Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California, US

Lower Sacramento River

Aerial view of the turquoise Sacramento River bending through oak grassland with mountains in the distance.

Big, cold tailwater below Shasta and Keswick dams, and it's stuffed with wild rainbows — the locals call them Redding bows.

Tomorrow · Not the day for it
Pheasant Tail
Forecast · Tomorrow
Not the day for it
Not much stacked in your favour today. Worth an hour if you are nearby, not worth the special trip.
45% projected
Today's fly
Pheasant Tail
Pheasant Tail
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
3.61 m
Lifting fast
Water temp11.5°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather16°C
WindN 11 km/h
Pressure1011 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
12°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 — conditions well-balanced, with water temperature particularly in your favour.
Likely species
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 52%
Peak emergence window5 food groups active

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

Sub-surface · on the nymphunder the surface

Hatch predictions

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 4 with Pro.

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Evidence
Records-basedModerate confidence

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

Through the year
0–3 scale · September 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
20
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
About this water

Big, cold tailwater below Shasta and Keswick dams, and it's stuffed with wild rainbows — the locals call them Redding bows. The flow stays put year-round because it tracks Bureau of Reclamation releases, not the weather, so you can mostly forget the rain. This is drift-boat nymphing water: caddis, PMD and Baetis through the season. One thing worth knowing under your feet: this same reach below Keswick is the very last spawning water for ESA-endangered Sacramento River winter-run Chinook, so the salmon here are a thing to respect, not a thing to chase. Long, drag-free drifts over the gravel for the rainbows, day after day, and the fish keep coming.

  • Mixed
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 84 is built — score × weight = contribution
Temperature100 × 28%28.0
Flow80 × 22%17.6
Clarity85 × 18%15.3
Feeding Time80 × 13%10.4
Pressure75 × 7%5.3
Insect activity65 × 12%7.8
Conditions total= 84
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