Placer County Fishing Reports

Folsom continues its hot spring into June. Shad and pond smelt are starting to school in large numbers, and they’re becoming the primary forage for everything from salmon to trout to bass.

The salmon bite has really been the standout, with guides reporting numbers and quality fish trolling hoochies at 40–60 feet. Trout anglers are running spoons and spinners in the 20-foot range and pulling limits as well.

Bass action remains excellent for both spotted bass and largemouth. Both are fully out of spawn, with largemouth now pushed under docks and thicker cover, while spots have moved off points and hard structure in 10–20 feet of water. Small swimbaits, drop shots, and Senkos are working best for both right now.

Mackinaw season is in full swing at Tahoe, and the big fish are showing up. Guides and locals have been consistently putting giant macks in the net over the past month, targeting 120–150 feet of water with 1–2 oz. minnow-style jigs or trolling live minnows / flashers.

On the east side, the rainbow and brown trout bite has been very good as well... in the top 30 feet. Boat anglers and shore casters alike are working Rapalas along rocky structure and finding quality fish. NDOW also stocked cutthroat last week. Look for the Kokanee bite to pick up in another few weeks.

Folsom is churning out some excellent fishing right now for both spotted bass and salmon, as they both key in on shad. Spots are still in spawn and shallow. Many are on beds, but some are easing off into post spawn behavior pushing deeper and following shad schools. Still, most fish are sitting in that 5-15 foot range, hitting dropshots, swimbaits, and small jigs.

The King salmon bite has been good as well for trollers running Apex lures or Speedy Shiners in the 20-30 foot range in the main body near the dam. A few shore guys have also hooked a few kings heaving out jerkbaits and large kastmasters off points into deeper water. The king bite should continue to improve throughout early May.