Fish Bits: Lake level rising, beware floating debris
Compiled by Mari Erin Roth
Lake Almanor
Today may show the start of spring on the calendar, it felt like winter on the water. Cold, windy conditions made for a tough day of fishing. There was ice on the downriggers, rods and floor until the sun came up. There will be a noticeable change in the weather this week with temperatures reaching into the seventies for the first time in months. Lake level continues to rise ever so slowly and snow at lake level is all but gone. Water temperatures dipped back into the low forties the past two days, and there will be a significant increase in water temps this week and some insect hatches as well.
Fish remain scattered, here one day gone the next. “On Friday, I found some fish on the west shore while scouting, went back on Saturday with clients and they were gone,” said John Crotty of Almanor Fishing Association. “You will need to cover water and adjust speeds, depths and baits. I caught fish fast trolling hardware, in water to thirty feet deep between 15-25’ deep on the wire. Red/gold was our top producer.”
Shore anglers are targeting fish around the dam and at Hamilton Branch. As the lake rises, what was a small stream on the north side of the causeway has turned into a little pond. Shore anglers will begin targeting fish on the south side of the causeway as water levels and temperatures rise.
“There is lots of debris and navigational hazards on the water; I received a message that there is a semi-submerged log approximately three hundred yards offshore where the springs area begins at the south end of Bailey Creek,” said Crotty. “As lake level rises, we will see an increase in debris, most of which is unmarked.”
