It has been all about the big Rainbows here at Almanor with a few Browns and Salmon on the menu as well. These brutes are cruising the waters of the lake and taking full advantage of Almanor's "food factory", the aquatic insects. Hatches are taking place at various locations around the lake including the east and west shores as well as up north, and tend to draw in actively feeding fish. Because the bugs come from the bottom of the lake and rise to the surface, fish can be found at all depths looking to feed. In recent trips we have been catching fish at a variety of locations from the surface to the bottom and just about every level in between. These fish have a special kind of attitude as they gorge themselves on the available hatches. Big runs, spectacular jumps, big bends in the light tackle rods. This is some exciting spring fishing. The lake is full and continues to see a good amount of cool fresh water rolling down the tributaries. Look for the solid fishing to continue as we move into summer with even more big hatches fueling these beautiful fish. Not many days left available this month, to ensure your chance at getting your dates on the boat, we recommend contacting us as soon as possible to lock down your reservation.

Check out the end of another epic battle at the back of the boat.

The "Spring Fling" continues here at  Lake Almanor! Beautiful days, light winds, warming waters, big bug hatches and lots of bent rods. Recent trips are still producing the "Almanor Trifecta" of Bows, Browns and King Salmon like the one pictures at left. Most of the fish in the lake are focused on the aquatic bug hatches taking place all over the lake, and while the fish are full, the hatches tend to draw numbers of fish into them. More fish more hook ups, and it is really just getting started. Water temps are running from the mid 50's to low 60's depending on time and location of the lake and have the fish just about at every level. Most of our fish are coming in the top 15 feet of the water column and are extremely hot due to the high level of bug protein being consumed.  Fast trolling has produced most of our action, however slowing things down if the conditions are right can also yield fantastic results. Some of these strikes are mind blowing, with fish getting 50 to 70 feet of line off the reel on their initial run. You would think they would be tired by the time they get close,  but nothing could be further from the truth, with most digging in trying to get under the boat and generally going some form of crazy before being slid into the net. This is light tackle fishing at its finest, hotter than average fish fought on the lightest gear on the boat. What's not to love? Want to get on board for some of this action? Contact us today by going to the Reservations Page, or call (530) 370-1001,  there are only a few days left in the coming month.

​In other news the Almanor Fishing Association released the pen raised fish about a week ago from Hamilton Branch, 50,000 Rainbows and 1,500 Browns. The fish have dispersed around the lake, so if you are fishing, be on the look out for light strikes, the fish are small but aggressive and will hit just about anything. Big thanks to AFA volunteers for all their work feeding and caring for the fish over the last 6 months.

So we have nice weather, rising water temps (now in the mid to high 50's) and a pretty good start to the aquatic bug hatch season. The bugs make up an important part of the food supply for the fish here at Almanor, and when they start coming off, you better believe the fish know it. The bug hatches tend to concentrate large numbers of fish which translates into some pretty exciting fishing for us. Recent trips have seen us hooking more than 20 fish per outing. By the way, this is just getting started and will keep on rolling right on into summer.

If you have been waiting for some nice weather to get your spring fishing fix look no further. There are a few open days in the next two weeks but once they are gone they are gone. Contact us today to lock down your spot by visiting www.bigdaddyfishing.com/reservations.html or call (530) 370-1001

So what is the outlook for the near future? Look for the spring fishing to continue as we are, in some respects, three weeks to nearly a month behind with conditions. Water temps are cool still in the low to mid 40's depending on where you are in the lake. Good run-off of the surrounding snow in the watershed has really just begun, Hamilton Branch is flowing at a good clip and the super ditch in Chester has just started flowing. The lake is on the rise, and the good supply of water should keep the fish happy for the whole season.  Interested in getting out and hunting some of these trophies? There are some open dates the next few weeks, contact us as soon as possible to lock down your date.

Spring continues to roll on here at Lake Almanor, or does it? While the calendar might say spring some days seem more like winter here on the lake. One thing is for sure, there will be no shortage of water this year.  Recently conditions have been variable and have found us fishing in just about every kind of weather condition from sunny and flat to snow and rain. While the weather has been a bit unsettled the fishing has been fairly consistent and putting smiles on a lot of faces. Our catch has been made up of a mix of Browns and Bows depending on when and where we have been fishing. The fish are well distributed all over the waters of Almanor, and recent trips have had us catching fish close to the Dam, all the way to Chester and along both the east and west shores. The Bows and Browns have been ranging in size from 2.5 to over 7 lbs with a lot of fish in the 4 to 5 pound class. If you don't have a date yet not to worry there are some open dates coming up in April. Contact us to reserve your spot today.

Check out some of our recent release footage of Trophy Browns.

We have had a few ups and downs over the last week of fishing here at Lake Almanor. Winter wants to hold on but spring keeps knocking at the door, some days have seen bright sun and blue skies as well as snow showers sometimes only separated by a few minutes. The bite, over all has been pretty good (we did have one tough day) with the lake giving up both Browns and Rainbows to 6 pounds. We have found fish all over the lake, and I have the fuel bill to prove it, some of our moving around had to do with finding actively feeding fish to target and other times "Plan A" had to be changed due to ice formation that locked us out of certain areas. All that said 2019 fishing operations are well underway and it looks like it is going to be another fantastic year. If you are looking for dates, especially this spring, contact us as soon as possible and get locked in, the calendar is filling up.

Also this week, I had an opportunity to take John and Beth by the Almanor Fishing Association fish pens located in Hamilton Branch. I just happed to be speaking with AFA president John Crotty on the phone while he was on the pens, so we dropped in for a tour and to check out the growth of both the Rainbows and the Browns currently being raised. The fish are looking fantastic and growing well, they will be released into the lake later this spring.

​     Most fishermen put a lot of thought into their day of fishing. A little pre-planning of your time on the boat ramp can go a long way to getting your day off to a good start.
A few things to consider at the boat ramp:
     Have your boat ready to launch when you pull on to the ramp. Things such as covers, straps, motors, and fishing gear should be taken care of in the parking lot. Remember to put in your plug.

​     Keep in mind, some people are faster at launching and recovering than others. There are multi person "teams", with one driving the truck, and the other the boat, that may not even have to tie off the boat to the dock and are often times the quickest in and out. Then there are a lot,  like myself, who are most of the time alone and will have to tie off then return to the boat after parking the truck. We all have our little routine we go through, give people plenty of room and time to accomplish it. Remember to put in your plug.

     Finally, a little common courtesy goes along way. We all want to get on the water as fast as possible to get our chance at those trophy fish. Nothing can ruin the day faster than an incident at the boat ramp. And yes, remember to put in your plug.