Shasta Lake Browns and Bows

12/08/2023 Another great day on Shasta Lake!
Photo Credit: Jeff Goodwin Guide Services

by Jeff Goodwin
12-8-2023
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It was another good week on Shasta Lake and we caught some great trout!  Water temps are 54-55 degrees with great clarity.  Side planers have been best with 1-2 oz snap weights.  Trolling speeds vary from 2.5-2.8 mph.  The lure of choice has been Trinidad Tackle Optimizer Jr's.  Dark colors early and flashy UV colors after the sun hits the water.  We saw a mix of rainbows and browns all week, some of which were pushing 5 pounds.  We'll call it a win when we see trout of this size at this time of the year.  Lots of browns are up in the tributaries now and so are some of the big rainbows we catch in the summer months.  We still get them, just not every trip like we do at other times of the year.  Some of the biggest browns of the year are most often caught in February and March.  We catch them year round but historically we see the bigger numbers of browns in the months referred to previously.  Same goes with the rainbows but we have the bigger speciimens down in the lower lake from June through September.  We pretty much see 4 plus pounders daily during the summer.  We still catch great fish in the fall/winter, its just that early spring and summer seem to provide the best fish of the year.  I never rule out the possibility of hooking into a true giant any day of the year.  Thats what makes Shasta Lake my favorite lake to fish, without question.  We have a boat or two available year round with the exception of April and the beginning of May when we're fishing for Striped bass on the Sacramento River watershed.  Give Jaynie a call or text at (530) 510-2925 to find out what dates we have available anywhere we fish.  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.