What a fall season it has been at Eagle Lake. Fly fishing or fly trolling the bite is on, and as you can see from the pictures below the fish have plenty to eat this year. The lake level is still low but much better than several years ago, and fishing fantastic the last two fall seasons. With a larger than average population of Tui Chubs in the lake, the trout haven't had to push into the shallows hard for food yet. Many of the fish we have landed this year have been out over the deeper open water but still close to the surface. The weather has been relatively mild for this time of year, which also might also be a factor in the trout still holding over deeper water. It has really been a pleasure running trips at Eagle Lake this fall and the customers have been pretty pleased with both the quality and the quantity of these hard charging, rod doubling rainbows. The Eagle Lake Rainbow is also on the list for people undertaking the California Heritage Trout Challenge, this fall season we have checked the box for a number of happy customers. Be sure to watch the video below to see some action from a recent fly fishing trip at Eagle Lake.

It has been a while since I have had time to get a report out on the web site. Lately the schedule has been crazy with trips going out every day and splitting time between Almanor and Eagle Lake, so let me bring you up to speed. The fall bite is just continuing to go off here at Lake Almanor with good numbers on a mixed grade of fish, everything from mild to wild! We have been seeing fish from 2 to over 5 pounds with and occasional slob going up to and over the double digit mark. Water temps are cool running in the mid 40's which mean the fish are shallow looking for food all over the lake. The east side, west side and the north end are all kicking out fish right now. The tactics and baits are also all over the place fish are being caught on slow pulled software as well as fast trolled hardware but most are being caught in the top 10 feet of the water column. What blast, big hookups, fish blasting out of the water and back in only to make a screaming run. Light tackle trophy trout action!  
And be sure to check out the video below of a monster Brown recently caught and released.

The Fall fishing at Eagle Lake has been fantastic, with some of the best yet to come. The fish have been shallow for about a month now, and are aggressively feeding and whacking our baits. While Eagle Lake is open to fishing from Memorial weekend to December 31st, people know that October and November are prime months to get in on some of the best Eagle Lake has to offer. We have been fishing multiple locations around the lake while working our Jay Fair flies on custom fly trolling setups that put our flies in the right spot with the right action to entice these big hot Rainbows to crush them. For those of you looking to check off your California Heritage Trout or California Fishing Passport, let us help you, now is the time. There are still dates available in November for either fly trolling or fly casting trips, contact us asap to reserve your date.

The great fall fishing continues here at Lake Almanor with fish of all kinds chasing bait and aggressively feeding. Recently as the temps have started to cool the bait (pond smelt) has spread to many areas of the lake, meaning you have a lot of options on both how and where you can fish and find success. We are seeing water holding bait and fish from 10 to 50 feet deep from the south end by the dam all the way to Chester and Hamilton Branch to Plumas Pines fish and bait are literally everywhere. Rainbows and King Salmon are still making up the majority of our catch but we are seeing more and more Browns every day with fish running 2.5 to over 6 pounds. Check out the slow motion release video of a big Brown below. We have been getting most of our action still running slow action software but it looks like the fast action bite is just around the corner. And flies, lets not forget about the fantastic bites we get both trolling and casting flies this time of year. 
​Eagle lake is also getting into the fall swing with good bites happening every day and the best action still ahead of us this year. It is all about fall Trophy Trout action at Almanor and Eagle Lake so stay tuned and buckle up its going to be a wild season. If you don't already have you dates locked down contact us today there are still a few open days in October and November has plenty of room.

