Sac River Salmon/steelhead Fishing Opportunities This Holiday Season!

Sacramento River late fall King salmon caught yesterday in the Cottonwood area back trolling a small plug.
Photo Credit: JG Fishing Team

by Jeff Goodwin
11-24-2021
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This Thanksgiving Holiday through the new year will present several opportunities to fish for Sac River King salmon and steelhead over the next month, and even beyond for our steelhead fishery.  The late fall King salmon are right on schedule and we've seen more and more bright salmon showing above Red Bluff every day.  The late fall run of salmon is a much smaller run of Kings compared to the summer/fall run salmon, but its a favorite for many of the anglers who fish with us every year.  Blue bird days in the drought stricken north mean warmer afternoon temperatures and many days of really comfortable fishing conditions.  This is an important part of the late fall salmon trips because the days can be a bit on the slow side waiting for the highly anticipated takedowns from these prized, and sometimes very large King salmon.  Patience and a great attitude are key when fishing for late fall salmon and makes everyones trip a lot more enjoyable, including your guides.  We work harder than we do most times of the year when fishing for late fall Kings, so when we experience a really slow day, its in everyones best interest to enjoy the day as a whole and try to keep a positive attitude until the end of the trip.  Not only does it make for a much more enjoyable day for your group, but it also keeps the guide working hard for you until its time to call it and head back to the boat launch.  All of our trips begin as an opportunity, but rarely do they begin with a garuantee this time of the year.  All any of our guides can gaurantee in this day and age is that they will work hard for our clients all day.  Now with all that being said, we do have some pretty exciting days on the waters we fish this time of the year and every trip we offer is worth the effort for sure.  On the Sacramento River we have adult steelhead, wild rainbow trout, King salmon, and even Smallmouth bass to get after right now.  We typically start the mornings fishing for King salmon, but a lot of days include switching gears and looking for some adult class steelhead/trout.  Ultimately its the clients choice what they wish to fish for, but our guides are always prepared for all of these species every day we fish.  Our Sac River King salmon season ends Jan 1st, but we can still pursue steelhead and trout all year long.  We are very lucky up here, we always have something to offer our clients in the way of fishing opportunities.  Currently, we have salmon and steelhead available in our stretch of the Sacramento River and we have available dates scattered throughout the month of December.  If fishing the Sac for kings and steelhead sounds like a fun trip for you, this is the last call for our December salmon trips before we switch gears with the new year.  If you would like more Information regarding our Sacramento River fishing trips in December, please give Jaynie a call at (530) 510-2925.  Thank you, and we'll be looking forward to hearing from you all very soon!

Captain Jeff Goodwin

Jeff Goodwin is a full time Northern California fishing guide.  He guides year round for salmon, trout, steelhead, Kokanee, and bass on Northern California rivers and lakes. He fishes many bodies of water in the Redding area, but also guides the Sacramento River and Feather River during certain times of the year. Jeff can also be found on the California coast chasing ocean fresh King salmon and steelhead each year. To learn more about the fishing trips Jeff has to offer, please visit Jeff Goodwin's Guide Service.  You can also find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or please feel free to call him anytime at (707) 616-1905.