Lake Almanor Fishing Report | July 28, 2025
The report at a glance
Presentation
Slow trolling. Run soft plastics that imitate pond smelt (Trix Minnows and Trix Grubs 5-pack), both scented with minnow-based Brown Town scent.
Lures and baits
Trix Minnows
Trix Grubs
Brown Town scent by Bryan Roccucci
Water temperature
About 70 degrees, cooled a couple degrees from 71 to 72 a week ago.
Water clarity
Good, around 20 feet visibility on the downrigger balls.
Water level
Lake level stable with only a slight decrease.
Weather
Beautiful flat mornings with a slight chop; afternoons dicey with severe thunderstorms, wind, and lightning across the northern Sierras.
Advice for this week
As summer deepens, expect more fish to transition from bugs to minnows, so a bait-matching slow troll will only get better. Scent your plastics with Brown Town to seal the deal. Book Bryan through Big Daddy's Guide Service.
What is changing
Trout have switched over to feeding on pond smelt. A few hex hatch remnants still popping up in the mornings.
Next week
The minnow bite should strengthen as more fish leave the bugs behind. Bryan has about one more week at Lake Almanor before sliding over to Bucks Lake to chase kokanee in early August.
Notable catch
Quality rainbows and browns from 2 pounds up to just short of 10 pounds, with lots of 4s and 5s.
Lake Almanor is fishing well in late July 2025 as trout switch onto pond smelt. Bryan Roccucci slow-trolls Trix Minnows and grubs scented with Brown Town, catching rainbows and browns from 2 up to just short of 10 pounds, with lots of 4s and 5s. Mornings are calm, water is about 70 degrees with 20 feet of visibility, and a fading hex hatch still has a few fish looking up.
What is biting at Lake Almanor right now?
Quality rainbows and browns, ranging from 2 pounds up to just short of 10, with lots of 4s and 5s. Bryan Roccucci is mainly targeting minnow-eating fish that have switched over to the lake's pond smelt, and it is making for happy customers.
What lures are working at Lake Almanor?
Soft plastics on the slow troll. Bryan Roccucci runs Trix Minnows and grubs, both scented with Brown Town, a minnow-based scent. That match-the-forage program is producing spectacular results on the pond smelt bite.
How is Bryan Roccucci presenting at Lake Almanor?
Slow trolling scented soft plastics to fish keyed on pond smelt. He spent one day on fish still feeding on the remnants of the hex hatch, which can be caught at any level from the bottom to the surface. Specific trolling depth was not specified in this report.
Is the hex hatch still going at Lake Almanor?
Barely. There are still 10 to 15 hex flies popping up in the mornings, and the fish know it, rooting out the larva. Most of the action, though, has shifted to the minnow-eating fish on soft plastics.
What are the conditions at Lake Almanor?
Stable, with good visibility around 20 feet and water cooling slightly to about 70 degrees. Mornings are mostly flat and calm, though afternoon thunderstorms and wind have been rolling through.
Watch the full report
Lake Almanor July 28, 2025 FAQ
Rainbows and browns from 2 pounds up to just short of 10, with lots of 4s and 5s, per Bryan Roccucci.
They have switched over to the lake's pond smelt, so minnow imitations are producing.
Slow-trolled Trix Minnows and grubs scented with Brown Town.
It is fading, with only 10 to 15 hex flies in the mornings, though a few fish are still on the bugs.
About 70 degrees, cooled a couple of degrees from the prior week, with 20 feet of visibility.
A specific trolling depth was not specified in this report.
