Delta Fly Fishers, Inc.

Almanor Fishing Report 11/9/20 Yesterday the Lake Almanor basin received our first bout of measurable snow for the 2020/21 season. It is 14 degrees this morning... and the forecast is calling for 11 degrees the next few days with more precip headed our way beginning Thursday. It is the time of year to check the forecast if headed to the mountains, carry chains and have an emergency kit available when traveling. Lassen is covered with snow and absolutely spectacular for the first time in months. Lake level continues to drop and there seems to be new navigational hazards popping up daily. There was a boat this past week that ran aground off the peninsula, exercise extreme caution while under power. Fishing was good this past week; we caught fish slow trolling gulps while other boats were having success fast trolling hardware. Find bait and you will find fish, you can see pond smelt boiling on the surface as fish are chasing them from below. Anything that imitates a pond smelt will work: Arctic Fox trolling flies at 1.5-2 mph (keep the fly moving or use a wiggle disc, I prefer to work the rod with a color or two of lead core), cop car pattern hardware at 2.5-3 mph or gulps at 1 will all work, change methods as winds dictate. We fished from the tip of the peninsula north in water from 15-30’ deep with 15’ on the wire the top producer. Fish are scattered throughout the lake with reports of fish caught along the East Shore, Hamilton Branch and off Prattville. Activity around the coves has increased with both bank and fly fishermen picking up fish. The larger fish haven’t moved into the coves yet they should do so soon if we continue to receive winter type storms. Boat traffic has decreased significantly as water temps dropped into the low 50’s. We continue to experience an algal bloom and visibility is between 5-8’ throughout most of the lake. This cold weather should put an end to the bloom. There are no road closures while traveling to Almanor and the canyon dam boat ramp remains the only useable public ramp. With the low water and cold temps the ramps can be treacherous with ice forming from water dripping off trailers, four wheel drives and caution are recommended when launching. See more

The Pleasanton 2021 Show is still scheduled as of yesterday...