishing for. I am a firm believer though, that a simple base cure is the way to go and adding ingredients before fishing those base cure eggs is how I make them fish better when the base cure isn’t enough to get the bites you’re looking for.

When adding products to the Pautzke Fire brine, consider adding a few other ingredients. I always add Fire Power to my eggs when fishing Northern California rivers. Its hard to beat the addition of the primary forage of salmon and steelhead into your egg recipe. I almost always add red Pautzke Fire cure to my brine recipe as well. The addition of these products into the brine makes a perfect base cure egg for salmon fishing. When curing natural color eggs for steelhead, use the natural BorX O Fire cure in lieu of the Fire cure. It too in the brine will make a perfect egg for steelhead fishing.

Brine recipe

5 quart brine bucket is perfect for curing 1 gallon size frozen egg bricks.

Most of my frozen egg portions will rarely exceed the volume of a one gallon plastic bag. I find that a plastic 5 qt. container filled with (2) qt’s of Fire Brine is enough to properly cure a gallon brick of frozen eggs. I empty 2 quarts of fire brine into the plastic container, add 1/2 a bottle of Pautzke Fire Power (Krill) and a 1/2 cup of Fire Cure to the liquid. After stirring the contents for several minutes, I place the egg brick into the 5 quart container. It won’t completely cover the eggs in my container, but its not an issue. As time progresses, the eggs will thaw in the brine and settle completely into the brine solution.

This makes for a great base cure and your eggs will cure up very nicely every time. I like a 24 hour soaking period, but you can let them marinate for a couple of days without any problems. This really takes the babysitting time out of the curing process and if you don’t have the time to hover over them, no problem. Just make sure the brine and eggs stay relatively cool during the brine phase. Letting them get too warm can advance their maturation and push them over the top of their most effective state. Warming up your eggs is set aside for your day on the river.

Now, if you are looking for a really good base cure this is it. If you want to mix things up a bit, adding known chemicals, scents, or specific flavors that enhance the bite sometimes, can be done during the brining process as well. I personally like to add those chemicals and scents after the eggs are cured and ready to fish on any given day throughout the season. Most years salmon and steelhead key in on certain additions to your cures, but often are different from year to year.

Final steps in the process

Once the eggs have cured in the wet brine solution for a few days, remove them from the liquid and place them in a colander to drain off the excess juices from the eggs. I will let them sit all day in a cool garage or during the summer months, let them drain off in the bait fridge. Either way, let them drain off in a cool space and allow them to tack up a bit before attempting to store them. If I’m going to be fishing them soon, I will take them through the steps of getting them ready to fish. This usually includes the addition of more Fire Power Krill and some borax to help dry them out and toughen them up even more. I’ll wrap them in paper towels and put them in a plastic bag before placing them in the fridge to age for at least a week. if freezing them and storing until next season, I put 4 skeins in a plastic bag and put them in the freezer. Once frozen, I vacuum seal the eggs in the plastic bags. They hold up very well and will fish really good come July when I need them again.

Trinity River Steelhead fishing trips!

Captain Justin’s Willie drift boat.

The Trinity River is undoubtedly one of the most scenic rivers in California. Its easily accessed in many sections right off of SR 299 between Douglas City and Willow Creek, Ca. Its flows are regulated by Lewiston Dam and is fishable most months of the year. The Trinity River is very well known and is without question one of the top producing steelhead rivers in California. With both hatchery and wild steelhead populations, the Trinity River holds steelhead just about every month of the year.

Late October brings the first rains which move the steelhead into the upper stretches of the river in sections that can only be accessed by foot or navigated by drift boat. We will start running steelhead both fly and conventional fishing trips in about 3 weeks. By November and December, we will see good numbers of steelhead throughout the Trinity west of Weaverville and we expect the fishing to be excellent again this year. There were a lot of steelhead in the lower Klamath River this summer and those steelhead are all mostly Trinity River origin fish. November and December are the peak months for the steelhead fishing on the Trinity River, but we will be offering trips into February.

Captain Justin will be our only guide fishing these trips so dates will be limited. He will be guiding both fly and conventional trips, with spin rod/bobber fishing being the most productive. Very little experience is required for the spin trips, but it helps to have some fly fishing basics down for the fly trips. Justin provides all of the gear required for the day, but experienced fly anglers can bring their own 6-7 wt. fly rod if they wish. Justin rows a 17’ X 60” Willie drift boat that is very well suited for fishing both fly and spin techniques.

If this sounds like a trip that would be of interest to you, please give Jaynie Goodwin a call here at our office to reserve your Trinity River steelhead fishing trip with Captain Justin Thompson. Call (530) 510-2925 for more information and trip reservations.

2019 Sac River King salmon opener a success!

The 2019 Sacramento River King salmon fishing season below Red Bluff, Ca. opened today just before first light. The Red Bluff boat launch below the old diversion dam was actually pretty busy and there were obviously quite a few boats headed down river to try their luck on the first day of the river salmon fishing season. I went out to fish with fellow Captains Justin Thompson and Kenny Turner, both of whom are part of my guide team here in the Redding area where we run the majority of our trips. A friend, and fellow angler Kevin Stonebarger also joined us for the day.

We started out with a run down river in the dark hoping to find a fishing hole that wasn’t clogged with boats. To our delight, we got to our destination uninterrupted and set up in our planned location to start our day. It was anticipated there were fish in the hole we were fishing and that was later confirmed by some Kings that were rolling in the area we were located. Most days during salmon season, dropping lighted plugs down into a deep hole filled with salmon will result in some immediate action. Well, today wasn’t that day and we saw absolutely no action at first light.

