Fly fishing Lake Shasta

Lake Shasta Fly Fishing trips - Redding California

Lake Shasta here in the northern part of the State is a very important reservoir for agricultural and recreational reasons. It offers fantastic and virtually year round fly fishing opportunities for local anglers and those coming from out of state. It's great choice for beginning fly fishers due to the variety and numbers of fish caught as well as for experienced anglers looking to do something different and catch allot of fish. Experienced anglers find the challenge of targeting big fish a very rewarding endeavor on this spectacular lake!

Situated one hour North of Redding and about 2 1/2 hours from Sacramento, Lake Shasta is a great place target spotted, largemouth and smallmouth on the fly. Bass strike aggressively and most takes are either on topwater or at least visible to the angler making for some exciting fishing. It's close proximity to Redding make it a great spot for a quick trip for locals in the area. If you live here and have want d to try fishing for bass, you may want to give it a try. Or perhaps you're traveling through Redding on vacation and can spare a few hours to get in some fun fishing. We highly recommend Lake Shasta.

The lake can produce 20-40 bass days on the fly 9 months out of the year. 50+ fish days are not uncommon either. The lake is predominately home to spotted bass which average 1-4 lbs, as well as largemouth that grow to 5 lbs or better as well as a few smallmouth. 

With small pond smelt as a food source, and fewer snags than most bass waters, a 6 weight is the ideal rod for here. 4 or 5 weights can be great as well. Fly Fishing pressure on the lake still remains nearly non existent. 

We feature only the very top local guides on the fisheries like Lake Shasta. This fishery is literally in our guides back yards and one of our top Oroville guides lives one minute from the boat launch. You can book with confidence knowing that your guide will be a top professional guide with all the necessary skills and equipment to make your experience safe, enjoyable, productive and a valuable learning experience.

If you would like to learn more, keep reading or Call (707) 287-2939 for current fishing reports, water conditions or detailed information on experiencing enjoyable and memorable fly fishing for yourself. Dates fill up quickly for many of our offerings so don't delay. You may also fill out our Online Trip Request Form by clicking here.

The Seasons :

Winter (December-February) - Shasta is the best option around for catching high numbers of fish during these months. Early mornings produce best. 6:30am-7:30am starting times recommended.

Rods: A standard 6 weigh nymphing setup is what we use most.
Tactics: Float & Fly (Indicator tactics) are the way to go.

The Fish: The spotted bass that inhabit Oroville are all large and healthy, averaging 1.5-3 lbs. We usually hook 20-30 in a day.

The Fishing: We like fishing the rugged sierra like terrain where the forks of the Feather River enter the lake. Features that we target include creeks, giant boulders, vertical rock drop-offs, etc.

Spring (March-May) Fishing traditionally picks up best around mid day. Days can start as late as 10:00 a.m.

Rods/Lines: Our standard topwater and nymphing setups are 9 foot 6 weight rods and Rio Outbound lines.

The Fishing: Float & Fly (Indicator nymphing and topwater poppers).

The Fish: Spotted bass are healthy and hungry in the Spring, averaging 1.5-3lbs, and grow even bigger. We usually hook 30-50 on our guided days.

We fish similar structure as during Winter for sub-surface action, however the shallower areas of the main lake will also produce with topwater flies as well. 

Summer (June-September) This is all about the topwater bite. Morning and evening both can be the most productive, however the last 2 hours of light may be the best time to be fishing. Fishing a half day with us is a good way to avoid the heat and focus on the best portion of the day. It will also not tie up a whole day fishing. If you prefer to do a full day it is possible to fish poppers in the morning, strip streamers and fish suspenders flies in the mid day sun, before returning to topwater later in the evening. Takes even on streamers are usually visible so one can expect a fun and exciting day out with us!

Rods/Lines: Our go to Shasta rod is a 9' 6 weight rod l. We use Rio Outbound lines for our floating setups, and type 6 shooting heads for fishing streamers sub surface.

Tactics: Summer is all about topwater. Hitting structure with poppers waiting for this surface explosions is a blast. Later in the year you will get chances to cast to boils created by schools of pond smelt and hungry bass. Talk about exciting! Action like this gets us fired up and is an unforgettable experience for guests.

The Fish: Spotted bass average 1-2.5 lbs and this is also the best time of year to target the lakes largemouth that can grow to 5 pounds or better. During Summer evenings anglers can usually expect 10-20 blowups each. And another 6-12 hookups fishing streamers and indicators prior to top water action. 

The Fishing: We focus on the main lake in the Summer and early Fall. We target points, shallows, rock piles, logs, etc.

Fall - Shasta fly action slows down from October to Mid December.

Flies & Food Source: Fish in Shasta just like Oroville love eating Wakasagi Pond Smelt and they seem to be the main food source for these bass, which works out really well for us fly fisherman. For flies any 1.5-2.5" small baitfish/pond smelt imitations work best. Darker colored Balanced leeches can work great as well. As far as topwater goes, baitfish imitations around 4-6" or so that make good surface commotion work great.

Lake Shasta Guided Fishing Trips

Spotted Bass, Largemouth, and occasionally smallmouth panfish and trout.

Full Day: $625
(8 hours) 1-2 anglers 

Half Day: $485
(4-5 hours) 1-2 anglers 

We can accommodate 2 to 3 boat trips with ease with a little bit of advanced notice.

Your exciting Lake Shasta fly fishing adventure awaits! Call Now (707) 287-2939 for up to the minute fishing reports, current conditions and information on experiencing enjoyable and memorable fly fishing for yourself. Dates fill up quickly for many of our offerings so don't delay. You may also fill out our Online Trip Request Form. 

Booking a Lake Shasta Fly Fishing Guide

To make a reservation, please give us a call at (707) 287-2939.