Lake Almanor Fishing Report | June 23

Depth

Offshore zones, staging in deeper water before moving shallower during the Hex hatch

Presentation

Trolling, both high-speed hardware and slow-trolling finesse techniques

Lures and baits

High-speed hardware: Optimizer Juniors, Trigger Spoons
Colors: Chartreuse and gold, red, red-and-copper, Wonderbread pattern
Slow-trolling finesse: Soft plastic grubs with Goomba garlic scent

Other techniques

Slow finesse trolling with soft plastics when conditions allowed; high-speed trolling during windy conditions

Best time

Last hour of light into darkness, particularly during the Hex hatch

Water temperature

Generally upper 60s °F, spiking into low 70s °F on sunny, calm days. Recently around 67 °F after a cool spell.

Water clarity

Good

Water level

About three feet below full pool

Weather

Mostly beautiful weather, but some cold, windy days due to a low-pressure system. Northeast winds caused rough conditions on parts of the lake.

Advice for this week

Keep an eye on the weather. If it’s calm, try slow finesse trolling with soft plastics scented with garlic, especially near areas seeing Hex hatch activity.


During windy conditions, switch to high-speed trolling with brightly colored hardware.


Watch for Hex hatch shucks on the surface in the mornings to gauge hatch intensity from the night before.

What is changing

A significant Hex hatch is underway, drawing fish to specific west shore zones from Canyon Dam up to Almanor West.


Cooler temps and wind have softened the bite on certain days, but conditions are overall still solid.

Next week

As weather stabilizes and summer patterns strengthen, expect fishing to improve. The Hex hatch will continue to drive trout activity, so fishing should rebound quickly after this little weather bump.