Past Speakers from October 2022 to May 2023
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Wednesday, October 12, 2022: Eagle Lake and Lake Almanor Guide Mark Antaramian "Black Boat Mark", as we affectionately call him, will be speaking about Eagle Lake and how to approach it. Mark is known for blending new technology with the fly fishing skills he has acquired from his father and other guides over the past 35+ years. He started fly fishing on Lake Almanor and has fished extensively through the United States and Canada in all kinds of water. An engineer, he started his guide service seven years ago with the motto "Out with the old, and in with the new!" Check out his Facebook page. Mark gave great information on how to fish Eagle Lake. He also opened the meeting with a fly tying demonstration. Mark plans to post videos of how to tie various flies that give him and his clients success on Lake Almanor and Eagle Lake.
Wednesday, November 9, 2022: Long-time area guide, Lincoln Gray stepped up at the last minute after our featured speaker couldn't make it because of weather issues. Lincoln gave a very informative presentation on Steelhead fishing on the Feather River. Great timing for this! Lincoln has been a member of CAF for decades, including holding the office of President. Visit him at Sierra Stream & Mountain at 847 W. 5th Street, Chico, CA 95926.
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Mark Antaramian
Lincoln Gray
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Lee Duckwall
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 Michael Mamola
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Wednesday, January 11, 2023: Lee Duckwall and Michael Mamola of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife gave an excellent presentation on the California Heritage Trout Challenge. This program seeks to emphasize education and angling opportunities for California's native trout. Their slideshow and presentation went over the different trout species and subspecies eligible for the California Heritage Trout Challenge. With developments in DNA sampling technology, it is possible to determine the lineage of the trout into different subspecies. This is linked to the tectonic activity found throughout California. Once populations have been separated, they begin to diverge from the main population. Lee distinguished between heritage waters vs. non-heritage waters. Mr. Duckwall explained how each drainage is carefully being mapped with known physical barriers that prevent the movement of trout, and DNA sampled populations. Much of this work is done by backpacking into remote regions.
Michael Mamola gave the second part of the presentation with the focus on angling, specifically fly fishing. He provided several great suggestions for regions having the specific species of trout that qualify for the California Heritage Trout Challenge, all-the-while reminding those in attendance that the trout must be caught in Heritage Waters. He mentioned areas having trophy trout, and other areas having "high action", meaning that an angler would catch several trout in an hours time.
Lee and Michael donated three hard copies of the Angler's Guide to the California Heritage Trout Challenge. We will have one available at the February 2023 General Meeting raffle. Click on the title for a digital version.
Both allowed CAF to give out their email addresses and encouraged anyone who is planning a trip to reach out and they can give more information and insight to benefit the trip. Lee Duckwall (lee.duckwall@wildlife.ca.gov) and Michael Mamola (michael.mamola@wildlife.ca.gov).
Michael Mamola gave the second part of the presentation with the focus on angling, specifically fly fishing. He provided several great suggestions for regions having the specific species of trout that qualify for the California Heritage Trout Challenge, all-the-while reminding those in attendance that the trout must be caught in Heritage Waters. He mentioned areas having trophy trout, and other areas having "high action", meaning that an angler would catch several trout in an hours time.
Lee and Michael donated three hard copies of the Angler's Guide to the California Heritage Trout Challenge. We will have one available at the February 2023 General Meeting raffle. Click on the title for a digital version.
Both allowed CAF to give out their email addresses and encouraged anyone who is planning a trip to reach out and they can give more information and insight to benefit the trip. Lee Duckwall (lee.duckwall@wildlife.ca.gov) and Michael Mamola (michael.mamola@wildlife.ca.gov).
Wednesday, February 8, 2023: Returning to give an update on the status of the environs and fisheries of Lake Almanor is Almanor Fishing Association (AFA) President John Crotty. Last year, John gave a very moving update of Lake Almanor after the devastating DIXIE Fire. John and his partner have suffered tremendous personal losses in this fire with the destruction of their Quail Lodge in the Canyon Dam area of Lake Almanor. Aside from this, AFA remains committed to a plethora of activities supporting Lake Almanor fisheries and community support. The last Saturday in June is their annual Veteran's Fishing Day and BBQ; in 2021 AFA gave fishing rods to every fourth grader in Plumas County. They teamed up with several organizations to provide support to those impacted by the DIXIE Fire. AFA continues its long time fish pen program, teaming up with Feather River College. To date, AFA, has released well over 1,000,000 trout into Lake Almanor. The organization's work to prevent cold water releases from Lake Almanor remains one of their top priorities. Visit the AFA website or Facebook page.