Al Brown's Guide Service

Your Northern California Fishing Guide

Al Brown enjoys taking people fishing and sharing the great outdoors with them. Al Brown provides guided fishing trips on the Sacramento River for Salmon, Wild Rainbow Trout, Steelhead, Stripers, Shad and Stugeons from Redding to Colusa. All Tackle and bait included.
For more info or to book a trip call 530-357-2667

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Trout

The Sacramento River from Redding to Red Bluff is premier trout fishing water and is well known as one of the greatest trout fishing areas the world over. This river produces trophy wild Rainbow Trout ranging in size from ½ to 5pounds with an occasional 10 pounder bending your rod. In a single outing it is possible to catch and release up to 30 trout using ultralight gear with live bait, flies, or plugs. The techniques I use make trout fishing easy and rewarding for the beginner fisherman to the experienced angler. Trout Season is open year-round, however we begin fishing in February with prime fishing continuing through November with our largest fish being caught in late August through November.

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Salmon

The Sacramento River contains the largest run of Chinook King Salmon on the West Coast with the area between Redding and Corning having the most productive Salmon fishing. The King Salmon is the largest of the Pacific Salmon. The average weight for the King Salmon found in the Sacramento River is between 10 and 25 pounds, although 30 and 40 pounds are not uncommon. The Sacramento River record of 88 pounds was caught right here in Red Bluff. You will catch these King Salmon back trolling Flatfish with a sardine wrap, side drifting bait, or back bouncing roe.

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Steelhead

Steelhead are andronomous fish that follow the spawning Salmon run up the Sacramento River and then return to the ocean. These fish can be caught during two runs.  The spring run, which begins in April and ends in July, or the fall run, which starts in September and ends in December. The limit for Steelhead is one hatchery fish per person but we prefer to practice catch and release with many wild fish being caught. To catch these fish we use ultralight gear with live bait, flies, or plugs. Steelhead range in size from 1 to 6 pounds but have been known to reach 15 pounds.

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Shad

The American Shad were planted from East Coast stock and now return to the Sacramento River by the thousands in order to spawn. These fish range from 2 to 7 pounds in size. We fish for shad from an anchored boat, casting and retrieving grubs with ultra light fishing tackle. Getting into a school of these Shad is guaranteed to provide you with a memorable experience. The fighting strength of these fish can test the stamina of any fisherman and are great for beginners.

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Stripers

There were originally no striped bass in California. They were introduced from the East Coast, where they are found from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to Alabama. The initial introduction took place in 1879, when 132 small bass were brought successfully to California by rail from the Navesink River in New Jersey and released near Martinez. Fish from this lot were caught within a year near Sausalito, Alameda, and Monterey, and others were caught occasionally at scattered places for several years afterwards. There was much concern by the Fish and Game Commission that such a small number of bass might fail to establish the species, so a second introduction of about 300 stripers was made in lower Suisun Bay in 1882.

In a few years, striped bass were being caught in California in large numbers. By 1889, a decade after the first lot of eastern fish had been released, bass were being sold in San Francisco markets. In another 10 years, the commercial net catch alone was averaging well over a million pounds a year. In 1935, however, all commercial fishing for striped bass was stopped in the belief that this would enhance the sport fishery.

Stripers spawn in water 61-69 degrees from April thru mid-June. About one third of the spawning takes place in the San Joaquin River between the Antioch Bridge & the mouth of Middle River. The other two thirds spawn in the Sacramento River between Sacramento & Colusa. These rivers are critical to the spawn.

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White Sturgeon

White sturgeon are anadromous fish that spend most of their lives within an estuary, usually returning to freshwater only to spawn. White sturgeon have been found in some cases to travel hundreds of kilometers to other estuaries and river systems. Most food is taken from the bottom of the estuary where the sturgeon may pick up clams, crabs, and shrimp. Larger sturgeon begin to feed on other fish such as anchovies, starry flounder, smelt and striped bass. The sturgeon begin migrating in streams during winter, with large peak flows triggering the spawning between February and early June. The optimal water temperature for spawning falls in the range of 8-19°C. White sturgeons have a long life span that may have exceeded 100 years historically.