THE FISHING REPORT

In have been taking my family up to Lake Almanor in Plumas
County for almost 20 years. I fish it for a couple of hours daily
for the week we are there, taking a variety of ages and experienced
level anglers out with me. I have found that trolling is the most
consistent of all methods of take over the years. But this last
week’s trip offered a few surprises.
Lake Almanor is really one of the finest vacation large lake
destinations in the state but maybe I should be keeping this a
secret. One of its most compelling attractions is the lack of
people. Because it is only a one season vacation area for most, it
doesn’t have the population’s density of other vacation
destinations. Hiking, biking, horseback riding and golf are all
more pleasurable with fewer people around. Also you can get in the
water beginning mid June in Almanor so that all water related
activities can be exercised. And then there is the fishing.
As I mentioned in my opening paragraph, I have been trolling
Lake Almanor for a long time. I was taught the secret of the half
night crawler by a long time guide my first trip to the lake and
have enjoyed great success ever since. I mostly caught 16 to 20
inch rainbows and everybody experienced plenty of action to get or
keep them interested. This year, however, was different. The lake
is much fuller than years past and it is considerably colder. There
were no bugs to speak of when we got there. The fish we did catch
were eating tiny midge nymphs and snails. Absent were the giant hex
mayflies and the blood midges. Needless to say, fishing was slow
for me and for everyone I talked to. I caught fish almost every day
but only an average of one or two. Not nearly enough to keep
anybody interested. And yet these old timers were coming into camp
in the evenings with Browns to 4 pounds. Obviously my curiosity
implored me to investigate. As it turned out they were still
fishing with a cricket and a meal worm. So I halfheartedly tried it
for an hour the next day with no success and quickly returned to my
standard trolling techniques. And I caught a fish but nothing like
what I saw on the cleaning table. By the end of the week, I had
caught some nice fish but my best was a 19 inch rainbow. These guys
were consistently bringing in fish to 3 pounds.
 It was the evening of the last night of our stay and I had made
up my mind to leave the worms at home and focus solely on the big
fish. I was mentored by a fellow camper named Steve. The next day I
followed Steve to his spot and anchored close by. There was nothing
on the meter but it was a beautiful day and I truly enjoyed
listening to the grebes shriek, the osprey whistle while staring
out at the majestic snow covered Mt. Lassen. Steve left for another
spot after an hour and I persisted for an hour after that because I
knew no other way while lamenting my decision of not trolling the
last day of my vacation.
I got back to the dock and started to pack up. Steve came in an
hour behind me and was carrying a large sack with a tail sticking
out. He grinned at me as he brought out his 5 pound brown he caught
at a different spot that he “just had a hunch about.” At that
moment I realized I had better learn how to still fish. I am
already looking forward to next year. This old dog will learn a new
trick.
For more reports and or information, please contact Hunt
Conrad at Prospect Mortgage in Healdsburg, 707-431-9715.