 Donald Schiltz from Eldorado Hills landed this impressive Rainbow while fishing the west shore with his buddy Michael J. Winter officially starts on December 21st, unofficially is sure hasn’t started here at Lake Almanor yet. The weather has been incredibly mild making conditions ideal for some December trout fishing. Traffic on the lake is lite. The water level remains virtually unchanged with very little fluctuation and currently sits at 4483 or about 11 feet below full pool. Flows on all the lake’s tributaries are just below seasonal norms due to the lack of precipitation. Water temperature is now running in the mid 40’s and trending down. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake feeding on the pond smelt population. Much of the fishing focus has been on the east shore as well as both sides of the peninsula. Some pockets of fish on the west shore have been providing action as well. As in weeks past, and really throughout the year, trout have been caught on a wide variety of offerings recently for the trollers. Slow trolled worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices especially in baitfish patterns. Fast trolled spoons have also connected but with the flat calm conditions, slow is the way to go. The cooler water temps have opened up the entire water column to the fish which now can be caught at all depths from the surface down to 30 feet. The catch is a mixed bag of Rainbows and Browns ranging from small to very large. Smaller aggressive Rainbows provide almost constant action at times and will need to be picked through to get the nicer fish. Remember to release these smaller guys responsibly, they are future big fish. Bait fishermen have been netting some impressive fish from 3 to over 5 pounds, mostly Rainbows, at several locations along the west shore from Prattville to Canyon Dam. Mice tails scented with garlic are out preforming the crawlers this week. Again, the cooler water temps have the fish moving in close. Fly anglers suspending flies under indicators as well as stripping pond smelt imitating flies on sinking lines are continuing to hook fish focused on the forage minnows. Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and should continue to be available throughout the winter subject to access being blocked by snowfall. The USFS west shore ramp north of Prattville, as of today, is currently open but look for this dock to be pulled and ramp to be closed at any time. The forecast is for more of the same, but at some point, you know winter is going to wake up and make things difficult. For now, get out and enjoy these conditions, keep an eye to the weather and be prepared for changes. AFA has three things currently going on I would like to mention.  AFA is engaged in our yearly membership drive. If you haven't already, please consider joining the AFA family and help us further our mission here in the Almanor Basin. Simply click the AFA logo or the button below. Your membership supports Raising Fish for the lake, Veterans Fishing, Youth Fishing, Educational Scholarships and Community Programs.  The Ho;iday Recliner Raffle: This amazing recliner was donated to AFA by the good people at Finds Design and Decor in Chico and has a retail value of over $6,000. The chair is on display in the Plumas Bank branch in Chester. Tickets can be purchased at Plumas Bank or from AFA board members. The drawing will be held on December 19th and some luck person will be taking the chair home for Christmas bow and all.  Project Hambino: In 2024 the Almanor Fishing Association became aware of a development that was affecting our local community, food insecurity. After hearing that demand for food assistance around the Thanksgiving holiday was at an all-time high, we decided to do something about it and Project Hambino was launched. Our idea was to deliver a substantial number of holiday hams to the Almanor Basin Food Pantry for their Christmas food dispersal. There is now a way you can support Project Hambino. If you would like to sponsor one or more holiday hams please Click Here. Together, we can make the holidays a little brighter for our community. Read the full story.
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 In 2024 the Almanor Fishing Association became aware of a development that was not only affecting our local community, but cities, towns and communities across the country, food insecurity. While our small organization may not have the reach to solve problems on the state and national level, we realized we could make a big difference locally in the Almanor Basin. We realized that our towns, their populations, Lake Almanor and the basin are tightly woven together, and it is that combination that makes this area so special. Our local work with the Community Supper program, sponsored by the Almanor Basin Food Pantry, made us keenly aware of the increasing needs and challenges faced by residents and the groups who endeavored to help. After hearing that demand for food assistance around the Thanksgiving holiday was at an all-time high, we decided to do something about it and Project Hambino was launched. Our idea was to deliver a substantial number of holiday hams to the Almanor Basin Food Pantry for their Christmas food dispersal. This delivery would free up some of their funding and would allow them to put those additional resources to use by serving more people and families in the Almanor Basin. In December of 2024, working with Holiday Market in Chester, AFA was able to secure a purchase of 100 hams, totaling just over 1000 pounds, and deliver them to the Almanor Basin Food Pantry ahead of their Christmas food dispersal. Once word got out, AFA was approached by a number of people looking to assist us in pushing our efforts forward. This year we have brought Project Hambino back and created a way you can help. If you would like to sponsor one or more holiday hams please click the button below. Together we can make the holidays a little brighter for our local community.
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