A quick note about locations: Kevin is currently fishing in the Sacramento River for trout and shad, and in Lake Oroville for coho salmon and bass. Fishing is great!

Spring Fishing Bonanza
Fishing has been really good this past week!

It seems like everything is biting.... Sacramento River stripers, Sacramento River shad, Redding trout, Lake Oroville bass and Lake Oroville coho salmon have all been biting like crazy. It's definitely time to go fishing.

Let's take a look at the current report.

Sacramento River Stripers
On the Sacramento River, the spring stripers in the Gridley and Colusa areas have finally slowed down a bit. Stripers are still around and crowds have dwindled, but the fishing is not as hot as it was earlier. Besides, the incredible trout fishing up near Redding has been pulling away me like a magnet.

Redding Wild Trout
Picured Above: Bill Ryan and a nice Redding Trout
Let me tell you about the Sacramento River trout fishing for wild rainbows: it's fantastic! It is one of my favorite California fishing trips, and for good reason.

On a trip last week, even with heavy winds we caught and released 50 of these bright, colorful, hard-fighting rainbows. This was not an isolated case, either - we average over 30 trout per day on these trips, often up to 5 pounds or so.

Photo #1: That's a pretty trout!
These colorful wild rainbows have iridescent red gill plates, bright olive and black contrasts, and that unforgettable rainbow stripe going down their sides. There are no flabby hatchery trout here.

What makes it especially fun and challenging is that we use very light line and the lightest fishing rods money can buy. With that combination, fishing is a blast. Any trout on that setup is going to feel like a big one... and when you do catch a 5-pound trout as we do on almost every trip, you will be grinning ear to ear!

In the rare moments when you are not catching fish, the river is a wildlife mecca.

On a recent trip, as we launched we saw a bald eagle flying right over our heads. Then we saw Canadian honkers with cute little fluff ball goslings, along with mallard ducks, wood ducks, and common mergansers. We saw a Great Blue Heron and two different kinds of egrets wading along the banks, looking for breakfast.

Then, as the spectacular and world-famous Sundial Bridge came up, we drifted under it and caught a gorgeous 4-pound rainbow trout.

It was an incredible start to the day... and it was only eight in the morning!

Throughout the day, we saw more wildlife including deer... turkeys... river otters... an osprey. There is always something interesting to see on the Sacramento River wild trout trips.

This is a great trip to give as a surprise gift for any avid angler - they will love it. It is definitely a must-do for your bucket list, too.

It is close, convenient, and has great fishing - what more can anyone ask for? If Redding trout sounds like your perfect fishing trip, better call 800-995-5543 and make your reservations while there are still a few openings available.

Sacramento River Shad
It is also beginning to look like a great year for American shad on the Sacramento River. From Chico to Verona, these silver torpedoes are showing up for the season.

Commonly called poor man's tarpon for their tail-walking leaps, adult shad typically weigh between 3 and 8 pounds, and are fast and acrobatic. It is common to catch 30 or more shad in an outing. We use light tackle for shad fishing, and they can put a serious bend in a rod.

Introduced to California in the 1800's from the east, shad have spread to rivers up and down the west coast.

Those interested in reading more about American shad and their place in history will want to read "The Founding Fish" by John McPhee, available at Amazon. It turns out that shad were very important to the early colonial settlers. Not only are shad a ton of fun to catch, but they made history too!

Lake Oroville Bass and Coho Salmon
Bass and coho salmon are also on the bite as the weather warms up. Lake Oroville is on fire, producing many delicious coho along with good numbers of spotted bass.

This is a great trip for families and youngsters too.

The next month will be crazy good fishing in Northern California! Colorful Sacramento River rainbows, Lake Oroville coho and bass, and acrobatic Sacramento River shad will be busting out all over.

Since you don't want to miss the fishing action, be sure to give Kevin Brock a call today at 800-995-5543. There's a spot on the boat with your name on it, ready for a great day on the water and catching fish.