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Sacramento River Fishing Report

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

California's workhorse: king salmon runs, wild rainbows below Shasta, and the striper migrations that feed a valley's fishing culture.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
17,900 cfs
Air / High
71 / 75 F
Wind
SSW 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 11425500, 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Sacramento River offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 17,900 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 3 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 75. 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 80 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 from Sacramento River at Verona.

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 11425500.

17,51518,10018,68517,900 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp71 F
High / Low75 / 57 F
WindSSW 3-6 mph
Pressure1013.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain12% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset06:38 / 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 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 75/57 F, wind 7 mph, rain 3%

Fair or better. Calm and stable: plan around the solunar majors at dawn and dusk.

Species guide

The species that matter on Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 Sacramento 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 72 F, wind to 11 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 76 F, wind to 12 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 75 F, wind to 13 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

California license. Salmon: annual season decisions, report cards required. Steelhead card on the upper river. Striper slot: check CDFW current.

Access

Redding: Posse Grounds, Bonnyview ramps. Middle river: Red Bluff, Los Molinos, Woodson Bridge. Lower: Colusa, Verona, Knights Landing.

About this water

384 miles from Shasta to the Delta: the upper trout tailwater and the salmon-striper middle are our coverage core.

Fishing Sacramento River: the full guide

The valley's main street

The Sacramento drains California's heart: salmon returning under golden hills, striped bass surging up from the Delta each spring, sturgeon rolling in the deep bends, and shad turning the riffles silver in May. Every reach fishes differently: the cold upper river below Shasta, the salmon middle, the striper lower: one river running the state's whole freshwater story.

The Redding trout mile(s)

Below Keswick Dam, the upper Sac runs cold and constant: wild rainbows to 20-plus inches eating nymphs the size of commas. The Redding town water (Posse Grounds to Anderson) drifts like a western tailwater dream: side-drifted eggs and rubber-legs winter, hopper-droppers against the riprap in summer. It is California's most underrated year-round trout fishery.

Salmon and stripers by the calendar

Fall kings (July-November) stack the middle river: back-bounced roe and Kwikfish at Barge Hole and the traditional holes draw the valley fleet. Spring flips the river to stripers: April-May migrations up past Colusa bring bank soakers and jig trollers out in force: 30-fish days on the good tides of the year.

Rules of a managed river

The Sacramento is regulation chess: salmon seasons set annually (sometimes closed entirely: check before planning), rainbow/steelhead rules split by reach, striper slots protecting the spawners. The reward for homework is a river that still produces like the old days when the windows open.

Common questions

Is there still a salmon season on the Sacramento?

It varies year to year with the run forecasts: recent years have seen closures and reopenings. Check CDFW's annual salmon decision before booking: the trout and striper fisheries carry the calendar regardless.

When do stripers run the Sacramento?

April-May upstream past Colusa: the spring migration out of the Delta. Cut baits from the banks, trolled Yo-Zuris from boats: valley tradition at its most democratic.

Is fishing good at Sacramento River right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

American River17 miFolsom Lake25 miPutah Creek31 miYuba River33 miLake Berryessa36 miCollins Lake42 mi
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