Lake Almanor

Lake Almanor fills a high valley below Lassen Peak at about 4,500 feet, a PG&E reservoir of about 28,000 acres on the North Fork of the Feather. It is best known among fly anglers for the hex hatch: from mid-June into mid-July, the big yellow Hexagenia mayflies come off at dusk along the west shore between Canyon Dam and Almanor West, and big rainbows and browns come up for them. Anglers fish hex nymphs deep from about five in the afternoon, then switch to the duns when the hatch starts after half past eight.

In summer the trout gather near the cold spring water at Hamilton Branch and the east shore, where pond smelt patterns and leeches work. Spring and fall fish well along the shoreline, and the lake also holds smallmouth bass and stocked king salmon. A boat, pram or pontoon is the way to reach the hatch. The lake is under the statewide trout rules, and the streams that feed it have their own season.