Lake Almanor Fishing Report 4/1/26

We said goodbye to the month of March and some interesting fishing. Much of March was marked by beautiful, windless days that featured above average temps, and not by a little either, we are talking way above average temperatures. Early in the month, the warm weather spurred elevated flows on all the lake's tributaries including Hamilton Branch which pumped liquid that looked more like chocolate milk than water. This muddy water spread from the mouth to basically the tip of the peninsula making it unfishable. This meant finding locations with better water conditions along the east and west shores to focus our efforts. Thankfully, the water along the eastern side of the peninsula has cleared giving way to some outstanding fishing. The warmer than usual conditions also jumped the water temps up by 5 or more degrees above average which have resulted in early aquatic bug hatches, changing the diets of some of the trout from pond smelt to insects. The smallies seem to respond to the warmer temps as well, coming out of their deeper haunts and moving into the shallows. The Rainbows in the lake also seemed to enjoy the mild conditions as evidenced by our higher-than-average catch numbers throughout the last month. With March behind us, April has started off feeling a little more normal, cooler temperatures and even some rain in the Almanor basin. This precipitation, in combination with the winds will strip off some of that surface temp and reset the lake just a little bit before warmer conditions return over the course of the next week. The added moisture is welcomed after our less than average winter and will help with water levels and quality. The current lake level is just about 5 feet from full pool and has actually dropped a couple of inches over the last two weeks. I continue to target fish mainly feeding on pond smelt from the surface down to about 20 feet with a mix of fast and slow trolling techniques as conditions warrant. This means everything from plugs to soft plastics and flies on the toplines as well as the downriggers to tempt these beautiful fish. All in all, 2026, my 28th season, is off to a pretty good start here at Lake Almanor, I'm looking forward to this exciting spring bite to roll right through April. Thank you to everyone that came on board in March, I couldn't do this without your support. The calendar is getting full, leaving only a few days left available in this month of April. Don't miss your chance to get in on some of the best spring trout fishing California has to offer. Check the Booking Calendar for openings and Contact Us Now to reserve your dates. I look forward to seeing you on the water.
Tight Lines,
Capt. Bryan Roccucci

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