Shasta Lake Fishing Report 2023 [Tips, Spots, Pictures, and Everything You Need to Know]

Shasta Lake – Summer Fishing update

Summer Fishing On Shasta Lake

For the most past the summer has been warm and dry with clear blue skies… great fishing weather. The air temperature ranged from the mid-80s to low 100s (°F) during the day and drops to the mid-50s at night. The wind speed has been typically low, ranging from 5-10 mph, but increased in the afternoons up to 20 mph.

Bass and trout eat a variety of things during the summer.  They especesially like threadfin shad and small minnows are the primary prey.

The warm water temperatures cause baitfish to school and move to the shallower areas of the lake, attracting the predators.

Bass will come up shallow to feed, then migrate to darker, cooler, and deeper waters during the hottest parts of the day. Then in the evenings and move back shallow to eat.

Reports that Trout can be found in deeper, cooler waters, but they will also move to the shallower areas during low light periods to feed.

Anglers Some of the best techniques to catch trout and Kokanee on Shasta Lake during summer include trolling, using bait, and vertical jigging.

Trout Lures:

• PowerBait (various colors)
• Garlic-scented marshmallows
• Kokanee lures (e.g. Kokanee Killer)
• Needlefish lures (e.g. Needlefish Spoon)
• Hoochie lures (e.g. Kokabow Hoochie)

Trout Locations:

• Hirz Bay
• Packers Bay
• Dry Fork Creek
• Below I go into detail where you can catch more trout so make sure you scroll below!

During the summer months, bass fishing can be quite productive on Shasta Lake. Here are some of the best techniques and baits for catching bass on this lake:

Bass Techniques:

• Drop shot rigs with soft plastic baits
• Texas-rigged plastic worms or creature baits
• Topwater lures like buzzbaits or poppers
• Crankbaits retrieved at varying depths
• Jig fishing around structure

Bass Baits:

• Roboworms in various colors
• Zoom Trick Worms
• Strike King Rage Tail Craws
• Heddon Zara Spooks
• Rapala Shad Raps

Bass Locations:

• Look for structure such as submerged trees, rock piles, and points
• Fish along the weedlines
• Try fishing around the dam or near the inlet of the Sacramento River arm.
• Below I go into detail where you can catch more bass so make sure you scroll below!

Shasta Lake is home to a variety of game fish, in addition to the trout and bass previously mentioned. Here are a few other species you might encounter:

• Crappie: During the summer, crappie can be caught near submerged trees or other underwater cover using jigs or small minnows.
• Catfish: Channel catfish, white catfish, and bullheads can all be found in Shasta Lake during the summer months. Try using anchovies, chicken liver, or “stink” baits near rocky outcroppings or submerged logs.
• Bluegill: Bluegill can be caught near underwater structures using small worms or jigs tipped with wax worms.
• Kokanee salmon: These landlocked salmon are most often caught by trolling with small spinners or lures tipped with scented corn.
• White sturgeon: Although relatively rare, white sturgeon can be caught in the deeper areas of Shasta Lake using live bait such as crawdads or lamprey eels.

As with any fishing, it’s important to check the current regulations for Shasta Lake and to respect the natural resources by practicing catch-and-release whenever possible.