Cool temps slow the winter bite

November 8, 2021 Editor

Lake level is unchanged and sits at 4475.84. Lake Almanor experiences a mix of rain and snow early in the week predicted to give way to clear skies for the balance of the week. Bailey Creek still has water flowing and both the North Fork of the Feather (through Chester) and Hamilton Branch are depositing large volumes of water into Almanor.

Water temp was 48.5 in the morning on Friday, warming to 50 degrees in the afternoon. Algae is still visible between Prattville and the Peninsula and north with limited visibility. Visibility in the balance of the lake ranges between 10 and 15 feet.

Both US Forest Service public ramps remained closed. Most of the burned trees at Canyon Dam have been removed and the cleanup continues. The process is moving along with incredible speed. Plumas Pines boat ramp remains open to the public. It will be posted here when the Canyon Dam ramp is open for launching.

The bite from the tip of the Peninsula to Bailey has slowed, as fish have scattered throughout the lake. “We found some bait and quality fish along the East Shore on Friday after searching for most of the morning,” said John Crotty of Almanor Fishing Association. “We caught our fish slow trolling gulps and crawlers, there was no pattern and no real concentration of fish we covered ground and picked up a fish here and there at depths ranging from the surface to 30’ deep.”

Hamilton Branch was a perfect green Sunday morning; the fishermen talked to were struggling to catch fish. There is just a small stream flowing at the causeway and space is limited as are the fish. The bite for shore fishermen remains tough.

Tree removal on Highways 89 and 36 is ongoing with minimal delays; road construction over Fredoyner Summit has shut down for the winter.