’CRAWLER CATCH — Brady and John Bahorski were using a nightcrawler at Lake Almanor on Nov. 22 when this nice 16-inch trout latched onto the bait for the catch of the day.
“We managed to catch a few fish up past Rec #2 in water between 12 and 30 feet deep, fast trolling hardware from 5 to 20 feet at 2.6-3 mph. Our biggest fish for the week was a fat rainbow just over 4 pounds,” said Crotty.
“Bank and fly fishermen continue to pick up fish in the coves around the Canyon Dam boat ramp,” Crotty said. “The majority of the fish are in the 12- to 14-inch range, with a few larger fish thrown in the mix. I have heard of fish caught on nightcrawlers, Power Bait and hardware. These fish get lots of fishing pressure and become skittish, so fly fishermen are downsizing their presentations and throwing No. 20 midges with 6x tippets.”
“Winter is in the air, we received a light dusting of snow last night and my gauge shows 28 degrees as I write this report. Morning temps over the next week will range from the high teens to low twenties with highs predicted between 39 on Monday to 51 on Friday. While it will be cold we are not expecting any inclement weather,” said Crotty.
The lake level remains high as water temps continue to drop, and the surface temps ranged from 46.2 to a high of 48.4 this past week. Visibility varied as well, and anglers were not able to fish the North end of the lake when the winds kicked up and dirtied the lake. There was also lots grass and debris, it has cleared up and remains fishable.
The Canyon Dam boat launch will remain open throughout the winter. The road in does get plowed after snowstorms, but it might take a day or two after a storm for the plows to get in. Crotty will keep ramp/road conditions posted as necessary throughout the Winter on the Almanor Fishing Association Facebook page.