Managed as a trophy bass fishery -- the state record smallmouth was caught here -- Trinity Lake is one of the largest in California. Its remote location keeps the traffic light, allowing anglers to fishing in peace and tranquility. It's not uncommon for our only "competition" for the morning's catch to be a family of osprey and a lone bald eagle.

Angling features include minimal aquatic vegetation, deep, clear, cold waters, and substantial submerged rock and stump cover.

The North end of Trinity Lake is a 15 minute drive from Eagle Creek Ranch, making it a very convenient fishery for ranch guests. The lake's 26 square miles of surface water area and 145 miles of shoreline provide a plethora of excellent fishing spots.

Best times of the year to fish Trinity Lake

Mid-March to Mid-July
The bass bite is best from mid-March to mid-June during the pre-spawn, spawn and post-spawn. Evening top water fishing can be very impressive during this time period. Trout are catchable using bait, spinners and flies, particularly where streams enter the lake. King salmon can be taken trolling deep with downriggers.

September to Mid-November
The bass fishing heats up again as the warm summer months yield to cooler weather, and the bass again move into shallow water to fatten up before the cold winter water temperatures turn off the bite. Trout are catchable using bait, spinners and flies, particularly where streams enter the lake. King salmon can be taken trolling deep with downriggers.

The Summer Months
Bass can be taken throughout the summer using deep-worked jigs, drop shotted worms, as well as deep running crank baits and spoons. Rainbows, browns and king salmon can be caught throughout the summer months trolling deep with downriggers.

Winter Months
Considered the off-season, although some die-hards continue to have luck with deep vertical jigging for bass around the rocky ledges and stumps.

Highlight Species:

Largemouth up to 14 lbs
Largemouth can be caught up to 14 pounds on bait, flies, spinners, surface, shallow and deep running plugs, and on a variety of soft and plastic baits.

Smallmouth Bass up to 9 lbs.
The California state record smallmouth was taken out of Trinity Lake. Smallmouth will respond to many of the same fishing techniques as largemouth.

Rainbow Trout up to 10 lbs.
Both wild and stocked rainbow populations thrive in the lake, with anglers taking them on bait, spinners and flies.

German Brown Trout up to 20 lbs.
Browns can be caught using the same methods successful for rainbows. Many anglers target them with deep trolled minnow shaped plugs and flies, or by deep stripping streamer flies. The old state record brown (22 lbs.) was caught on Lewiston Lake, which serves as Trinity's forebay.

King Salmon up to 14 lbs.
King Salmon were stocked in the mid-nineties, in order to control excessive populations of stunted kokanees. They can be caught trolling using downriggers.

Robert Cunningham, dba Trinity Fishing Guide , is a permittee of the Shasta Trinity National Forests and is an equal opportunity service provider.
copyright: 2007 © Trinity Fishing Guide. All Rights Reserved