Event Skill Levels:
- Lake: easy access from shoreline but better from a watercraft
- Wading: Easy beginner wading. Wet wading may be possible if the temperature is warmer.
- Hiking: None
- Catch success rate: medium, measured in pounds, not quantity
- Proficiency required: Surface dry fly competence for both adults and emergers. Sub-surface during late afternoon with full and partial sinking lines for nymphs. Ability to safely use a watercraft up to and including 1 hour after dark (bring a headlamp) to manage the hatch.
This hatch of the largest mayfly we see in California (generally size 6-10) and only lasts from about the third week in June through the first week in July. The resident big browns, rainbows, and the large smallmouth bass chase and congregate to attack these adult, surface riding bugs about 45 minutes before sundown and 1/2 hour after dark.
The drive is approximately 4:20 ride up I-5 to Red Bluff, then east on highway 36 to Chester and Lake Almanor. The lake action is right at dark so we have the day to relax or to fish some of the many local smaller streams in the area. The recent fire in 2021 ran right through the area so I am not sure how fishable they will be. Lance Gray makes his summer home on the lake and always has good information on his website as he fishes and guides on the lake every day of the Hex hatch. We will connect with him as the event gets closer for more up to date information.
Cost:
Cash price: The cost is $25 and you may pay by check or cash directly to the Club Treasurer within two weeks of registration.
If you do pay cash you will be put into "Pending Registration" until your payment is received within the two weeks. Late payments will require you to register once again if there is space still available.
Guest cost is $25 for non-family members and non-spouse family members above age 26. Guests must first register as Club members ($45 annual charge) before registering for this event. TVFF annual dues qualify you for a full 12 month membership and access to all Club events and full participation.
Credit Card price: The cost of $25.75 includes the payment by credit card with the 3.0% surcharge.
Guest cost is $25.75 for non-family members and those non-spouse family members above age 26. Guests must first register as Club members ($45 annual charge) before registering for this event. TVFF annual dues qualify you for a full 12 month membership and access to all Club events and full participation.
Fishmeister: Rob Farris
Accommodations and Food:
There are both multiple camping sites around the lake, as well as limited hotel accommodations on the lake and in Chester. I will be camping at Rocky Point Campground which is close to the dam and in the vicinity of two key bays where the hatch is usually prolific. The Rocky Point Campground is managed by PG&E and opens for reservations on April 18th. It does fill up quickly. Anglers need to make their own campsite reservations, but we will gather at my campsite each day to discuss the evenings hatch, and possibly depart for local small stream fishing during the day.
Each angler should plan to bring and carry their own lunch and drinks and plan to eat with the group if they desire. With an elevation of 4,500 feet, water consumption will be important so be prepared to carry enough for the day.
Drinks and dinner are available for additional cost in Chester if you prefer to dine out. Be aware that the hatch will conclude right at dark and most establishments are likely to be closed so you may want to schedule to eat late afternoon
Members and guests are responsible for their own transportation costs as well. Carpooling is encouraged.
Gear and Tackle Recommendations:
Rod & line weights/types: 6 or 7 wt traditional fly rods & reels with floating line for dry fly action and various sinking lines for nymphing prior to the hatch.
Leaders and tippet: Usually leaders of 9-12 feet with tippets of 2-3X (8 to 10 lb) flourocarbon for nymphing and mono for dry flies.
Other gear: Watercraft if you are fishing the lake, which is recommended so that you can move to the hatch. Standard waders, boots usually with spikes to navigate the rocks, and normal fishing wear. Due to the warm weather, wet wading approaches in your watercraft may also an option as the water surface temperature needs to be 69-72 degrees for the hatch. Hat, sunglasses, and sunscreen, are also suggested.
Flies: Hexagenia dry flies and emergers are the fly of choice with Hex nymphs very effective sub surface. in 6-10's) and dry flies in size 6.
Almanor Hatch Notes (courtesy of Sam Davidson with Trout Unlimited)
"Hexagenia mayfly habitat includes lakes and slow-moving rivers with silted or muddy bottoms in which the nymphs can burrow. The adults can be so prolific that their hatches are visible on radar and cause public safety issues.
Once we were on the water, kicking idly in our float tubes, I looked eagerly for the insects that come off in such swarms they cause traffic accidents and drive big trout crazy. And for about three and a half hours, they obliged me by appearing with such infrequency and in such immodest numbers that I was wholly underwhelmed.
The individuals who did appear, however, were impressive. They shrugged out of their drab nymphal selves at the surface and briefly floated there like tiny dragons, wings bright yellow and their inverse-arched tails twitching for a few moments until they were able to lift off the water.
They were beautiful. But they were hardly prolific. And no hog trout came to the surface to eat them.
Then, just before 9 p.m., as if responding to some secret cue, the hatch turned on. And the trout began to feast.
This Lake Almanor rainbow trout grabbed a hex nymph.
Their table manners were atrocious. They ate like Vikings.
It was an extraordinary display of fecundity. For me, it was difficult to do more than simply watch in awe, as the surface of the lake became carpeted with miniature sailboats—and three- to five-pound trout, with some seemingly larger, began slashing at them.