As the minutes after sunrise wore on, we saw very little action in the 10 boat hole. Justin said sometimes we need just a little sunlight on the water and the bite will turn on. He was right and just down river a few hundred feet we saw the first net of the morning. It wasn’t long and Justin had his rod double over on a big King salmon which he was able to successfully fight to the net. Next up was Kenny’s big King salmon followed by my big King salmon, and finally Kevin hooked up and the next thing we know, we have four big, beautiful Kings in the fish box. We saw a short lull in the action, but once again Justin hooked into a beautiful 20+ pound hen which we put in the net after a great fight.

The fishing as it would turn out was excellent and we had nearly 100 pounds of fresh King salmon in the box before 9:00 am. Satisfied with the success we had, we started back up river and worked a few holes on our way back to the boat launch. We didn’t hook another fish over the next hour or so and after a 2:00 am wake up, we were all tired and grateful for the day we had already experienced. I quick trip to the river bank to take a few pics and to fillet our catch ended our day. It was a great day with perfect weather, good fishing, and good friends making memories on the water.

The 2019 Sacramento River King salmon season is officially under way and its looking like its going to be a good one. We have lots of available dates between now and the end of the King salmon season in mid December. If you and your group would like to put together a King salmon fishing trip, please call, text, or email me and I’ll do what I can to get you booked with one of our three available salmon fishing guides this season.

The King of Kings on the mighty Sac! Captain Justin Thompson.

Now booking Sacramento River salmon fishing trips.

Many days will end this year as this one did when fishing with elite guide Justin Thompson.

2019 Sacramento River salmon season

Our 2019 King salmon season is just 10 days away and with all the salmon we’re seeing in the ocean this year, this season is undoubtedly going to be the best we’ve seen in several years. Anyone who loves to fish for Sacramento River King salmon, or river salmon in general, needs to pay special attention to whats going on down here in California’s Central Valley in the months ahead. We’re ready and anxious to get our guided trips started and have been looking forward to fishing for salmon on the Sac since it closed in mid December of last year.

Our team of King salmon guides here at Jeff Goodwin Guide Service has been prepping in the off season, and although we’ve had a very busy season fishing for browns, rainbows, and Striped bass all year, we’re ready to go get our clients onto some great salmon fishing! We’ve seen a lot of growth in our business this year and salmon season will be no different. We’ve created a fishing team aimed at providing the most enjoyable experiences for our clients, and one of the most significant ways in which we’ve done so, has been to seek out a few of the friendliest and most knowledgable salmon fishing professionals in our Sacramento River salmon fishing guide community.

I’m fully immersed in my fishing guide business and I’m constantly watching everything, and everyone that has anything to do with the fishing guide industry in my area of operation. I’m a studied business owner and I pay very close attention to who’s doing what on the waters I fish. One of the most important observations I have had to make pertains to who has the most success in this business, both on and off the water. In the fishing guide industry I think you have to possess two very important characteristics. First you must have above average people skills. This means possessing a warm, friendly personality, and having the ability to treat every client with every ounce of respect they deserve. They are paying to have a great day on the water with a professional fishing guide free from disrespect or abrasive behavior. The second most important trait required to be a successful fishing guide is the ability to give your clients the best chance possible at fulfilling their objective of catching fish.

Big bright Sac River Kings like the one pictured will be common sight in Justin boat this season.

Captain Justin Thompson

After many years of making the aforementioned observations of Sacramento River fishing guides, one of a few full time guides in particular have demonstrated the personal qualities and professionalism I believe are at the top of our field. Justin Thompson is an elite fishing guide in our area, and that can not be disputed. His reputation among his peers and associate fishing guides as being one of the best on the water is known to be unanimous throughout the Central Valley.

For over a year now I have had the opportunity to work closely with Justin and he has been a huge asset to my business when I needed help fishing clients on days that I was already scheduled to fish. Simply put, I feel very fortunate to be working with Justin. I have no questions or reservations about booking him with some of my closest, long term clients. I know Justin will treat them as I would treat them myself and will always work hard to put them on the best fishing available. I often tell my clients that fishing with Justin is nearly the same as fishing with me. We are like minded when it comes to guiding and like all team members should be, we are diverse but I believe compliment one another. Our clients are likely to learn a lot when fishing with Justin because like I said, he is one of the best in the business.

Justin and his tools of the trade

Justin operates a 25’ Alumaweld open jet boat during salmon season and he can easily accommodate (6) guests on our Sacramento River salmon fishing trips. He uses only the best gear and its always in top working condition. His boat is always clean and comfortable and is equipped with all the safety equipment required by the US Coast Guard. His boat, vehicle and all fishing gear is well maintained and ready every day to fish.

Lots of room for your group in Justin boat this year while fishing for Sacramento River King salmon

Take all of the aforementioned information I have provided about Justin and add very high catch rates and you have everything you need to ensure you will have a great day of salmon fishing with him. We’ve booked the majority of our fall salmon season, but there are still some openings if you want to fish with Justin. I’ve earned a reputation in the industry for speaking the truth and providing honest and genuine fishing reports to my followers. When I say that if I were looking for a salmon fishing guide on the Sacramento River, I would book with Justin Thompson. if you haven’t booked your 2019 Sacramento River King salmon fishing trip, trust me when I say Justin should be your first choice. I’ve put my reputation on the line by teaming up with Justin and I’ve done so without hesitation. Give me a call, send me a text, or email me to get your King salmon fishing trip booked with Justin this year. You won’t be disappointed that you did.

