Wow, we're seeing some high quality trout this week and all signs point to some continued good fishing on Shasta Lake.  The most notable fact is the condition of these trout.  Every trout we've been catching since breaking away from the river fishing has been in pristine condition.  Its not always the case that we see these trout in such form, but this winter is going to be one of those that the trout really shine.  Another high note is the number of browns we've seen already this past week.  CDFW has been doing a tremendous job of keeping stocks up on Shasta Lake and a decision by the state to bolster the brown trout plants, not to mention the King and Kokanee salmon, has really paid off.  We're seeing lots of fish available in each species group, which in contrast, was dominated by the rainbow trout in recent years past.  The time we're spending on Shasta Lake every year has allowed us to find success at many levels on every trip we're heading out onto the lake.  We're dialing in each of the trout and salmon species and finding success across the board.  This year will be a special year on Shasta Lake because we will have the first adult class of Kokanee salmon in the lake since the late 70's.  We stumbled into some last season, but we will be targeting them specifically in the spring and will fish for them when the Kokanee trip requests come in.  We've been catching Kokanee successfully for many years on Whiskeytown Lake so our experience will really shine on this new Kokanee fishery on Shasta Lake.  We should see Kokanee exceeding three pounds by spring and thats going to be a huge bonus when heading out on Shasta Lake this spring.  Trophy browns, 1-4 year old King salmon, and big adult class Kokanee!  It doesn't get any more exciting than that in my mind.  We will primarily be trolling for Shasta Lake trout and salmon and the techniques will vary for each species.  These fish are all quite different in many ways and so are the techniques we employ to catch each of them.  We use some of the most progressive techniques in the west to catch these trout and salmon and I attribute that fact as a big part of our success.  Everyone learns something when they come out to fish with us on Shasta, just ask any one of the hundreds of people that have fished with us over the past several years.  Our trips are fun, but they are also educational for many of the fine folks that come out to learn how to catch these great fish on Shasta Lake.  Best part is that these same techniques will work just as well on all the lakes in California and beyond.  Unfortunately we couldn't accomodate all of the trip requests that came in last year so I'm urging anyone who wants to get their date(s) of choice on Shasta Lake this year to give Jaynie a call at our reservation desk (530) 510-2925 and get your trip date locked in before spring.  Every month of the year has something to offer on Shasta Lake.  The cold water months are spent top lining for big browns and rainbows.  By spring, we start dropping down a bit for the browns and salmon and will use downriggers and side planers.  By summer, we are using everything in our bag of tricks to catch the biggest rainbows of the year and to pursue King and Kokanee salmon near the surface and down deep.  We're back on the Sacramento River chasing the King salmon by September so definitely get your Shasta Lake fishing dates booked before then.  Thank you for your continued support!

Capt. Jeff G.