Pardee Lake Fishing Report 2024 [Tips, Spots, Pictures, and Everything You Need to Know]

How To Fish Pardee Lake

Pardee Lake Fishing Report

Pardee Lake is a deep lake that sits 118 miles away from San Francisco, or 375 miles away from Los Angeles. Overall it’s a popular fishing lake, but not as busy as other lakes because it’s a non-body contact lake.

And in this post, you’re going to be given the blueprint to fish this lake.

So what are the best tips for fishing Pardee Lake? There are three important factors you must know if you want to know how to fish Pardee Lake successfully. First, you need to know what kind of fish is in Pardee Lake. Second, it’s important for you to know which part of the lake each species can be found in. Lastly, knowing what are the best baits that work on Pardee Lake is vital. However, tactics, baits, and locations will be different for each type of fish that you target. So let’s talk about the steps you need to take in order to give you the best chance of catching a fish on Pardee Lake.

WARNING: There’s a lot of information about this subject you’ll probably want to come back to. No one expects you to remember all these tips. We know your time is precious, so we really tried to over-deliver in value for you. Additionally, we frequently update reports like this, so you’ll want to stay up to date with any changes or additional tips we include for you.

We found that the easiest way to save and bookmark this report so you can come back to it later is to share it on your favorite social media platform, especially if you use your phone to get important tips like the ones in this report here…

Click on your favorite social media buttons to remember this page now!

About Pardee Lake

Pardee Lake is a deep body of water with an average depth being 130 feet and a maximum depth of 300 feet when the lake is completely full. Fishing at Pardee Lake can be a blast when you are given over 2,134 acres to fish.

Anglers enjoy mild fluctuating water levels in this lake because the water here is used for drinking water. These stable water levels produce submerged vegetation beds that grow big bass.

Better yet, since Pardee Lake is so deep near the dam it can also sustain a very healthy population of trout and kokanee salmon.

Important Lake Warnings

Algae blooms may be present which may affect fishing, swimming, and water contact in general.

According to parks.ca.gov, “every one of California’s new laws requires boat operators to have a California Boating Card. The card is required for anyone under the age of 41 to operate a boat in California’s waters.”

If you are fishing and camping, fire bans may be in effect due to the ongoing drought conditions.

What Kind Of Fish Are In Pardee Lake?

Rainbow Trout
Brown Trout
Brook Trout

Chinook/King Salmon
Kokanee Salmon
Largemouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass
Spotted Bass
White and Black Crappie

Bluegill and Sunfish
Perch
Catfish

———HUGE FISHING BLUEPRINT NATIONAL PROMOTION!———

Limited Time Promotion – Act Now!

Pardee Lake Fishing Tips & General Strategies

Fishing Lake Pardee can be tough. that’s why we released out fishing reports for this lake.

Water Clarity:

Crystal clear water
Visibility up to 15 feet on a good day
Stained water near tributaries after heavy rain

Ideal for sight-fishing and stalking those elusive lunkers

Fishing Cover & Structure:

Rocky Points: a bass angler’s paradise
- Boulders and riprap provide the perfect cover
- Bass ambush baitfish in these rocky hideouts
Timber: laydowns, stumps, and submerged trees
- Ideal for flipping and pitching
- A playground for bass to hang tight
Weedbeds: submerged vegetation and lily pads
- A green underwater jungle
- Topwater lures and frogs will have a field day

Springtime Fishing update

Largemouth Bass: The Springtime Bass Bonanza

Spawn time: Late March to May
Prime spots: Rock Creek, Indian Creek, and coves

Water temperature: 55-65°F

I’ve noticed that largemouth bass at Pardee Lake spawn in the spring when water temperatures reach 55-65°F. The spawning season typically starts in late March and goes through May. I often find bass preparing their nests in the creek arms of Rock Creek and Indian Creek, as well as various coves throughout the lake. I always keep an eye out for shallow flats with a mix of sand, gravel, and small rocks, as these are perfect nesting grounds for largemouth bass.

Trout: The Cold-Water Craziness

Spawn time: February to April

Prime spots: Inflow areas and feeder creeks, such as Mokelumne River
Water temperature: 45-55°F

As for trout, specifically rainbow trout, they prefer colder water for spawning. At Pardee Lake, their spawning season is usually between February and April when water temperatures range between 45-55°F. I’ve found that trout often look for inflow areas and feeder creeks, like the Mokelumne River, where they lay their eggs in gravelly riverbeds. When I’m trying to catch spawning trout, I concentrate my efforts on the upper reaches of the lake, where the water is cooler.

