Lake Almanor Fishing Report 8/5/25

Pleasant summertime conditions have made for some great fishing out on Lake Almanor. Below average temps and an occasional thunder shower have been the weather headlines as of late. The water level continues its slow decline currently sitting at 4488.4 A drop of about a foot in the last several weeks. Flows on all the lake’s tributaries are at seasonal norms. Water temperatures are currently running in the low 70’s ticking up into the mid 70’s during the days. Bug hatches continue in many areas of the lake, even a few hearty Hex Flies continue to pop at various locations around the lake, with fish in those areas still keying in on them as evidenced by the stomach contents of several Rainbows. Some fish including trout and Smallies have shifted their attention back to the lake’s pond smelt population. The trout are now widely spread throughout the entire lake. Action for trollers is happening at many locations around the lake, from the dam to Big Springs as well as the area around the mouth of Hamilton Branch. Both sides of the peninsula have also been giving up fish as are the deeper pockets of the west shore like Rocky Point giving anglers plenty of locations to visit. Trout have been caught on a wide variety of offerings recently. Slow trolled worms and plastics along with fast trolled spoons in bright as well as bait fish patterns have both produced fish this week. 35 to 45 feet seems to be holding the bulk of the active fish. The catch continues to be a mix Rainbows and Browns along with a few salmon. Bait fishermen have been netting a few fish at several locations including the dam and east shore. Suspended baits like worms, crickets and meal worms close to the bottom will get the job done. Fly anglers suspending nymphs under indicators are tempting the fish that are keyed in on the aquatic larvae. Bass anglers have been throwing jigs on rocky points and shorelines for smallies keyed in on smelt as their food source. Lots of trout stacked up in Hamilton Branch. Shore anglers are connecting with some, but timing is everything and the bite can be fickle. The weatherman is calling for a bit of a warming trend but nothing drastic and conditions should stay conducive to maintain the classic summertime fishing.

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