Sacramento River King salmon season is just about to kick off! Book your 2019 King salmon trip with us!

Shasta Lake summer trout fishing.

SHASTA LAKE SUMMER FISHING

Shasta Lake mornings are pure magic and the trout fishing is just one of the things that make summer on Shasta Lake so special. Catching fish on northern California’s largest reservoir is most often considered a small bonus considering all of the great things you’ll see throughout the day.

Its no secret that Shasta Lake summertime fishing is my most productive time of the year to fish for rainbow and brown trout. Its the the best season of the year to catch both big numbers and big fish all in one day! Yes, its hot on the lake most days and in the afternoon the water can be busy with houseboats, ski boats, and jet skis, but rarely is it a problem to find solitude on Shasta even at its peak in July through the end of August. Perfect weather, pristine water, and hundreds of thousands of trout guarantee great days of fishing on Shasta Lake in the summer. Many of my clients come back year after year for another experience of what they have often called, “the best fishing they have ever experienced”.

FINDING SUMMER TROUT ON SHASTA!

Shasta Lake is in a constant period of change each and every month of the year, but summertime brings the most consistent pattern I observe during the year, and the trout are by far the easiest to find beginning in late June and early July. With that point being stated, I consider the best summer trout fishing pattern on Shasta to be between the months of July, August, and September. Two factors make this time of the year on Shasta Lake predictable and easy to catch lots of trout. First, we see the primary food source for the trout, Thread Fin Shad, during late spring on through late fall in the main body of Shasta Lake. Secondly, the Shad are easily accessible to the trout in very large schools making for a constant food source that keeps the trout in a relatively small area of the lake. This energizes the Shasta Lake trout and they are on a Shad feeding frenzy and a good bite every day of the summer.

As the Shad show up in good numbers in late spring they will migrate down into the main body of Shasta Lake between the Pit River Bridge (I-5) and Shasta Dam where they will stay until fall. When the Shad first arrive, they can be found along the shorelines in the warmest water where they spawn and also feed on Plankton that are pushed by prevailing morning winds from the north that drive the Plankton blooms to Shasta’s south shore. This is important to note as it will serve anglers well during the summer when they are trying to locate feeding schools of trout or the nomadic trophy size rainbows and browns. Like all bodies of water, there is a food chain and if you pay attention, you will know that following the bottom of the food chain will lead you to the top of the food chain. This is key when looking for trophy size rainbows and browns. The gamefish are never far from the baitfish.

Find the Shad and you’ll find the trout in Shasta Lake!

So now that we have an idea of why the Shad are so important, lets look at where we will typically find them during the peak of the summer fishing season. Shad are temperature sensitive as are many species of fish. In Shasta Lake, Shad can often be found near the surface in the spring and in the fall. The water surface temperatures are such that these Shad will stay in the upper end of the water column in Shasta Lake until summer arrives and the water surface warms above 70 degrees. When we start to see temps above the mid 70’s and into the 80’s the Shad will start to drop deeper and deeper below those warmer surface temps and stay in water that accommodates their comfort level. As they go deeper, you will find that they tend to school up and form massive bait balls will be easy to spot on sonar. Like most baitfish, shad will ball up at an attempt to protect themselves from feeding trout, salmon, bass, etc.

HOW DEEP DO I FISH?

In the picture above there are a few things to consider when trying to figure out where to drop your trolling gear should you see the same thing on your screen when you are fishing. In this example, the top 20’ of the water in this screen shot shows a bright color line. This interpretation by the sonar unit indicates warm water or a warm water section of the lake. This line of warm water can extend down as far as the warm water progresses throughout the summer months. Its a great clue in most cases, that this area of the lake will hold baitfish and warm water species such as spotted bass in Shasta Lake. The green dots you see on the screen in the warm water are likely bass or smaller fish up in the feeding zone where the Shad are.

The long green lines represent the downrigger balls and also can help show the angler where their lines are traveling in relation to the locations of the fish/baitfish. As you can see, I like to run my baits in the zone where warm water meets cold. I’m also trolling my gear, in this case, at the top of the massive bait ball. Trolling gear in or above the bait is a good practice because trout will be looking up at the bait in warmer water while they occupy the cooler water temps below the bait. if you look closely, you’ll see fish activity in the warm water zone. Active fish will often appear as streaks, long arches, or even long lines as they follow trolling gear. The last thing I’ll point out are the 3 big fish that are sitting down at the 60’ line. These fish are clearly sitting down in the dark and are not active or anywhere near the bait school suspended at the 40’ line. You can drop lines down to 60’ in an attempt to get these fish to bite, but they are clearly not feeding and are more difficult to catch. This picture tells a story and if you put all the pieces together, you’ll understand whats going on down there and where you should have your gear.

The use of a temperature and depth reading device is very helpful and takes all the guesswork of where you should have your gear set. This shot was taken on 6/7/19 and shows that the surface water temp is 69.3 degrees, my downrigger ball is at 54’ feet and the temperature at the ball is 55.5 degrees. This depth yielded a 5 lb brown trout for one of my clients today so its worth a look, don’t you think?

