Be creative for Shasta Lake rainbows!

Shasta Lake rainbow trout caught with a Trinidad Tackle Optimizer Jr. by Aaron Zumalt while fishing with the Jeff Goodwin Fishing Team.
Photo Credit: JG Fishing Team

by Jeff Goodwin
10-31-2020
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Its fall on Shasta Lake and the trout feeding patterns and behavior are proving it!  October and early November is a time of transition on Shasta and the trout can be hard to pin down.  Some are staying deep, some are swimming the surface, and some are leaving the main boday and heading to certain areas of the lake like they always do in the fall.  The Shad are no longer the primary food source for these trout so any number of presentations can work on any given day.  Trolling spoons is my favorite way to catch trout on Shasta, but with lots of trout hanging close to shore now, the bobber fly combos are working well for shore anglers now.  Still fishing (soaking bait) is also productive near shore.  Good areas for the shore angles to concentrate their efforts this time of the year include the boat launch areas, and the upper reaches of the lake arms.  Not only is there good access for shore anglers, theres a good number of trout roaming those areas as well.  Trollers will find success just about everywhere on the lake, but long setbacks and side planers are a top technique for taking weary surface dwellers this time of the year.  November will finally bring some great days on Shasta Lake again and the fishing will remain solid well into spring.

Capt. Jeff G.

Jeff Goodwin is a full time Northern California fishing guide.  He guides year round for salmon, trout, steelhead, Kokanee, and bass on Northern California rivers and lakes. He fishes many bodies of water in the Redding area, but also guides the Sacramento River and Feather River during certain times of the year. Jeff can also be found on the California coast chasing ocean fresh King salmon and steelhead each year. To learn more about the fishing trips Jeff has to offer, please visit Jeff Goodwin's Guide Service.  You can also find him on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, or please feel free to call him anytime at (707) 616-1905.