Whiskeytown Lake, CA

3,220-acre reservoir near Whiskeytown. A clear, deep National Recreation Area reservoir west of Redding, famous for a strong kokanee troll fishery alongside trout and three species of black bass.

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Where to start

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun) window is on — see the hatch outlook

Max 232 ft

Know this water and see something off?

Hatch outlook

Callibaetis (Speckled Dun)Active window

Typical here: May 1 – Oct 1 · multi-brood; a documented midsummer lull when surface temps push fish deep

nymphthe hours before the midday emergence — nymphs rise off the weed tops in a vertical zigzag that can take hours — sources split between slow 2–4 inch strips with long pauses and a quicker steady retrieve; carry both speeds
dunmidday, roughly 11am into early afternoon
spinnermid-to-late-morning falls

Trout browse the weed-bed edges knocking nymphs loose, then cruise the flats sipping duns at midday — the marquee western lake mayfly.

The midday emergence puts cruisers over weed flats in under 20 ft: a casting bubble with a #14 Callibaetis nymph retrieved dead-slow with pauses is the honest match. Between hatch hours, small spoons and #1 inline spinners along the weed edges and drop-offs pick off the same fish.

The event happens over weed flats and weed-bed edges in 20 ft of water or less

Damselfly migrationActive window

Typical here: May 25 – Aug 31 · Davis peaks around the third week of June; Crowley runs through July

nymphdaytime, over days to weeks — the event is the shoreward swim: nymphs leave the deep weed beds and migrate toward shore to crawl out, swimming with a sinuous sidewinder motion in the top two feet — retrieve TOWARD shore in small slow strips with pauses, nearly unweighted so it stays in the strike zone
adultsummer days over and around the weed beds — still on the menu into early September

The marquee visual event of western stillwaters — fish follow the migration into the shallows and 'shark' in behind a swimming nymph a few inches under the surface.

The best conventional window on western lakes: fish herd olive nymphs along the weedlines in a few feet of water. Work the smallest olive and gold spoons and #1–2 spinners slowly ALONG the weed edge and toward shore — direction matters, the naturals all swim shoreward. Everything happens in the top 2 ft.

peak migration flurries run days at a stretch inside the multi-week window

The event happens over shallow weed flats and weedlines, migrating toward shoreline tules, timber and other crawl-out structure

Chironomids (stillwater midges)Active window

Typical here: Apr 25 – Oct 31 · end of April to the end of October at Crowley — the main food source for the entire season

nymphearly morning, start of the day — fish the bloodworm ON the bottom — 4–6 inches off the mud before the emergence starts
pupathe cool morning hours are prime — as the emergence builds, slide the pupa up to 12–15 inches off bottom under the indicator; a little wind chop does the jigging

Concentrates by DEPTH BAND and mud type, not a fixed spot: roughly 20–25 ft in spring, deeper midsummer, in against the feeder creeks in summer heat, 5–25 ft in fall. Match the band.

This one translates almost perfectly: a slip float with a 1/64–1/100 oz midge-pattern jig set 4–15 inches off bottom over a mud flat, dead-sticked with the chop doing the work. Depth control is everything — no moving lure imitates a hanging pupa; the float rig IS the technique.

The event happens over open mud flats alongside weedlines, channels and basin edges; feeder-creek mouths in summer heat

Grasshoppers (east-side summer)Active window

Typical here: Jul 1 – Sep 30 · the East Walker and Upper Owens terrestrial program

adultall day in high summer, best when afternoon wind knocks bugs onto the water

Pulls fish to the windward grassy banks and edges for months — fish the bank the wind blows ONTO.

The friendliest crossover of the summer: on lakes, drift the windward bank with a bubble-and-foam-hopper — the bubble's splash doesn't hurt a hopper presentation. On rivers, the same rig dead-drifted along the undercut grass banks, or small gold spinners under the banks between rises.

The event happens over grassy banks, undercut edges and windward shorelines

Recommendations come from depth structure and seasonal species behavior. Treat them as a starting point, not a guarantee. Contours here are interpolated from real agency depth surveys (state DNR / USACE). Never use for navigation. Always check local regulations.

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Recent catches at Whiskeytown Lake

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Fishing Whiskeytown Lake: what the data says

3,220-acre reservoir near Whiskeytown. A clear, deep National Recreation Area reservoir west of Redding, famous for a strong kokanee troll fishery alongside trout and three species of black bass. The lake tops out around 232 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Every species below gets its seasonal read from the same numbers driving the chart.

Traced from the shoreline, Whiskeytown Lake runs 3,124 acres with 42.9 miles of edge, broken up by 9 islands. An index of 5.5 puts the bank firmly in maze territory: point after pocket after cove, every one a casting target. The shallow band under 15 ft claims about 12% of the surface — that's where the groceries are. Call it 5.9 mi long by 2.8 mi wide at the broadest reach. You'll find it in Shasta County. For a second option, Sacramento River (Redding) lies 18 mi southeast.

