Shasta Lake Fishing
Shasta County, CDFW Northern Region, 29,500 acres.
- 18launches
- 29,500acres
- 1,065 ftelevation
Photo: E mln e, CC BY 4.0
Shasta Lake, the short version
Look for Shasta Lake in Shasta County, a lake in the Northern Region of CDFW. Its listed surface area is 29,500 acres. It sits near 1,065 feet above sea level. From Shasta Lake, the drive covers about 10 miles in a straight line. 4,552,000 acre-feet fit behind Shasta Dam, which blocks Sacramento River.
The Fishing Guide marks black bass, catfish, sunfish and crappie, sturgeon, hatchery trout and adult salmon. The lake has 18 mapped launches on file, 15 of them named. Hatchery trucks visited on 12 weeks from 2025-09-28 to 2026-06-07. CDFW notes restrooms and fuel on site.
Shasta Lake, per CDFW
“Shasta Lake has a fluctuating water level with lots of bare shoreline but some brush and rock outcrops.”
“Boat ramp only at Fenders Ferry site.”
“Marina, bait & tackle, store and resort.”
Quoted from the CDFW Fishing Guide entry for Shasta Lake (source). Checked October 2026.
Launch points on Shasta Lake
- Bridge Bay Resort and Marina2 lanes, 250 trailer spaces, restrooms, US Forest Service
- Digger Bay Marina1 lane, 200 trailer spaces, restrooms, US Forest Service
- Jones Valley Resort1 lane, restrooms, US Forest Service
- Lakeshore Resort, Lakeheadmarina launch, restrooms
- Shasta Lake (Antlers Ramp)boat launch
- Shasta Lake (Bailey Cove Ramp)2 lanes, 60 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Shasta Lake (Centimudi Ramp)4 lanes, 180 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Shasta Lake (Hirz Bay Ramp)2 lanes, 61 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Shasta Lake (Jones Valley Ramp)4 lanes, 150 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Shasta Lake (Packers Bay Ramp)4 lanes, 180 trailer spaces, restrooms, US Forest Service
- Shasta Marina Resort1 lane, 50 trailer spaces, restrooms, US Forest Service
- Shasta Marina at Packers Bay1 lane, 25 trailer spaces, restrooms, US Forest Service
- Silverthorn Resort Associates2 lanes, 125 trailer spaces, restrooms, US Forest Service
- Ski Island Boat-In Campgroundboat launch, free, Shasta-Trinity National Forest
- Sugarloaf Resort1 lane, 200 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Boat launch, Shasta Lakeboat launch
- Boat launch, Shasta Lakeboat launch
- Boat launch, Shasta Lakeboat launch
Put-ins around Shasta Lake
- Whiskey Creek BLFWhiskeytown Lake, 15 miles southwest
Operators behind the Shasta Lake launches: US Forest Service (7) and Shasta-Trinity National Forest (1).
DBW Boating Facilities, USFS recreation sites and OpenStreetMap slipways, checked October 2026.
Water on hand at Shasta Lake
CDEC station SHA (US Bureau of Reclamation), reading dated 2026-10-09. Station page with the live chart.
Species at Shasta Lake
CDFW Fishing Guide species flags; CDFW publishes no fuller species list for most waters.
Hatchery plants at Shasta Lake
| Species | Size | Program | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinook Salmon | Fingerling | Put and Grow | April-June |
| Rainbow Trout | Catchable | Put and Take | March-May & September-November |
| Rainbow Trout | Sub-catchable | Put and Grow | March-May & September-November |
CDFW Fish Planting Schedule and the 2026 Provisional Stocking Document. California trout stocking.
Rules on the water at Shasta Lake
These special rules apply at Shasta Lake on top of the statewide limits.
- In Shasta Lake only golden shiner, red shiner, fathead minnows, mosquitofish and threadfin shad may be used or possessed for use as bait.4.30(b)
| Species | Daily bag | Size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black bass | 5 a day | 12 in minimum | All year |
| Trout | 5 a day | none | All year |
| Striped bass | 2 a day | 18 in minimum | All year except closures in special regulations |
| Sunfish and crappie | 25 a day | none | All year, except closures under district or special regulations |
| Catfish | no limit | none | All year, except closures under special regulations |
| Kokanee and inland salmon | 5 a day | none | All year |
Inland rules at Shasta Lake follow the Sierra District.
CDFW 2026 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations, checked October 2026. All California limits.
Bass events held on Shasta Lake
Results and schedules for Shasta Lake are kept separately.
Sizing up Shasta Lake and its neighbors
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Elevation (ft) | Launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta Lake | 29,500 | 1,065 | 18 | |
| Whiskeytown Lake | 16 miles southwest | 3,250 | 600 | 3 |
| Trinity Lake | 17 miles northwest | 16,400 | 2,300 | 12 |
| Grouse Lake, Trinity County | 18 miles northwest | 8.3 | 5,906 | 0 |
| Highland Lakes, Trinity County | 19 miles north | 7.1 | 5,738 | 0 |
| Clover Creek Pond | 20 miles south | 0 |
Past Shasta Lake
Close-by lakes to Shasta Lake
- Whiskeytown Lake16 miles southwest
- Trinity Lake17 miles northwest
- Grouse Lake, Trinity County18 miles northwest
- Highland Lakes, Trinity County19 miles north
- Clover Creek Pond20 miles south
Gear and bait by Shasta Lake
- Holiday Harbormarina, Lakehead, 5 miles
- Silverthorn Resortmarina, Redding, 9 miles
- Fishen Holebait and tackle shop, Shasta Lake, 10 miles
- Jones Valley Resortmarina, Redding, 11 miles
- Shasta Takcle Cobait and tackle shop, Redding, 11 miles
- Hidden Valley Marketbait and tackle shop, Redding, 11 miles
CDFW agents close to Shasta Lake
- Lakehead Gas & Foodlicense agent, 4 miles
- Lakeshore Villa Marketlicense agent, 4 miles
- Phil's Propeller Servicelicense agent, 12 miles
Places to base near Shasta Lake
- Lakehead5 miles
- Shasta Lake10 miles
- Redding18 miles
Shasta Lake county by county
- Shasta Countyseat: Redding
Shasta Lake questions, answered briefly
How do I map a route to Shasta Lake?
Look in Shasta County, about 10 miles from Shasta Lake.
Is Shasta Lake a large lake?
29,500 acres on the CDFW entry.
Will Shasta Lake take a trailered boat?
Records show 18 launches, such as Sugarloaf Resort.
What should I target at Shasta Lake?
CDFW flags black bass, catfish, sunfish and crappie, sturgeon, hatchery trout and adult salmon.
Is Shasta Lake planted with trout?
The newest plant week was 2026-06-07 (12 in all).
Is Shasta Lake catch and release?
In Shasta Lake only golden shiner, red shiner, fathead minnows, mosquitofish and threadfin shad may be used or possessed for use as bait.
Which license covers Shasta Lake?
The resident license runs $64.54, good for 365 days.
Does a station track the level of Shasta Lake?
The level box above shows the latest reading from CDEC.
Is a tackle counter close to Shasta Lake?
Holiday Harbor, about 5 miles from the water.
Try Shasta Lake this season
License prices and every statewide limit sit on one page.