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Whiskeytown Lake Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Oct 23, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

Whiskeytown Lake in its national recreation area: kokanee, rainbow and brown trout and three kinds of black bass, with three park boat launches.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Flow
293 cfs
Air / High
62 / 66 F
Wind
NNE 7 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 11372000, Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
23
October 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.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Whiskeytown Lake rewards those who follow the bait as the water cools. The release below the dam is running 293 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind NNE around 7 mph, falling pressure near 1020 hPa and a high of 66. Water sits around 62 F for the season (estimated). With the waxing gibbous, the solunar majors run 9:50 AM-11:50 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Largemouth bassExcellent

In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Rainbow troutExcellent

This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown troutExcellent

Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 77 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Oct 24, 6:30 AMHow this report is made β†’

Before you go

California requires a fishing licence from age 16, from $64.54 for residents. What a California licence costs and where to buy it β†’

Chasing largemouth bass here? Check the size and bag limits with CDFW before you keep anything. The season dates for California, read off the agency, are on the California seasons page.

Water and weather

Live readings from Clear Creek near Igo (about 12 km below the dam).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 11372000.

240262283293 cfs09/2310/0310/1310/23

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp62 F
High / Low66 / 49 F
WindNNE 7-12 mph
Pressure1019.8 hPa, falling
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset07:30 / 18:17
MoonWaxing Gibbous, 91%
Water temp (seasonal)~62 F est.

Bite planner

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

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Which day to fish Whiskeytown Lake this week

Today is the pick of the week on Whiskeytown Lake, at 4 out of 5.

Best day this week: today, Oct 23 β€” good at 4/5, falling pressure, usually the best window of a week.

Today, Oct 23 β€” Good

Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Solunar majors
9:50 AM-11:50 AM and 10:19 PM-12:19 AM
Minor period
4:14 AM-5:14 AM
Sun
07:30 to 18:17
Moon
Waxing Gibbous, 91% lit
Sky and wind
Partly cloudy, 7 mph
Rain chance
1%

Forecast-based scores, less reliable further out: how the score is built.

Species guide

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

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: the spring pre-spawn and the fall feed

A warm-water sunfish of lakes, reservoirs, ponds and slow river backwaters that holds tight to cover: weeds, logs, rock ledges and docks. In Texas, TPWD surveys rank it "by far" the freshwater fish anglers most want to catch. In spring, pre-spawn bass push shallow as the water climbs through the mid-50s; in fall they feed actively until the water cools into the low 50s, then drop back toward deeper structure.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: spring and fall, when bigger fish come shallow

A bronze-brown black bass of clear, cool streams and rocky lakes, with dark vertical bars instead of a side stripe. Michigan DNR says its southeastern coast, from Port Huron to Lake Erie, is known nationally for both the size and the number of its smallmouth. Spring pre-spawn and fall: Iowa DNR notes the larger bass come up to shallow structure, where a shallow-running minnow bait or a spinnerbait just under the surface works.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Spring and fall in most lakes; rivers fish year-round while the water stays cool

A cold-water trout native to Pacific drainages from Alaska to Baja California, now stocked in most states and fished in rivers, tailwaters and lakes. This band overlaps Vermont's 54-66Β°F stream preference: fish feed across riffles, runs and pocket water, and in lakes WDFW says spring and fall bring them near the surface.

Brown trout illustration

Brown trout

Spring along Great Lakes shorelines; low light and overcast days in rivers; fall spawning runs

A European trout first stocked in the US in 1883 and now fished in rivers and lakes nationwide; it tolerates warmer water than other trout, and mature stream fish feed mostly at night. Close to Vermont's 53-66Β°F optimum, browns feed more freely; in fall, pre-spawn fish move toward tributaries and gravel, so fish streamers and keep off the redds.

When to come: the Whiskeytown 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
Brown trout
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 62 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovOct, ~62 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 Whiskeytown Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Oct 22

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 59 F, wind to 7 mph.

Wed, Oct 21

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Largemouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 80 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Oct 20

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Rainbow trout led the card at excellent. High of 75 F, wind to 7 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
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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 fishing license; CDFW regulations apply at Whiskeytown Lake. Live minnows may not be used as bait (NPS).

Access

Boat launches at Brandy Creek Marina, Oak Bottom and Whiskey Creek; accessible fishing piers at Whiskey Creek and Oak Bottom. Entrance fees apply and the park is cashless (card payment or Recreation.gov pass). Jet skis are prohibited.

About this water

Whiskeytown Lake, a reservoir on Clear Creek in Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, west of Redding, Shasta County, California.

Fishing Whiskeytown Lake: the full guide

What the park lists

The National Park Service lists the species at Whiskeytown Lake as rainbow and brown trout; largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass; and kokanee salmon. California fishing regulations apply on the lake, and the park notes that live minnows cannot be used as bait at Whiskeytown.

Launches and piers

Boats launch at Brandy Creek Marina, Oak Bottom and Whiskey Creek, and all three launches were open in the park's latest conditions update (November 25, 2025). Whiskey Creek and Oak Bottom have accessible fishing piers. The park asks boaters to clean, drain and dry their boats before launching to keep the invasive golden mussel out of the lake. Personal watercraft such as jet skis are prohibited.

After the Carr Fire

The park says the 2018 Carr Fire burned 97 percent of Whiskeytown and more than 100 structures, the most destructive fire in the history of the National Park System. Almost all roads and trails have reopened since, though a couple of trails and a primitive road remain closed. Kennedy Memorial Drive may close at the dam during winter storms.

Common questions

What fish are in Whiskeytown Lake?

The park lists rainbow and brown trout, largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass, and kokanee salmon.

Can I use live minnows?

No. The National Park Service says live minnows cannot be used as bait at Whiskeytown.

Where can I fish from shore without a boat?

The park has accessible fishing piers at Whiskey Creek and Oak Bottom.

Is fishing good at Whiskeytown Lake right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Shasta Lake14 miTrinity Lake17 miTrinity River (CA)20 miLake Almanor77 miMad River82 miFeather River93 mi

Where this page's numbers come from

River and reservoir readings
USGS 11372000 β€” Clear Creek near Igo (about 12 km below the dam)
Read from the USGS Water Data API (api.waterdata.usgs.gov). Latest value timestamped 2026-10-23 at 18:45 UTC.
Weather and pressure
Open-Meteo forecast model
Queried at 40.6200, -122.5500 in this water's own timezone. A model, not an observation.
Moon and solunar windows
Calculated on this site
Astronomical calculation from these coordinates and the date, not a third-party feed. How much weight it deserves.
Pages checked
The facts in the written guide were checked against these pages, from the agencies and operators that manage the water, on October 6, 2026. Anything we could not verify was taken out.
The written guide on this page
Pablo Ruiz Quintero
How this page was made. The daily report is computed by our scoring engine from live readings; nobody types it. The written text was drafted with AI assistance from the official pages listed above, and its facts were checked against those pages by automated verification on October 6, 2026; anything that could not be verified was taken out. Pablo Ruiz Quintero sets every guideline, the data-verification system and the minimum standards a page must meet to be published, reviews page structure and approves what goes live; the responsibility is his, and the AI carries out the work. We work this way because it is how one person can keep every page current with named sources. Errors are published in the verification log; the full policy is in the editorial policy.

Readings refresh on a 30-minute window. The full method, with every figure and its source, is on how our reports are made. Something wrong here? Tell us and it goes in the log with the date.