Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California

Trinity River

Trinity River — Trinity (Pt. II unedited)
Prime · Steelhead
Egg-Sucking Leech · 12–16
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
  • Level4.29 mLast reading 15h ago
  • Water temp10.3°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
ES
Egg-Sucking Leech12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
4.29 m
Last reading 15h ago
Water temp10.3°C
ClarityClear
Weather29°C
WindE 6 km/h
Pressure1016 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.0 mm

Live readings only. Trends shown where the gauge supports them.

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
10.3°Cideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°
How to fish it · for Steelhead
When
Autumn through winter as fish move in; best on dropping, clearing flows
Where
Cold, regulated tailwater below Lewiston Dam, and a classic California steelhead and salmon river — the kind of place a steelheader thinks about in the…
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 2 active hatches hour by hour with Pro.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

See the full sub-surface read 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
Steelhead fly box
IL
Intruder-lite
12–16 · Fly
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Permits & access
Permit required — see local rules.
  • CDFW steelhead regulations — barbless, wild-fish release; reach/seasonal closures apply
  • ESA-listed coho and Chinook present: do not target listed fish; release unharmed.
What's coming
Plan ahead
5-day outlook
Other water nearby · 3
Lewiston Lake
3.0 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Lower Sacramento River
39 km
Rainbow trout
South Fork Trinity River
57 km
Rainbow trout · Brown trout
Gallery · 2
  1. Trinity River — Trinity (Pt. II unedited)
    Trinity (Pt. II unedited)
  2. Terrain map of the venue
    Terrain map
Conservation note

Holds ESA-listed coho and Chinook salmon. We tell you they're here and when they tend to move, and we read the water for you — but never a catch score on listed fish, and never a nudge to go after them. Handle wild steelhead with care; they're the whole point.

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

EPA ATTAINS assessment unit 'Trinity River HU, Middle HA' (CAR1063102119990604163706), 2024 Integrated Report. Aquatic Life use: Not Supporting. Listed impairment causes: Sediment. 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) · CAR1063102119990604163706

Why this score · for Steelhead
  • Temperature10028% weight
  • Flow8022% weight
  • Clarity9518% weight
  • Feeding Time8013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6312% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts