I've been fishing for Shasta Lake browns exclusively the past two weeks and we're finding some nice fish.  Its still early in the season and I expect we'll see some great opportunities for some big browns to be caught daily for the next few months.  Weather patterns and water level changes in Shasta can create some question marks for anglers this time of the year, but I think we'll have a shot at some big browns every trip through spring.  Most of the browns have spawned and are now back in the lake looking for bait to fatten up on.  With healthy populations of browns in the lake right now, it just makes sense to target them this time of the year.  Early in the day, especially when its windy, look for bites up in the top 10' of the lake, but its been a good bet to fish down below 20' by mid day. We're getting bites throughout the day, so just because its sunny and calm doesnt mean the bite is over for the day.  Look at the water in the background of some of the pics we post and you'll see some big fish caught in some dead calm water.  Look at running some bigger gear for the big browns this time of the year.  They are hungry and will often chase big spoons like the Trinidad Tackle Optimizers.  Red/White, Black/White, and Blue/White are some of my favorites early in the day.  Look to move to the Red/Copper or Silver blues and greens when the sun is high in the sky.  Dark days call for opaque (solid) color Optimizers on my boat.  Big spoons catch big browns!  Troll them fast, around 3.8-4.0 mph.  Seems fast, but its been the best producing speed for years.  Phils Propellers in Shasta Lake City is where I get mine, they have a great supply most of the time.  Go big or go home on Shasta Lake this spring and you too can get locked up with one of the trophy browns this awesome lake has to offer!  We have some available trip dates still but not many until May.  Call Jaynie at (530) 510-2925 for more info on Shasta Lake guided trout fishing.  Thank you!

Capt. Jeff G.