Kokanee fishing at Whiskeytown Lake

In spring, kokanee run shallow here, mostly 10 to 30 ft. Summer pushes them deeper, 30 to 70 ft, and winter fish settle into 20 to 80 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, an inflow / creek mouth at roughly 7 ft, rated prime for fall kokanee. Time it for early morning. You won't need more than a dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn most summer days.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	10 to 30 ft	dawn	Deep basin (212 ft)	Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn
Summer	30 to 70 ft	dawn	Break off the point (78 ft)	Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn
Fall	5 to 40 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon
Winter	20 to 80 ft	dawn	Break off the point (78 ft)	Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon

Rainbow Trout fishing at Whiskeytown Lake

Spring puts rainbow trout in skinny water — 5 to 20 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 8 to 30 ft, wintering in 8 to 40 ft. Spring rainbow trout concentrate at Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 7 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon covers the summer program.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon
Summer	8 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon
Fall	10 to 35 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (14 ft)	Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals
Winter	8 to 40 ft	dawn	Old creek channel (15 ft)	Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white)

Brown Trout fishing at Whiskeytown Lake

Come spring, look for brown trout tight to the bank in 3 to 25 ft. Expect a summer slide to 25 to 60 ft, then a winter hold in 5 to 35 ft. Start at Creek inflow. It's an inflow / creek mouth holding about 7 ft of water and rates prime come spring. Prime time lands in after dark and early morning. A spoon at the thermocline or a deep stickbait (night) is the honest summer answer here.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 25 ft	dawn & dusk	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Stickbait off planer boards (shallow), Small spoon along mud lines
Summer	25 to 60 ft	night & dawn	Main-lake point (41 ft)	Spoon at the thermocline, Deep stickbait (night)
Fall	5 to 30 ft	dusk & dawn	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Jerkbait over gravel, Casting spoon
Winter	5 to 35 ft	dawn	Creek inflow (7 ft)	Jigging spoon, Small stickbait (slow)

Smallmouth Bass fishing at Whiskeytown Lake

Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. Warm water sends them out to 10 to 30 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 45 ft. Top water on the chart: Rock reef, a rock pile in the 7 ft range, prime in spring. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. Throw a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig until the fish tell you otherwise.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	3 to 12 ft	dawn & dusk	Rock reef (7 ft)	Ned rig, Tube jig
Summer	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Rock reef (7 ft)	Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig
Fall	8 to 25 ft	midday & dawn	Secondary point (14 ft)	Jerkbait, Blade bait
Winter	20 to 45 ft	midday	Break off the point (78 ft)	Blade bait, Hair jig

Largemouth Bass fishing at Whiskeytown Lake

The spring pattern is a shallow one: largemouth bass in 2 to 10 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 20 ft before dropping to 15 to 35 ft for winter. The spot to know is Secondary point, a point in about 14 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in fall. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait gets it done.

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	2 to 10 ft	dawn & dusk	Shallow bay flat (2 ft)	Spinnerbait, Chatterbait
Summer	8 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (14 ft)	Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait
Fall	4 to 15 ft	midday & dawn	Secondary point (14 ft)	Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait
Winter	15 to 35 ft	midday	Old creek channel (15 ft)	Blade bait, Jigging spoon

Spotted Bass fishing at Whiskeytown Lake

Spring spotted bass on Whiskeytown Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. By summer they slide out to 15 to 40 ft, and by winter most fish are in 25 to 50 ft. The chart's best answer is Secondary point — point, 14 ft, prime for spring. Prime time lands in early morning and the evening. The summer box starts with a drop shot over brush or an underspin + fluke (schoolers).

Season	Depth	Best window	Start at	Go-to baits
Spring	5 to 20 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (14 ft)	Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head
Summer	15 to 40 ft	dawn & dusk	Shoreline point (24 ft)	Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers)
Fall	10 to 30 ft	dawn & dusk	Secondary point (14 ft)	Walking topwater, Underspin
Winter	25 to 50 ft	midday	Main-lake point (41 ft)	Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon

Notable structure

Structure-wise the chart holds 18 features, led in depth by Deep basin at roughly 212 ft.

Deep basin: deep basin, around 212 ft
Deepest basin: deep basin, around 207 ft
Break off the point: drop-off, around 78 ft
Main-lake point: point, around 41 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 35 ft
Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 27 ft
Shoreline point: point, around 24 ft
Back-bay flat: feeding flat, around 18 ft
Old creek channel: creek channel, around 15 ft
Secondary point: point, around 14 ft
Marina / dock area: dock line, around 12 ft
Dock / pier line: dock line, around 10 ft
Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 7 ft
Rock reef: rock pile, around 7 ft

Public access & boat ramps

Boat launch — ramp
Boat launch — ramp

Access data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) — community-mapped launches. Confirm conditions and fees locally before you launch.

Whiskeytown Lake fishing regulations

Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for California waters are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Whiskeytown Lake specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.

Check the official California fishing regulations →

Common questions

How deep is Whiskeytown Lake?

Whiskeytown Lake is about 232 ft (71 m) deep at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.

What fish are in Whiskeytown Lake?

Anglers target kokanee, rainbow trout, brown trout, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, spotted bass on Whiskeytown Lake.

Where is the best fishing spot on Whiskeytown Lake?

Creek inflow is the top-rated area: an inflow / creek mouth in about 7 ft of water that rates prime for rainbow trout in spring. Every other rated spot, per species and season, is on the map above.

When is the best time to fish Whiskeytown Lake?

For kokanee, the summer bite is best in early morning. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.

What are the fishing regulations for Whiskeytown Lake?

Fishing on Whiskeytown Lake is regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official California regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.

Nearby waters

Sacramento River (Redding) 18 mi · Trinity River 19 mi · Shasta Lake 22 mi · Kangaroo Lake 49 mi · Campbell Lake 69 mi · Silver Lake 75 mi · Lake Almanor 79 mi · Butt Valley Reservoir 81 mi · Klamath River 82 mi · Three Lakes 85 mi · Grizzly Forebay 85 mi · Bucks Lake, Lower 87 mi

See how Whiskeytown Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in California · best smallmouth bass lakes in California · best rainbow trout lakes in California · best brown trout lakes in California

Browse all California fishing maps or see every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. Fish here with a sonar unit that logs? Send us your depth data and we'll improve this chart, credited to you. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.