Napa Valley Fishing 2025

Immerse yourself in beautiful nature, spending a day on the water with a fishing rod in Napa Valley. The area boasts several great fishing spots. Putah Creek is perhaps the most famous out of all of them due to its large trout, which attracts anglers from all over California. The fishing season on Putah Creek lasts from the last Saturday of April until mid-November, with a break for the spawning season during the winter.

Putah Creek falls into Lake Berryessa, which is another good fishing destination, ranked among top 10 Best Bass Fishing Lakes on the West Coast by Bassmaster. The largest reservoir in Napa County, Lake Berryessa covers 20,700 acres (8,400 ha) and is rich with largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, kokanee salmon, and several trout species.

Lake Hennessey is smaller and less crowded than lake Berryessa. Located near Yountville, it covers 790 acres. Fish species in the lake include bluegill, black bullhead, brown and rainbow trout, salmon, catfish, and several bass species.

The Napa River is the main water artery of the Napa Valley, stretching for 55 miles (88 km). The fly fishing season for striped bass on the river generally runs from late spring into fall. Large striped bass species can weigh as much as 10 lbs (4.5 kg). This kind of big fish is often caught later in the season, in mid-November. Winter or early spring is not a good time to fish on the Napa River because of rains that result in high muddy waters.