FISH REPORT

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Red Bluff to Colusa: Salmon numbers high, many of the boats with limits. Salmon starting to show in Colusa area of the river. The water levels at the Colusa Bridge had been rising all week but have dropped back down to 4685 cfs.

SACRAMENTO RIVER, Verona to Colusa: Salmon action is slow but getting better. Thereare now more fish holding in the Discovery Park area. Trollers using doublebladed Silvertron spinners in various colors below the mouth of the American River had tough fishing early in the week, but a fresh push turned the bite on at the end of the week. There are also fish being taken by boats and shoreside anglers using Mepp’s Flying C spinners in chartreuse or red, both above and below the I Street bridge. A fish or two from Knight’s Landing and both up/down river from the Tisdale boat launch. The flows rose slightly to 10,815 cfs at Freeport.

LAKE OROVILLE: The launch ramp at the Spillway remains closed as the lake continued to hold at 22 percent. The launch may reopen if the lake continues to drop as the slope will flatten out. Bank fishermen are walking into the lake to throw plastics from the cracked clay banks around from the shorelines. The hydroelectric turbines have been shut down for the first time since the inception of the dam in 1961.

TRINITY LAKE: Fishing reports remain inconsistent with many anglers focused on salmon in the Trinity River. The bass bite is still very good with swimbaits on a slow presentation at depths to 30feet along with 6-inch plastic worms in shallow water from 6- to 8-feet. The lake dropped once again from 31 to 30 percent. Boaters are advised to launch at the Trinity Center public boat launch.

AMERICAN RIVER/Sacramento: The American is running at a very low level of 617 cfs at Fair Oaks, and there are very few salmon making it past Howe Avenue. All launch ramps are closed with the exception of Discovery Park at the confluence with the Sacramento River. Salmon have been taken by those flossing near Campus Commons below J Street in the clear, shallow water. The mouth of the river at Discovery Bay is starting to produce more salmon.

AMERICAN RIVER/Above Folsom: The area has cleared up, and access no open throughout the national forests. The flows are very low, and few fishermen are working the deep pools for the holdover trout. FEATHER RIVER: Overall, the river is extremely slow, but salmon are starting to show with only a fish or two at the Outlet, Boyd’s Pump, and Gridley. The water flows at Gridley are steady at 1202 cfs.

LAKE SHASTA: John Boitano of JB’s Guide Service reported that the bass bite has been a bit hit and miss on the main lake but better up the deeper sections of the lake’s river arms. The fish are still holding at about 25 feet with football-head jigs, twin-tail Hula Grubs in most colors in a crawfish pattern, or plastic worms on a shakey head. Mother’s Finest hand poured worms in green-pumpkin-purple that has become a go to bass worm. These worms in oxblood red, green pumpkin, purple, green or crawdad, rigged whacky worm style with a ball head jigs have also been producing. There is a short early morning topwater bite using crankbaits, Whopper Poppers, and Spooks. There are only three operable boats ramps. Bridge Bay is down to a single lane 4 wheel-drive track, Jones Valley resort is now a dirt ramp only with no dock. Centimudi still has 2 paved lanes and is workable for 2-wheel drive. The lake has dropped from 25 to 24 percent, and there are unmarked hazards.