Sacramento River Fishing Guide 2026: Salmon, Steelhead & Stripers

The Sacramento River is California’s most important salmon river. It’s also a steelhead stream, a striper fishery, and a year-round bass and catfish destination. The river runs nearly 400 miles from its headwaters near Mount Shasta to San Francisco Bay, and it changes character along the way. Cold, clear trout water near Redding gives way to wide, slow farm-country stretches below Red Bluff. South of Sacramento, the river spreads into the broad tidal Delta.

Few rivers in the West hold this many species — or this many fish. Plan your trip around the right run at the right time, and this river will produce.

Species Overview

Chinook Salmon — The Main Event

The Sacramento hosts four distinct Chinook salmon runs: fall, late-fall, winter, and spring. That makes it one of the only rivers in California with salmon present almost year-round. The fall run is by far the largest and easiest to fish. Fish enter the river from August through December and peak September through November. These are powerful fish averaging 15–25 lbs, and kings over 40 lbs are caught every season.

The winter run Chinook is a federally threatened population. These fish are present January through March and are catch-and-release only. The spring run arrives April through June, mostly in the upper river and its tributaries. The late-fall run stretches the season into December and January in the lower river.

Steelhead

Sacramento steelhead are a native Central Valley strain. They enter the river from November through March and peak in December and January. They’re not the giants of the Klamath or Trinity — a 5–8 lb fish here is a quality steelhead — but they fight hard and hold in beautiful water. Battle Creek, Deer Creek, and Mill Creek are the key tributary steelhead streams. You’ll need a steelhead report card.

Striped Bass

Striped bass push up the Sacramento from the Bay into the lower and middle river. The main run comes March through July, with a second push in fall. Fish of 5–15 lbs are common, and the lower river gives up trophy stripers over 30 lbs every year. The stretch from the American River confluence down through the Delta holds the most fish. Stripers feed hard on shad, anchovies, and swimbaits.

American Shad

This is one of California’s most underrated fisheries. Shad flood the Sacramento in huge numbers from May through early July. They stack up in the riffles and runs from Red Bluff down through Colusa. They hit small shad darts, spinners, and flies on light tackle — and there’s no limit. A 3–5 lb shad on a 6-weight fly rod is pure chaos.

White Sturgeon

The lower Sacramento and Delta hold white sturgeon year-round. These prehistoric fish can top 7 feet and 300+ lbs. The slot limit (40–60 inches) means most legal fish run 10–50 lbs. Ghost shrimp, grass shrimp, and eel are the standard baits. You’ll need a sturgeon report card.

Bass and Catfish

Largemouth and smallmouth bass live in the slower stretches, backwaters, and sloughs of the middle and lower river. Channel and white catfish are thick from Sacramento south through the Delta. Night fishing with cut bait produces well from May through September.

Key Stretches of the Sacramento River

Upper Sacramento: Keswick Dam to Red Bluff

The upper river runs from Keswick Dam (below Shasta Dam) down to Red Bluff. This is trout and salmon water first. The tailwater below Keswick stays cold and clear all year, which makes this stretch strong for steelhead and fall salmon. The Redding area offers several boat launches plus bank access along the Sundial Bridge parkway.

Much of the river’s salmon spawning habitat sits in this stretch. Fishing is regulated by season to protect spawners, so always verify current emergency openings and closures with CDFW.

Middle River: Red Bluff to Colusa

Below Red Bluff, the Sacramento opens into a wider, warmer river. It’s ideal for drift fishing salmon in fall, shad in spring and early summer, and stripers in late spring. Woodson Bridge State Recreation Area, Hamilton City, and the Colusa-Sacramento River State Recreation Area all offer good bank and boat access.

The shad run peaks in this stretch. In May and June, the riffles below Red Bluff can produce 25+ fish in a morning.

Lower River and Delta: Sacramento to the Bay

From Sacramento downstream, the river turns tidal — wider, deeper, and home to the biggest striped bass and sturgeon. The American River confluence near downtown Sacramento is a major fish magnet. South through the Delta, the river splits into sloughs and channels that hold bass, catfish, stripers, and sturgeon all year.

Fishing Techniques

Drift Fishing for Salmon

Drift fishing is the go-to technique for fall Chinook on the Sacramento. The classic setup: pencil sinkers to reach bottom, a drift bobber (Corkie or Cheater) above the hook, and roe or a sand shrimp on a salmon hook. Cast upstream at a 45-degree angle. Follow the drift downstream with your rod tip, and set the hook at any hesitation.

Boat anglers hold at the head of a run and drift through it piece by piece. Bank anglers work the outside bends and tailouts where salmon rest between pushes upstream. Water clarity matters. In clear water, shorten your leader to 3–4 feet. In off-color water, go up to 6 feet.

Back-Trolling Plugs

Back-trolling deep-diving plugs (Flatfish, Kwikfish, Brad’s Wiggler) shines for fish holding in deep holes and runs. The motor holds the boat facing upstream while the current works the plug. It’s a slow, controlled presentation that drives holding salmon crazy. Wrap the plug with tuna or sardine for extra scent.

Fly Fishing

The upper Sacramento near Redding is productive fly water for steelhead and fall salmon. Egg patterns, flesh flies, and big articulated streamers in chartreuse or orange produce on a sink-tip line. The shad run brings wild, dry-fly-style action on small Clouser Minnows and shad darts with 6–8 weight rods.

Bank Fishing for Stripers and Catfish

The lower river gives up striped bass from bank spots near the American River confluence. Work swimbaits, large jigs, and cut bait along deep outside bends. Catfishing here is classic night fishing: heavy sinker rig, cut bait or chicken liver, and patience. The bite peaks June through September.

Regulations Highlights

Always verify current rules at wildlife.ca.gov before your trip — regulations change annually and emergency closures are common.

• All anglers 16 and older need a valid California sport fishing license.
• Salmon: A salmon report card (punch card) is mandatory. Return it even if you catch nothing. Season dates vary by run and reach, so check the current year’s inland trout and salmon regulations booklet.
• Steelhead: A steelhead report card is required. Some stretches are catch-and-release only at certain times.
• Sturgeon: A sturgeon fishing report card is required. A slot limit applies: 40–60 inches total length for retention. Barbless hooks are required in many areas.
• Shad: No report card needed. No size or bag limit — one of the most liberal fisheries in the state.
• Bait restrictions: Some upper-river sections ban certain bait types at certain times. Single barbless hooks may be required during some salmon and steelhead periods.

Planning Your Trip

Best time for each species:

Guided trips: Guides run drift boat trips for fall salmon out of Redding, Chico, Colusa, and Sacramento. If it’s your first Sacramento salmon trip, a guide is money well spent. Guides know where the fish are, have gear dialed in, and stay on top of daily regulation changes.

Boat launches: Cascade Boulevard (Redding), Woodson Bridge SRA, Hamilton City, Colusa SRA, and several Sacramento-area launches give you river access. Most county launches charge a small day-use fee.

Related California Fishing Guides

• California Fishing Guide 2026 — Complete guide to 60+ CA lakes and rivers
• Lake Shasta Fishing Guide — Trout, kokanee and bass at Shasta reservoir
• Folsom Lake Fishing Guide — Bass, trout and salmon in the Sierra foothills