Feather River Fishing Report

Report Updated March 12, 2010

Steelie bite picks up

A fresh Feather steelie...Craig Bentley gives the thumbs up!

The Feather River showed some signs of life on the steelie front this week.

Our man on the creek, Craig Bentley, gives us the scoop:

This week on the Feather River conditions couldn’t get much better than this before the 21st of March. Its still officially winter and on some bluebird days this week the air temps rose to the high sixties and the water also has started to warm. Water temps at mile 61 or station FRA on CDEC, DWR’s data page, are now ranging from 47 degrees to 50 degrees.

That fact, angling friends, is a good start to spring like fishing on the Feather. The Mayfly hatch has begun and the caddis are even hatching sporadically, a good sign that spring steelies will begin to feed on the increasing insect population.

Spring showers bring flowers but let’s not forget that torrential rains from spring thunderstorms also wash terrestrial critters into the river, making ‘crawlers, mealy worms, crickets and grashoppers go to baits during those periods of torrential rains and thereafter.

Friday’s rain should keep the river at the same 2- to 3-foot visibility since last week and the weekend is looking to be real nice. Angler interest is perking a bit, yet nobody reported more than a few fish caught and no one was bragging, so this angler went out on the Low Flow Thursday afternoon to get a feel for how the fishing really was.

I spent about an hour and a half fishing from 4pm till 5:30, hooking four fish, landing three and took home a nice 3-pounds plus hatchery steelie for the BBQ. Based on my luck last evening, I’d say the Feather is worth a try and continue to rate the fishing for steelhead as fair, with an occasional good day, when anglers will catch more than three fish on their outing.Tip of the week: Gear down to trout sized bait and tackle for more grabs from spooky fish in clearer water.

Trusted Guides

JD Richey Sportfishing

Current & Forecasted Flow

Take a closer look…this slick graph shows you current river flow, height and projected flows, which will help you plan upcoming trips. Keep in mind steelhead and salmon fishing is best as a river is on the drop — and typically tough when a stream’s on the rise.

Current Weather

Weather Forecast | Weather Maps | Weather Radar

Feather River Map

View Larger Map

About the Feather River

After flowing out of the base of Oroville Dam, the lower Feather River twists and winds its way approximately 50 miles from the town of Oroville to its confluence with the Sacramento River at Verona.

Throughout the year, the river sees runs of striped bass and American shad in the spring, along with fall and spring-run steelhead and sturgeon (mainly in high water years). Prolific king salmon runs, however, really put the Feather on the map and though currently in a down cycle, the river is home to both spring and fall-runs. There’s also a sneaky population of smallmouth bass that’s almost completely ignored by anglers. The fish don’t get huge, but there are lots of ‘em.

Catching Feather Smallies
One Strange Day on the Feather
Basic Shad Techniques