American River
Yuba River
Feather River

In a word: Fish Superhighway. Okay, that's a couple words, but you get the idea. The mighty Sac is a travel corridor for huge runs of salmon, steelhead, striped bass, sturgeon and shad bound for the spawning grounds of countless tributaries, including all the rivers mentioned above. In addition, the Sacramento River is quite a fish factory itself as all those species also spawn in its upper reaches. King salmon move through virtually all year long (the state record 88 pounder came from here), though the peak months near the town of Sacramento are September, October and November. Hordes of stripers ascend the river in March and April and again in November and December. And, in case you've never heard, the Sac between Balls Ferry and Redding harbors some of the best wild rainbow trout fishing this side of Alaska. Throw in some fine sturgeon and steelhead fishing and it's easy to see why this river is regarded as the marquee stream in all of California.