Summer Fishing update

Summer at Pardee Lake has been bringing warm temperatures, sunshine, and prime fishing opportunities. Let’s break down the common weather patterns and key information about bass and trout foraging during this hot season.

Summer Weather Patterns: Sun’s Out, Rods Out

Air Temperature: Feeling the heat
- Daytime highs: 80-95°F
- Overnight lows: 55-65°F
Wind Speed & Direction: Breezy afternoons
- Light morning winds: up to 5 mph
- Afternoon winds: 5-15 mph, typically from the west/southwest
Occasional thunderstorms: Stay alert and monitor weather conditions

Summer at Pardee Lake is synonymous with warm temperatures and sunny days. Daytime highs can soar between 80-95°F, while overnight lows hover around 55-65°F. Light morning winds up to 5 mph often give way to breezy afternoons, with speeds of 5-15 mph coming from the west/southwest. Keep an eye out for the occasional thunderstorm and adjust your fishing plans accordingly.

Water Temperature & Forage: Hot Bites in the Heat

Average water temperature: 72-78°F
Bass primary forage: threadfin shad, crawfish, and bluegill

Trout primary forage: zooplankton, insects, and smaller fish

Summer Bass Tactics & Hotspots

Summer bass fishing at Pardee Lake calls for a mix of techniques, lures, and strategic locations to reel in those bucketmouths. Let’s dive into the best strategies, baits, and spots for summer success.

Techniques:

Topwater: Early mornings and late afternoons are prime for topwater action.

Cranking: Target deeper structure and ledges during the heat of the day.
Jigging: Probe the depths for bass hiding in cooler water.

Reaction Baits:

Strike King KVD Square Bill Crankbait: Mimic shad around structure.

Booyah Pad Crasher Frog: Entice bass in weedy areas and lily pads.
Rapala X-Rap Pop: Draw attention with its splash and chugging action.

Finesse Baits:

Gary Yamamoto Senko: Rig wacky or Texas-style for versatile presentations.

Zoom Trick Worm: Perfect for shaky head or drop shot rigs.
Roboworm Straight Tail Worm: Ideal for finesse presentations around cover.

Top 5 Locations:

Rock Creek: Target laydowns and submerged trees with jigs and crankbaits.

Indian Creek: Fish around points and rocky banks with finesse techniques.
Mokelumne River Inlet: Probe deeper water with drop shot and Carolina rigs.
Buckhorn Cove: Cast topwater lures along shoreline grass and weedbeds.

Pardee Lake Dam: Crank along the face of the dam and work deep structure.

Pardee Lake Summer Trout & Kokanee Tactics

Techniques:

Trolling: Cover more water at various depths with downriggers or lead-core line.

Drift fishing: Use live or artificial bait while drifting over deeper water.
Vertical jigging: Target suspended fish in deeper, cooler water.

Top 5 Baits:

Luhr-Jensen Needlefish Spoon: Versatile trolling bait for both trout and kokanee.
Mack’s Lure Wedding Ring Spinner: Effective when paired with a nightcrawler or corn.
Yakima Bait FlatFish: Classic lure for trout, especially in rainbow trout pattern.

Brad’s Kokanee Cut Plug: Rig with scented corn or bait for added attraction.
Acme Kastmaster Spoon: Cast or troll, ideal for reaching deeper water.

Top 3 Locations:

Mokelumne River Inlet: Target trout and kokanee near cooler water inflow.

Pardee Lake Dam: Fish deeper water along the face of the dam.
Narrows: Troll or jig in the deeper channels between main lake and coves.

If you’re like us you’ll probably want to target largemouth bass, trout, or kokanee salmon, but here’s some other game fish that we’ve caught and are worth targeting:

Smallmouth Bass: These feisty fighters can be caught using similar techniques to their largemouth cousins, but tend to prefer rocky structures and points. Crankbaits, jigs, and finesse techniques like drop shot or Ned rigs work well. Look for smallmouth bass around the dam, rocky points, and underwater humps.
Catfish: Channel catfish are prevalent in Pardee Lake and can be caught using cut bait, chicken liver, or stink bait. Fish for catfish near the bottom in deeper water, particularly during the evening or night. Target areas with submerged structure, such as fallen trees, brush piles, or along the shoreline.
Crappie: These panfish can be caught using live minnows or small artificial lures like jigs, spinners, or mini crankbaits. Crappie tend to congregate around submerged structure, brush piles, or docks. Try fishing in coves, near creek arms, or around standing timber.

