Sac River Barge Hole Gravel Bar

I was looking at Google maps noticed a gravel bar with several vehicles parked on river, some with boat trailers, place called Barge Hole Gravel Bar north of Red Bluff, anyone know anything about it? Looks like good place to launch?

Not the best one to ask about the barge hole but I'll give it a shot. In the fall when the salmon are running stay away from their, it's a zoo. You can launch up stream from there and float through but coming up and floating through redding is more fun. The water is a little warmer down there so more bass less trout. What are you looking to fish for?

Not the best one to ask about the barge hole but I'll give it a shot. In the fall when the salmon are running stay away from their, it's a zoo. You can launch up stream from there and float through but coming up and floating through redding is more fun. The water is a little warmer down there so more bass less trout. What are you looking to fish for?

Someone mentioned to me salmon, trout and bass around there, mentioned striper also but seems very far up river for that.

Satellite image on Google shows 15 vehicles parked there fishing, guess it is a zoo.

Not the best one to ask about the barge hole but I'll give it a shot. In the fall when the salmon are running stay away from their, it's a zoo. You can launch up stream from there and float through but coming up and floating through redding is more fun. The water is a little warmer down there so more bass less trout. What are you looking to fish for?

Someone mentioned to me salmon, trout and bass around there, mentioned striper also but seems very far up river for that.

Satellite image on Google shows 15 vehicles parked there fishing, guess it is a zoo.

I've only been there a couple times, but it was outside of salmon season.  It'd be an easy place to launch.  I know some people who fish for salmon at that gravel bar.  According to them, it's a big ole Flossing Festival down there in the fall.  I've caught some nice trout in that stretch throwing Panther Martin spinners.

I know the stretch pretty well, it's actually some of my favorite water.  Not quite as swift as up here in Redding which makes it easier to yak fish.  Excellent trout fishing, better shot at steelies (they make there way up to Coleman, up Battle Creek), and legit salmon action if you care to deal with the crowds.  Once the salmon split, so does 99% of the boat traffic.  But the rainbows will still be there. 

As far as the gravel bar itself during the peak run it's a mess that I avoid, flossing city. The pic below of all the rigs on the bar was taken late September, peak of the flossing madness.  The pic of the boats packed in is actually at the Barge Hole (mouth of Battle Creek, about 1/4 mile upstream of the Gravel Bar).  Last shot is the kind of quality bows this stretch holds.

For this float we typically launch at Roosters Landing and take out at the Jellys Ferry Bridge, probably a 10-mile float or so with the Gravel Bar being about 1/2 way.

I want to do that trip this year, wait for a good caddis hatch!!!!!!
Jeff

I want to do that trip this year, wait for a good caddis hatch!!!!!!
Jeff

You got it amigo!  I'd love to get out there right now, river is looking PRIME!

Don't forget me... , heard they upped the flows to send water down the ACID ?, but have not checked yet.

Don't forget me... , heard they upped the flows to send water down the ACID ?, but have not checked yet.

Thanks everyone for the info, I just heard yesterday that East Bay Municipal Utility District down here in Bay area purchased water for the first time out of Sac river ($8 million worth) to fill there two reservoirs with drinking water, may be why the increase in flow???

Looks like it went up out of Keswick just a little for a few days from 3.7K to 4.3 K CFS but it looks like it's coming back down and is around 4.1K now. Never seen it this low in the spring.

The trout are starting to spawn so personally I stay out of Posse area and let them do their thing. Red Bluff area is great if you're looking for trout, few people, pretty good access and lots of fish.

At these flows, fishing has been excellent if you can read water and know what you're doing.

Don't forget me... , heard they upped the flows to send water down the ACID ?, but have not checked yet.

Of course I couldn't forget the FishEducator, you're always in!  ACID canals are full so that's probably the bump in flows, with the summer flows typically starting right about Memorial Day weekend.  I'd love to get out right now and put in a full day, but don't see that happening...too many other options!

Sounds like you are interested in a multi species area. Try Los Molinos. Launch just west of Mike's bar 99 at the park. All your salmonids are there along with striper, shad, lmouth, smallmouth, the ever increasing spotted bass, catfish and sturgeon ( which if i remember correctly, cannot be fished for or kept that far north). All species are there in season and there is deep holes, wing dams, riffles and runs.

Fishing looked so good on the North Sacramento river, calling it quits in the bay area, just closed escrow on a home up that way look forward to fishing with you guys. 

Fishing looked so good on the North Sacramento river, calling it quits in the bay area, just closed escrow on a home up that way look forward to fishing with you guys.

So where are you moving to?

Lake California