Russian River (Steelhead)
Sonoma County · near Healdsburg / Guerneville · North Coast
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Steelhead Dec–Mar · smallmouth summer · shad spring
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+) required; Steelhead Report Card for steelhead. The Russian, flowing through Sonoma wine country to the sea at Jenner, offers winter steelhead and a fun summer smallmouth bass fishery. Regulations vary by section — check current rules.
What is here
- Features
- Wine-country steelhead river · Fun summer smallmouth bass · Fall salmon & spring shad · Accessible & scenic
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Fishing detail
- Water type
- river
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Drift · Fly · Bait
- Boat
- both
- Target species
- Steelhead (winter) · King salmon (fall) · Smallmouth bass (summer) · Shad
- Intl tip
- License required (Steelhead Report Card for steelhead). Winter steelhead (Dec–Mar, flow-dependent); the underrated SUMMER smallmouth bass fishing is fun and beginner-friendly (wade and cast small lures/flies). Regs vary by section. Combine with Sonoma wine country and the coast at Jenner. Very accessible.
The guide
The Russian River winds through the heart of Sonoma wine country before reaching the sea at Jenner, offering a surprisingly var…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Russian River (Steelhead) — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 38.509, -122.92