Butte County
Butte County Fishing Reports
Checkout the latest Butte County fishing reports from local anglers and businesses.
The fall run is on and the Feather is loading up with fish, as DWR's counting station has logged 5,901 Chinook since July 1. Bright kings are pushing through the high-flow section in waves, and anchored boats casting Silvertron-style spinners in the faster seams are putting fish in the net. The lower river from Shanghai Bend down toward the Hwy 99...
The fall run is on and the Feather is loading up with fish, as DWR's counting station has logged 5,901 Chinook since July 1. Bright kings are pushing through the high-flow section in waves, and anchored boats casting Silvertron-style spinners in the faster seams are putting fish in the net. The lower river from Shanghai Bend down toward the Hwy 99 bridge is producing well. The Thermalito Outlet is releasing about 6,850 cfs, with just 650 cfs trickling through the low-flow section in Oroville, for roughly 7,500 cfs below the Outlet, and that cooling water should keep pulling salmon upriver all month.
Fall-run steelhead typically start showing in September no news yet... keep an eye on the low-flow water as the month rolls on. The stretch from the Afterbay Outlet down to Live Oak closes to salmon Sept. 15, while below Live Oak to the Hwy 99 bridge stays open through Oct. 31, both with a 1-fish daily limit.
Salmon season on the Sacramento reopened July 16 below Woodson Bridge (Corning), and early signs are good... fish are already showing, with one guide reporting kings in the 25-30 lb class since opening day. Water's running warm for July, so salmon are holding in deeper, shaded, or spring-fed cool pockets. Two-fish daily limit... season runs through...
Salmon season on the Sacramento reopened July 16 below Woodson Bridge (Corning), and early signs are good... fish are already showing, with one guide reporting kings in the 25-30 lb class since opening day. Water's running warm for July, so salmon are holding in deeper, shaded, or spring-fed cool pockets. Two-fish daily limit... season runs through mid-December.
Best bets right now are the confluence spots: Discovery Park (where the American meets the Sacramento) and the Feather River mouth near Verona, both solid for bank or boat access.
Striper action is winding down, although a few schoolies are still reportedly being caught in Colusa.
Pond smelt are the dominant forage right now at Lake Oroville. King salmon, rainbows, and spotted bass are all keying in on the schools. Trollers are getting a ton of action on hoochies tipped with anchovy fillets between 50-100 feet, with rainbows higher in the water column and kings deeper. Some big fish being pulled out... plenty of 5 pounders...
Pond smelt are the dominant forage right now at Lake Oroville. King salmon, rainbows, and spotted bass are all keying in on the schools. Trollers are getting a ton of action on hoochies tipped with anchovy fillets between 50-100 feet, with rainbows higher in the water column and kings deeper. Some big fish being pulled out... plenty of 5 pounders with a few in the double digits last week.
Bass are also chasing these smelt schools near rocky structure in 20-30 feet. Any lure that resembles these baitfish is producing like crazy... crankbaits, swimbaits, Roostertails, etc.
