Peirce: Feather still at 7,000 cfs, Eagle Lake trout on top, Almanor bass on topwater

September is still the north-state salmon month, with a trout-and-bass side story. In his Sept. 11 Union column, Denis Peirce says the Sacramento and Feather have good flows and fresh fish. The Feather has come off 8,900 cfs a month ago to about 7,000 cfs; Oroville has dropped about 40 feet to 778 feet this week. Water near Gridley runs 60–63°F through the day.

He calls the Feather the better local bet. Bank access in the Oroville Wildlife Area is brushy at these flows. Guide Justin Leonard has been above Gridley, well below the Afterbay Hole — trolling mornings, dragging roe after 10 a.m. Knights Landing through Verona toward Sac Metro is producing, not red-hot, with the combined rivers below Verona at 17,300 cfs.

The same cold front that wet the coast knocked Eagle Lake’s top 5 feet down about 3 degrees; Val Aubrey has been trolling spoons and Jay Fair flies just under the surface on the east side. Lake Almanor dropped from 74 to 64°F in two weeks. Guide Mark Pilgrim says the September/October topwater bass bite has begun as pond smelt move toward shore.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: The Union — Denis Peirce: September Salmon Fishing (Sept. 11, 2026).