Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California, US

Trinity River

Trinity WSR
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
  • Level4.20 mLast reading 1h ago
  • Water temp9.4°C
  • ClarityClear
Today's fly
Egg-Sucking Leech
Egg-Sucking Leech12–16
A dependable searching pattern for these waters.
Conditions on the water
Live gauge
Level
Steady
4.20 m
Last reading 1h ago
Water temp9.4°C
ClarityClear
Weather21°C
WindN 3 km/h
Pressure1021 hPa
Rain · recent0.0 mm
Rain · ahead0.2 mm

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

Water temperature for Steelhead
Ideal
9.4°Cideal 4–13°C
0°14°28°

A dam sets this river's temperature, not the weather, so it can shift several degrees within hours when the release changes. Measured at the gauge. It also warms as it runs away from the dam.

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 — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Hatch timeline · todayQuiet day

Hatch predictions

Today's headline hatch shown — see all 8 active hatches hour by hour as a supporter.

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Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds as a supporter.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 as a supporter.

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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 · Steelhead
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
Gallery · 2
  1. Trinity WSR
    Trinity River
  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 activity7312% weight
Directions
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Booking & contacts