Shasta Lake Jig Fishing
Jigs for all four seasons

By Howard Hughes
Shasta Lake Fishing Guide 2004

Jigs are lead headed hooks with rubber or silicon skirts, usually fished with plastic or pork trailers, Jigs are crawdad imitations and work well on Shasta Lake because the bass love crawdads.

Bass are always changing their feeding habits based on weather, water color and seasons.

In the winter when the lake is rising and the water is starting to get some color, bass tent to run to the shore and feed aggressively. That is when they run up on flats, or long sloping points. My favorite jig in this situation is a Rodstrainer 3/4-oz or 1-oz football head jig with a brown skirt, using a Yamamoto 5” double tail Hula Grub in brown or green colors as a trailer. I move in fairly fast and keep it moving with short stops. If I determine they are a little deeper, I like to drag it at a particular depth about 25 ft to 35 ft.

These particular presentations are excellent in the lower Sacramento, McCloud and main body. I do not recommend them in the Pit River arm or upper Sacramento River arm. When I fish the Pit River or areas with a lot of wood, I use a 3/8-oz or 1/2-oz Arkie Head jig with a fiber weed guard. My favorite is a Rodstrainer 3/8-oz brown super pig and jig with a brown 3x1 super pork frog as a trailer. A lot of bass fishermen use a double or single tail Yamamoto grub as a jig trailer.

Winter and Spring

Late winter and early Spring I go to the 3/8-oz or 1/2-oz almost exclusively, slow swimming it. A lot of bass hit it on the fall this time of year. That is why I like the lighter weight jigs. I will not even rule out 1/4-oz jigs. During this period, I fish the jig on steeper points and outside bends in river and creek channels.

Late Spring

Late spring is of course spawning time and the bass are back in the coves and flats. Jigs work great on beds.

Summer

Summer on Shasta is a bit warm and I am back to dragging 3/4-oz or 1-oz jigs in 25-ft to 35-ft of water.

Fall

In the Fall I like to fish 3/4-oz or 1-oz jigs again on steeper banks and points with rocks. These are a few examples of the ways to use jigs to catch bass on beautiful Lake Shasta.

Have a great time.
See you on the water.

-Howard Hughes