Quote from: Fishigan on January 22, 2018, 03:09:14 PM

Planning several trips to the Lake Almanor area in 2018. What can I expect starting late February (other than cold) and going through the remainder of the year? My end goal is to complete an Almanor Slam in August.

Topline plug bite typically kicks in around late February, especially when the water temps reach the low 40s.  That bite peaks in March and continues into April.  You can catch fish on just about all techniques in April/May (topline, deep troll, jig, mooch).  Best time for an Almanor slam (rainbow, brown, salmon, smallmouth) is April and May.  The timing is mostly focused on the salmon: outside of the spring months, it can be really tough to consistently catch Chinook during the other seasons.

For sheer fun and a high species count, the Hex Hatch is a good time.  That typically starts in late May and goes through July.  You can catch some relatively uncommon species fishing the Hex, everything from Sacramento perch to suckers to giant Tui chub.  A 5-7 species day is very possible that time of year.