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Trinity Lake Fishing Report

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

Northern California’s quiet giant: Trinity Lake grows smallmouth, big browns and kokanee under the Trinity Alps.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
1,180 cfs
Air / High
61 / 67 F
Wind
SSW 6 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 11525500, 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.

Trinity Lake offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. The river is running 1,180 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 67. Water sits around 73 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.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 72 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 Trinity River at Lewiston (below dam).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 11525500.

5548051,0551,180 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp61 F
High / Low67 / 40 F
WindSSW 6-8 mph
Pressure1014.1 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 3%
Sunrise / Sunset06:41 / 19:38
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 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 · Showers, 67/40 F, wind 8 mph, rain 3%

Fair or better. A 8 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

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.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Trinity Lake 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
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 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 Trinity Lake 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 58 F, wind to 11 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

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 58 F, wind to 7 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 66 F, wind to 7 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. Bass, trout and kokanee limits per current CDFW rules; mussel inspection may apply.

Access

Stuart Fork, Cedar Stock, Bowerman and Fairview ramps; Forest Service campgrounds around the lake.

About this water

A 17,000-acre reservoir on the Trinity River in Trinity County, California, beneath the Trinity Alps Wilderness.

Fishing Trinity Lake: the full guide

Under the Alps

Trinity Lake floods 17,000 acres of the Trinity River valley in northern California, beneath the granite peaks of the Trinity Alps Wilderness. It is one of the state’s largest reservoirs and among its least crowded, holding a genuinely diverse fishery: smallmouth bass in numbers on the rock, largemouth in the coves, brown and rainbow trout in the cold water, and a kokanee program that draws trollers each summer.

Smallmouth on the rock

The smallmouth fishing is the lake’s underrated strength: rocky points, submerged timber and steep banks hold fish from spring through fall. Tubes, Ned rigs and jerkbaits produce, with the pre-spawn period in April and May offering the best size. Largemouth relate to the flooded brush in the coves and the backs of the arms when the lake is full.

Trout and kokanee

Brown trout reach substantial size on the kokanee forage: troll large plugs along the main-lake structure in spring and fall for the best shot. Kokanee school through the summer at 40-80 feet, taking dodger-hoochie rigs, and the Stuart Fork and main body are the reliable circuits. Rainbows spread through the upper water column in cooler months.

Trinity County logistics

Ramps at Stuart Fork, Cedar Stock, Bowerman and Fairview serve the lake, with marinas and Forest Service campgrounds around the shoreline. Water levels swing dramatically between wet and drought years, which changes ramp access and structure: check current elevation. Weaverville is the supply town, and the Trinity River below the dam adds a salmon and steelhead fishery in season.

Common questions

Is it crowded?

Rarely: it is remote by California standards, and even summer weekends leave plenty of water. Houseboats concentrate near the marinas.

When is the smallmouth best?

April and May pre-spawn for size, with steady action through fall on the rocky points and timber.

What about the river below?

The Trinity River below Lewiston Dam holds salmon and steelhead in season: a separate and worthwhile fishery.

Is fishing good at Trinity Lake 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

Trinity River (CA)11 miWhiskeytown Lake17 miShasta Lake22 miMad River68 miLake Almanor92 miSmith River97 mi
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