Trinity River Fishing Report

Flows on the Trinity River have come up with recent rain, but the river is still producing. That bump in water has helped new steelhead push in, and there’s now a noticeable mix of wild fish alongside hatchery returns. When flows rise quickly, steelhead stop traveling and settle into softer holding water… inside edges, depth breaks, and protected tailouts where they don’t have to fight current. As flows stabilize, movement resumes and fish become more willing to eat.

Black and silver plugs continue to draw grabs when worked through defined travel lanes. As flows settle, deeper nymphing has been more consistent, picking off steelhead holding in buckets and along seam edges.

The upper river below Lewiston remains the most reliable stretch thanks to cold water and predictable flows, but fish are also spread through the mid and lower sections wherever structure breaks up the flow.

The fall salmon run is over, but winter steelhead are still pushing up through the lower river. Guide Justin Thompson reports good conditions across the board... flows bumped just enough with recent rains, and the river’s holding that ideal green tint. He’s been finding fish in the softer tailouts, with most action coming on smaller egg patterns or soft beads. Backtrolling plugs has also been productive, especially Mag Lips (with a small shrimp wrapped on the belly) and #50 Hot Shots in silver, gold, or the black-silver combo.

The Trinity River is in great shape right now, with the water turning a cloudy green after recent storms. Half-pounders are everywhere, giving anglers consistent action on both fly and spin setups. Bigger steelhead are showing up too, but you’ll need some patience to get past the smaller fish.

The upper river is getting most of the attention since higher flows downstream are making things tougher. The Fly Shop says nymphs like Duracells, Rubberlegs, and egg patterns are working well. For spin gear, worms and small spoons are getting bit.