Every week of the summer this picture will change and you will make small adjustments to stay on top of the feeding trout. Without a doubt, you’ll likely find the trout and baitfish to be a little deeper every week until fall arrives and the lake starts to cool off again. You can almost certainly count on fishing deeper every week you search for Shasta Lake trout during summer. As an example, in May, most of the trout will be in the 20-30’ mark. By June, you’ll find them in 40-60’ of water, and by July, 60’ plus. Almost every year, I’ll finish my summer trout season fishing below 110’ feet of water. There are no set rules for what depth to start fishing, but I find that most of the time I start setting my gear at 60-65 degrees, wherever that may be. My reasoning is that I know the Shad will often times be above that temperature line, and the trout, (active feeders) will be out of their preferred temperature (mid to low 50’s) looking for a meal before dropping back down into the cold water zone.

WHAT KIND OF GEAR DO I NEED?

Gear selection is a broad subject and I could go on forever writing about all the choices you have out there. Because you’ll be fishing deep in the summer months, downriggers are a top choice for getting your gear down where the trout are. There other ways to get your gear deep and a little research will present many options for you. As far as baits to send down on the riggers, if you stick to one pattern for the July-September timeframe on Shasta Lake, stick with what the trout are feeding on, a Shad pattern! Small silver spoons, flies, hoochies, etc. in the 1”-2” range are top producers early in the summer. As summer wears on, the size of your presentations can increase and by summers end a 3” presentation may be a perfect size.

When you catch trout and harvest them for the dinner table, check out the size of the Shad in their stomach’s. Most often the Shad will be about the size of a silver #1 Dick Nite Spoon. Stick a small hologram eyeball to it and bingo, you have a perfect Shad imitation that will get bit over and over again. Match the hatch and you will find success. Another very effective piece of tackle is a small dodger in front of that spoon you’re fishing. Remember, Shad are a schooling fish and a dodger looks like a small group of baitfish. The straggler (the small Dick Nite spoon) is the easy target and gets bit time and time again.

Intuition plays a major role in my day, every day. Often times, turning my back to clients to let lines out gives me a few moments to focus on a plan for my next move. Brief breaks in interaction or conversation with my clients are almost always a period of concentration directed at what needs to be done to get more bites.

Clients that fish with me know that I use a lot of different techniques and different types and sizes of lures. I couldn’t possibly write all of my little tricks of the trade in this article alone, but I can tell you that most of the tactics and gear I use are already being used by thousands of anglers and fellow charter captains. You all live in a world where every piece of information imaginable is at your finger tips via the internet. The only thing that can’t be learned or provided in written form is intuition. There are no shortcuts to gaining intuition, its something thats developed by spending hundreds or thousands of hours on the water trying to catch fish.

SHASTA LAKE TROPHY TROUT

Bay Rat Lures shallow diving stick baits will produce big trout sometimes when nothing else will.

Anyone who follows my reports and blogs knows I like to hunt for big Shasta Lake rainbows and browns. Its not hard to catch a big trout on Shasta Lake as there are many. It is difficult to catch them day after day and some days seems impossible to catch them at all. They are finicky to say the least and most days require that you do everything right. Its good luck to catch a big multi pound trout a few times a year, but catching over a hundred 5 lb. to 10 lb. class trout in a year isn’t just luck. Simply put, its hard work that requires hundreds of hours on the water.

Trinidad Tackle Optimizer spoons are a favorite when it comes to presenting a high vibration, large profile option for big trout.

The common denominator involved in catching trophy trout involves two things. Confidence and patience. Many new clients ask what they need to bring for their day on the lake when fishing with me. Besides the obvious, I ask them to have a two rod license and to bring a PFA (positive fishing attitude). Most professional athletes will tell you that their play is 90% mental and 10% physical. In my mind, fishing professionally is no different. Keeping your head in the game until the last line comes in at the end of the day is the biggest success factor when fishing for trophy trout. I do most of the work for my clients in that area, but if you have high expectations of catching big trout everyone in the boat needs to contribute to the positive vibe in the boat. Big fish can feel your doubt and will readily turn a cheek to your low energy presentations.

Arctic Fox Trolling Flies are a great presentation when stealth is required to get strikes from big, weary browns and rainbows.

I’ve caught big trout on 5” herring and I’ve caught them on a small Arctic Fox Trolling fly. At different times big fish will react to a wide variety of presentations. I’ve written about several lure/fly presentations over the years that I use to catch big trout on Shasta Lake. I only write about them because they absolutely work. If you read my social media at all, you have seen comments on my posts by many anglers explaining their successes using a number of the products I support. Tackle manufacturers such as Trinidad Tackle (Trinidadtackle.com), Bay Rat Lures (Bayratlures.com), and Arctic Fox Trolling Flies (trollingflies.com) can all attest to the increase in sales they have seen because of the success these presentations bring to the big fish anglers and fishing guides.

If you are specifically targeting big trophy class trout in Shasta Lake, these three presentations are almost always my key to success on any given trip. one thing that makes these items so effective is that they can all be used in combination (at the same time). I have managed to get double hook ups with big browns trolling an Optimizer spoon and an Arctic Fox Trolling Fly at the same time at the same speed. That my friends is a piece of info to remember!

FINAL THOUGHTS FOR SUMMERTIME SHASTA LAKE TROPHY TROUT.