The fall fishing is underway at Lake Almanor featuring beautiful crisp mornings followed by warm afternoons and loaded with fantastic Trophy Trout action. We are currently seeing a mixed bag of fish featuring big thick Rainbows, some hot Kings Salmon and a few bruiser Browns. It is strictly a bait affair on the lake right now as the fish chase the schools of pond smelt up and down the east shore as well as many areas along the peninsula. Once these trout and salmon have the bait balled up they are aggressively going on the chomp. We have seen single, double, triple and even quad hookups that make for exciting action at the back of the boat. The size of these fish have been running from 2 to over 6 pounds and are providing outstanding battles on our light tackle, rods doubled over and lots of line going out! We have just a few days left available this month if you are looking to get in on the action. 
​On the near horizon we will begin running Eagle Lake charters early in October and will be focusing on both Almanor and Eagle for the months of October and November. Two of Northeastern California's top Trophy Trout destinations, if you have never experienced them this time of year, contact us today to lock down your dates.

It is early September and Fall is in the air. Mornings have a little cooler feel to them as we are shooting across the lake but the afternoons have been warm and sunny. Water temp is down just a bit at basically 70 degrees and the fish are on the bite! Every year, as this little change in the weather begins to happen, the fish start to think about getting ready for winter and that means strapping on the feed bags, and chewing on some pond smelt. We have been seeing a mix of Rainbows and King Salmon running from 2 to over 6 pounds, with limit to near limit numbers depending on the size of the party and some fantastic action. In recent days, it honestly has been hard to keep rods in the water the first few hours of the morning, and while the bite may slow a bit as the day goes on, the big fish still keep slamming our baits. (the biggest fish of the day yesterday was our last one) If you are looking to get in on some fantastic light tackle action, now would be a good choice.

Also on the near horizon is the Fall season at Eagle Lake. October and November are prime months to experience Eagle Lake at it's best. The calendar is starting to fill up, so book now to secure your dates to chase the Eagle Lake Rainbows.

Right now at Bucks Lake it is all about the Kokanee. The bite has been fantastic and it has been limits to near limits depending on the group size. (remember the Kokanee limit at Bucks is 10 fish per day) So we have been coming off the lake with 30 to 50 Kokanee each plus losing some and releasing a few Rainbows that have been whacking the Paulina Peak Kokanee rigs, thats a busy morning of fishing. The size of the Kokanee this year at bucks has also been impressive, currently running a fat 13 to 16 inches. The action is hot, the size is good and weather you like it grilled, smoked or canned now is a great time to come to Bucks and get after them. Brookies and Bows are biting good as well at Bucks right now, both on the troll or drifting bait on ultra light spinning gear. The smoke from the Nor Cal fires, while visible from Bucks, has not been nearly as bad as other locations around the state. There are a few open days in the next few weeks, so come on up and lets go fishing.

It is hard to believe we are squarely in the middle of the summer season here at the lake, this year has just flown by. The fishing here at Almanor has remained quite good, mainly due to the outstanding high water level. (the lake is basically full) Even with the surface temps high (in the mid 70's), the fish have plenty of cooler water at deeper depths as well as plenty of food with massive insect hatches taking place the last couple of weeks. These hatches will serve to concentrate fish in to the areas with the most activity and put them on the chew. There are also plenty of pond smelt starting to show around the lake but almost all the fish we have been catching have been bug eaters. Our catch has been mainly made up of Rainbows to over 6 lbs with a few King Salmon and an occasional Brown, and when the Brown hooks up its generally a pretty good one. The water levels are expected to stay high for an extended period which will only continue the fantastic summer bite here at the lake.  If you are headed this way and want to get in on this action don't wait until the last minute, contact us today, availability is limited the next few weeks. 

Update on the second annual Lake Almanor Veterans Fishing Day that was held June 24th. The event was fantastic, a huge success due to a great group of volunteers who came together to make it happen. Thanks to everyone who helped out.  Below you will see a picture of the back of this year's shirts "home of the free because of the brave" (Thank you Mike Daly for covering the cost of the shirts) We had good weather great fishing and an outstanding gathering afterwards at the Chester Elks hall. It is an honor and a pleasure to participate in this event. The annual date has now been set for events in the future as the Sunday following Fathers Day 6/23/19. If you would like to participate in upcoming events please contact me.

​Tight Lines,