6 April 23 , 2021 VOL . 40 • ISS . 8
LAKE ALMANOR
Smallies , Rainbows , Browns and Salmon In The Mix
Chester - Lake level ( 4482 ’) and water temps ( 50-55degrees ) continue to rise . Our spring weather pattern continues with overnight lows dipping into the high twenties and daytime highs reaching the high sixties . There was some wind yesterday that made trolling tough and we are expecting some unsettled weather next weekend otherwise it ’ s time to get on the water . Canyon Dam continues to be the only usable public boat ramp on Almanor , yesterday trucks / trailers filled both parking lots and were parked along the roadway coming into the parking lots . Most of the local businesses are taking advantage of the weather , if they are not currently open they will be soon , most of the resorts have private ramps with a few open to the public for a fee . Please check in advance with resort owners to make sure their ramps are open and / or usable . The bass bite improves daily , I have heard reports of smallies topping the five pound mark , as water temps continue to rise they should begin bedding soon . Trollers are picking up rainbows and browns with an occasional salmon thrown in the mix . The bite has been inconsistent at best and the fish
Trout trolling is outstanding at Collins Lake . Anglers are hooking a combination of holdover and planter rainbows that range up to 10 lbs . This 5.5 lb holdover rainbow smacked a trolling fly during and early April adventure with Cal Kellogg . Photo courtesy of CAL KELLOGG ’ S
SCHOOL OF FISHING GUIDE SERVICE , Collins Lake
• Trout
• Bass
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• Catfish
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800-286-0576 www . collinslake . com P . O . Box 300 . Oregon House . California 95962 4004
are tough to find . You can choose your favorite trolling method and cover water , Arctic Fox trolling flies at 1.7mph , hardware at 2.5-3 mph and as always slow trolling crawlers and gulps are your best shot . The insect hatches are off the charts and fish are beginning to migrate to the northwest side of the lake . Hamilton Branch and the causeway are your best shot
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at catching fish from shore . Still no reports of road construction projects on roadways leading to Almanor . I will preface the following by stating these are my opinions and my opinions only , I will be making a formal presentation to the AFA board and request our board to take a firm and decisive stance on any proposed cold water diversions from Lake Almanor and Butt Lake . On Friday afternoon AFA Vice President Brett Hurff and I attended a small , limited seating meeting held at the Collins Pine Museum in Chester regarding PG & E ’ s sixteen plus year effort to have the State Water Resourses Control Board ( SWRCB ) approve their application for relicensing as they conduct business on Lake Almanor and Butt Lake . The disastrous consequences to the Lake Almanor & Butt Lake fisheries and the entire Lake Almanor community if the SWRCB requires PG & E to remove cold water from Lake Almanor and Butt Lake via a thermal curtain or the Canyon Dam Intake Tower are well documented and all but guaranteed ! This is not a political statement just the facts as I understand them , the Plumas County Board of Supervisors was either ill or misinformed when on June 9th and July 7th 2020 they submitted a letter to the
SWRCB offering “ unequivocal support ” for withdrawing 250 cubic feet per second of cold water from the Canyon Dam Intake Tower
4008
3722
between June 16th and September 15th . The Board of Supervisors must take immediate action to retract their “ unequivocal support ” of any cold water releases from Lake Almanor and Butt Lake with the intentions of lowering water temps thirty miles downstream ! The process of issuing PG & E a license to operate on Lake Almanor and Butt Lake is long overdue and disruptive to all parties involved including the residents of Lake Almanor and Plumas County . The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ( FERC ) and the SWRCB must consider the science and the devastating impacts removing cold water from Lake Almanor and Butt Lake will have on our fishery , businesses and quality of lives . This community must unify and take whatever measures necessary to finally put this issue to rest .
- Quail Lodge Lake Almanor Lodging & Guide Service
AMERICAN RIVER
Anglers Gear Up for American Shad
RANCHO CORDOVA – Few anglers have been fishing the American River as it winds its way through the Sacramento area for shad , striped bass and other species lately , but that is expected to change quickly . The popular American shad should show on the river soon , now that the hard-fighting members of the herring family are being caught on Sacramento River from Freeport to Verona . Cinco de Mayo – May 5 – is normally the time that you can expect to see shad in the river in good numbers . Use small jigs in 1 / 16 to 1 / 32 oz . and 1 to 1-1 / 2 inch chartreuse and pink grub tails for the fish . The Bureau of Reclamation increased Nimbus Dam releases from 1750 cfs to 2000 cfs on April 8 . The reason for ramping the river up
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Continued on Pg 10
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