Fish Reports

Trout and Salmon slow, Bass fishing very good.

Shasta lake is now only 33 feet to the crest and the main body water temperature is right about 50 degrees in the morning. The past few weeks has been really tough fishing for trout and salmon. We have been out often and trying everything in the tackle box and everywhere on the lake. The best fishing we’ve found is just as you leave the main body upstream at the beginning of the arms. The situation is changing daily, so you might need to adjust as you go. The one thing that we did notice is the trout are tending towards smaller lures like Dick Nites, Sockeye Slammers or Trigger spoon Jr. The best colors vary from fluorescent orange to shad patterns, depending on the day. We’re still trolling these at 10 to 15 feet deep at 2.1 to 2.4 mph. The trout are mostly holdover rainbows with nice square tails and beautiful red meat. The average fish for us now aren’t too big, running around 14-16 inches in length. In years past we have caught larger and more fish during the winter. We are looking forward catching some bigger trout as we get closer to Spring. We are still getting some planters and smaller trout that are hitting our lures, but not sticking. In the past few days we’re seeing some floating moss clusters. We are seeing lots of algae growth within 8 feet of the edge of the lake. The lake is also becoming more stained in the past few days. Since we haven’t had any rain to cause the staining, We are guessing it’s some sort of algae bloom. Bass fishing is still really good for most anglers. They are catching lots of fish in depths of 20 to 25 deep. Most of the fish are in the 1.5 to 2lb range and many are being caught and released. The beautiful weather we’ve been having in the 70’s is going start getting them to sit on the flats in shallower water. This is where you have to look closely at your maps because Shasta doesn’t have a lot of flats. Fishing the points and trying to stay on the bottom going into the deeper water is a great technique right now. Swim baits are doing very well in white and blue as well as blue and silver colors. Of course plastics in the 5 to 7 inch lengths in pumpkin is always a great go to for Shasta. Report Courtesy of Rob Hower, Shasta Lake

Target Quality Rainbows with Stonefly and Egg Patterns

TRUCKEE– The extended stable conditions on the Truckee River over the last few weeks have made for good flows, clear water and steadily rising water temperatures. The fishing has been really good and if you were one of the lucky few to think about fishing the river during this extended high-pressure system, kudos to you!
We have been fishing all over the river recently, everywhere from just outside of Tahoe City to all the way down to USA Parkway. It’s ALL been good. The hatches of baetis out east have made for some really consistent action on dries, and the section along Highway 89 has been a great challenge with the slow clear water and ultra-spooky fish. Think long leaders, dry droppers, or maybe even some streamer fishing. We absolutely love this river for the variety it offers along its 120 miles of trout water. With the water temps remaining cold, focus on the slow deep runs, walking speed or less along most of the river, except maybe out east. We have been fishing more egg patterns lately as the rainbows gear up for spawn in a few short weeks. With the precipitation starting this week, worms and stones will also make for great attractors, paring well with baetis nymphs and zebra midges down to a size 22 depending on the water clarity. I t’s also worth noting that there are far more stoneflies in the upper reaches of the river than from Reno down, as they require a high water quality and rocky substrate to thrive. Fish mid-day through the evening for the best results.

•    Miles Zimmerman, Trout Creek Outfitters, Truckee

CDFW to Host Public Meeting on California’s Salmon Fisheries

Sacramento - The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) invites the public to attend its annual Salmon Information Meeting. The hybrid meeting will feature the outlook for this year’s ocean salmon fisheries, in addition to a review of last year’s salmon fisheries and inland spawner returns. This year, the meeting will be held in person at the California Natural Resources Agency Auditorium at 715 P St. in Sacramento on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, at 1 p.m., and will also be livestreamed online. The 2026 Salmon Information Meeting marks the beginning of a two-month public process to help develop annual sport and commercial ocean salmon fishing seasons. The input is also used to inform inland salmon season development later in the spring. The annual pre-season salmon management process involves collaborative negotiations between west coast states, federal agencies, tribal co-managers, commercial troll representatives, commercial passenger fishing vessel representatives, private recreational anglers, non-governmental organizations and others interested in salmon fishery management and conservation. These leaders utilize the most current information shared at the Salmon Information Meeting to work together to develop a range of recommended ocean fishing season alternatives at the March 4-9 Pacific Fishery Management Council (PFMC) meeting in Sacramento, Calif. Final season recommendations will be adopted at the PFMC’s April 7-12 meeting in Portland, Ore. Salmon Information Meeting details, agenda, informational materials and instructions to view the livestream will be published in advance of the event on CDFW’s Ocean Salmon web page. Livestream login information and a handout with the meeting presentations will be posted by the morning of Feb. 25. Please see the Ocean Salmon web page for a complete Calendar of Events and contact information regarding the Salmon Preseason Process, including other opportunities for engagement in the ocean salmon season development process.