Shasta Lake End of Summer Season Report!

David and his son Joe captured the moment on their recent summer fishing trip. Days like these will be forever remembered I'm sure.
Photo Credit: Jeff Goodwin Guide Services

by Jeff Goodwin
9-13-2023
Website

We have had another amazing season on Shasta Lake this summer!  While the summer King and Kokanee salmon season was a complete flop, the rainbow and brown trout fishing was exceptional!  We secured limits for our clients almost every trip this summer and we certainly saw some better than average quality come over the rail this summer season.  We're still getting our fish but we will certainly see the pace slow as we head into October, but we're not there just yet.  We started our summer season in May again this year and experienced some great rainbow fishing early on.  By June and July we were catching some great trout every day but we saw a better than average season for big brown trout!  For the past 5 years or so, Shasta has been receiving big plants of browns. As they continue to grow, this brown trout fishery has become the best in California without question.  Unlike our inland Chinook and Kokanee salmon programs on Shasta, this brown trout fishery is thriving just as the rainbow trout has for many, many years.  I can't wait to see what our fall/winter/spring brown trout season shows us this year!  As usual, the main body trout season was the best and with lots of help from a massive Threadfin Shad population.  The bait situation is excellent and it shows in the size of our Shasta Lake trout.  Our summer season started us fishing above the 40' mark and has us nearing the end at 80'-90' deep.  The lake has been very healthy with lots of deep, cool water to house these fish.  We'll end our summer season lake levels just under 50' from full pool which is exceptional.  We stall have several trips the next few weeks, but by October I expect the conditions to change dramatically as they always do.  As the surface temps cool, we will see a move from the trout and bait from their current locations.  This happens every season so its nothing new to me.  We'll stay on top of them and will be providing some continued good fishing for our clients into our fall season.  All in all it was a great summer season on Shasta lake and I'm already looking forward to the summer of 2024!  I would like to thank everyone who fished with us this season and look forward to seeing you all again soon!  For more information about our upcoming fall/winter/spring fishing opportunities on Shasta, call or text Jaynie in the guide scheduling office at (530) 510-2925 or visit jeffgoodwinfishing.com to fill out an online trip request.  Thank you!

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.