Fish Report
Chasing Big Trout on Shasta Lake
12-7-2017
Scott Caldwell
There are many reasons fish get big. Food, Genetics, Location, weather are just a few reasons but one reason always holds true and fisherman around the world have heard it many times. Big fish are not stupid.
Chasing big fish like Trout takes patience. Chasing Big Trout on a huge Lake like Shasta takes a lot of patience and a lot of hours on water fishing.
Fellow guide friend Jeff Goodwin of Jeff Goodwin Guide Service in Redding California and I fished together yesterday on Shasta Lake. Jeff is passionate about fishing and works hard at his craft. Jeff and I have been getting together and working on finding and catching Big Trout this Winter on Shasta Lake.
When Shasta Lake is full it has 365 miles of shoreline, 30,000 acres of surface water while reaching depths of 500 plus feet. What does all this mean? Big fish have a lot places to hide and I don't think one can learn all the nuances of this massive body of water in a lifetime.
I have been fishing Shasta Lake since 1994 and I learn something new every year. Yesterday, fishing with Jeff was was no exception. We both learned that fish will bite even when Mother Nature throws some difficult obstacles in your part. Windy conditions and coming out of a Super full moon were what we dealt with all day.
By now you get the idea Patience is a must and you have to be willing to put in the time no matter the conditions. Rather than go into major detail I will highlight.
Yes we caught some fish one really nice Rainbow. We trolled for many hours choosing to stay in the McCloud arm of the lake. We trolled bait Dodgers flies plugs spoons between speeds of 1 to 4.5 mph hours. First thing in the morning we got bit but the fish did not stick. Then we worked hard for many hours and then later in the day we were rewarded for our efforts with some action.
Simply put we fished hard didn't catch a lot but the quality is very good. That is what chasing Big Trout on Shasta is about. Jeff an I will continue our efforts Chasing Big Trout so we can provide you with best fishing experience possible.