Tuesday November 10, 2026
California Sportfishing Protection Alliance —
As autumn begins, I think about fall-run Chinook salmon and their steelhead cousins swimming close behind. One place I love fly fishing this time of year is the lower Feather River. Most fly fishers refer to this season as “the egg bite,” as salmonids change their diet from aquatic insects to the thousands of loose salmon eggs drifting downstream from spawning activity in redds.
For years, I have been heading to reaches of the lower Feather River between Oroville Dam and the confluence with the lower Sacramento River in Verona. This is a great destination to observe fall-run Chinook salmon activity. During prolific fall runs, this stretch of water can feel like Alaska. From the banks of the river, one can see thousands of Chinook salmon migrating upstream. The fish spawn in the Feather River Fish Hatchery or naturally in the tailouts downstream of the hatchery.