Seasons of Steelhead fishing on the Trinity and Feather

The Trinity River boasts some of the most famous steelhead runs in Northern California. The Trinity still has lots of pristine spawning habitat for chinook and coho salmon below Lewiston Dam, making it a perfect place for steelhead to also thrive. Since it is a tailwater fishery, the Trinity will typically fish well throughout winter storms that will blow out most of the other rivers in the North State. Throughout fall, hatchery steelhead return to the Trinity in large numbers. Around mid-November when the rains begin, more larger wild winter fish also begin to show up on the Trinity making the chance at a true trophy a real possibility every day. Having both hatchery and wild runs mingled together, the opportunity for epic steelhead fishing on the Trinity is as good as it gets by mid November through December, as well as January through March if the weather cooperates. The steelhead on the Trinity tend to act somewhat trout-like being willing to take smaller bug imitations as well as the classic steelhead attractor style flies and egg patterns. As rains increase and the river swells, the attractors and egg patterns take over. The sheer number of steelhead on the Trinity also make it a favorite place to swing flies for many folks. Not that it isn’t challenging, they certainly make you work for them some days, but overall the success rate on this river is much better compared to the more fickle coastal fisheries. January through March can be a special time on the Trinity. Many folks go home or look to coastal venues this time of year, leaving the river uncrowded. This often results in some of the best fishing of the entire year on the Trinity. 

Closer to Northern California's metropolitan areas, the Feather River near the city of Oroville can also be a really fun place to steelhead fish throughout the fall and winter into spring. An easy day trip from Sacramento or San Francisco, you’d be surprised at how uncrowded it can can as fall fades into winter. The Feather River steelhead aren’t as big on average as their Trinity and Coastal cousins, but they often make up for it in numbers. A short float can sometimes yield double digit opportunities on a good day. Like most steelhead, they love egg patterns. The Feather sees a good fall salmon run, and afterwards the steelhead keep looking for those leftover huevos rancheros. Being a dam-fed river, the Feather usually stays clean when other places blow out with heavy rains. This means it usually fishes most of the winter, through March and April even. November through March is prime time here , and often as the weather worsens, the fishing improves so don’t be afraid to fish on a rainy day here. Like any river , it has its up and down years. The last couple years have been great, and this year is no exception so far. The Feather is a perfect example that good steelhead fishing is more accessible than most folks think. A perfect place to hone your skills before chasing the larger and more elusive coastal fish.