American River (Salmon, Steelhead & Shad)
Sacramento · near Sacramento · Gold Country & Central Valley
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Salmon fall · steelhead winter · shad May–June
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required; Steelhead Report Card for steelhead. The lower American, flowing through Sacramento below Nimbus/Folsom, is a prime urban salmon/steelhead/shad fishery. Bank access along the American River Parkway; drift boats too.
What is here
- Features
- Salmon & steelhead through the city · Spring shad run · American River Parkway access · Urban fishery, wild fish
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Fishing detail
- Water type
- river
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Drift · Fly · Bait · Casting
- Boat
- both
- Target species
- King salmon (fall run) · Steelhead (winter) · American shad (spring) · Striped bass
- Intl tip
- License required (Steelhead Report Card for steelhead). Fall salmon, winter steelhead, spring shad (May–June, great beginner action on darts). Bank access all along the American River Parkway; drift boats too. Urban but wild. Combine with Folsom Lake and gold country. Very accessible.
The guide
The lower American River, flowing right through Sacramento below Nimbus and Folsom dams, is a remarkable urban fishery — a wild…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to American River (Salmon, Steelhead & Shad) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.635, -121.326