The mild weather has had anglers out hooking fish. Following a small rise in the lake level since the beginning of the year the level has dropped slightly and currently sits at 4486.25, about 8 feet below full pool. Flows on the tributaries had dropped but are sure to see an increase due to the current weather which brought rain and snow to the basin. Water temperature is now running in the low 40’s. The trout are spread throughout the entire lake feeding on the pond smelt population. The east shore along with the peninsula have been providing action for trollers. It has been a mixed bag of slow and fast trolling that has been yielding fish. Slow trolled (1.5 mph or less) worms, plastics and trolling flies are all solid choices especially in baitfish patterns. Running flies and Rapalas faster also brought fish to the net over the last week. Recent outings have shown results with baits trolled in the 10-20 foot range with a few fish being seen at the surface and a few deeper at 25-30 feet. The catch is a mixed bag with more Browns than Bows ranging from small to large. The coves of the west shore are providing shore anglers with some action. The top bait offerings continue to be crawlers and mice tails for a catch made up of mostly Rainbows and an occasional Brown. Canyon Dam boat ramp is open and should continue to be available throughout the winter subject to access being blocked by snowfall. The dock has been pulled at the USFS west shore ramp north of Prattville and the ramp is closed. It looks like winter has finally arrived here at Lake Almanor. More storms are lining up and set to bring much needed rain and snow to the mountains. Stay tuned, pick your days carefully and be prepared for rapidly changing weather.
