Fish Bits for the week of 3/4/20
Bucks Lake Lodge
Michael Thomas let the word out on Fishidy the kind of luck he had up at the lake Feb. 17. He caught a 2 lb., 15 oz., 23-inch lake trout with a kastmaster.
“I should probably keep my mouth shut, but I am still learning this lake and I could use some experiences from others to feed off of. Went here in November last,” said Thomas. “Had a 60 to 70 fish day. Most were taken by a gold Kastmaster. These included brookies, browns and rainbows and one mackinaw. The mack was a pup, but still nice. The rest were small and cookie cutter. It was like a grand slam of trout sort of day. All from shore. Hopefully in the spring those trout will become hefty.”
Lake Almanor
John Crotty of Almanor Fishing Association checked in Feb. 23 with conditions on the lake. The high pressure over Northern California continues to keep storms bypassing Plumas County with no end in sight.
NOAA is predicting daytime temps reaching into the 60s for the next seven days. Once the sun goes down temps drop quickly as our nighttime lows hover in the mid 20s.
Lake levels are holding steady and water temps range between the high 30s to low 40s. Water temps are constant throughout the water column and clarity is 8 to 10 feet.
With the great weather, fishing pressure has increased; yesterday there were 18 boat trailers in the Canyon Dam parking lot. Trolling has been very good with an even mix of browns and rainbows being caught.
I have heard reports of multiple browns and rainbows over 5 lbs. landed. Fish are scattered throughout the lake and most methods are picking up fish.
Pick your favorite fishing style (flies, hardware, plastics and crawlers); all are producing quality fish. Pond smelt are on the menu and smelt patterns are the top colors. Fish are in the top 10 to 15 feet early and migrating deeper as the sun comes up. There has been an increase in bank fishing pressure as well. I have heard reports of quality fish caught around the Canyon Dam coves.
Our snow is all but gone. Roads are in great shape, both USFS ramps are clear and the Canyon Dam ramp dock is in.
A quick boat ramp reminder, don’t block the ramp. The other day the north side of the ramp at Canyon Dam was blocked for approximately 20 minutes with kayak fishermen attempting to get in the water. We all have the right to access the ramp, it just takes a little effort to be prepared, make sure you’re ready, get in/out in a timely fashion and be courteous.
Veterans Fishing Day
The date has been set for the fourth annual Veterans Fishing Day hosted by AFA on June 27. Vets who would like to fish can call 284-0861 or email the group [email protected] for questions and sign up.
Fishing starts at 6 a.m. A big barbeque takes place around 3 p.m. after the day on the water at the Lake Almanor Rec #1 picnic area.
Registration for this big day takes place before May 22, any vets wanting to sign up afterward will be placed on a will call list. Contact early to reserve a spot.
Send pictures of your early spring fishing expeditions for publication in the Feather Publishing Sports Section to [email protected].
