Lake Almanor Fishing Report 6/25/26

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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