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Lake Almanor Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The gentleman's trout lake: Hex hatches at dusk, football rainbows and smallmouth over volcanic springs under Lassen's shadow.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
58 / 60 F
Wind
SSW 14 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Lake Almanor lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 14 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 60. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 65 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp58 F
High / Low60 / 49 F
WindSSW 14-17 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain14% cloud, 22%
Sunrise / Sunset06:35 / 19:31
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 60/49 F, wind 15 mph, rain 22%

Fair or better. A 15 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Almanor: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Lake Almanor calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Lake Almanor today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 54 F, wind to 20 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish the windows. A steady pattern: dawn and dusk carry the day. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 60 F, wind to 21 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. The wind owns today. 24 mph gusts make boat control the real battle. Smallmouth bass led the card at good. High of 66 F, wind to 24 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California license. Trout 5/day standard: check CDFW district. Hex season courtesy: lights minimal, space respected.

Access

Canyon Dam, USFS Almanor ramp, Chester causeway launches; peninsula marinas.

About this water

28,000 acres on the North Fork Feather, Plumas County, CA. Lassen country's premier trout lake.

Fishing Lake Almanor: the full guide

The Hex hatch of the West

Late June through July, Almanor hosts California's most famous mayfly event: Hexagenia limbata hatching at dark, browns and rainbows to 8 pounds slurping duns in the film. Boats anchor off the east shore's springs at sunset, rig 6-weights, and fish by feel in the dark. It is a bucket-list bite that locals plan whole summers around.

Football factory

Almanor's pond-smelt-and-insect economy grows thick trout: rainbows and browns that fight like their pictures. Trollers pull fast (2.5-3.5 mph: smelt imitations) along the 20-40-ft edges: springtime hovers over the east-shore springs: and October's pre-winter feed puts the year's heaviest fish on jerkbaits meant for bass.

The smallmouth complement

Volcanic rock and grass edges hold a serious smallmouth population: 2-4-lb fish on tubes and topwater all summer, concentrated near the springs when the lake stratifies. The A-frame and dam areas fish bronze reliably while the trout crowd trolls past: a two-species day is Almanor's default.

Basin practicalities

At 4,500 ft, the lake turns cold early and late: the prime windows are May-July and September-October. Afternoon west winds are punctual: the east shore leeward stretch saves most days. Chester and the peninsula supply services; USFS and PG&E ramps ring the basin. Winter brings safe-ice years occasionally: locals jig smelt schools when it caps.

Common questions

When is the Hex hatch on Almanor?

Roughly June 20-July 20, starting at dusk: the east shore springs are the stage. Anchor early, rig big yellow duns, and expect the takes after sunset: headlamps off, ears on.

What makes Almanor trout so fat?

Pond smelt plus aquatic insect biomass plus cold volume: the lake feeds fish year-round. Five-pound rainbows draw no crowd here: that is the baseline.

Is fishing good at Lake Almanor right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Eagle Lake35 miLake Oroville50 miFeather River55 miBullards Bar Reservoir59 miCollins Lake63 miShasta Lake71 mi
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