The lake is formed by Shasta Dam, the 9th tallest dam in the United States, and holds the largest man-made reservoir in California.
Shasta often time gets some great weather in the cold water season, but really the fish will still be up higher in the water column most days this time of the year.
It changes nearly every week, starting from the surface to 30 early and from the surface down to 125 by late September. where I spent many years fishing the coastal rivers, but rarely spent much time on the lakes, as most were relatively far away. I just had to see some of these big fish in Shasta Lake and this is where my big fish journey began! The Shad like the warmer temps so you will first see them tight to the shorelines where the water temps are the highest. Brown Trout are very weary of the noise and disturbance caused by the boat in the narrow river channels were we fish during winter months. Run the shad on a double hook rig, naked or behind a 4 Fish Flash, and its fish on! Local regulations govern when you can fish, the max size of the fish you can keep, how many fish you can keep, and more.
With more sunny days than not, I find that trolling right on the surface no longer gets most of the bites and I break out the downriggers again. Or when to be there? Warm waters push the bait down to depths of around 50-80 feet. 
Turnover signals the big (adult) spawners to turn into the pre-spawn mode and most will begin their migration up the arms of the lake. When I fish an area I know is holding big browns, I will troll through the areas with big Optimizer spoons at about 3.8 mph. Waters really low right now, solid lake tho.
Douglas City, CaliforniaUnited States of America. These shad fed fish have dark red salmon like meat and are great table fair with large fillets to fill your cooler. Lake is very low and sad to see it, but some parts of the lake where is still good to fish has a lot of bass, mostly dinks, but if you can get lucky to catch a big one.
Big spoons, small spoons, and stick baits from Bay Rat Lures are a good bet this time of the year. March and April are my favorite months to catch big browns.
Best fishing time for large and small mouth bass, catfish and crappie. Sunny, calm days and traveling fish can make for a tough day on the water. Driving over them will push them to the sides of the boat so why not have your trolling gear out there where they are swimming off to. Most anglers out here in the west have a set or two of downriggers on their boat and thats the extent of their equipment used to get their presentations down to the fish.
Twenty catfish with no limit on Bullheads. Please use your best judgement when determining where you can fish, and make sure you follow local regulations. As winter turns towards spring, Shasta will once again start to play tricks on you.
The Trinity Guide Company offers fishing trips on Lake Shasta from June through October.
We offer electric hookups for your live well tanks and batteries, as well as free parking for boats and trailers. Ive spent countless hours looking at different ways to fish Shasta Lake for big trout and although I havent invented anything new, Ive learned how to use several different methods to get my baits in front of the bigger fish Shasta Lake holds.
I was intrigued and started looking for bigger trout and found that even the average size trout in Shasta was really nice fish. Some trout can be caught at deep water levels. Spring brings a little more predictability to the big fish scene. If its sunny and flat, run a few lines down to 10 as the bigger fish will push down a bit to get out of the penetrating rays from the sun and the predator birds overhead. Shasta dam was build between 1935 and 1945 across the Sacramento River. Right after Shasta Lake turns over, usually in late October, the fishing you are used to changes abruptly. 
The big trout will be in the top 10 of the lake and will be cruising up the lake arms towards the headwaters. Optimizers and other smaller spoons are very effective too.
Im going to start with the fall fishery on Shasta Lake and take you all the way into thesummer monthsup until Shasta Lake turns over again in the fall. Be safe out there and enjoy! During winter, I will catch both pre-spawn and post-spawn fish in the same day. I will often use a number of techniques to get my baits away from the boat because these rainbows will once again be high in the water column. Please remember that these trophy Shasta Lake fish are a precious commodity so handle them with care if you intend on releasing them. They are a great tool for getting your side planer lines down to the browns in the spring. The only thing to consider when deciding on trolling depth in the winter is the presence of cloud cover and surface conditions. According to our data, anglers at Shasta Lake are mostly reeling in Spotted bass using the following fishing gear. Lake Shasta is a reservoir located in Shasta California and is operated by the Shasta-Trinity National Forest. Catfish and bass are sometimes caught at this time. Now that Shasta is pretty much sitting in the mid 50s temperature-wise, its time to break out the side planers.
Lake Shasta is home to some of the best trout fishing you will find anywhere. The most important factor to consider this time of the year is the thermocline.
Shasta Lake is near Redding. The ability to put your line exactly were your marking bait on your fish finder is one of the great functions of my down-rigger system. The big rainbows are back and they are on the surface again over deep water. Shasta Lake has the following amenities based off of 15 reviews left by our users.
Lake Shasta is a must see destination for outdoor families. Big fish, especially browns, are quite weary of boat traffic.
California anglers can get their licenses online from the Department of Fish and Wildlife website. July brings the official jumbo summer rainbow trout season and it lasts through September when weve gone full circle and are looking at fall weather again. The shad wont go into cold water so the trout will have to come up out of temperature to find them. The browns will move towards structure and will often times sun themselves along with the warmer shoreline areas, especially where the structure is available. This large lake can be very difficult to understand though. I will concentrate on browns solely during this timeframe and with browns over ten pounds caught this year, my calendar fills quickly and the big fish pics are hitting the internet daily. Im not going to explain how to use every technique in this article or even tell you when they work the best, Im just going to tell you what they are and why I use them.
