Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California

Lower Sacramento River

Aerial view of the turquoise Sacramento River bending through oak grassland with mountains in the distance.
Prime · Rainbow Trout
Sparkle Dun · 14-18
Primelive now
About as good as it gets
River high but settled. Coloured water — fish bigger and deeper, confident takes down the seams.
90% confidence
What moved it
  • Level4.55 mLast reading 13h ago
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
SD
Sparkle Dun14-18
High-confidence seasonal pick
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
4.55 m
Last reading 13h ago
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather31°C
WindS 9 km/h
Pressure1015 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings — water temperature is an estimate where the gauge does not record it.

Water temperature for Rainbow Trout
Ideal
10°C est.ideal 10–18°C
0°14°28°
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 — water temperature is right today, though insect activity could be better.
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 3 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 2 with Pro.

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Evidence
ModelledModerate confidence

Modelled from regional ecology — no survey or occurrence data for this water yet.

Through the year
0–3 scale · July 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
Rainbow Trout fly box
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 85 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time85 × 13%11.1
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity64 × 12%7.7
Conditions total= 85
Can you trust it?
Water temperatureair-to-water estimateestimated
Level / flowon-river gaugeobserved
Prey activitymodelled from regional profilemodelled
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts