Early morning on the west shore of Lake Almanor, with Lassen Peak on the skyline.

Guided experience

Lake Almanor, open every month of the year

We are at the north end of Lake Almanor, about a mile from the shore. The lake is open to trout fishing all year.

Photo: Frank Schulenburg, CC BY-SA 3.0

The rules

All inland lakes, including Almanor, are open to fishing all year with a five-trout daily bag limit and ten-trout possession limit. The tributaries running into the lake open the Saturday before Memorial Day and shut on 30 September, five trout.

The year on the water

Fishing on Lake Almanor through the year
WhenWhat is happening
Jan to MarQuiet and cold. The lake never closes.
Apr, MayThe shallows warm. Tributaries open the Saturday before Memorial Day.
Late Jun, early JulThe Hex hatch, from roughly five in the afternoon until dark. The busy week.
Jul, AugWarm surface, fish deeper. Early morning and late evening are the windows.
SepThe last month for tributaries, which shut on the 30th.
Oct to DecThe lake stays open. Almost nobody is on it.

Lake Almanor Recreation Trail

A paved path along the west shore, open to walkers and bicycles only. Sources put it between 11 and 19 miles. The Chamber's fifteen mile ride, rated easy, takes about an hour and a half one way, from the Cedar Chalet Bakery, two miles west of Chester, to the Canyon Dam Boat Launch.

The sun going down over Lake Almanor, seen from the air above Cedar Lodge.
Migrating waterfowl rafted on the open water of Lake Almanor.
Cedar Lodge from the air at dusk, with Lake Almanor and the mountains behind.

Where you sleep

Motel rooms King rooms, and queen suites with bunk beds.
The home Three bedrooms and two baths.
RV sites Full hookup sites.

Check availability

If you have another day

Last checked 23 September 2026.

Area photographs from Wikimedia Commons: Frank Schulenburg (CC BY-SA 3.0); US Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Region (Public domain). Photographs of Cedar Lodge are our own.