 The outstanding trout fishing continues here at Lake Almanor along with some pretty nice weather. The lake level has seen little change in the last week and it currently sits at 4491.3 or a little more than 2.5 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries have slowed. Hamilton Branch is running mostly green and very fishable. Remember when fishing Hamilton or any other location, pack out what you pack in. Water temperature is now running in the low 70’s. The trout are scattered throughout the lake, most of the fish are keenly focused on the variety of aquatic bugs as a food source as the hatches continue. Red Bank and north and south of Bailey Creek have provided some solid action for trollers, bait soakers and fly anglers. The fish can access the bugs at any level and are currently being caught from the bottom all the way to the surface in many locations. Fly anglers are on the fish running nymphs under indicators close to the bottom for a nice mix of quality Bows and Browns and an occasional smallmouth. The Hex flies are popping at usual locations along the west shore, east shore and the peninsula. The Hex hatch seems to be strong this year, and fly anglers are taking advantage of it. Stories are being written each night of some beautiful fish being landed and some being lost. Trollers are focusing their attention from the surface to 30 feet with a variety of offerings and techniques to temp fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices. The catch continues to be mixed bag of Bows and Browns in all size classes along with an occasional salmon. Bait anglers are also seeing success during the mornings and evenings along the west shore from Canyon Dam all the way to Almanor West. Crawlers, Meal Worms and of course the “Almanor Cocktail” are the preferred offerings fished close to the bottom. The Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and useable, the west shore USFS ramp has the dock in and is open. This stretch of warm weather looks to be coming to an end, with cooler temps and some wind on the way. Good luck to all the Veterans and Captains joining us here at the lake for this year’s AFA Veteran’s Fishing Day. Coming up this Saturday the 27th.
A note about the AFA Veterans Fishing Event: This is a pre-registration event, the deadline to sign up for this year's event was June 14. This year's event has been filled, sign-ups for next year's AFA Veteran's Fishing Day will begin in February 2027 at AlmanorFishingAssociation.org
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 The outstanding trout fishing continues here at Lake Almanor along with some pretty nice weather. The lake level has seen little change in the last week, and it currently sits at 4491.5 or 2.5 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries have slowed. Hamilton Branch is running mostly green and very fishable. Remember when fishing Hamilton or any other location, pack out what you pack in. Water temperature is now running in the low to mid 60’s depending on time and location. The trout are active all over the lake. The dam, east shore, west shore and the peninsula are all giving up fish. Most of the fish are keenly focused on the variety of aquatic bugs as a food source as the hatches continue to happen all over the lake.
The fish can access the bugs at any level and are currently being caught from the bottom all the way to the surface in many locations. Fly anglers are on the fish running nymphs under indicators close to the bottom for a nice mix of quality Bows and Browns and an occasional smallmouth. A few Hex fly sightings have been reported along the lake’s west shore, a tell-tale sign of things to come. Trollers are focusing their attention from the surface to 30 feet with a variety of offerings and techniques to temp fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices. The hardware bite continues to put smiles on faces and fish in the boat. Spoons, mostly in the brighter patterns featuring reds, yellows and oranges, run fast in the top 20 feet have been providing impressive action. The catch continues to be mixed bag of Browns and Bows in all size classes along with an occasional salmon. All the salmon reported recently are good quality running 24 inches and up. The Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and useable, the west shore USFS ramp has the dock in and is open. The weatherman says we might have a chance at a few showers early next so as usual keep an eye on the conditions. Stay tuned for some Smallmouth updates.  Carmen shows off beautiful Brown prior to release. Bugs, bugs, more bugs, beautiful weather and red-hot fishing have been dominating the landscape of Lake Almanor. The lake level continues to slowly rise it currently sits just over 4491 or about 2.5 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries have slowed. Hamilton Branch is running mostly green and very fishable. Remember when fishing Hamilton or any other location, pack out what you pack in. Also remember to fish only at the lake’s surface elevation as the Almanor tributaries are closed until the Saturday preceding Memorial Day. Water temperature is now running in the upper 50’s to low 60's depending on time and location. The trout are active all over the lake. The dam, east shore, west shore and the peninsula are all giving up fish. While some fish continue to feed on pond smelt many have switched to the aquatic bug diet, and why not, it is easy pickings for them right now as hatches have erupted all over the lake. The fish can access the bugs at any level and are currently being caught from the bottom all the way to the surface in many locations. Fly anglers are on the fish running nymphs under indicators close to the bottom for a nice mix of quality Bows and Browns and an occasional smallmouth. Trollers are focusing their attention from the surface to 30 feet with a variety of offerings and techniques to temp fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices. With the elevated insect activity also comes the hardware bite. Spoons, mostly in the brighter patterns featuring reds and oranges, run fast in the top 20 feet have been providing impressive action. The catch continues to be mixed bag of Browns and Bows in all size classes. The bass are in spring mode with many still being found on their beds. The pleasant weather has brought many of the lake's seasonal residents back for the year bringing an uptick in boat traffic out on the water. The Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and useable, the west shore USFS ramp remains closed for logging operations. Docks are beginning to fill in Big Cove and Plumas Pines is reporting at least a portion of their docks in at the marina along with the courtesy dock at the restaurant. The weather outlook for the next 10 days looks positive, a little wind mid-week but mostly stable conditions pushing through the middle of this month.
