About Almanor Fishing Association

In 1980, concerned fishermen, business people and the Chester/Lake Almanor Chamber of Commerce formed the Almanor Fishing Association. The main purpose of the Association is dedicated to the enhancement and preservation of a high quality fishing resource in Lake Almanor and assuring its continual availability to everyone wishing to enjoy the sport of fishing.

Transfer cage attached to a pontoon used to move Eagle Lake Trout from DFG truck to AFA cages.

For those who may have never given trout fishing at Lake Almanor a try, here’s an extra 50,000 good reasons. Every year for over 14 years, approximately 50,000 eagle lake trout have been reared by volunteers of the Almanor Fishing Association (AFA) to supplement the Department of Fish and Game plants.

The cages that you see in the Hamilton Branch are used to rear the trout. The California Department of Fish and Game deliver the trout to the AFA fish cages in early November. Pictured is the transfer cage which is attached to a pontoon used to move the eagle lake trout from the DFG truck to the waiting AFA cages.

The Lake Almanor "Fish Pen Project", one of the largest and most successful pen projects in the State, appeared to be in danger of ending. After 24 years in the water, the cages needed repairs, the supporting timber and floats were water-logged and looked like one big storm away from breaking apart. The AFA Board of Directors and membership were very concerned and were working to keep this program moving forward.

California Inland Fisheries Foundation, Inc. (CIFFI), again stepped up and this time, provided a grant of $15,000. Because of this, AFA can keep the pen program afloat…literally. CIFFI has been very supportive of AFA over the years, providing fish food and last year paid $5,000 for much needed fencing.The repair work on the pens is scheduled to start this spring 2010. Fish pens will be removed, one section at a time, and refitted with new supporting timber, floats, and surface decking. Also, the aluminum rivets on the cages themselves will be drilled out and replaced with stainless steel fasteners. Jay Williams of Preferred Builders has been contracted by AFA to head up this repair project and we are looking forward to getting this started in April.

In a partnership with Kokanee Power Association the AFA receives 15,000 lbs. of fish food from Kokanee Power and assistance with the maintenance on the cages. Day after day, through the fall and worst winter storms, dedicated AFA volunteers deliver the fish food over icy trails and frozen boat docks to the hungry trout, growing in cages suspended in the lake just waiting to be released in the spring. When the trout are released they are approximately 10-12 inches in length. To date, this program has released over 100,000 eagle lake trout into Lake Almanor.