The public access boat launches along Lake Almanor's western shores have been closed down by the US Forest Service. The announcement came in a press release on 4/15/20 from the Lassen National Forest and on 4/16/20 the facilities were officially closed, the dock at Canyon Dam was pulled and the road barricaded with concrete blocks and signs. For how long is a bit unclear at this time. The sign pictured below says through the end of this month, the wording in the press release says until the stay at home orders are lifted.

Following orders that came down in late March the USFS posted signs at the facility as well as locking the bathroom facilities, how ever they continued to allow boats to be launched and people to access the parking lot to fish the surrounding shore lines. I was told by a high ranking USFS official who I will not name, "It is our goal to keep access open for the locals so they have a place to launch their boats and an avenue to get outside and recreate during these times" He went on to say that they would be monitoring the situation and if things got out of hand they would take further steps to close off access. The three things in particular that he indicated they would be looking for were, 1) Large crowds of out of the area people not heeding the Plumas County travel restrictions, social distancing guidelines and trying to camp in the parking lot, 2) Vandalism of their locked bathroom facilities, and 3) Garbage and trash being left and accumulating at the site. Well in the last several weeks the launch at Canyon Dam has seen at least two of those three concerns violated. The parking lot has been packed with out of town rigs from the Bay Area, Sacramento and Reno as well as all of the surrounding counties. Multiple people had set up camps in the parking lots in recent weeks, some going as far as to have campfires right in the middle of the parking lots. I have opted to omit the pictures of these people. Garbage was also an issue, people leaving everything from pizza boxes to alcohol bottles to remnants of fireworks and even whole bags of trash. At this time I am not aware of any vandalism of the bathrooms.   

So this is where we are left, Canyon Dam boat ramp as well as the USFS west shore launch are closed at least through the end of this month and maybe longer. I will continue to monitor the situation at the lake and post changes here, as well as on my social media outlets on Facebook and Instagram. Stay safe and healthy and once we are clear of this it will be back to our regularly scheduled program.

​     Many of my customers have opted to move their trips to the fall, some are waiting to see how things go before they choose a future date and some have canceled all together. A few groups, understanding that conditions like these are very impactful to a small business, have instructed me to keep their deposits and they would be paying full price for their future trips. I’m almost at a loss for words, and all I can say is THANK YOU while striving to put on the best show I can when they come on board the next time. Like I said I am blessed with world-class long-time clientele. Many of these people frequent the boat with their friends and family multiple times throughout the season and certainly rise above the level of “customer”, I consider them good friends and part of my extended fishing family. We celebrate birthdays, graduations, bachelor parties, family vacations, first fish, personal best fish and a host of other big life events on board the boat together and I am honored to be part of it. Again, it really doesn’t seem like enough but Thank you.

     Prior to the shut down we were experiencing some pretty good fishing here at Lake Almanor for a mix of quality Browns and Bows. The lower lake level along with the unstable weather patterns made the shallow fishing program a little bit challenging, however with a few adaptations we were able to stay on the fish. During the time we are shutdown, I will continue to monitor the fish and conditions at the lake to be ready the second we are cleared to resume operations.

     So, what is happening now? Fishing as a form of outside recreation is still open, but please if you do go out remember to be on your best behavior per all these new guidelines. Basically, fish by yourself or in groups made up of only people living with you under the same roof and maintain a safe distance from other people not in your immediate household. Most, if not all, of the recreation sites have been closed by their controlling agencies, USFS and PGE, which in most cases up here wasn’t hard to do, as many of them at elevation are still snowed in from recent storms. Others that are accessible have had services like bathrooms and trash receptacles locked up or removed. I feel like I shouldn’t have to say this but if you do visit one of these areas please respect the closed facilities and take your trash with you. Things like overcrowding and litter will get the attention of the authorities and could lead to even more restrictions. Please do not travel from other areas into Plumas County, things are starting to tighten up and in the last several days people have been checked as to their place of residence and asked to leave. I’m not going to go into all the details recently released by our county officials, but the bottom line is if you don’t live in Plumas County don’t come to Plumas County. We will be happy to again share our beautiful area with everyone once this stuff blows over.  

​     Behind the scenes there is still plenty going on. Shipping out orders and fulfilling gift certificates for future fishing trips from the Online Store, talking with customers and booking charters for the summer and fall months. I have never been so “caught up” on paperwork. Lol. If you would like to discuss conditions or a future trip please don’t hesitate to reach out. Remember one of the best ways to keep up to date fast is follow us through our social media on Facebook and Instagram. Thank you again for your continued support, once we are clear of this garbage it will be game on and I look forward to seeing you on the water.

