Lake Almanor Fishing Report | May 2026
The report at a glance
Depth
Fast-trolling spoons 6 to 25 feet; slow program 15 to 30 feet
Presentation
Run Junior Optimizer and Trigger Spoons over 3 to 3.5 mph in reds, golds, and oranges. To slow down, drop to about 1 mph with soft plastics and worms 15 to 30 feet deep. Scent spoons with Brown Town and slow gear with Goomba Garlic.
Lures and baits
Junior Optimizer and Trigger spoons in bright reds, golds, and oranges (fast)
Soft plastics and worms (slow)
Brown Town minnow scent on spoons
Goomba Garlic on the slow gear
Other techniques
Two speeds: fast hardware trolling and a slow soft-plastic and worm program
Water temperature
Morning water temperature already hitting 60 degrees
Water clarity
Improving daily; downrigger balls visible 10 to 12 feet down
Water level
About two and a half feet from full pool
Advice for this week
Bryan Roccucci says match your scent to your speed, Brown Town on open-water spoons and Goomba Garlic on the slow stuff. A strong scent trail helps fish find the bait. He is already finding Hexagenia larva inside the fish he cleans.
What is changing
Clarity improving daily; fish are shifting off pond smelt to feed on midges; Bryan is already finding Hexagenia larva inside the fish he cleans.
Next week
It only gets better from here at Almanor. The big Hexagenia mayfly hatch is about a month to a month and a half out. Fish will move to hunt those larva on the bottom.
Lake Almanor is fishing fantastic in May 2026, with huge-number days on rainbows plus nice browns as spring bug hatches turn on. Fast-troll Junior Optimizers and Trigger Spoons in reds, golds, and oranges 6 to 25 feet down at over 3 mph. Or slow down to about 1 mph and run soft plastics 15 to 30 feet deep. Scent with Brown Town and Goomba Garlic.
What is biting at Lake Almanor in May?
Spring fishing is fantastic. Capt. Bryan Roccucci is catching nice browns and having huge-number days on rainbows. The water is about 2.5 feet from full pool, clarity is improving daily, and morning temps are already hitting 60 degrees. Aquatic bug hatches have fish keyed on midges all over the lake.
What depth and speed for Almanor trout?
Fast-troll spoons 6 to 25 feet down depending on the day and location, running over 3 to 3.5 mph. If fast fishing is not your thing, slow to about 1 mph and run soft plastics and worms 15 to 30 feet deep. Both approaches are putting fish in the boat right now.
What lures and colors are working at Lake Almanor?
There is lots of action on the hardware. Bryan is running Junior Optimizers and Trigger Spoons fast, and it has been all about bright colors, lots of reds, golds, and oranges. For a slower bite, switch to soft plastics and worms fished 15 to 30 feet deep at around a mile per hour.
What scents is Bryan using at Almanor?
He scents all his gear two ways. Brown Town minnow scent goes on the spoons out over open water and has been working well. When fishing slow gear during the bug activity, he switches to Goomba Garlic, which puts out a strong scent trail to help fish find the bait.
What is the outlook for Lake Almanor?
Bryan says it is only going to get better, with the big Hexagenia mayfly hatch about a month to a month and a half out. He has already found Hexagenia larvae in fish on the cleaning table, a sign they are keying on the bottom. Open calendar dates are limited.
Watch the full report
Lake Almanor May 2026 FAQ
Fast-trolled spoons 6 to 25 feet down, or slow gear and soft plastics 15 to 30 feet deep.
Over 3 to 3.5 mph for spoons, or slow down to about 1 mph for soft plastics.
Bright colors, especially reds, golds, and oranges, on Junior Optimizers and Trigger Spoons.
Brown Town minnow scent on spoons in open water, and Goomba Garlic on slow gear.
About a month to a month and a half out, and larvae are already showing in fish.
Around 60 degrees in the morning, with clarity improving daily.
