Lake Almanor Fishing Report

From the Lake Almanor Fishing Association
August 5, 2018

Lake level remains unseasonably high and water temps reached 78.5 degrees last week during another week of excessively hot weather. We are currently experiencing a cooling trend, it is 46 degrees this morning as I write this report and our daytime high will be in the low 80” s. A warming trend will return this coming week and temps will creep back into the high 70’s.
Fish are migrating around the lake searching for feed and cooler water. There has been a substantial amount of boat traffic between Big Cove and Rec #1 in water 60 feet deep. Most boats are slow trolling Gulps and crawlers with a mixture of naked/dodgers on size 6 to 8 hooks. Salmon and Rainbows are being caught 35 plus feet down. The bite dies early, and fishing can be tough with long lulls between fish. I have seen some boats fast trolling hardware and I assume they are seeing similar results.

I found a couple of large schools of Pond Smelt yesterday one right off the Plumas Pines marina. The fish I cleaned had a mixture of insects and Pond Smelt in their bellies, the smelt are less than 2 inches long and provide a healthy food source.
Get on the water early, fish slow and deep in 50-60 feet of water and you stand a good chance of getting fish. Start at the A-Frame, Hamilton Branch, Big Springs, Rec #2 or Rocky Point and search for Pond Smelt.

Like most of Northern California we are experiencing a smoky haze with some days worse than others. The Whaleback fire at Eagle Lake has been contained and mop up crews are falling hazardous trees along the roadway. As a fisherman that loves and support’s Eagle Lake and its residents my heart goes out to the communities of Spaulding, Bucks Bay and Stones as they deal with another devastating set back.