By using the right techniques and targeting specific habitats, anglers can enjoy a variety of game fish species at Pardee Lake, making it a diverse and exciting fishing destination.

Some of the best things we like about this lake is that since the water is crazy clear, make sure you put some polarized shades. You may not be able to spot any fish, but you’ll easily find submerged brush pills, timber, boulders, and rock piles to target any fish hiding in the shadows.

On a calm, sunny day, you can expect visibility of up to 15 feet, allowing you to spot those sneaky bass lurking below. But beware, after a heavy rain, the water near tributaries may become stained, adding a bit of challenge to your fishing quest.

But Where Are The Best Places To Fish At Pardee Lake?

And in no particular order here is that list of the best fishing spots at Pardee Lake.

DISCLAIMER: The material provided is for general information purposes only. It’s important to understand that any information provided in this article can change at any time. Any maps or graphics featured are not to be used as navigational aids. Fishing Blueprint will not be responsible for any personal injury or property damage from any misuse of the maps or graphics provided. It’s completely impossible to give you every single spot where you can potentially catch a fish. But, what this list does do is to give you a helping hand and narrow down to the most productive fishing spots.

Salt Gulch

This special area of the lake gives the anglers an expansive area to fish both trout and kokanee, as well as bass and crappie in one single area.

The mouth of the cove is an excellent place to troll for lake trout and possibly even kokanee salmon. Focus on drop offs, humps, and points.

Downriggers and drift socks aid in catching these trout that are suspended over deep water 80-150-feet deep during the late springtime all the way through late summertime.

Largemouth bass and crappie can primarily be found toward the back of the cove relating to submerged brush piles, vertical timber, laydowns, drop offs, humps with rock piles

Located: West lake in the south arm

Structural features: Deep cove, drop offs, humps, points, vertical timber, laydowns.

Best species to target: Trout, kokanee, bass, crappie

Most effective way to fish this spot: Shoreline, float tube, kayak or boat Trolling with a downrigger, trolling without a down rigger

Marina Cove

This cove is relatively shallow and doesn’t have much of a channel in the back of the cove, but it does offer floating vegetation mats and large chunk rock banks.

Scan the area with your fish finder for artificial habitat other anglers may or may not have dropped (wink-wink).

Check and scan the mouth of the cove, there are several submerged humps and ledges that drop into deep water making this area phenomenal for summer fishing.

Since there are so many structures and places to fish in this area. We’ve listened to the local guides and we strongly suggest you scan the area with your fishfinder to locate shad or bluegill relating to a piece of structure first before fishing it.

Located: West lake in north arm

Structural features: vegetation flat with floating and submerged vegetation, natural and artificial submerged structure, large chunk rock banks, offshore humps, and high spots.

Best species to target: Largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, and catfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: Boat, kayak, shoreline fishing

Yagers Gulch

This spot is great because it’s a “grass flat” with an important structure.

During the summer when the water is high this area turns into a floating vegetation mat where frogs and buzzbaits prevail.

It’s a fairly large area that has very little change in water depth and is covered in vegetation. Sometimes this vegetation can grow to the surface creating a floating mat or canopy.

When the weeds are just developing or dying off, this huge flat fishes very well, creating deep channels in the vegetation. Bass will hide in weed-filled holes and ambush bait.

In general it’s relatively shallow and what makes this spot unique is all the cover the fish can hide in and call home.

Parts of the flat close to deep water, if the fish feel threatened, they can retreat to. Fishing the outside edges can frequently result in fish being caught.

There are some spots within this area that will create large ‘holes’ in the weedbed so you can flip jigs into gaps or skipped under overhangs can be very effective.

Another great spot to fish is East Yagers Gulch, which is more of a large cut than a true cove. It has a large amount of submerged structure and has a relatively deep channel. There are also deep shelves and drop offs associated with the points of the cove which can be on fire during the fall.

