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Shasta Lake Fishing Report | February 14, 2025

Report by Capt. Jeff Goodwin
Jeff Goodwin guides for trout and salmon on Shasta Lake across the Northern California region and is a Catch America pro-staff captain. Shop Jeff Goodwin's tackle.
What is working right now

Jeff Goodwin is catching nice rainbows and browns with the odd landlocked king on Shasta Lake. The biggest fish came on a downrigger at 60 feet on a broken-back Rapala, a staple for bigger fish here. Side planers pulling small spoons and stick baits also produced. This is the time of year the trout bite really starts to build toward summer.

What is biting at Shasta Lake right now?

Rainbow and brown trout, plus the occasional landlocked King Salmon. Shasta is the largest reservoir in Northern California and holds all kinds of fish, and Jeff Goodwin reports pretty nice catches with more trout on the way as the season builds.

How deep are the Shasta Lake fish in February?

Mixed. The biggest fish came on a downrigger at 60 feet, while side planers worked the upper water column. Diver rods were down but slow, producing only a couple of bites all day.

What lures are working at Shasta Lake?

A broken-back Rapala on the downrigger is a Shasta staple for bigger fish and produced the biggest fish of the day. Side planers pulling small spoons did well, and stick baits caught fish too. Spoons here are a fast-troll, run-clean presentation.

What about the rivers and other waters?

Whiskeytown is high and off-color, so Jeff is staying off it until early summer. Keswick and the Sacramento River are running heavy at 60,000 CFS out of Shasta, but should fish very well once flows drop into the 20,000 CFS range. Trinity Lake is getting water this year and is a strong option.

Jeff's outlook for Shasta Lake

The trout bite is about to pick up, with more trout now and more salmon as the region pushes into early summer. Shasta is fishing well and is the best bet in the area to catch big trout right now.

Watch the full report

From the report (Capt. Jeff Goodwin): Today our biggest fish came on a downrigger at 60 feet and we were running a broken back Rapala, and that's just kind of a staple for this body of water, especially when you're looking for bigger fish. We used a lot of side planers today with some small spoons and the spoons did pretty good. We also used some stick baits, those also caught some fish, and we had a couple of diver rods down, but I think we only got two bites on divers today.

Shasta Lake February 14, 2025 FAQ

What is biting at Shasta Lake in February?

Rainbow trout, brown trout, and the occasional landlocked King Salmon.

How deep are the fish at Shasta Lake right now?

The biggest fish came at 60 feet on a downrigger, while side planers worked the upper water column.

What lures work at Shasta Lake in winter?

A broken-back Rapala on the downrigger for bigger fish, plus small spoons and stick baits behind side planers. Spoons are a fast-troll, run-clean presentation.

Is the Sacramento River fishing well right now?

Not yet. Flows are 60,000 CFS out of Shasta. It should fish well once releases drop into the 20,000 CFS range.

Is Trinity Lake worth fishing this year?

Yes. Trinity is getting a lot of water this year, boat launches should be usable, and it holds landlocked kings, kokanee, rainbows, and browns.

Who guides Shasta Lake for Catch America?

Capt. Jeff Goodwin, who reports on Shasta Lake and the Sacramento River system.

Tags: brown trout fishing report landlocked king salmon rainbow trout Shasta Lake
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