By the time the trout are down below 80 its a downrigger show and thats pretty much the extent of my technique for this last few months of the summer. They have been back in the lake for a while now and most have fully recovered from the spawn. Trinidad Tackle makes a system perfect for that technique, called Eco Weights. I will let you in on one of my success secrets for this time of the year. As fall progresses into winter, you will have access to the big fish migrating upriver, spawning, and out-migrating again down into the lake. Of course, there are tons of fine details to be mentioned, but for the sake of brevity, I think breaking down the specific techniques in other articles would be more informative for my audience. Having the ability to find water temperatures at depth throughout the year is important, but Ill talk a bit more about that later in this article.
During windy/choppy conditions, the side planers will impart action on your lures thats just not possible while trolling with downriggers are fixed rod holders.
I like to troll a bit slower for the rainbows and find 2.5 mph to be a great speed for success. To cover all of the seasons on Shasta and the different water conditions throughout the year, having more than a set of downriggers on your boat is critical to your big fish success. How do I know where to go?
The Neu Lodge Motel on Shasta Lake is conveniently located 1/4 mile from a public boat ramp, 1.4 miles from Antlers Ramp, and approximately 10 minutes from Bridge Bays boat ramp.
You can cover both areas at the same time whereby increasing your odds of finding fish dramatically. The drastic changes in temperature on Lake Shasta sets it apart from other lakes. That is the top of the temperature range the trout will hang out in when they are looking for shad to feed on. Because the big rainbows are a rare find in early spring, its the browns I focus on once again. A good percentage of the browns youll catch will be near-shore now, especially on big points and rock walls.
Summer is best time, right now. When trying to cover both deep water and shallow water near shore, there is no better technique than running side planers.
As the hot summer sun warms the top layer of the lake, the trout and Shad will gradually go deeper and deeper. Please note this is a summer break destination for the young party crowds as well as a speed boat and jet ski hot spot so keep your eyes open and understand the other boats may not understand proper etiquette on the water. Sure, you can use 150 200 foot setbacks off your downriggers or by top lining, but your boat is going to spook more big fish than not. Focus on the open areas of the lake at the entrance of the arms like Dry Creek, Big Backbone, Waters Gulch, and where the McCloud meets the main lake near Bridge Bay. Lots of friendly fisherman and manage to catch a couple of fish so far . if they are not in an aggressive mood, I know they are in an opportunistic mode and will more likely grafter a smaller bait trolled at a slower speed. If youve pounded the shores for browns and come up empty, push out over deeper water and you may be surprised when your side planer gets slammed and your reel starts to scream! Be prepared for switching it up and looking for both rainbows and browns this time of the year. This is the time of year when rolling Shad cured in Pautzke Bait Co. Fire Brine is absolutely deadly!
Good luck and tight lines to you. I like to use natural, blue, and chartreuse Fire Brine infused with matching color Fire Dye. Minimum length must be twelve inches. The good new is that the big rainbows are finishing up in the rivers and will be out-migrating downstream making for another big fish alternative. 1160 catches are logged on Fishbrain. There is a ton of water to cover and so meany boat ramps to choose from. Most of the browns have migrated back to the arms of the lake downstream of their spawning grounds and the big rainbows are up in the rivers creating the next generation of wild rainbows in Shasta Lake. June continues to be a good month for both rainbows and browns, but the water temps are warming and the Threadfin Shad show up in numbers before their spawn. I find that aggressive browns will crush big baits trolled fast, especially early in the day.
Fishing regulations in California can change throughout the year. Over time, I was lucky enough to cross paths with some of the old-timers on Shasta Lake and stories of big browns and rainbows had me hooked. You all see the success my clients enjoy when it comes to catching big fish on Shasta Lake so take what Ive laid out here and implement it into your own strategy when hunting big trout on your own. Good luck, and fish on! In the meantime, you can study up on these techniques online or by reading content elsewhere that goes into more detail about using these methods to catch big fish. I choose to launch at the boat ramps close to my target area to avoid long boat rides.
The water was low and it was a long hike back up with my kayak but definitely worth it .
Ive identified several ways to accomplish the same thing, but with several other pieces of equipment. Some days I find Rainbow Trout near the banks while other days in the deep open water channels. Good fishing time for large and small mouth bass. Check out these Shasta Lake, CA fishing resources: Canoeing, kayaking, and paddleboarding opportunities near you, Your local trail guide for all ages and skill levels, Local fishing holes, gear advice, and retailers, Discover local campsites, helpful hints, and where to buy gear, Education, permits, regulations and where to hunt in your area, Local archery ranges, tips for beginners, and advice on the proper gear, Get started right with local safety education, training, ranges and retailers, Off-road riding in your area, plus instruction, rentals and dealers, Where to go Freshwater and Saltwater Fishing, Holiday Guide: 10 Gifts for the Fly Angler, Essential Gear: 7 Items Youll Need While Ice Fishing, Some Images Courtesy of Polaris Adventures. You can expect to catch life time trophy rainbow trout on Lake Shasta.
Trolling Bay Rat Long Shallow stick baits, spoons (large and small), or spoon dodger combos are what I use to catch big trout. By trolling planer boards on the surface when water temperature is cold allowing us to get our gear away from the boat.
