Northern Mountains

TRINITY LAKE RAINBOWS/KING SALMON
by Dan Bacher
(Gold Beach) Big numbers of spring chinooks have been holding outside the mouth of the Rogue for a few weeks, waiting for conditions to improve before making their run up river. The temperature in the river recently started rising. That has kick started the spring spawning run and anglers are scoring very well as a result.
The fishing in the Rogue was red hot this week, related Les Craig of the Rogue River Guide Service. The temperature of the Rogue has been rising. The many salmon that were stacked up outside the mouth waiting for this change have been flooding in.
We are seeing a higher percentage of early wild fish than last year. About a 50/50 mix of hatchery and wild. We landed 5 yesterday and 5 today. The numbers overall are very good. The water level is still higher than normal for this week of the year. But the water temperature is peaking over 50 today at this warmest point. Some rain has held the decline of the level and the river will slightly rise for the next two days before heading back down. As long as the temperature remains above 47 to 48 degrees we will be seeing waves of salmon daily, predicted Craig.
With June 1st being the opening day for retention of wild (non-finclipped) salmon on the Rogue, now is the time to book a trip for early June. Because of late winter storms, cold water temps from those storms, there has been a slight delay in the spring chinook run. Early June should once again be a very good time to anchor up for springers, added Craig.
If you are interested in fishing the Rogue for springers or steelhead, give Les Craig of Rogue River Guide Service a call at (541) 698-7480.
Packers Bay Marina Houseboat Vacation Fishing Trips...Lake Shasta
Ken Cunningham Guide Service...Klamath/Smith R... Report
Brice Dusi Guide Service...Smith/Chetco/Eel/Trinity R... Report
Green Water Guide Svc....Smith/Chetco/Eel/Trinity/Klamath R... Report
River's Edge Properties ...Dan Rhodes - Uniting waterfront buyers and sellers ...Redding, CA
Steve Huber's Guide Svc... Trinity/Sac/Klamath/Whiskeytown... Report
Kutzkey's Guide Service...Klamath River... Report
Shasta Tackle Company...Shasta Lake CA
Mike's Fishing Guide Service...Trinity/Whiskeytown L... Report
Moresi's Fishing Guide Svc.... L Siskiyou, Shasta L, McCloud Res Report
Scott Caldwell Guide Service....N. Cal Rivers/Lakes ... Report


Area Fishing Maps
[URL="http:www.fishsniffer.com/maps/shasta.html">Shasta Lake[/URL]
[URL="http:www.fishsniffer.com/maps/siskiyou.html">Lake Siskiyou[/URL]

Great Places to Fish
This area offers a wide variety of fishing. Among the more popular fishing spots are the McCloud River and the upper Sacramento River. These two rivers feature native trout and are favorites of fly fishermen. Shasta and Claire Engle lakes are man-made, large, and populated by largemouth and smallmouth bass, trout, and the usual assortment of sunfish and cats. These lakes are great for camping. Boat traffic can be a little heavy during peak season. Whiskeytown Lake has the coldest lake water in the area and the smallmouth and trout fishing can be excellent.

There are alpine lakes, many almost unfished because they are in wilderness areas. Some, however, are only a short walk from the trailhead. You can find brook, cutthroat, and rainbows in these lakes. Fish and Game has had a program for about 10 years stocking some lakes in the Trinity, Russian, and Marble Mountain Wilderness areas with golden trout. These alpine fish are on the small side but there are a lot of them.

Kangaroo Lake near Callahan has a handicapped campground and concrete sidewalks on one side of the lake for wheelchair fishing. There are some 4 pound rainbows to be caught there. The upper Klamath River around Yreka boasts fantastic trout fishing in late spring and summer months. The fall run of salmon can provide nonstop action for fish in the 10 to 12 pound class. There is also a healthy steelhead run. Because the fish are smaller than other rivers in the area, the run doesn't get as much attention or fishing pressure as other Northern California rivers.