Shasta Lake saw a solid trout bite improvement this past week and the Kokanee salmon bite is going strong as well.  May is when we see our rainbow trout bite improve dramatically and this year is no exception.  Rainbow trout averaging 2 pounds make up the bulk of the days catch, but as we get closer to June we'll start to see more rainbows in the 2-5 pound range daily.  There are still some big brown trout available, but we do see a slow down in the numbers of browns we catch in late spring through summer on Shasta.  The land locked salmon bite has improved and we're starting to see some better numbers of King salmon caught now as well.  The Kokanee salmon fishing has been pretty good for a month or so now, but we'll likely see another big improvement heading into June.  Most all species can be found in the top 30' of the water column in Shasta right now, especially early in the day.  As the sun comes up and the fish start to feel the pressure of boats working in the areas they are holding, look for them a bit deeper in the lake.  40-60' feet deep is where the cold water is so expect most of the lakes trout and salmon to retreat to those depths after the morning bite.  The morning bite has definitely arrived and you can expect to see a dramatic decline in bites after 10:00 am most mornings.  We've been concentrating our efforts down in the main body of Shasta between the I-5 bridge and Shasta Dam.  Every year during late spring and summer this is always the most productive area to fish for trout and salmon species in Shasta.  Access to the lake is still pretty good with several launches still in the water.  Bridge Bay, Jones Valley, Centimudi, Packers Bay, and Sugarloaf launches are your best bets for June.  As a reminder, Shasta Lake fishes very good in the summer months and often times sees the very best fishing of the year for trout and salmon.  Trout and salmon concentrate in smaller areas and orient to the temperature lines in the lake (thermocline) making them very easy to locate.  The trout and salmon feed heavily on Threadfin Shad in the summer so fishing with small spoons is easy and very effective through September every year.  So while most lakes in California see a slow down in the fishing during summer, Shasta remains an exception to that rule and is very productive all summer long.  If you haven't made plans for a summer fishing trip with friends or family, I highly recommend Shasta Lake as a top fishing destination again this year.  Call Jaynie at (530) 510-2925 for more information and our available dates.  Thank you!

Captain Jeff Goodwin