They say it’s Spring but its sure acts like winter to me. We have a few days of sunshine then it rains for three or four days and then some more sunshine. I believe Mother Nature is teasing us into thinking its Spring. I will admit that it looks like Spring with all the flowers that are blooming but the rain has them all bowing their heads from the rain. The rain has sure made the river and creeks come up but they are on their way down today. Just as it gets good fishing another batch of rain comes in and makes the rive come up and ruans the fishing. Last week when we had several days of sunshine the ½-pounder action was crazy. When you got into the right area you could fish for an hour hooking ½-pounders. Well, I guess I will have the wait for some more warm days to see if the ½-pounders are still around. Keep an eye out for a break in the next storm and be ready to hit the water and hope you can find the action as it moves fast.

 

Sacramento Offices Release; Sacramento, California DOGE – “ordering the firings at the federal agency responsible for delivering water to farms and cities across California are in the way of President Donald Trump’s order to maximize the state’s water supplies!”

 

How does the state deliver water to the farms and cities when there is no body to turn the valves? All this when the Bureau of Reclamation declared this to be a “wet water year”, and the crew that was repairing the tunnel that allows the water to flow from Trinity Lake to Whiskeytown was fired. I guess we get to keep the water for the Trinity River.

 

At this time most of the fish monitoring is on the Upper Klamath but is hard due to the rains and high water. All of the fish weirs are pulled due to the high flows. When the rivers start to drop to summer flows, I am sure the weirs will be re-installed and CDFW will begin counting fish again. For right no I am trying to get most of the fishing information from fishermen and guides.

 

Lewiston Lake: It is winter time and the releases from Trinity Lake into Lewiston Lake is very high so the marina is closed but will open soon for the Spring fishing in the mean time the best places to get current fish information for up river on the Trinity is to call Indian Creek Lodge, Andy or Hannah, (530)623-6294), Junction City Store, Butch, (530)623-2803.

 

Willow Creek: Like I said above fishing the Willow Creek area has been up and down lately with the way the storms have been coming in. At the present time there are down runner adults and ½-pounders in the river you just have to watch for the river to drop after a rain and then it is good fishing.

 

Mid-Klamath to Happy Camp: The Klamath River at Weitchpec is flowing 35,072cfs. This is a decrease of 899cfs. The Iron Gate/Bogus Creek area is flowing 4,990cfs an increase of 1,840cfs from the last report. The Upper Klamath has been flowing high with all the rain so it has been a hit or miss for fishing lately. I suggest you call Marble Mountain Guest Ranch (800) 522-6284, or Scott Caldwell, SC Guide Service (530)905-0758 to get proper fishing information to fish the Upper Klamath.

 

Lake Conditions: These readings are for March 22, 2025. It appears that readings are being posted a day late. Whiskeytown is 96% of capacity (an increase of 0%) with inflows of 838cfs with releases of 1,201cfs. Shasta Lake is 86% of capacity, an increase of 6% and plus 10ft with inflows of 16,045cfs and releasing 14,670cfs into Keswick. Keswick is 82% of capacity (an increase of 1%) with inflows of 6,486cfs and releases of 6,072cfs into the Sacramento River. Oroville Lake is 84% of capacity, an increase of 2% and plus 6ft, with inflows of 12,513cfs with releases of 14,734cfs into the Feather River. Folsom Lake is 73% of capacity, an increase of 9% and plus 10ft, with inflows of 6,260cfs with releases of 1,543cfs into the American River. Trinity Lake storage is 2,045,217AF an increase of 23,019AF of storage.

 

Trinity Lake: The lake is 26ft below the overflow, a decrease of 2ft and 84% of capacity (an increase of 1%) with inflows of 1,828cfs and releasing 850cfs into Lewiston Lake with 00cfs being diverted to Whiskeytown and on to the Keswick Power Plant, and releasing 15,032cfs into the Sacramento River.

 

Trinity River flows and conditions: Trinity Lake is 84% of capacity, an increase of 1% and 26ft below the overflow a decrease of 2ft. Lewiston Dam is 98% of capacity, an increase of 0% and water releases of 1,775cfs into the Trinity River, with water temperatures of 45 degrees, as of 1:00pm today Sunday March 22, 2025.  Limekiln Gulch is 6.48t at 2,035cfs. Douglas City is 8.75ft with flows of 2,291cfs with water temperatures of 45.5 degrees. Junction City is N/Aft at N/Acfs. Helena is 12.74ft at 3,051cfs with water temps of 47.4 degrees. Cedar Flat (Burnt Ranch) is N/Aft at 0.00cfs (Gauge is still out of order). South Fork of the Trinity near Hyampom is 6.43 at 2,354cfs. Willow Creek is estimated at 6,845cfs, air is 67 degrees and water at 47.9 degrees, Hoopa is 19.62ft at 13,217cfs with water at 48.2 degrees.

 

Klamath River flows and conditions: Flows at the Iron Gate/ Bogas Creek are 4,990cfs, an increase of 1,840cfs. Seiad Valley is 8.36ft at 9,813cfs. Indian Creek is 6.20ft at 1,052cfs. Happy Camp is estimated to be 10,865cfs, Somes Bar is estimated to be 17,835cfs, and the Salmon River is 5.44ft at 4,020cfs. Orleans is 11.93ft at 21,855cfs, the Klamath River at Terwer Creek is 19.45ft flowing at 48,611cfs with water temps of 48 degrees. Flows for the Smith River at Jediah Smith are 14.75ft with flows of 19,585cfs. and flows at Dr. Fine Bridge are 21.22ft at N/A. The Smith is dropping pretty fast.

 

Temperatures for the Valley last week had a high of 62 and a low of 41 degrees. Rain for the week was 2.19in with a water year total to date of 48.52 and 1.75in of snow in Willow Creek. The predicted temperatures for next week are for high of 83 and a low of 38. The weather predicted for the next week is looking like we could have some scattered showers with some light rain and scattered showers.