Hello! Wow… what a summer it’s been. I’d like to start this report off by saying thank you to everyone who booked a date for the Hex Hatch this year. I am forever grateful and can’t express how excited I was to do this season on the new Whaler. I worked hard to dial her in to provide the best experience I could for each night on Lake Almanor. She’s super comfortable and wow, what a game changer for my trips.
Also, thank you to everyone else who came out while I was guiding off my drift boat. Believing in me to get you on fish with just a drift boat is awesome, and those were some great times. Thank you to Ashley, my little big sis, for letting me use your Bass Tracker XL last year. That motivated me to manifest getting a proper boat in the fleet for the lakes. Lastly, thank you, Jimmy, for providing me the opportunity to acquire the most beautiful Boston Whaler 17 Alert from you. I am still in disbelief that I own this boat, and it’s literally a dream come true.
Now let’s get the controversy out of the way immediately and make it quick. The water was hot. It was a low snowpack year, and I saw lake temps at 66 degrees as early as June 3. Yes, that’s too hot for most catch and release trout fishing. I know not everyone will agree with my take on fishing Lake Almanor during the June Hex Hatch, and that’s okay. I believe conservation and common sense can coexist, and I don’t view this unique, man made trout fishery the same way I view a wild trout river in midsummer. As for the fishing, it was mostly lights out, the clients crushed it, and we had an unforgettable few weeks on the water.
There! Mucho easy. Fish your way, and I will fish mine. We do our best to take care of the fish after we land them, and we didn’t have any floaters this year. By the way, the mornings were just as hot as the evenings, so don’t let any saviors tell you that fishing at 73 degrees in the morning is better than fishing at 74 degrees in the evening. Again, you fish your way, I’ll fish mine.
The pre Hex Hatch was amazing this year! This is basically before the mayflies start popping off in late May and June when it’s midges and pond smelt. Then it slowed down just a bit right when the bugs started popping. So the first few trips weren’t lights out, but we had bugs already coming up and we got some fish. It just wasn’t going crazy. Then, as the month progressed, each night got better and better. I feel like the fish go on a “glut” when things first start out, just like they do on the Kenai River when the sockeye first drop eggs. They’re full, and then they are VERY hungry the week after. And boy, were they hungry.
Each night was different from the next. One night it’s rainbows all night with hardly any risers. The next night it’s browns early, then risers when the bugs start popping. We got them doing deep water nymphing, stripping flies on full sink and intermediate lines, dries, and even on dry droppers! Some epic browns were landed this year too. A bunch in the 26 inch range, and when you set that rod, you know when it’s one of those. They pull! I did catch more rainbows in the 14 to 19 inch range this year than I had ever done before, with some nights totaling up to 30 fish!! Crazy. By the end of my season, we were on ’em big time, and each night was amazing. I also had the boat, electronics, and rigs dialed in so well that I can’t wait until next season to do it again. Good electronics DOES make a difference and help when you’re fishing a lake.
While the fishing experience from one night to the next isn’t the same, there is one guarantee. It’s going to be beautiful. What a lake. This place is very special. And if you come with a positive mindset, once you get that grab, whether it be on a bobber, a strip, or a dry, it’s going to be amazing. You never know what you’re going to get. A brown, a bow, a bass, a hitch, a pike minnow, a catfish, or a Sacramento perch!
My goal is to start guiding Almanor as early as April next year. The midge bite is amazing, I have some great leech patterns that work during the whole month of May, and you can get the fish of a lifetime when there is hardly anyone at the lake and the temps are in the more acceptable range. With that being said, my books are already open for the Hex Hatch next year, which will be June 12 through June 30. So holler to get a date!
BTW, I had to call in sick for a few days of my season this year as my father got sick on June 14. He is good as I type this, but if it wasn’t for the lake, my clients, the fish, and the Taco familia, I couldn’t have made it through with the smile I had on my face for the rest of the season. Mad love, y’all, and see ya next year.
Remember, you can always access my JUICY REPORTS Patron page for more details on how we are getting these fish.
Mario
