Feather River Fly Fishing and Lake Almanor Fishing Report
Oh wow! Back home on the Feather River and Lake Almanor. What a blast.
I'll get right into it. Lake Almanor... BLOWN OUT. Lots of people now, and that's totally fine. Had JL and Rogelio for a day. We got the grabs but just couldn't capitalize. Fish were being marked around us, but it just wasn't happening for us. Deep bobber techniques were on tap with just a little bit of jigging the leeches. No fish to the net, but the boys had a blast, and I love taking people who just love to be outside. Watching Rogelio just enjoy the view for part of the day was a treat. Like I said before, I am lucky to have the clients I have. Thanks, JL — we’ll get 'em next time.
The lake was still pretty cold and turning over, but we saw some people catching fish around us, so by the time you are reading this, it should be going.
And that was it for Lake Almanor. I haven't gotten any other inquiries about guided trips for spring madness, which is to be expected as my algorithm accommodations are way off right now. I'm working on it. A new website is in the works.
I did do a personal trip out there, but it was a slowwwww day. Talked to some other guys, and same thing — slow. And it was packed! Saw guys from Montana out there! The secret is out, and there's no better place to get a big brown for your Instagram hero shot.
I'm not hating! I'm all about the stoke. Just bring good vibes and it's all good. If you're not gonna be a bro about it... well, kick rocks, foo.
Luckily, I moved over to the Feather River fairly quickly. Got my cousin out for a family trip with him and his lovely lady. We had a blast. The trout are hungry and plentiful! I love Plumas County in spring.
Our day consisted of walking and wading since I didn't have my raft out here. I was going to take them to Lake Almanor, but I wanted to show them something a little more scenic and with fewer people.
Euro nymphing for April and roll-casting bobbers for AJ. Both had never fly fished before — and both were ROPING! So fun. I couldn't believe how quickly AJ got accustomed to the roll cast in tight spaces and a proper dead drift. So rad.
Same with April, getting the mechanics down on high-sticking and properly fighting a fish. These are the two methods I like to use to get people into fly fishing.
I tried to see if the fish would come up for the chubbies, but it was a mega nymph bite. The stonefly action should start very soon. All our fish were on small nymphs in fast water and tailouts.
I was so stoked to see how excited my cousin was to catch fish out here. Then he hammered out some Plumas Gold. What a day!
I promptly told my next client/buddy, Bobby, that we were changing locations from the Lower Suck to the Feather. Went out to the Trinity and grabbed "Lil Horchata" (my raft) to get him on the float action out here.
Wow... just wow. We had a blast. Too many fish to count. Got them on everything... well, almost everything.
We were chucking and ducking on the final float, but Bobby just couldn't stop TROUT SETTING! Damn it! Haha. But man, we just laughed and laughed about it. I could easily become that pissed-off guide when my guy just can't get the strip set, but why? That's not my style.
The action was steady every day. Then we finalized the trip with some lake action. Dry droppers, bobbers, and plenty of bows. Bobby had the trip of a lifetime.
As I write this, a front came in and dropped some rain. That might have popped the water up a bit. This is a freestone river, so it drops quickly. It may also come up again with some high temps due to snowmelt.
I have some days open for floats on the Feather, but you gotta get up here soon. You have to do this. It's so fun, and the fishing is super fun — 4-weights and 3-weights.
When it gets too low to float, walk-and-wade options are available, and I am permitted all the way down to the Butte County Line. It's such a great fishery, and I am so blessed to be able to guide here.
As always, you can check my open dates here:
👉 https://tacoflyco.com/pages/taco-fly-co-fly-fishing-trips
Love,
Mario