A HISTORICAL LOOK AT THE ALMANOR FISHING ASSOCIATION
Long before Lake Almanor was created by Canyon Dam, fishing was very popular in and around Big Meadows. The late 1800’s saw people from far and near coming to the Big Meadow Basin to escape the summer heat of the Central Valley and of course to fish the many springs, pools and streams of Big Meadows.

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"avid local fishermen decided to form an association whose goal was to preserve and grow the Lake Almanor fishery"

Volunteers on the fish pen complex. Fish are delivered by CDFW and then distributed into the pens in Hamilton Branch.

​Fast forwarding to the early 1980’s a group of avid local fishermen decided to form an association whose goal was to preserve and grow the Lake Almanor fishery. The Lake Almanor Enhancement Committee was formed. They partnered with the California Fish and Game agency and other concerned groups. It was recognized that while fishing was very popular there was little effort to maintain and increase game fish in the lake. In other words, the lake fish population was declining.

Volunteers wait with the transfer cage for new fish to be delivered by CDFW.

​The committee formed a fish pen rearing program which was started with what might be called home-made floating pens. The program was a success and, in many ways, has changed little over the years. Young fish were provided by California Fish and Game, food purchased by the committee and feeding went on through the winter. Well fed, medium sized fish were released into the lake in the Spring.  Typically, 50,000 to 60,000 fish were raised yearly, no small matter considering winter snows and freezing temperatures greeted feeders some days as the fish were fed. Fish raised over the years varied as to species, originally salmon were selected, later various trout species were being raised and so it is today. To date the Almanor Fishing association has raised and released just over 2 million fish into the waters of Lake Almanor.

Volunteers clear the pens prior to feeding on a snowy morning.

​By the early 1990’s, after some thought, the committee decided a name change was needed, the Almanor Fishing Association came to be. Around 1992 the home-made pens were replaced with durable aluminum pens that are left in the water year-round. Many of those original aluminum pens remained in service through 2020 and beyond but time had taken its toll. The aging pens and their associated dockage, made of wood, required a high level of maintenance each year just to keep them useable. In 2020 the AFA board focused on upgrading the entire fish pen complex. Systematically, each year two cages and their dockage were replaced. The new pens incorporated some innovative designs not seen in earlier versions. The dockage was now constructed out of aluminum framing with weather resistant poly decking for longevity and low maintenance. In 2025 the AFA board decided to step up the timeline, instead of replacing two pens, all four of the remaining pens would be completed, finishing the project a year ahead of schedule, leaving the organization with a modern, low maintenance, state of the art fish rearing complex. 

September 2025 the final four new fish pens were completed and installed.

Over the years, membership has increased, and the legendary summer Founders' BBQ has grown from the early days of perhaps 100 folks to now over 500.  AFA depends solely on donations and fund-raising efforts. This income allows AFA to buy fish food, replace old pens and support our community in many ways. The organization that originally set out to raise fish for the enhancement of the fishery at Lake Almanor has now expanded to include a Scholarship Program to support local graduating high school students as well as Veteran and Youth fishing programs. AFA has also developed a presence locally in the Community and can be found supporting many events including working with the Almanor Basin Food Pantry and their Community Supper and on matters of food insecurity.

Reuben Chavez

Toni and Jim Pleau Julie and Reuben Chavez

​A special thanks to Jim Pleau for his help in writing this article. Jim is one of the founding fathers of the AFA along with Ruben Chavez and Paul Garrido.
 
Steve Fleming, AFA
Bryan Roccucci, AFA