I’ve given you a lot of information to digest for the upcoming summer season on Shasta Lake, but not too much I think. Everything I have written has helped me find success on Shasta Lake and has helped me become the #1 booked fishing guide on the lake as well. Not only have I helped put hundreds of people on some of the best fishing they have ever experienced, i’ve also helped dozens and dozens of anglers become next level fishermen that are now catching their biggest rainbows and browns ever. I am humbled by the relationship I’ve developed with my clients and acquaintances on Shasta Lake and I wake up grateful every day knowing I have the opportunity to be a fishing guide on this beautiful and bountiful body of water. I hope I’ve helped the readers of this article in some way and hope that many of you will choose to come experience first hand catching some big rainbows and browns with me this summer. Tight lines!

Captain Jeff Goodwin

2019 Sacramento River King salmon fishing!

Big Kings and sunny days on the Sacramento River beginning July 16th, 2019.

2019 SACRAMENTO RIVER KING SALMON

The 2019 Sacramento River King salmon season is set! A forecasted run of 120,000 Kings in the Sacramento River means plenty of fishing fun for our clients and with a (2) King limit, that also means coolers full of fresh Kings for the bbq! Two day anglers will be able to possess (4) Kings so for all you long distance clients, that means a trip very worthwhile.

This is what I’d call a bubble season in that the forecasts are higher than we typically see annually, especially the past few years. What that means, or should mean to most, is that this season isn’t one you want to sit out or plan salmon trips elsewhere. The season opens July 16th, but we don’t typically see our best fishing until August. By September, we’re in the peak periods of the run which will last well into October. Our late fall season usually starts around November after we’ve seen our first few periods of rain which will pull the late fall Kings up river towards Coleman Hatchery in Anderson, Ca. Mid November thru mid December can be very good fishing for these big bright Kings on the Sacramento River.

Bright King salmon on the Sacramento River are abundant from July through September near Corning, Ca. where we fish the early season.

2019 KING SALMON OPENER

The Sacramento River opens to King salmon fishing below the Red Bluff diversion dam on July 16th. Since removal of the diversion dam, the season opener hasn’t been all that great. The salmon don’t stay in the lower river below the fish ladder at the dam, they now just shoot up to the Anderson area where the Coleman Hatchery is located. We’ll still fish in the Red Bluff area though and often find some really nice Kings from July into August. If you want to get into chrome river salmon, July and August are always a great option. Not as many Kings around, but very good quality fish.

On August 1st, the Sacramento River above Red Bluff opens and thats sort of the official kick off of the King salmon season now days. Guides and anglers from all over will converge on the Barge Hole which is located at the mouth of Battle Creek on the Sacramento River. Its not uncommon these days to see 40, 50, even 60+ boats in the Barge Hole on August 1st. Its a busy place to fish that day, but the action can be among the very best you can find in any one river in the west these days. Numerous boats with numerous rods bent over on big, bright King salmon all day long. Most boats will have limits before noon and then its almost every year that there is an extended calm after the storm in the Barge Hole.

Big Sacramento River Kings are no joke and pull as hard as any King salmon anywhere!

SACRAMENTO RIVER FALL SALMON

By September our salmon season is in full swing and we’ll most often be found fishing down in the Corning area below Woodson Bridge. The bulk of the Sacramento River fall run Kings will be moving through that section of the river at that time. Most of the Kings we catch in September are in great shape and make for great table fare. They move through the lower river quickly until they reach the cool water in the Woodson Bridge area where they will stack up in the holes and rest before pushing further up river.

This section of the river is a relatively slow moving section of the river, but has all the feature of most rivers like riffles, runs, and pools. Our boats are all designed with this type of river in mind and we most often drift roe, covering lots of water and putting baits in from of a lot of fish. This typically translates in high success rates for our clients on our boats and is very easy for most of our clients to perform on their own. Catching a big King salmon on a spin rid is an absolute challenge and a lot of fun too! Drift fishing includes an active approach to catching these big salmon and you’re not just sitting in a seat all day waiting for a salmon to swim into your presentation. We go find them and thats why we catch so many using this technique.

Come fish with us and bring family or friends, its a great trip for all!

SACRAMENTO LATE FALL KING SALMON

The late fall run of King salmon typically show after the first few rains of the October-November timeframe. These fish have spent another few months in saltwater and are typically the bigger of the fall and late fall runs of Kings. Its not as big of a run in numbers, but its the size and quality of these Kings that attract anglers from all over the country. The weather isn’t as nice, and it can be cold, but when you bag a few of these beauties, its easy to forget about being uncomfortable for a long while.

The late fall season is much less pursued and the fair weather fishermen are at home staying warm or taking advantage of their hunting seasons elsewhere. That means light pressure on the river and plenty of solitude for you and your group on the water. We primarily back troll big bait wrapped plugs for these cold water kings and wait for the afternoons to break out the drift rods. It can ba a slower paced day that can involve a warm thermos of coffee, something on the boat bbq, and a little time next to the proper heater keeping the chill off. Plenty of time to relax and kick back before that big King burries the rod and heads toward the ocean!

Big Late fall King on the Sacramento River with our Captains Justin Thompson and Kenny Turner!

BOOK YOUR 2019 KING SALMON TRIP

Booking your 2019 Sacramento River King salmon fishing trip is easy and we have (3) great guides fishing King salmon again this year. That means we an accommodate groups of 18 anglers on any given day, but we typically only fish the people that book their day of fishing with us. This means that we are a guide service, not an open charter boat fleet. Private trips are our forte and we have made our fishing trips a very personal experience for our clients. We will run open boat trips on occasion so single anglers can get in on the great fishing as well, even if they don’t have another person to bring with them.

