We've been on Shasta Lake the past few days and we're seeing some quality fish come over the gunnels! We've seen some great fish nearly every trip this winter, but we've seen a slow down in the actual numbers of fish we're landing.  Quality over quantity has been at the center of our efforts so we're ok with catching a few less trout at the end of the day.  It looks like we're going to see a sustained low pressure system form over the north state this week and that will really help these fish settle in and go back on a steady bite.  Changing weather patterns on Shasta can really shut down a bite and can be really hard to overcome.  Expect to put in a full day on Shasta Lake during the winter season to maximize your success.  We're trolling spoons and Brad's Kokanee Cut plugs at around 2.8 mph.  3 colors of lead core or 2-3 oz snap weights are taking our presentations into the strike zone at those trolling speeds and almost all of our bites are coming on the side planer lines.  The Sac and McCloud Arms are producing best for me, but the Pit Arm can be good this time of the year as well.  I fished the main body a few days back and failed to generate any bites in the big water end of the lake.  For those of you that would like to fish Shasta for trout but don't have a boat, try fishing around the boat launches right now.  There are a lot of trout hanging out at the Centimudi, Antlers, and Jones Valley boat launches.  Casting a fly/bobber presentation is a great place to start and is one of the more productive methods for bank fishing fans this time of the year.  Don't forget to get your 2021 sport fishing licenses, you're 2020 licenses expire at midnight tomorrow!  Tight lines and we'll see you next year at the lake!

Capt. Jeff G.