Spring has sprung, or has it, here at Lake Almanor. Calm warming waters with sunny days and mild afternoons sure might have you thinking that. In fact about the only clue that it still might be winter is the cool morning temperatures ranging in the mid to high 20's and the fairly cool water temperatures still hovering in the upper 30's getting as high as the low 40's at the surface under flat sunny conditions. The fish have been actively  feeding on Almanor's pond smelt population. Recent trips have produced good numbers of a mix of Browns and Bows from 2 to nearly 9 pounds, with the vast majority of the fish falling in the 3 to 4 pound range. The bite has been lighting up at various areas around the lake as the hungry trout push up and gorge themselves on the bait fish. We have been hooking fish at places like the East Shore, Hamilton Branch and both sides of the peninsula on a variety of minnow imitating baits. This is pretty much textbook winter fish activity, fish spread out hunting food all over the lake and feeding basically from the surface to the bottom depending on the location. This is the beginning of what is sure to be another fantastic trophy trout season here at Lake Almanor. Now is a great time to take advantage of the unseasonably nice weather and get in on some of the best winter trout fishing northern California has to offer, limited dates are available. Don't miss your chance, contact us today (530) 370-1001 or through the web site at www.bigdaddyfishing.com and to keep up on the most current events remember to follow us on social media (Facebook, Instagram and YouTube) @bigdaddysguideservice.
I look forward to seeing you on the water
​Capt Bryan

Winter is now here in northeastern California and Eagle Lake has already been receiving some of the precipitation that recent storms have delivered. Good news? Yes, but fingers crossed the lake and surrounding watershed will continue to get rain and snow through out the coming months. The fishing season is still open until December 31, however we are done running trips at Eagle for this season. The dock at the Eagle Lake Marina has been pulled, limiting launching options. That said there may be a secret "fly mission" in the works, stay tuned for details. Want to get in on this exciting action? We are currently taking bookings for Eagle Lake fall 2020 trips, don't miss your chance, book as early as possible to secure your dates. We look forward to seeing you on the water.

Know someone that loves to fish, get them one of our "Fish Certificates" available now in our Online Store along with other great merchandise.

Currently fall has given way to winter and the fish are spread through out the lake again searching for food with pond smelt being the food of choice for most. We will continue to run charters here at Lake Almanor through out the winter as weather allows, taking advantage of the best winter trout bite northeastern California has to offer. If you are interested in a winter trout excursion please get a hold of us to check availability. Speaking of the weather, so far so good, we are off to a pretty good start. Recent storms have dropped rain and snow in the Almanor basin which will all eventually end up in the lake. A good supply of water means happy fish and ensures the future health of the lake. We look forward to seeing you on the water.

Know someone that loves to fish, get them one of our "Fish Certificates" available now in our Online Store along with other great merchandise. 

Oh it is definitely   "Fly Season" here at Eagle Lake. Fly Season means it's fall, the fish are in the shallows, and on an aggressive bite. Currently we are seeing quality fish on both our fly trolling and fly casting trips. If you are a trout fishing enthusiast, and you have not experienced Eagle Lake in the fall you really need to make a trip. We are currently working shallow areas all over the lake that are holding actively feeding Eagle Lake Rainbows. Baits of choice include a variety of trolling flies from Jay Fair, Arctic Fox as well as some hand tied ones fished on our custom fly trolling lines on light rods.  Most of the hits can be categorized as "explosions" as these hot bows from 2.5 to 5 pounds put up spectacular battles.  Look for this bite to continue for the rest of October and November. There are still dates available so contact us today, don't miss your chance to get in on this hot fall action. 

Summer has given up, and just like that, fall fishing is underway here in the Northern Sierras at Lake Almanor. Both the air temps and the water temps are cooling down bringing the fish shallower and opening up many areas of the lake to fishing. It hasn't been all smooth sailing, recently we have some big wind on the lake, and a week ago, a front that brought wind, some rain and even a little dusting of snow to the area that made conditions a little tough out there but over all the fishing has been pretty good.  When the fish begin to move shallow they also begin to feed more aggressively and fight harder. We are currently using a variety of techniques to intercept these fish. Both fast and slow presentations with baits including worms, trolling flies, and various types of spoons have all been bringing fish to the boat, sometimes all in the same day. We are currently seeing a mixed grade of fish, mostly Rainbows with a few Browns running from 2 to 6 pounds. Boat traffic on the lake has been extremely light and we might only see a couple of other boats all day.  As the conditions continue to cool look for the fall action to really heat up. Only a few days are left available this month, so contact us today to reserve your day and get in on this exciting fall action. 

Time to book your Eagle Lake dates for October and November. Contact us today

grade of the lake's Rainbow Trout with an occasional Brown showing. The fish have been running 3 pounds and up with the larger ones in the 5 to 6 pound class. There are a few quality King Salmon being caught on the lake as well, however we have been concentrating on other areas of the lake in the west basin where the numbers of Rainbows are higher as they feed on large schools of the pond smelt. Looking forward, as things begin to cool and the days get shorter, the options and possibilities of where and how to target these fish multiply substantialy. It is full steam ahead as we head into the fall season.  If you are looking to get into this action there are still dates available this month, contact us today to reserve your dates.

Eagle Lake trips start in a few short weeks, and this year as in years past we will be splitting the fall seson fishing both Eagle and Almanor. Eagle saw a pretty good bump in the water level this year due to a good winter and it is shaping up to be a pretty exciting fall season up there. Dates are still available in October and November for both light tackle trolling as well as fly casting trips, but they are starting to fill. Don't miss your chance to do battle with these hot Rainbows in the shallows. Contact us today.​