 Jacob from Redwood City hit the water with his friends for some solid trout action. Basic spring conditions have dominated the Almanor basin in recent weeks. Mostly pleasant weather with an occasional rain shower or dusting of snow. The lake level continues to slowly rise it currently sits just over 4490 or 3.5 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries have fluctuated in recent weeks as short but sometimes intense precipitation has hit the area. Hamilton Branch is running mostly green but has seen short lived pushes of muddy water when the flows become elevated. Remember when fishing Hamilton or any other location, pack out what you pack in. Water temperature is now running in the high 40’s to low 50’s depending on time and location. The trout are active all over the lake. The dam, east shore, west shore and the peninsula are all giving up fish. The fish in Almanor have it good, multiple abundant food sources are currently available, making it easy for them to load up. Pond Smelt continue to get chewed on but aquatic bug hatches all over the lake are attracting lots of attention from the trout and some fly fisherman. Running nymphs under indicators close to the bottom are fooling trout as well as Smallmouth for the fly guys. Trollers are focusing their attention from the surface to 30 feet with a variety of offerings and techniques to temp fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices. Running flies and Rapalas faster also brought fish to the net over the last week. With the elevated insect activity also comes the hardware bite. Spoons, mostly in the brighter patterns featuring reds and oranges, run fast in the top 20 feet have been providing impressive action. The catch continues to be mixed bag of Browns and Bows in all size classes. The coves of the west shore are providing shore anglers with some action. The top bait offerings continue to be crawlers and mice tails, jigs and spoons thrown from shore have also been getting hit for a catch made up of mostly Rainbows and an occasional Brown. The bass are in spring mode bringing more bass anglers to the lake as evidenced by the substantial increase in bass boat traffic out on the water and several weekend tournaments. The Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and useable, the west shore USFS ramp remains closed. Some unsettled weather is expected for the next few days before we return to warmer mild spring conditions.
 The calendar says spring, but the weather says summer. Beautiful sunrises, warm temperatures, bright sunny skies and light winds and a great bite have dominated the Almanor Basin. The lake level continues to slowly rise it currently sits at 4489 or 5 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries are still elevated but lack of recent precipitation has them on the decline. Hamilton Branch has cleared significantly and is running green as PGE has installed boards at the Mountain Meadows dam upstream. Remember when fishing Hamilton or any other location, pack out what you pack in. Water temperature is now running in the low to mid 50’s depending on time and location some days ending up in the high 50’s due to unseasonably warm weather and almost zero wind. The trout are on the grab all over the lake. The dam, east shore, west shore and the peninsula are all giving up fish. The lake’s population of pond smelt continues to be the primary food source, however the warm conditions have kicked off some of the early aquatic bug hatches bringing a second course to the table. Trollers are focusing their attention from the surface to 20 feet with a variety of offerings and techniques to temp fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices especially in baitfish patterns. Running flies and Rapalas faster also brought fish to the net over the last week. The catch is a mixed bag of Browns than Bows ranging from small to very large. The coves of the west shore are providing shore anglers with some action. The top bait offerings continue to be crawlers and mice tails for a catch made up of mostly Rainbows and an occasional Brown. Recent activity has a slight edge to crawlers with garlic scent. The bass are beginning to get active, and the warmer temps have some moving to the shallows. The Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and useable. The outlook calls for a slight cool down over the next few days, but temperatures will remain above average. Signups continue for this year's Veteran's Fishing Day event. See the flyer below, Click Here to register.   The last significant storms brought low snow then higher elevation rain causing a large amount of runoff, bringing the lake level up about two feet in the last two weeks, it currently sits at 4488.25 or a little less than 6 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries are elevated due to snow melt; most have cleared but Hamilton Branch is still running extremely muddy bringing plenty of brown water into the lake. Areas from the mouth of Hamilton Branch all the way to the tip of the peninsula are impacted by this heavily stained water. (see the picture included with this report) Water temperature is now running in the low to mid 40’s depending on time and location. