Fish Bits: Wet conditions in Plumas make for a tough bite
Compiled by Mari Erin Roth
Lake Almanor
Residents in northern Plumas County woke up to snow, wind, and a weather advisory at lake level April 10. National weather observations show chances of snow/rain through most of the week. While the snow around the lake will be measured in inches, Mt. Lassen and the surrounding peaks could see 3-plus feet of snow for the week. Last week temperatures approached the 80-degree mark, this week the morning lows will be in the teens and daytime highs will be around 40 degrees.
Lake level continues to rise. Currently it sits at 4482.23, which is half a foot above last year on the same date. Water temperatures hovered near 50 degrees April 9. The cooling trend will keep temperatures below that through the week. Clarity remains 5-10 feet.
There was a bass tournament last weekend on Almanor, the first of many spring tournaments. “You can expect tournaments of various sizes for at least the next four weeks,” said John Crotty of Almanor Fishing Association, “and with Canyon Dam being the only available public ramp it will get crowded.”
Trout remain scattered and the bite was tough the past few days. Crotty covered lots of water during that time for a fish here and there. “No real rhyme or reason to the bite, just covering ground searching for a concentration of fish,” said Crotty. “We fast trolled Speedy Shiners (winds made slow trolling impossible) red/gold was our top producer with red dot frog a close second. We targeted fish in water from 10-40 feet deep and caught fish on the surface to 15’ deep, we varied speeds between 2.5-3 mph.”
Bank fishermen are targeting their efforts at Hamilton Branch, the coves around the dam and along the Causeway on 36.
If traveling to Plumas County, be prepared for snow with chain requirements on the passes, you can also expect black ice conditions on today and tomorrow (April 11-12) with night overnight temperatures dipping into the teens. Debris cleanup from the Dixie Fire is ongoing and travelers will experience large volumes of truck traffic through the canyon each week Monday-Saturday.