Booking your trip now is a great idea as we anticipate a lot of bookings this season with all the good salmon fishing ahead. You can book a trip on my website, email me, call me direct, or even send a text message. I will get back to you and help get your Sacramento River King salmon fishing trip on the books!

Thank you, and we’re looking forward to having a great salmon fishing season with our great clients again this year! See you on the water!

Captain Jeff Goodwin

Shasta lake receives Kokanee salmon plant!

Shasta Lake Kokanee salmon?

Its been over 40 years since Shasta Lake has contained populations of Kokanee salmon, but as of Monday May 13th, Shasta now has Kokanee salmon swimming in its emerald green waters once again. A coordinated effort between inland fisheries conservation groups and the Department of Fish and Wildlife finally came together resulting in a healthy plant of 87,000 fingerling Kokanee in the McCloud arm of Shasta Lake.

5/13/2019 87,000 Kokanee salmon being planted in Shasta Lake!

Regional CDFW Managers and Fisheries Biologists carefully reviewed the feasibility of planting Kokanee in Shasta Lake, and once the data pointed in a favorable direction for re introduction, the move was made to allocate the 87,000 Kokanee for Shasta Lake. Regional Biologist, Monty Currier has been working on this project for quite a few years, and after an extensive effort on all levels, this Kokanee plant project was implemented. Many other conservation organizations such as the Nor Cal Guides and Sportsmans Association, Kokanee Power, and the California Inland Fisheries Foundation played a role in supporting this program from its inception.

Monty Currier said the plant location was carefully considered and will give the Kokanee salmon the best chance of survival, hopefully placing them in the best position to spawn in the favorable river conditions that the McCloud River has to offer spawning salmonids. Its cool water and adequate gravel beds will surely be the best conditions for a successful spawn in a few years. It will take time to see just how well the Kokanee do in Shasta Lake, but they were said to be very plentiful back in the 70’s when they were last known to occupy Shasta Lake.

Fingerling Kokanee salmon planted in Shasta Lake on 5/13/2019

Kokanee salmon do very well in neighboring Whiskeytown and Trinity Lakes so it stands to reason that they will do very well in Shasta too. There is an abundance of Plankton blooms in the rich and fertile waters in Shasta and access to cold water year round is a bonus as well. The Kokanee salmon were hatched and raised as fertile fingerlings, and unlike the King salmon in Shasta Lake, are not triploid (infertile) fish. Its quite possible that the Kokanee in Shasta could take hold as the dominant salmon species in Shasta looking into the future.

Kokanee salmon are a very popular game fish here in the west and being a landlocked Sockeye salmon, they are believed by many to be the best eating salmon known to mankind. They have the potential to grow into a multi pound fish, and if their numbers continue to stay strong as they grow into mature adults, Shasta lake could turn into a premier destination for Kokanee anglers from all around. Whiskeytown Lake already draws a big crowd from anglers all over the country fish there annually for Kokanee. Shasta Lake is already touted as one of the top trout and bass fishing destinations in California. Having healthy populations of big Kokanee would surely throw Shasta Lake into a next level inland salmon fishing destination.

Tens of thousands of Kokanee salmon planted into Shasta Lake.

Time will tell how the Kokanee will do in Shasta Lake this time around, but its sure to have many Kokanee fishing enthusiasts sitting on the edge of their seats waiting to see what the next few years ahead holds for this potentially attractive fishing attraction to Shasta Lake.

Anglers across the west haven’t seen a whole lot of feel good stories in the world of fisheries management, but thanks to the efforts of CDFW and California fisheries conservation groups, this is a project that I think we can all feel good about, don’t you?

Spring trout fishing on Shasta Lake.

Shasta Lake spring brown trout!

Shasta Lake spring trout fishing.

The spring brown trout fishing is in full swing on Shasta Lake. The lake is in its spring transition and teeming with life after a long hard winter. The Carpenter ant hatch is going, the Plankton blooms are huge, and the Shad are starting the migration down into the main body of Shasta Lake where they will soon be spawning. This is a magical time on the lake with amazing weather and a shot at some of the years biggest brown trout anglers will catch all year. It seems like the longest winter ever, but its over now and time to go trophy hunting.

Trout trolling depths for Shasta Lake.

With weather already exceeding 90 degrees this past week, we’ve seen the surface temps rise from a cool 48 degrees up to a really warm 71 degrees. Today is another day of hot weather so I only anticipate the surface temps will continue to rise. Most years the lake surface will reach 80 plus degrees before it starts to build a thicker and thicker layer of warm water near the surface. As this warm water developed, so does the thermocline (where mark water meets cold water). This is an important progression for the lake, but also for the anglers who fish for trout.

Trolling in or above the thermocline is important because most often, the fish that are actively seeking food or will be the biters. I have a few tools which help me find the best water temps to place my gear in, maximizing my time in the strike zone. First is a useful tool called the Fish Hawk X4D. Its an attached device I send down into the water along with my downrigger ball. It has the ability to determine, depth at the ball, temp at the ball, and speed at the ball. Depth and temperature are what I may attention to the most. I can clearly see where the temperature changes and at what depth, exactly. This helps me zero in on the most productive water temperatures to catch trout. You can also see the thermocline on sonar and will display as a clutter line at the depth the thermocline exists. In the warmer months, bite patterns show that the low 60’s is a good place to start trolling your gear.

