Explosive Spring Fishing! Your Guide to Limits & Legends

Explosive Spring Fishing! Your Guide to Limits & Legends

The water hits 65°F, and suddenly—WHAM!—your rod doubles over. Right now, California’s lakes are serving up the easiest big-fish action of the year. Here’s how to get yours before the spawn ends.

Collins Lake: Lightning Trout Goldmine

The Science: Warming shallows push trout into 10–15 feet to chase hatching midges. Pro Tip: pink mimics their eggs—hence the frenzy on Trout Trix Worms.

Cal’s Killer Combo:

  • Use a pink Trout Trix Worm with a Turbo Flasher. Hook the worm near the tail instead of the head—this makes it move more naturally in the water, especially when trout are just nibbling instead of biting hard.
  • 2.0 mph troll speed—any faster and they ignore it
  • "Douse it in Trigger Scent—our hookups doubled!"

Sacramento Stripers: Live Bait = Limits

Why It’s Prime Time: pre-spawn stripers are aggressive but picky. Minnows outfish lures 3:1 this month.

Brett Brady’s Playbook;

  • Drop a live minnow to the bottom and slowly lift your rod tip to let it drift naturally with the current—this keeps it right in the strike zone where stripers are waiting.
  • Post-10 AM? Switch to chartreuse swimbaits (they’re keyed in on shad).
  • "Look for nervous water—that’s where hens are staging."

Danger: water hits 64°F? Fish deeper eddies—spawned-out stripers hide there.

Pro Tip: The “Bug Buffet” Effect
Spring = insect explosions. Match the hatch:

  • Almanor: Red/gold spoons = midges.
  • Don Pedro: Brown trout crush black leech patterns at dawn.

Gear Cheat Sheet

 Target Best Bait Depth

Can’t-Miss Spot
Trophy Trout Pink Trout Trix 10–15 ft Collins Lake coves
Stripers Live Minnows
 5–12 ft Sacramento River eddies
King Salmon Shad Harness 55–65 ft

Don Pedro bird piles 

(Watch for groups of birds)


Your Free Spring Fishing Toolkit

  1. Depth/Temp Map (downloadable PDF).
  2. Lure Rigging Videos (scan the QR code).
  3. Crew’s Picks: Shop our limited pink worm kits – 20% off this week.

 

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