FISHING
‘LAND OF FIRE AND ICE RAINBOWS’ THREE LASSEN VOLCANIC NAT’L PARK LAKES ARE TERRIFIC FOR TROUT, FROM ICE-OUT INTO SUMMER By Art Isberg
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awn was just a grey halo behind tall pines when my adult son Craig and I pushed our small skiff into the icy waters of Manzanita Lake. This modest-sized body of water has graced picture postcards and wall calendars too numerous to count. The lake sits at 5,000 feet and just a stone’s throw from the entrance station to Lassen Volcanic National Park in Northeastern California. It’s located off Highway 44 and a 57-mile drive east from Redding. Behind and above the
lake looms snow-capped Lassen Peak (10,457 feet), a stunning backdrop still considered an active volcano and which last erupted from 1914 to ’17. The national park has many waters that offer productive fishing for both rainbow trout and brown trout. For this piece I’m concentrating on three lakes. Knowing when, where and with what to tempt fish into rod-bending battles is the key to great fishing.
MANZANITA LAKE Manzanita is classified by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife as “blue-ribbon” trout water
– catch and release only – and for good reason. Both Craig and I have taken rainbows and browns up to 4½ pounds from its crystal-clear waters. A large campground for both tent campers and recreational vehicles sits just back of the lake. A small general grocery store with basic necessities fronts the campgrounds. When we fished there, trout were just beginning to dimple the lake surface as we pushed off. I got on the oars and quietly rowed out within casting distance of risers. This kind of timing is one of the first important keys to success – not only on Manzanita but
Author Art Isberg casts lures to spring rainbow and brown trout on Lassen Volcanic National Park’s Manzanita Lake right after ice-out. Fishing now can be spectacular in this region of Northeast California as spring beckons. (ART ISBERG) calsportsmanmag.com | APRIL 2021 California Sportsman
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