This is a good temperature range because its just below the water that the Shad will be holding in and also below the bass that will start to suspend below the Shad balls. If you are trolling and catching lots of bass, drop your lines down. The trout will often times be holding in cooler water below the bass and Shad. This pattern holds throughout the summer and all you have to do to find trout in Shasta Lake is to keep your gear near the thermocline. It starts around 20-30’ most years and will be in excess of 100’ feet by early fall.

The Fish Hawk X4D keeps my gear in the strike zone every day!

Trolling gear for Shasta Lake trout.

Some of the most effective presentations for Shasta Lake in the spring are often going to match the main food source for fish in Shasta Lake, and thats Threadfin Shad. Small spoons, stick baits, squid skirts, or even brined Shad bait can be used for trolling for trout in Shasta Lake and is a very effective way to catch them. Any of these lures or baits behind a small dodger can be deadly, and will attract a lot of strikes. A small 6” Trinidad Tackle dodger in front of any of these baits is a great option as well!

Trout this time of the year can be found above 20’ feet, but soon they will be much deeper, near colder water. I tell my clients that the trout will live in their comfort zone, but will move out of that area to find food. Their food source isn’t often found in the cooler water temps, its up above them in warmer water. Thats why I start trolling in the low 60’s. Its a good median temperature thats above holding trout but close to where the Shad will be holding in the high 60 degree water.

The key to keeping your gear in the strike zone is to have some sort of system to get your gear down to where the fish are. People often wonder why fishing is so hard for them in the summer when the water is warm. Its because the fish aren’t up in the really warm water, they are down where the cold water is. There are many ways to get your gear down to the fish these days, but I would say downriggers are by far the most commonly used tool for the job.

My Cannon Digi-Troll 10’s are amazing, but any downrigger, manual or electric will get the job done.

Trolling speeds and locations.

Now that your all set with finding the right depth and armed with all the right gear, its important to know what your trolling speed should be and where you should be trolling. I tell my clients that trolling speeds can range from 1.5 mph to 4.0 mph, but the gear you have on every line must have the capability to present properly at any given speed. For example, if you are running big Optimizer spoons at 3.8 mph, you don’t want to have a line out with a 6” dodger attached. The dodger just won’t present properly at that speed and will be a useless line in the water. The same goes for the Optimizer spoon being trolled at 1.7 mph where the dodger will shine. they just don’t go together and shouldn’t be trolled at the same speed. Check your lures next to the boat to see how they are working before letting lines out, its critical. If your fishing 4 line, fish them with gear that will run right at your chosen trolling speed. if I’m running big spoons, I will often times run all my rods with those spoons. if I’m running with dodgers, all the lines will have dodgers. I find that the one exception is the Bay Rat Lures I use every day. They, like a lot of stick baits will run in a wide speed range. Trolled fast or slow, they will catch fish.

So now that we are running our gear properly, and at the right depth, where should we be trolling? Well, right now you can find trout at the tops of the arms all the way to Shasta Dam. As summer arrives and as the thermocline develops, most of the trout will be down in the main body of the lake or low in the arms where all the Shad are. Early on, before and after they spawn, the Shad will be cruising the shorelines of the main lake, but as the warm water layer developed, they will push out over open (deep) water where they will suspend and sit in their comfort zone where they will feed on Plankton. Anyone with a fish finder/sonar unit will be able to locate them. The Shad balls are obvious and you’ll be marking larger game fish around them. This make it easy to find the trout and tells you where you should be fishing.

Shasta Lake is a big body of water, but it gets really small in the summer and its easy to find the trout. Just follow the principles I put out for you and build on them to be a successful trout fisherman on this amazing fishery!

Bait balls and big fish marks help you zero in on the trout in Shasta Lake.

Shasta Lake brown trout fishing report!

A Slow Start to Brown Trout Season

2019 8+ pound Shasta Lake brown trout caught last week by Matt Coppens of Chico, Ca.

Shasta Lake brown trout fishing is seeing a slower start than we’ve seen in years past, but with all the rain and snow we’ve seen this winter, I’m not surprised. Its a double edge sword in that we have had a slower bite the past few weeks, but we’ve also watched Shasta Lake nearly fill to its capacity in a very short period of time. Abundant water is key in maintaining abundant rainbow and brown trout populations of healthy trout populations in big reservoirs like Shasta Lake.

We’ve had some cold water in the main body of Shasta Lake this winter season. 48 degrees has dominated the temperature reading on my fish finder for over a month now, but just over the past few days, I’ve seen a slow warming trend which should kick start our brown trout bite.

Brown Trout Fishing Recommendations

I’m typically trolling big spoons and stick baits, like Optimizer Spoons and Bay Rat Lures, to attract bites from the big Shasta Lake browns. This technique also gets a lot of bites from the big rainbows as well. Since the big browns seem to orient to structure this tie of the year, you will most often times see me trolling close to the shoreline over big points are steep rock walls. These are the most productive areas right now and will be even through the summer months. I’ll catch them in open water as well, but that’s a pretty random approach to consistently finding these big trout right now.

Brown Trout Trolling Speeds

Trolling speeds will vary and so will depths of my lures during the spring brown trout bite. I catch most of my browns in the top ten feet of the water column very early and then drop down to 20-30’ feet when the sun comes up. I pay special attention to the surface conditions and will fish higher with a wind chop on the lake is present and will drop down deeper if glassy surface conditions persist with no wind. Rarely do I need to drop below 30’ feet to find the big ones this time of the year. Tolling speeds will vary, but 3.5-4.0 can be a great speed to start at. Not only are you covering a lot of shoreline very quickly, you are also triggering bites from the big aggressive brown trout. If you can’t seem to find the aggressive bites, slow things down a bit and sometimes that makes a big difference. This trout will chase a spoon or stick bait trolled fast, but sometimes they don’t want to expend the energy and need a slower presentation to trigger a bite. I have found that a good mid range speed to cover both bites is to run about 2.8 mph.

