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LAKE ALMANOR RAINBOWS & BROWNS
(Chester) “The winter trout bite at Lake Almanor is wide open!” exclaimed Bryan Roccucci of Big Daddy’s Guide Service. “Over the last several days, we have connected with fish on a morning bite that featured double and even triple hook ups.”
The hot action has been near the dam and along the east shore with tons of fish rolling at the surface, stacking up on the sonar and chasing pond smelt from the depths to the surface. The fish are a fat and feisty mix of browns and rainbows ranging from 2 to 4.5 pounds
“Early limits have been the rule. In addition, we have been doing a lot of catch and release fishing just adding up the numbers and enjoying some great fights,” said Roccucci.
There are 3 basic rigs that have been producing fish for Roccucci. These include Arctic Fox tube flies in the Pond Smelt pattern rigged with an action disc, the “Mad Cow” Uncle Larry’s Spinner rigged with a “pony tail” of white or black and white is also producing, and a black and white spoon similar to a Needlefish.
“The common theme here is they all resemble a pond smelt,” he stated. “While there is a ton of surface action, our best bite has been down from 9 to 11 feet on the Cannon Downriggers with the shallower lines at 4 and 6 feet picking up their share including some of the bigger browns.”
The recent mild weather has kept the area roads in good shape and the boat ramp at Canyon Dam is perfect, with both lanes clear and useable.
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Great Places to Fish
The Feather River system is fed by most of the North Sierras. It features salmon runs and a large native trout population. Lake Almanor has trout, largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish and carp. Eagle Lake is home of the Eagle Lake Trout, an alkaline variety that grow so large that a 3 pounder is considered a "so what" catch. Other lakes to consider are Lake Oroville, Bucks Lake, and New Bullards Bar Reservoir. All are productive warm water fisheries. Antelope Lake, Butt Valley Reservoir, and Juniper Lake are good bets for trout. The area is also crossed by many creeks loaded with rainbow and brook trout.
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