Slow week for fishing in Plumas
Compiled by Mari Erin Roth
Lake Almanor
Lake level is up a foot since last week, currently sitting at 4479.73. Twelve inches may not sound like much based upon the amount of precipitation received over the past week. Reports from Shasta, Oroville, Folsom, and other bodies of water are seeing rises of multiple feet in the same time frame.
“For those that aren’t aware Almanor is a shallow lake, 100’ deep at its deepest, when the lake is full, and only in a small area by the dam,” said John Crotty of Almanor Fishing Association. “Almanor won’t see wild fluctuations in water level, two to four inches in a day is significant and 12 inches in a week is impactful.”
Almanor is considered full at 4494, and while the lake is definitely headed in the right direction, the lake remains 14 feet from full. “That said, the hits keep coming,” said Crotty. “There is multiple feet of snow on the ground at lake level, we are in for at least another seven days of rain/snow and Mount Lassen is predicted to see an additional 8 feet of snow over the next few days with more on the way.”
With a good snowpack Almanor will continue to rise through May. Keeping the weather coming, perhaps with less wind and a couple of days break in between storms, and a full lake would be great for fishing and the Lake Almanor Community.
On that note: Not much fishing is going on in Plumas County these days. The best shot at shore fishing is the coves around Canyon Dam. Hamilton Branch is currently not fishable with fast, cold, muddy water flowing through the branch. “Water temperature at the fish pens has ranged between 32 and 34 degrees this past week,” said Crotty. “If/when we get a break in the weather there should be fish around the dam for trollers.”
