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Whiskeytown Lake Fishing Report

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

A clear lake in a national recreation area: Whiskeytown holds kokanee, bass and trout under Shasta Bally.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Flow
127 cfs
Air / High
70 / 73 F
Wind
SSE 3 mph

Sources: USGS gauge 11372000, 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.

Whiskeytown Lake sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. The river is running 127 cfs, steady over the week. Today brings clear skies, wind SSE around 3 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 73. 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 78 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 Clear Creek near Igo (below dam).

Flow, last 30 days

USGS gauge 11372000.

124125126127 cfs08/0508/1508/2509/04

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp70 F
High / Low73 / 49 F
WindSSE 3-3 mph
Pressure1013.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 5%
Sunrise / Sunset06:40 / 19:37
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 · Partly cloudy, 73/49 F, wind 9 mph, rain 5%

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 Whiskeytown 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 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
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 Whiskeytown 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 63 F, wind to 9 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 62 F, wind to 9 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 67 F, wind to 8 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. Kokanee count within trout limits; bass limits per current CDFW regulations. National recreation area fees apply.

Access

Oak Bottom and Brandy Creek ramps, campgrounds and beaches within Whiskeytown National Recreation Area.

About this water

A 3,200-acre reservoir on Clear Creek west of Redding, Shasta County, California, kept near full pool year-round.

Fishing Whiskeytown Lake: the full guide

A lake kept full

Whiskeytown Lake covers about 3,200 acres west of Redding in northern California, the centerpiece of a national recreation area. Unlike most California reservoirs it is kept near full pool year-round for recreation, which means stable shoreline habitat and clear water. Kokanee salmon, rainbow and brown trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass and bluegill make up the fishery.

Kokanee and trout

Kokanee are the signature species: troll dodger-hoochie rigs from 30 to 70 feet through summer, with the fish schooling tightly and running good size in strong years. Rainbow and brown trout hold higher in the column and take trolled spoons and stickbaits in the cooler months, with the brown trout reaching respectable size on the kokanee forage.

Bass in clear water

Smallmouth work the rocky shorelines and points while largemouth relate to the few brushy coves and submerged wood. The clarity demands finesse presentations and rewards early and late fishing. The stable water level means structure stays consistent year to year, unusual in California and helpful for anglers learning the lake.

Shasta County logistics

The national recreation area provides ramps at Oak Bottom and Brandy Creek, plus campgrounds, beaches and extensive shoreline access. Redding is fifteen minutes east. Entrance fees apply. The 2018 Carr Fire burned much of the surrounding land, and recovery is visible in the regrowth along the shoreline roads.

Common questions

Why is the level stable?

It is managed for recreation rather than irrigation, so it stays near full pool: rare in California and good for habitat.

When is kokanee season?

Summer, trolling 30 to 70 feet as fish school: the lake’s signature fishery.

Are there fire effects?

The 2018 Carr Fire burned much of the surrounding land: regrowth is visible, though the fishery was unaffected.

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: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Shasta Lake14 miTrinity Lake17 miTrinity River (CA)22 miLake Almanor77 miMad River82 miFeather River93 mi
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