Lake Almanor

Lake Almanor near Chester in Northern California is the largest reservoir in the Cascade-Sierra transition zone — 28,000 acres of productive stillwater fed by the North Fork Feather River at 4,510 feet elevation, with Mount Lassen's volcanic profile visible from every shore. The lake produces trophy Rainbow Trout, large Brown Trout, Kokanee Salmon, and abundant smallmouth bass in a fishery that rivals anything in California for overall quality and diversity. The Rainbow Trout at Almanor average 2–4 pounds with exceptional fish over 8 pounds — wild, self-sustaining fish supplemented by California DFW hatchery programs that maintain exceptional fish density. Chironomid emergences drive the early season (April–June) fishing, with the legendary Almanor Callibaetis hatches providing the finest dry fly action of the year from late May through July. Brown Trout averaging 3–8 pounds inhabit the deeper sections of the reservoir and provide spectacular fall fly fishing as they move into the shallows of the North Fork Feather inlet and the Hamilton Branch areas. These fish can exceed 15 pounds — the lake's record brown exceeded 18 pounds — and fall streamer fishing for Almanor browns is one of Northern California's finest trophy fly fishing experiences. The North Fork Feather River above the lake and the Hamilton Branch below provide outstanding river fishing to complement the stillwater, making Almanor the hub of a complete Northern California mountain fishing destination.