Lake Almanor Fishing
Plumas County, CDFW North Central Region, 28,000 acres.
- 11launches
- 28,000acres
- 4,500 ftelevation
Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting to know Lake Almanor
Lake Almanor is a lake in Plumas County, inside the CDFW North Central Region. The agency entry puts it at 28,000 acres of water. The water sits at about 4,500 feet above sea level. The nearest town on the Census list is Susanville, 32 miles away. The reservoir holds up to 1,308,000 acre-feet behind Canyon Dam on N Fork Feather River.
Species on the CDFW entry: black bass, hatchery trout and kokanee and inland salmon. Count 11 mapped launches at the lake, 11 of them named. The planting layers show 10 plant weeks, 2025-09-28 through 2026-05-31. On-site extras listed: restrooms and fuel.
CDFW field notes on Lake Almanor
“Located in an area that is surrounded by forest with many residences.”
“Wind can create a hazard due to the open water.”
“Year-round fishing but may freeze over in Winter.”
“Marina, bait & tackle, propane, store, resort, motel and RV sites with hookups.”
Quoted from the CDFW Fishing Guide entry for Lake Almanor (source). Checked October 2026.
Lake Almanor launch sites
- Big Cove Resort2 lanes, 51 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Canyon Dam Boat Ramp3 lanes, 40 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Knotty Pine Resort & Marina1 lane, 4 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Lake Almanor Boat Launching Facility2 lanes, restrooms
- Lake Almanor West Shore Campground2 lanes, 20 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Lake Cove Resort & Marina1 lane, 20 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Lassen View Resort Inc1 lane, 25 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Little Norway Resort1 lane, restrooms
- Northshore Campground1 lane, 10 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Plumas Pines Resort2 lanes, 100 trailer spaces, restrooms
- Vagabond Resort2 lanes, 36 trailer spaces, restrooms
Launch ramps by Lake Almanor
- Butt Valley Reservoir Launch RampButt Valley Reservoir, 6 miles south
- Mountain Meadows ReservoirMountain Meadows Reservoir, 9 miles east
DBW Boating Facilities, USFS recreation sites and OpenStreetMap slipways, checked October 2026.
Lake Almanor gauge reading
CDEC station ALM (Pacific Gas & Electric), reading dated 2026-10-08. Station page with the live chart.
Fish CDFW flags for Lake Almanor
CDFW Fishing Guide species flags; CDFW publishes no fuller species list for most waters.
Trout plants on Lake Almanor
| Species | Size | Program | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brown Trout | Sub-catchable | Put and Grow | January-December |
| Chinook Salmon | Fingerling | Put and Grow | April-June |
| Rainbow Trout | Catchable | Put and Take | January-December |
| Rainbow Trout | Sub-catchable | Put and Grow | January-December |
CDFW Fish Planting Schedule and the 2026 Provisional Stocking Document. California trout stocking.
What may be kept from Lake Almanor
Statewide inland limits cover Lake Almanor; nothing extra is listed.
| Species | Daily bag | Size | Season |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black bass | 5 a day | 12 in minimum | All year |
| Trout | 5 a day | none | All year |
| Striped bass | 2 a day | 18 in minimum | All year except closures in special regulations |
| Sunfish and crappie | 25 a day | none | All year, except closures under district or special regulations |
| Catfish | no limit | none | All year, except closures under special regulations |
| Kokanee and inland salmon | 5 a day | none | All year |
Lake Almanor lies in the Sierra District for inland trout seasons.
CDFW 2026 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations, checked October 2026. All California limits.
How the lakes near Lake Almanor stack up
| Lake | Distance | Acres | Elevation (ft) | Launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Almanor | 28,000 | 4,500 | 11 | |
| Butt Valley Reservoir | 8 miles south | 1 | ||
| Deerheart Lake | 11 miles east | 9.9 | 6,321 | 0 |
| Echo Lake, Plumas County | 12 miles north | 29 | 6,000 | 0 |
| Mountain Meadows Reservoir | 13 miles east | 4,842 | 5,045 | 1 |
| Evelyn Lake | 13 miles north | 0.8 | 6,903 | 0 |
Bordering Lake Almanor on the map
Next lakes over from Lake Almanor
- Butt Valley Reservoir8 miles south
- Deerheart Lake11 miles east
- Echo Lake, Plumas County12 miles north
- Mountain Meadows Reservoir13 miles east
- Evelyn Lake13 miles north
Nearest tackle to Lake Almanor
- Sierra's Fly & Tackle, 212 Main Streetfly shop, Chester, 4 miles
- Sports Nutsporting goods store, Chester, 4 miles
- The Lake Almanor Fly Fishing Companyfly shop, Chester, 4 miles
- Dr Del's Fly Shopfly shop, Chester, 4 miles
- Sierra's Fly & Tackle, 3820 Lake Almanor Drivefly shop, Westwood, 6 miles
License agents near Lake Almanor
- Nellz Towne Pumplicense agent, 15 miles
Towns a short drive from Lake Almanor
- Lake Almanor West2 miles
- Lake Almanor Country Club3 miles
- Chester4 miles
County links for Lake Almanor
- Plumas Countyseat: Quincy
Lake Almanor: the usual questions
Where in California is Lake Almanor?
CDFW places it in Plumas County, about 32 miles from Susanville.
How much water does Lake Almanor cover?
CDFW lists 28,000 acres.
How many launches does Lake Almanor have?
There are 11 launches; try Knotty Pine Resort & Marina.
Are there trout in Lake Almanor?
black bass, hatchery trout and kokanee and inland salmon, per the Fishing Guide.
When did CDFW last plant Lake Almanor?
CDFW logged 10 weeks, last 2026-05-31.
What rules cover Lake Almanor?
No special rule; the statewide lake limits apply.
Is a fishing license required on Lake Almanor?
A sport fishing license at $64.54 for residents, from age 16.
How much storage does Lake Almanor hold today?
See the reading from CDEC above.
Which store is closest to Lake Almanor?
Head to Sierra's Fly & Tackle, 4 miles away.
Pack for Lake Almanor
Read the limits, then pick a launch.