Tailwater · Mixed · Northern California, US

Trinity River

Trinity River — Trinity (Pt. II unedited)

Cold, regulated tailwater below Lewiston Dam, and a classic California steelhead and salmon river — the kind of place a steelheader thinks about in the off-season.

Tomorrow · Not the day for it
Czech Nymph
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
Czech Nymph
Czech Nymph
Conditions on the water · Tomorrow
Live gauge
Level
Rising
4.57 m
Lifting fast
Water temp12.8°C
ClarityUnfishable
Weather14°C
WindN 3 km/h
Pressure1013 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 Steelhead
Ideal
13°C est.ideal 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.
Likely species
Mayflies
Caddisflies
terrestrials
Hatch timeline · tomorrowPeak at 11am

12pm(now) — Western Blue-Winged Olive

Stage: On emergersApproach: Emerger or dryActivity: 30%
Peak emergence window3 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

Top nymph shown — see all 2 guilds with Pro.

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Beyond the hatch · worth watchingambient prey(1)

Hatch predictions

Top prey shown — see all 3 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
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
About this water

Cold, regulated tailwater below Lewiston Dam, and a classic California steelhead and salmon river — the kind of place a steelheader thinks about in the off-season. It carries ESA-listed coho and Chinook alongside hatchery and wild steelhead, and the listed fish are here to recover, not to be chased, so the whole game is run-timing and respect. The steelheader's real question is always the same: is it in shape? You swing flies on a Skagit head or nymph the runs from autumn into winter, and the best of it is fishing the tailout of a recent bump as the water drops and clears. Flow is reservoir-managed for fish and water supply.

  • Mixed
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 Time7013% weight
  • Pressure757% weight
  • Insect activity6112% weight
Directions
Apple MapsGoogle Maps
Seasons & zones
  • Trout 1 January → 31 December
Related guides
Euro Nymphingsubsurface methods
Booking & contacts