For fly anglers, the most common strategy here is to use a slow-sink line with a hex nymph pattern, which is very slowly trolled or stripped. That’s how I caught the two 18- to 20-inch rainbows I landed. But by the final evening, I forewent that tactic in favor of one endorsed by Riley, another SCFF dude: “the Hail Mary.” This involved casting two big dry flies on a relatively short leader as dusk took over the sky.
And despite missing numerous takes, I never felt more gratification from “waving a stick,” to poach the John Gierach phrase. It was incredible to be in the midst of that short-lived chaos, twisting and spinning in my float tube to cast at rising fish, consuming the experience with as much gluttony as the trout fed on the hex adults before they could lift off. Shadowy anglers around me hooted and I joined them in vocalizing our applause.
What most remains, now, is a deep appreciation for the intricate, inscrutable mechanics of nature, and the opportunities they provide for us to connect with ageless instincts and mysteries. If you go to Lake Almanor to fish the hex hatch, be sure to bring a 6-wt rod and 10-lb. tippet. And prepare to do as much slack-jawed spectating as fishing..."
And from Lance Gray:
At Lake Almanor, the Hex hatch creates a feeding frenzy among rainbow and brown trout that are measured in pounds, not inches, but that doesn’t mean the fishing is easy. One night after fishing the Hex hatch on Lake Almanor, one of my guests handed me a good tip while saying, “Thanks for all your help, and thanks for not laughing at me.” It was a crazy night on the water he will not soon forget.
We started the evening by fishing sinking lines with Hexagenia nymph imitations. We normally either troll them slowly from a float tube, or cast the flies and use the countdown method. In this case, Steve was trolling from a float tube and I was close by, coaching him through each step. The hatch was just getting underway when he shouted “Fish on!” This trout took his fly and immediately went airborne. It re-entered the water and gave a series of head shakes, before diving deep. I could tell this fish was big and smart—probably a brown trout.
The fish dove, swam under his tube, and jumped out of the water behind him. I yelled, “Spin the tube and keep him in front of you.” Just as Steve spun around, the fish dove under the float tube again, doubled back, and jumped out of the water. Just as Steve righted his boat, the fish whirled and dove under him again. I watched as Steve lost his hat, then a swimming fin, but he stayed in the fight and with a quick swoop, the 8-pound brown was in the net. Steve looked like he’d been through the grinder. He was disheveled, with sweat pouring down his brow and his gear floating on the water, but he had a huge smile. That is what Lake Almanor is all about—big smiles, big fish, and bigger experiences.
The trout tactics on Almanor are common throughout Northern California. They range from midges under indicators to stripping Hexagenia nymphs over mud flats. My basic indicator rig is a simple 12-foot leader with an indicator that can adjust to the water depth or to the depth the fish are suspended in deeper water. Stripping techniques work for pond smelt, leeches, and Hexagenia imitations fished on intermediate to full-sinking lines (depending on water depth). Use short leaders on these sinking lines—5 to 7 feet is all you need.
Tri Valley Fly Fishers
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Protocol
TVFF Outings Policy as of September 20, 2020
As a club, the Tri Valley Fly Fishers have developed and agreed to a set of required guidelines, protocols and rules in order to help direct our members on ways to stay safe day, multi-day outings, or individual “Tag-Alongs”.
These protocols were developed by the TVFF Board of Directors as well as input from other local clubs which included a member virologist, various safety committees, and member experts. We feel that these protocols and guidelines are consistent with public health information and experts. These protocols are assured, observed, and enforced by outing leaders as well as members themselves. Extra masks, spray disinfectant and sanitizer are available from the outing leaders.
Please note that the Tri Valley Fly Fishers accepts no liability for inadequate protection or the transmission of Covid-19 among members or guests. Therefore, each member should review the following protocols that the Club subscribes to and make an individual decision of whether to participate in an activity or not, based upon their individual circumstances and personal safety.
TVFF Outings protocols are as follows:
· If you are sick with cold/flu symptoms then we ask you to please stay home
· We believe in social distancing and require that all members keep a full fly rod distance of at least 6’ distance between parties
· Everyone will be responsible for making, bringing, and consuming their own separate food and drinks
· All attendees should wash and sanitize their hands frequently
TVFF Cancellation Policy:
To sign-up for a TVFF Event that is currently open for registration and chargeable (as set by the Fishmeister), you must both register and pay online, or via check or cash, within two weeks of registering (sent to the TVFF Treasurer) whatever fee is described for that particular Event (trip) at the time of registration. There may be multiple payments required before the trip is actually taken (usually in the case of expensive trips), but it is necessary that you do make payment in the above timely fashion for the initial amount to secure your position on the trip. However, please note that you are still responsible for the entire amount of the trip if you should need to cancel.
Once you are registered, there are no refunds for chargeable Events and trips. In the situation that a member is, for any reason unable to attend, they may resell their registration slot to another TVFF member (by first pulling from the waitlist if one exists). New participants must come first from the waitlist in the order they signed up. The member cancelling is fully and solely responsible for contacting potential members to replace them and notifying the appropriate Fishmeister.
If an event/trip is fully registered and closed to registration, you may still sign up on the Wait List to be notified if there are any cancellations. In such a case of registering provisionally on the Wait List, you do not have to pay until such time that you clear the Wait List and are confirmed for participation.
