Lake Oroville Fishing Report

Salmon at Oroville are starting to pick up. Guys trolling down around 50-60 feet by the spillway and dam are getting kings between 14-16”. White hoochies and Brad’s plugs are working well. Bass are pushing into shallower areas (backs of coves and flats), and they’re hungry. Umbrella rigs have been killing it over the last month, but finesse guys are now tossing drop-shots, shaky heads, and green crawfish T-rigs shallow for quality fish. Expect the bass bite to really take off once water temps bump up a few degrees after this week’s storm moves through.

The spotted bass bite at Oroville continues to be solid as water temperatures dip into the high 40s. Most fish are holding deep, from 40 to 70 feet, near points and steep rocky drop-offs. With the cold water, bottom contact has been key. Heavy football jigs and Carolina rigs have been most productive.

Quite a few fish have also been spotted and caught around baitfish schools (shallow in the mornings), and A-rigs are the ticket. Big bellies on these fish... full of shad.

King salmon are showing up for trollers, primarily being caught between 60-80 feet. Green and chartreuse hoochies are getting fish.

Water clarity is sitting at about 5 feet, but is improving with the calmer weather.

Bait is still the primary forage for all species at Oroville. Surface water temperatures continue to decrease, now hovering around 65-68 degrees. Trollers are still finding King salmon at 65-75 feet using white hoochies or Speedy Shiners, though fish are not much larger than 14-15 inches. Salmon are dispersed throughout the lake following bait, so rely on your sonar to locate bait balls and you'll find fish.

The spotted bass bite has been very good, especially in shady areas near rocks or other structure. Finesse jigs, dropshots, tubes, and underspins are all getting hit. Slow and subtle retrieval has drawn the most consistent action (especially on underspins and swimbaits).