Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California, US

Lower Sacramento River

Aerial view of the turquoise Sacramento River bending through oak grassland with mountains in the distance.
Today · About as good as it gets
Czech Nymph
Forecast · Today
About as good as it gets
On the feed top to bottom — start on the rises with a dry, drop a nymph if they stay down.
90% projected
Today's fly
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Today
Live gauge
Level
Steady
3.14 m
Water temp13.8°C
ClarityClear
Weather20°C
WindN 11 km/h
Pressure1014 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

The nearest gauge doesn't record temperatures, so we've estimated it — defer to the river keeper's advice.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
14°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°

We have not characterised this dam's release, so this is a general cold-release figure and could be several degrees out in either direction. Treat it as a hint, not a reading, and check locally before you fish.

How to fish it · for Rainbow Trout
When
Nymphing can work through most of the day.
Where
Cover mixed depths.
Method
Start with tight-line nymphs and adjust if fish rise or drift higher.
Kit
9 ft #4 rod, floating line, 12 ft tapered leader to 4–5 lb fluoro tippet.
Why this works
Excellent — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Mayflies
Chironomids
Gammarids
Hatch timeline · todayPeak at 11 Uhr

12 Uhr(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 54%
Peak emergence window6 food groups active

Peak activity at 11 Uhr — Western Blue-Winged Olive (Western Blue-Winged Olive, Peak emergence window)

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Supporters see the full sub-surface read.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

Start free trial

14-day free trial. Cancel anytime.

Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

Based on species-occurrence records, not local invertebrate surveys.

Through the year
0–3 scale · October highlighted
J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Trout seasonSeason
1
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
2
1
Western Blue-Winged OliveHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2
Pale Morning DunHatch
2
3
3
2
TricoHatch
2
3
2
Black MidgeHatch
2
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
2

Numbers are intensity 0 (none) to 3 (peak) — a guide, not a guarantee.

Ranked for today
Fly box · Rainbow Trout
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • Open all year on the lower river
  • Check CDFW for seasonal reaches and gear rules
  • Flow is set by Keswick/Shasta releases
  • This reach holds ESA-endangered winter-run Chinook plus threatened spring-run Chinook and steelhead: do not target listed fish; release any unharmed.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Battle Creek
29 km
Chinook salmon · Steelhead · Rainbow trout
Trinity River
39 km
Steelhead · Chinook salmon · Coho salmon
Lewiston Lake
39 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Aerial view of the turquoise Sacramento River bending through oak grassland with mountains in the distance.
    Sacramento River Bend Outstanding Natural Area
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

This Redding reach below Keswick is the last spawning water on earth for ESA-endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook, and it also carries threatened spring-run Chinook and Central Valley steelhead. We name their presence and run-timing and stop there — no catch score on listed fish, no targeting. The legitimate fishery here is the resident wild rainbow; handle any salmon or steelhead you encounter with real care.

Water quality · US Clean Water Act
  • Aquatic life: Impaired
What this classification means

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Sacramento River (Keswick Dam to Cottonwood Creek)' (CAR5081000019990126144739), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Temperature, Total Toxics. This is a Clean Water Act assessment-unit classification (the US analogue of WFD), not a live reading.

Status is for the Clean Water Act assessment unit covering this reach.

EPA ATTAINS (Clean Water Act) · CAR5081000019990126144739

The full read · show the working · for Rainbow Trout · confidence 90%
How the 83 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time70 × 13%9.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity67 × 12%8.0
Conditions total= 83
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts