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Feather River Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Oroville tailwater: spring-run salmon, steelhead and the Central Valley's best public access.

3/5
Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.
Water temp
~66 F est.
Air / High
73 / 77 F
Wind
S 9 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

3/5Fair. Fish the windows.A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Feather River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings a mixed sky, wind S around 9 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 77. Water sits around 66 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown troutGood

Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

SteelheadSlow

First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 83 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp73 F
High / Low77 / 61 F
WindS 9-11 mph
Pressure1013.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain30% cloud, 13%
Sunrise / Sunset06:37 / 19:32
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~66 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 77/61 F, wind 9 mph, rain 13%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Feather River: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Steelhead illustration

Steelhead

Best: Oct-Apr

Lake-run rainbows that turn tributaries into winter fisheries. First fall runs after rain: fresh chrome in the lower pools on spawn bags and beads.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Best: Sep-Nov

Wary, predatory and nocturnal by preference. The big ones eat streamers. Terrestrials tight to the bank; streamers through the deeper runs on cloudy days.

When to come: the Feather River calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Steelhead
Smallmouth bass
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 66 F (estimated, not a reading).

304050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~66 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Feather River today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 14 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 78 F, wind to 13 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 76 F, wind to 12 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

Section-specific salmon/steelhead regs; barbless in anadromous waters. Confirm with CDFW.

Access

Oroville Wildlife Area gravel access; Riverbend Park; Afterbay outlet lots.

About this water

Sacramento tributary through Oroville, Butte County, CA; Low Flow and Afterbay sections define the fishery.

Fishing Feather River: the full guide

The Feather's runs

Below Oroville Dam, the Feather carries real anadromous traffic: fall king salmon stack the riffles, steelhead follow the eggs, and stripers push up from the valley in spring. The Oroville Wildlife Area opens miles of walk-in gravel: rare access for a valley river.

Salmon season logistics

July-October kings stack the Low Flow section and Outlet riffles: drift roe, jigs or twitched flies where legal, and expect company: this is the Valley's most productive salmon water after the Sacramento. Check section-specific rules: they change with run health.

Steelhead and stripers

Winter steelhead (hatchery-supported) hold in the Thermalito Afterbay outlet's oxygen: nymphs and beads under indicators. April-June sends valley stripers up: swimbaits off the gravel bars at dawn. One river, three anadromous seasons.

Two rivers below one dam

The Feather splits below Oroville into the Low Flow (cold, clear, salmon-and-steelhead nursery through downtown Oroville) and the High Flow below the Thermalito outlet (bigger, warmer, shad-and-striper water in early summer). Steelheaders nymph eggs and caddis in the Low Flow all winter; the May-June shad run turns the Afterbay outflow into a hookup-a-cast party. One license, two rivers, one parking lot apart.

Common questions

When do Feather River salmon arrive?

First kings show late June-July, peak September-October: our flow panel plus CDFW counts track the push. Steelhead follow the eggs into winter.

When do shad run the Feather?

May into early July, thickest below the Thermalito Afterbay outlet: dart-and-grub rigs on light spinning gear or sink-tip flies. Evenings out-fish middays: the run stacks by the thousands.

Is fishing good at Feather River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day.

Nearby waters

Lake Oroville7 miCollins Lake19 miYuba River22 miBullards Bar Reservoir24 miSacramento River51 miLake Almanor55 mi
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