The river channel will often harbor largemouth bass, crappie, smallmouth bass, and catfish that retreat away from the midday heat and can be fished a similar way.

Yagers Gulch has several planted brush piles and other artificial habitat structures placed.

Located: West lake in the north arm

Structural features: Vegetation flat with floating and submerged vegetation, natural and artificial submerged structure, large chunk rock banks, offshore humps and high spots.

Best species to target: Largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, and catfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: Boat, kayak, shoreline fishing

Copper Mine Gulch

Similar to East Yagers Gulch, this spot is more of a large cut than a true cove. It has a large amount of submerged structure and has a relatively deep channel. There are also deep shelves and drop offs associated with the points of the cove which can be on fire during the fall.

Catfish are frequently caught in this channel.

Located: West lake in the north arm

Structural features: Cuts, natural and artificial submerged structure, artificial habitat, roadbed.

Best species to target: Largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, and catfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: Boat, kayak, shoreline fishing

Tule Gulch

Tule Gulch is often overlooked for bass and trout anglers. However, Tule Gulch is unique because it has several large rock shelves in the middle of the cove leading to the back of the cove.

These shelves can produce big bass in the winter and spring.

Catfish are also caught here.

Located: West lake in the north arm

Structural features: Cuts, natural and artificial submerged structure, artificial habitat, roadbed.

Best species to target: Largemouth bass, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, and catfish

Most effective way to fish this spot: Boat, kayak, shoreline fishing

Box Canyon (“The Narrows”)

Box Canon otherwise known as The Narrows gives the anglers a long single deep channel to fish.

Thus is an excellent place to troll for lake trout and kokanee especially in the summer.

Located: Southwest corner of the lake

Structural features: Steep clay and rocky banks, deep channels and drop offs.

Best species to target: Trout and salmon

Most effective way to fish this spot: Shoreline, float tube, kayak, or boat Trolling with a downrigger, trolling without a down rigger

Grapevine Gulch

This is one incredible spot where I can fish for trout and kokanee, as well as bass and crappie all in one place.

At the mouth of the cove, I’ve found it to be an excellent location to troll for lake trout and sometimes even kokanee salmon. I make sure to concentrate on drop-offs, humps, and points.

I’ve noticed that during the summer, the lake experiences strong winds coming from the southwest, which often create floating mats of debris in the back of the cove pockets and cuts. These floating mats turn out to be phenomenal structures for holding fish.

Located: East lake in channel arm

Structural features: Deep cove, drop offs, humps, points, vertical timber, laydowns.

Best species to target: Trout, kokanee, bass, crappie

Most effective way to fish this spot: Shoreline, float tube, kayak, or boat Trolling with a downrigger, trolling without a down rigger

-- Featured Article Of The Month --

Boat Ramps & Marina At Pardee Lake

Pardee Lake only has one marina and boat ramp which is operated by Rocky Mountain Recreation Company. Lake hours vary based on season, so before you head out, check to see if the lake is open.

4900 Stony Creek Rd, Ione, CA 95640
rockymountainrec.com
(209) 772-1472
Nearby boat ramp: Yes, 4 lanes
Restrooms: Yes
Tackle, groceries, snacks available: Yes
Showers: no
Gas: no
Electric: No
Camping nearby: Yes

Tackle Shops At Or Near Pardee Lake

You can buy tackle at either the Pardee Lake Marina, however if you want to load up before you get to the lake you can buy tackle and gear from one of these locations.

Pardee Lake Marina

4900 Stony Creek Rd, Ione, CA 95640
(209) 772-1472

HOOKD

106 E Main St, Ione, CA 95640
(209) 790-5100

Fisherman’s Warehouse

9035 Folsom Blvd. Sacramento, CA, 95826
(916) 362-1200

Martini’s Bait and Tackle Shop

Lodi, CA 95242
(209) 333-1692

Valley Bait and Tackle

126 W Turner Rd, Lodi, CA, 95240
(209) 367-4516

Fisherman’s Friend

440 E Kettleman Ln # A, Lodi, CA 95240
(209) 369-0204

———HUGE FISHING BLUEPRINT NATIONAL PROMOTION!———

Limited Time Promotion – Act Now!

Pardee Lake Fishing Report 2024 [Tips, Spots, Pictures, and Everything You Need to Know]

How To Fish Pardee Lake