Shasta Lake Fishing Report

Surface water temps continue to spike with the recent heat wave... not the best for shallow midday bass fishing, but the early morning / late evening bite has been excellent on topwater baits. Small frogs, propbaits, or poppers are killing spotted bass off rocky structure and points when the sun is low. During midday, fish are pushing deeper... 20-30 feet, where crawfish-imitation soft plastics or dropshots are your best bet.

The kokanee bite has cooled off substantially within the last few weeks, but the rainbow and brown trout bite has improved. Plenty of quality fish near the dam and in the Dry Creek area for trollers running cut plugs and Speedy Shiners in 55-75 feet of water, focused on finding shad schools. For those chasing kings, target the deeper end of the schools... looking for sonar ticks 5-10 feet below.

Shasta continues to fire on all cylinders with water temps now in the upper 60s. As one species' bite starts to taper off (though not much), another picks up... and right now it's time for salmon. Kokanee season is here, and trollers are doing extremely well slow trolling pink or orange micro shrimp presentations on gold dodgers in the 40-50 foot range (sonar will help determine the best exact depth). Fish are chrome and healthy... multiple folks reporting limits of fish up to 17 inches.

Rainbows and browns are still biting well too, often hitting Kokanee rigs. But trolling spoons is your best bet... good reports coming out of the McCloud arm.

If salmon and trout weren't enough, Shasta continues to produce an awesome spotted bass bite on small swimbaits and dropshots. Most fish are in postspawn but are still hitting well off hard structure and points. Reports are that big crappie are being caught too.

Overall, Shasta is serving up some of the best mixed fishing in the region right now.

Water temps are hovering in the high 50s at Shasta, warmer in protected areas, and the spotted bass bite has been on absolute fire! Squaw and Pitt arms have been producing crazy numbers, but reports say fish are being caught just about everywhere. Senkos, shakey heads, and drop shots are all pulling fish near rocky structure, secondary points, and south-facing cove shorelines. Small cranks and rip baits are working too. Most fish are running around a pound, with a few 2 to 3 pounders mixed in.

Brown trout action has been good also, with reports of some of the largest fish seen this year. Kokanee are still a bit early, but the bite should take off anytime. The CDFW continues to stock rainbows, with multiple plants over the last few weeks.