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake feeding on the pond smelt population. The east shore, from the dam to Hamilton Branch along with various spots along the west shore have been providing action for trollers. It has been a mixed bag of slow and fast trolling that has been yielding fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices especially in baitfish patterns. Running flies and Rapalas faster also brought fish to the net over the last week. Recent outings have shown results with baits trolled in the top 20 feet of the water column. The catch is a mixed bag of Browns than Bows ranging from small to very large. Some pockets between the dam and Lake Cove were kicking out good numbers of salmon from 13 to 17 inches. The coves of the west shore are providing shore anglers with some action. The top bait offerings continue to be crawlers and mice tails for a catch made up of mostly Rainbows and an occasional Brown. The Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and should continue to be available subject to access being blocked by snowfall. In spite of recent cells that brought brief heavy downpours, wind, hail and lightning to the basin, the weather man indicates that we are entering a warming trend with more stable conditions which should only improve the bite here at the lake.
 Morning clouds foreshadow the incoming storm. The mild weather has had anglers out hooking fish. Following a small rise in the lake level since the beginning of the year the level has dropped slightly and currently sits at 4486.25, about 8 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries had dropped but are sure to see an increase due to the current weather which brought rain and snow to the basin. Water temperature is now running in the low 40’s. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake feeding on the pond smelt population. The east shore along with the peninsula have been providing action for trollers. It has been a mixed bag of slow and fast trolling that has been yielding fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices especially in baitfish patterns. Running flies and Rapalas faster also brought fish to the net over the last week. Recent outings have shown results with baits trolled in the 10-20 foot range with a few fish being seen at the surface and a few deeper at 25-30 feet. The catch is a mixed bag with more Browns than Bows ranging from small to large. The coves of the west shore are providing shore anglers with some action. The top bait offerings continue to be crawlers and mice tails for a catch made up of mostly Rainbows and an occasional Brown. Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and should continue to be available throughout the winter subject to access being blocked by snowfall. The dock has been pulled at the USFS west shore ramp north of Prattville and the ramp is closed. It looks like winter has finally arrived here at Lake Almanor. More storms are lining up and set to bring much needed rain and snow to the mountains. Stay tuned, pick your days carefully and be prepared for rapidly changing weather.
 A few hearty anglers have been getting out between storms but traffic on the lake is very lite. The water level is on the rise thanks to recent winter storms. Since the beginning of the new year the level has risen just over a foot and currently sits at 4487.25 just under 7 feet below full pool. Flows on all the lake’s tributaries are high and fast carrying silt and debris into the lake. Water temperature is now running in the low 40’s and trending down with the colder air temps. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake feeding on the pond smelt population. Not a lot of information is currently available, but fish have been caught by trollers from the dam to Prattville along the west shore and from the dam along the east shore. Watch for water clarity issues as you get closer to Hamilton Branch. Of course there are always a multitude of ways to catch fish, but this time of year, and with these conditions, most trollers agree that going slow is in your best interest. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices especially in baitfish patterns. The cooler water temps have opened up the entire water column to the fish which now can be caught at all depths. Recent outings have shown results with baits trolled in the 10-to-20-foot range with a few fish being seen at the surface. The catch is a mixed bag of Rainbows and Browns ranging from small to large. Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and should continue to be available throughout the winter subject to access being blocked by snowfall. The dock has been pulled at the USFS west shore ramp north of Prattville, leaving Canyon Dam as the only public access boat ramp with a dock. It looks like we are headed into an extended period of nice weather giving you a chance to head out to the lake. Stay tuned, we will bring you more information as it becomes available.
 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.
 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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