Try these tactics for yourself this spring or book a trip with me and shorten your brown trout fishing learning curve. Spring is my favorite time of the year to chase big browns and when conditions are right, the brown trout fishing on Shasta Lake can be great! I’ll be fishing Shasta Lake all spring and summer so be sure to look for my fishing reports here and also on Facebook and Nor Cal Fish Reports.

Shasta Lake spring browns!

It’s Brown Trout Fishing Season

Shasta Lake brown trout love the rain!

Shasta Lake weathered a descent storm this past week and Redding saw over 2 1/2" of rain the past few days.  The lake is continuing to rise and were just 60' feet from full pool.  This is great news, especially with more significant rain and snowfall in the forecast.  Water temps in Shasta Lake are hovering in the 50-51 degrees, but temps in the 40's can be found up high in the arms where the cool mountain water continues to roll in. Brown trout fishing remains solid and I'm excited to report that a few browns are being caught just about every trip out.  The browns have recovered from the spawn and are beginning to take on the appearance of our typical spring brown trout.  Two, maybe three weeks should show some quality browns being caught and should remain so for the season ahead up until around October when they head up into the rivers to spawn again.

Brown Trout Lures and Fishing Recommendations

Time to start thinking about fishing Shasta Lake for brown trout!

 I'm going to start focusing my efforts on structure and it won't be long until some of our biggest brown trout of the year will be swimming into a waiting net behind my boat.  Spoons, stick baits, and fly's are going to lead the effort aimed at catching this years big browns.  I'll be running brighter colors in colored water and a more natural bait presentation during greener water periods on Shasta.  Cold waters will continue to slow these fish down, but because of this seasonal water condition, keep those trolling depths in the 10'-20' mark and down to 30' with clear skies and a flat/glassy water surface.  if your not familiar with snap weights, now would be a good time to look into how to use them when trolling your local waters for trout.  I rely on them heavily during the spring to get my lures down when I'm towing them with inline planers off to the sides and away from the boat.  Some days the browns will take baits off downriggers with long setbacks, but others they won't touch them.  Your only bites will often times come off the planer rods, some of which will have to be dragging spoons or stickbalts  down 10'-20' feet.  

Book A Brown Trout Fishing Trip

Shasta Lake winter/spring brown trout!

There's your tip for the week and an accurate report to refer to before heading out this next week.  Its gonna be a great year and my calendar is already showing it.  If you want to fish for browns on Shasta Lake in March or April (prime time) you need to get on the books before my available dates are gone!  I handle all of my own brown trout trips, but thats because I have some great striper guides who will be staying down in striper town (Colusa) all spring and can help pick up some of my overflow bookings. That being said, it will keep me free to get one of those 15 lb browns for a lucky client this year!  Its this years goal, and I'm confident it will happen for one of you out there!

2019 Sacramento ISE Show Jan 17th-20th.

Come see me and lats talk fishing!

This year I’ll be working at the Shimano booth #3239 in the pavilion building at this years Sacramento ISE Show. I’m one of the few guides in northern California fortunate enough to work on their Pro-Staff and consider it to be a privilege to say the least. Shimano is undeniably the industry leader in the rod and reel market and with so much competition, staying on top these days takes a lot of hard work! I do what I can to help, but in the grand scheme of things, I consider my contribution to be minor. I do my best through my guide business, website, and social media outlets to bring more customers to Shimano now and always will. I’ve invested a lot of time and money into my business and consider Shimano to be a major contributor to my success.

Shimano also owns G.Loomis fishing rods, and has so since the late 90’s when they purchased the company from legendary rod builder, Gary Loomis. I was on the G.Loomis guide program when I started guiding in the early 90’s back when Gary Loomis still owned the company and felt privileged to represent his company from the earliest years of my fishing career. G.Loomis rods were industry leaders back then and still are today. G.Loomis rods are still manufactured in Woodland Washington where the company started many, many years ago. I lived in Washington for many years and passed by the G.Loomis factory many times, but never had a chance to stop in and get the factory tour. Perhaps someday I will stop in and get that long overdue experience.

This will be the first year in several years Shimano is making an appearance at the ISE show in Sacramento and I believe its long overdue. Shimano’s presence at the show will be well received as there are thousands of attendees that will surely enjoy the opportunity to talk to the Shimano Pro Staffers and to get to see a good number of products Shimano has to offer the fishing world. I’m very excited to be able to talk to all of the booth visitors and look forward to sharing my Knowledge of the rods and reels I use when fishing clients on the bodies of water I work on. I’m known throughout the industry for my passion for fishing and everyone knows I am always willing to help clients and other anglers to become better fishermen in any way that I can.

Working for Shimano this week is just one of the ways I can help impart some of my fishing knowledge to other anglers who I’m able to talk to at the show. My point here is that I’m looking forward to talking with you all about fishing with, and using the Shimano gear, so please feel comfortable when approaching me while you are at the show. Its why I’m going to be there and I really do look forward to talking with my old friends and making some new ones while I’m there as well. Have a great time at the show and I’ll be looking forward to talking with you all!