Lost Sierra Fishing Report March 2025
Fly Fishing Report Lake Almanor, Middle Fork Feather River and The Lost Sierra Watershed!
Wrapping Up a Wet Late Winter!
March has been snowy and fun… Chasing big fish between the storms!
The Rivers
A great day catching Brown Trout the River!
Between the Storms on the Middle Fork
In mid-March, the Middle Fork Feather warmed up between storm systems and gave us an epic week of fly fishing. The hatches were firing and the river was fishing incredibly well.
Clients were hooking up on dry-dropper rigs on both rodeo rainbows (fiesty med-sized fish) and getting into big browns stripping streamers in the frog water. The zebra midge under a dry was also getting it done. We saw a ton of bug activity, including the kickoff of the Skwala hatch, and with the combo of rising air and water temps, the fishing was as good as it gets.
Then another round of storms rolled in, dropping temps and bringing plenty of precipitation—shutting things down for now but setting us up perfectly for a solid spring season. With a healthy snowpack feeding the system and warmer weather on the horizon, April and May are looking all-time on the Middle Fork.
The Lakes
Lake Almanor
With the cold weather, Lake Almanor took a pause but just fired back up. Jordan our lake whisper had an epic day this week with a half dozen trophy trout.
We are still catching fish from the shore in the shallows but getting fired up about The Chironomid Hatch!
The Chironomid hatch is the best time to target big trout on Lake Almanor, as these fish feed aggressively on emerging insects in deep water. Float tube fishing allows anglers to access prime areas where trout are actively rising. The most effective techniques during this hatch are deep-water indicator fishing and the dangle method, where flies are suspended at the perfect depth for feeding fish. Using Chironomids in various sizes and colors, along with balanced leeches and midges, can produce incredible results. Look for drop-offs, deeper coves, and areas near inlets, where trout concentrate to gorge on the abundant food source. Patience and precision in fly depth can make all the difference when chasing Lake Almanor’s trophy trout during this peak feeding event.
Lake Davis and Frenchman Lake
Lake Davis and Frenchman’s have been putting out a lot of fish on the right days! We have had some epic 40-fish days at Frenchman’s recently!
Lots of snow at Davis has kept going back to Frenchman’s, but both lakes are priming up for amazing Spring Fly Fishing!
The best fly patterns for this period include olive and black balanced leeches, as well as balanced damsel nymphs, both of which are highly effective in these conditions.
What’s New?
Jordan wrapped up Whitewater Raft Guide School and is now ready to take clients downriver on some fly fishing adventures!
I helped out this year as an instructor and media creator for Feather River College’s Outdoor Recreation Leadership Program. Check out the good times!
