July 2021 Report
July 9, 2021
Shasta Lake Bass Fishing
It's been awesome fishing on Shasta Lake even though the water level is low. The Pit Arm is putting out 100 fish some days! In the early morning, the bite is great. For the rest of the day, we used plastic worms and caught a decent amount of fish. We had triple hookups throughout the morning and late afternoon. The trout fishing is really picking up around Shasta Dam and Diggers Bay.
July 12, 2021
Salmon Fishing Opening Day July 16th
This Friday is the opening day for king salmon on the Sacramento River. The fish are larger this year in the ocean and during our trout trips, we are seeing lots of king salmon in the river too. We will fish now until December 16th. Remember, I’ve been fishing full-time since 1988!
July 13, 2021
Big Rainbows on Shasta Lake
Today's fishing trip landed us 9 big rainbows from 17 - 22 inches. We caught most of our fish in the Dry Creek Arm around 25 to 65 feet using Yakima Baits triple Teazers. Start early because the bite shuts off really fast.
July 14, 2021
Big Sacramento River Rainbow Trout
Today, Mike and Ryan fished the upper stretch from Bonnyveiw Bridge to the 44 Bridge and caught some really nice big rainbow trout. Drifting spoons did the job with these hard-fighting trout. As we approach August 1, remember that the Sundial Bridge stretch opens up to some epic fishing.
July 15, 2021
Sacramento River Rainbows
This morning we fished hard and caught some good rainbow trout on the Sacramento River below 44 Bridge. The bite was consistent, and the fish were big and fighting hard. The water is running at 9000 CFS and is very clear. Salmon fishing opens tomorrow and we'll be hitting it hard!
July 16, 2021
Opening Day King Salmon
It started off really well with Morgan getting an 18-pound king salmon within 15 minutes of fishing. We continued on and hooked another fish very quickly down river. After Morgan reached his limit, Brian caught a Jack later in the morning and we stopped fishing at 11:30 am. All in all, it was a slow opener with lots of moss drifting down the river all morning. The water was 62 degrees and was super clear.
July 18, 2021
Rainbow Trout
We are switching from river to lake fishing and back until the salmon runs really take off. You just can't go wrong with these big, strong, and fighting wild rainbows. On average we are seeing anywhere from 15 to 2O fish hookups a day. Drifting eggs and flies always seems to be the best bet. We will be fishing king combos and rainbow for while.
July 21, 2021
King Salmon Trickling In
I would say it is pretty typical to catch a couple of fish a day at this time of the year. Years ago we would average a few more a day, but that was then and this is now. Our fish were caught drifting Roe with slinky weights. We are fishing below the Red Bluff Diversion Dam but on August 1st we will be fishing at Balls Ferry.
July 23, 2021
Red Bluff King Salmon
Some fish are still coming up but this heat doesn't help the bite. I think within a few weeks we will see some schools of fish arriving. During the second week of the season, a big push of fish always seems to get here. I will still be plugging along fishing for these big kings.
July 24, 2021
Sacramento River Salmon
We are still picking away and getting a couple of king salmons. I am very much looking forward to the opening day August 1st up in the Barge Hole. In the meantime, I will continue the search for these big kings!
July 27, 2021
Opening Day August 1st Balls Ferry
August 1st opens the upper stretch of the Sacramento River. This water is much cooler and has all the fish from the Coleman Fish Hatchery in Battle Creek. Also, trout fishing is open from Keswick Dam to the 44 Bridge. This stretch has been closed since April for the Salmon Conservation program.
July 28, 2021
Sacramento River Salmon Fishing
Today, Miguel and his boys caught this 20 pound king salmon on the Sacramento River backtrolling Flatfish. The river looked pretty empty today and we are getting ready for Sunday's big opener!
July 29, 2021
Shasta Lake Trout Fishing
We are catching some nice rainbow trout on Shasta Lake trolling the mouth of Dry Creek and the face of the dam. Our trolling speed is around 2.2mph and the lures we are using are small Shad Smolt-sized. The average size of fish has been between 17 and 21 inches. The bass fishing also is great up the Pit.
