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Fishing Don Pedro Reservoir: what the data says
12,960-acre reservoir near La Grange. A deep Tuolumne River canyon lake in the gold country. Kings and kokanee in the thermocline, bass on every rock spine. The lake tops out around 400 ft. The contours are modeled from the water's real shoreline and maximum depth. Treat them as a rough guide, and never use them for navigation. The season-by-season read for each species follows, from the map's own numbers.
On the chart, Don Pedro Reservoir draws 12,745 acres inside 163.4 miles of shoreline, broken up by 25 islands. With a shoreline index of 10.3, this water is all arms and coves — edge habitat well beyond its acreage. Roughly 31% of the water is 15 ft or less as modeled, the band where the food chain lives.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Don Pedro Reservoir
Start shallow in spring: largemouth bass sit in 2 to 10 ft that time of year. Summer pushes them deeper, 8 to 20 ft, and winter fish settle into 15 to 35 ft. The spot to know is Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. Throw a texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait until the fish tell you otherwise.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (10 ft) | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Sharp break (10 ft) | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Spotted Bass fishing at Don Pedro Reservoir
Early season spotted bass use the shallows, holding in 5 to 20 ft. Summer is a 15 to 40 ft game here, winter a 25 to 50 ft one. The chart's best answer is Offshore hump — offshore hump, 39 ft, prime for summer. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Shoreline point (5 ft) | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (39 ft) | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Sharp break (10 ft) | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Offshore hump (39 ft) | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Kokanee fishing at Don Pedro Reservoir
Spring puts kokanee in skinny water — 10 to 30 ft is the zone. Warm water sends them out to 30 to 70 ft; cold water stacks them in 20 to 80 ft. Big Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 8 ft, rated prime for fall kokanee. Plan around early morning in the warm months. A dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger or a kokanee bug + corn covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 10 to 30 ft | dawn | Sharp break (10 ft) | Small dodger + squid (pink), Wedding-ring spinner + corn |
| Summer | 30 to 70 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (39 ft) | Dodger + pink/orange squid on downrigger, Kokanee bug + corn |
| Fall | 5 to 40 ft | dawn | Big Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + squid (deeper red/purple), Small spoon |
| Winter | 20 to 80 ft | dawn | Offshore hump (39 ft) | Small glow jig + corn or maggot, Tiny spoon |
Rainbow Trout fishing at Don Pedro Reservoir
In spring, rainbow trout run shallow here, mostly 5 to 20 ft. Midsummer fish sit out in 8 to 30 ft before dropping to 8 to 40 ft for winter. Spring rainbow trout concentrate at Big Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Fish it in early morning and the evening and you'll meet the bite. You won't need more than a dodger + spoon (deep troll) or a flutter spoon most summer days.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Big Creek inflow (8 ft) | Inline spinner (silver), Small spoon |
| Summer | 8 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Big Creek inflow (8 ft) | Dodger + spoon (deep troll), Flutter spoon |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Rock reef (9 ft) | Casting spoon, Jerkbait over shoals |
| Winter | 8 to 40 ft | dawn | Sharp break (10 ft) | Jigging spoon, Tube jig (white) |
Chinook Salmon fishing at Don Pedro Reservoir
Spring puts chinook salmon in skinny water — 5 to 40 ft is the zone. As the season builds they drop to 50 to 120 ft, wintering in 30 to 90 ft. Spring chinook salmon concentrate at Big Creek inflow, a prime-rated inflow / creek mouth around 8 ft. Warm-month bites cluster around early morning and the evening. A flasher + fly (green/white) or a magnum spoon on downrigger covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Big Creek inflow (8 ft) | Trolled spoon (orange/gold), Stickbait off planer boards |
| Summer | 50 to 120 ft | dawn & dusk | Offshore hump (39 ft) | Flasher + fly (green/white), Magnum spoon on downrigger |
| Fall | 10 to 50 ft | dawn & dusk | Big Creek inflow (8 ft) | J-plug (glow), Flasher + fly |
| Winter | 30 to 90 ft | midday | Deep basin (340 ft) | Small spoon on a slow troll, Stickbait deep |
Crappie fishing at Don Pedro Reservoir
The spring pattern is a shallow one: crappie in 2 to 8 ft. As the season builds they drop to 10 to 25 ft, wintering in 15 to 35 ft. Top water on the chart: Shallow bay flat, a weed flat in the 6-ft range, prime in spring. Time it for early morning and the evening. Summer baits: a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Start at | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | Shallow bay flat (6 ft) | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Marina / dock area (10 ft) | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Deep basin (340 ft) | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Don Pedro Reservoir also holds channel catfish (8 to 25 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 340 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 200 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 100 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 100 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 39 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 10 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 10 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 9 ft
- Big Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 8 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 6 ft
- Rock reef: rock pile, around 6 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
- Weed flat: weed flat, around 5 ft
Don Pedro Reservoir fishing regulations
Season dates, license requirements, and size and bag limits for California waters are set by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife — and special regulations can apply to Don Pedro Reservoir specifically, so confirm the current rules before you fish.
Check the official California fishing regulations →
Common questions
How deep is Don Pedro Reservoir?
Don Pedro Reservoir is about 400 ft (122 m) deep at its deepest point. The contours here are modeled from the water's real shape and maximum depth, so treat them as a rough guide.
What fish are in Don Pedro Reservoir?
Anglers target largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, rainbow trout, chinook salmon, kokanee, spotted bass on Don Pedro Reservoir.
Where is the best fishing spot on Don Pedro Reservoir?
Shallow bay flat is the top-rated area: a weed flat in about 6 ft of water that rates prime for largemouth bass in spring. The interactive chart above rates every spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Don Pedro Reservoir?
For largemouth bass, the summer bite is best in early morning and the evening. Each species page section below lists the seasonal windows, and the map shows a live NOW badge when you're inside one.
What are the fishing regulations for Don Pedro Reservoir?
Fishing on Don Pedro Reservoir is regulated by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Check the official California regulations for current license requirements, season dates, and size and bag limits — special regulations can apply to this specific water.
Nearby waters
White Pines Lake 33 mi · Salt Springs Reservoir 50 mi · Poore Lake 57 mi · Kinney Lake, Upper 60 mi · Tioga Lake 61 mi · Kinney Reservoir 61 mi · Lower Kinney Lake 61 mi · Junction Reservoir 61 mi · Tamarack Lake 62 mi · Wet Meadows Reservoir 62 mi · Waugh Reservoir 63 mi · Lost Lakes 63 mi
See how Don Pedro Reservoir stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in California · best crappie lakes in California · best channel catfish lakes in California · best rainbow trout lakes in California
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