Bass Fishing Forum - Westernbass.com

Have to hang out with the inlaws next weekend at Lake Almanor. Going to get away by fishing the lake. I’ve never been bassN there. Has anyone had any luck. Any advice would be appreciated.

Fished many years ago in the spring never this late in the year. Wonderful smallmouth fishery. Many rock filled banks. West bank mid lake always had good stumps but is shallow. East side Hamilton branch is also a place I did very well. North end was good but very shallow. Wind blows like heck most afternoons. Best launch is most likely at the dam. Hopefully Larry Hemphill will chime in. If not give him a shut, cool guy, always love to talk about that lake. Helped me more than once.

Thanks for the info. Didn’t know about the smallies in the lake.

This is Larry Hemphill - the chime in guy! Always awake!! August is a slow month at Almanor, but can be better if you know some off-shore structure. Smallies will be deeper during the day, but will move shallow at first light and sometimes the hour before dark. I would look for the deepest part of long docks that have some deeper water at the outside edge. You can fish shadows for a long time in the morning on the east side. Trees are very tall! Watch out for the chains that secure the ends of the docks. You can lose tackle. I usually drop-shot or drag a split-shot rig. If you are dragging, stay in the 20 to 30 foot range, fishing any drop-offs you can find! Any deep stumps you can find, drop a Senko next to them, or a Yamamoto grub. Remember - 6 lb test!