Lake Almanor Fishing Report (Fall Bass Edition)

I have been getting a few questions as to what is going on with the bass bite currently at Lake Almanor, so I reached out to local pro Mark Pilgrim to get his take on it.

Well, here we are fully into fall which feels like early winter. As Amazing the trout bite has been on Lake Almanor, I would like to tell you the Bass bite has been the same.
Early October we had a little cold front that pushed the feeding bass out into deeper cooler waters just as it does every November. I don’t know if all of the apples on my tree are trying to tell me something, but I feel that we are three to four weeks ahead of our normal cycle for 2025 and the Bass are following suit. They have transitioned to wintertime feeding and are focusing more on crawdads and less on the bait.
It’s tough to find schools of bass right now with the thousands of 12” trout covering the surface, but if you look at offshore structure (island tops, rock piles) you will definitely find active feeding bass getting ready for winter.
Best baits to throw right now, the dreaded drop shot, jigs and spoons! As I have said in the past, when you catch a bass in 15-25 feet of water don’t just move on, these fish are grouped up tight and will feed together in late fall. If you catch one you will catch several!
The water temperatures have dropped into the 50’s now and the bass are getting fat, If you can find some, they are very strong and super fun to catch.
Have an amazing time fishing Almanor, please feel free to follow my socials or send a message if you would like to book a trip next spring.

Thank you,
Mark Pilgrim
www.markpilgrimproangler.com
[email protected]
530-249-3810

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