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Fishing Millerton Lake: what the data says
4,900-acre reservoir near Friant. a steep-walled San Joaquin River canyon reservoir behind Friant Dam north of Fresno, deep and clear with black bass, striped bass and panfish. The lake tops out around 288 ft. The depth chart is built from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the humps, channels and drop-offs you see are measured, not guessed. Here is how the season plays out for each species, straight from the data behind the map.
Largemouth Bass fishing at Millerton Lake
Spring largemouth bass on Millerton Lake hold shallow, usually 2 to 10 ft. They move out to 8 to 20 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 2 ft, rated good for spring largemouth bass. Best bite is early morning and the evening. A texas-rigged 10" worm or a deep-diving crankbait covers the summer program.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 10 ft | dawn & dusk | Spinnerbait, Chatterbait |
| Summer | 8 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Texas-rigged 10" worm, Deep-diving crankbait |
| Fall | 4 to 15 ft | midday & dawn | Squarebill crankbait (shad), Spinnerbait |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Blade bait, Jigging spoon |
Smallmouth Bass fishing at Millerton Lake
Start shallow in spring: smallmouth bass sit in 3 to 12 ft that time of year. They move out to 10 to 30 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 45 ft. The spot to know is Rock reef, a rock pile in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Best bite is early morning and the evening. Tie on a drop shot (goby/minnow) or a ned rig and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig, Tube jig |
| Summer | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot (goby/minnow), Ned rig |
| Fall | 8 to 25 ft | midday & dawn | Jerkbait, Blade bait |
| Winter | 20 to 45 ft | midday | Blade bait, Hair jig |
Spotted Bass fishing at Millerton Lake
Spring spotted bass on Millerton Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 15 to 40 ft in summer and finish the year down in 25 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Offshore hump, a offshore hump in about 45 ft of water that rates prime for spotted bass in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a drop shot over brush or a underspin + fluke (schoolers) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Ned rig on gravel points, Shaky head |
| Summer | 15 to 40 ft | dawn & dusk | Drop shot over brush, Underspin + fluke (schoolers) |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dawn & dusk | Walking topwater, Underspin |
| Winter | 25 to 50 ft | midday | Damiki/hover rig, Jigging spoon |
Striped Bass fishing at Millerton Lake
Spring striped bass on Millerton Lake hold shallow, usually 5 to 20 ft. They move out to 25 to 60 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 50 ft. The spot to know is Old creek channel, a creek channel in about 45 ft of water that rates prime for striped bass in winter. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Summer baits: a flutter spoon (deep) or a umbrella rig (trolled) gets it done.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 5 to 20 ft | dawn & dusk | Bucktail jig + trailer, Walking topwater (dawn) |
| Summer | 25 to 60 ft | dawn & dusk | Flutter spoon (deep), Umbrella rig (trolled) |
| Fall | 10 to 35 ft | dawn & dusk | Topwater walker, Jerkbait |
| Winter | 20 to 50 ft | midday | Alabama rig (slow), Flutter spoon |
Channel Catfish fishing at Millerton Lake
Spring channel catfish on Millerton Lake hold shallow, usually 3 to 12 ft. They move out to 8 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 20 to 40 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 2 ft, rated prime for spring channel catfish. Best bite is after dark and the evening.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 3 to 12 ft | dusk | |
| Summer | 8 to 25 ft | night & dusk | |
| Fall | 10 to 30 ft | dusk | |
| Winter | 20 to 40 ft | midday |
Crappie fishing at Millerton Lake
In spring, crappie run shallow here, mostly 2 to 8 ft. They move out to 10 to 25 ft in summer and finish the year down in 15 to 35 ft. Creek inflow is the standout, a inflow / creek mouth at roughly 2 ft, rated good for spring crappie. Plan around early morning and the evening in the warm months. Tie on a jig trolled/spider-rigged or a small crankbait (trolled) and you're in the game.
| Season | Depth | Best window | Go-to baits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spring | 2 to 8 ft | midday & dawn | 1/16 oz jig + tube, Curly-tail grub |
| Summer | 10 to 25 ft | dawn & dusk | Jig trolled/spider-rigged, Small crankbait (trolled) |
| Fall | 8 to 20 ft | dawn | Jig + minnow combo, Small swimbait (1.5-2") |
| Winter | 15 to 35 ft | midday | Tungsten jig + soft plastic, Tiny jigging spoon |
Millerton Lake also holds bluegill (4 to 15 ft in summer). Pick any of them on the map above for rated spots and bait picks.
Notable structure
- Deep basin: deep basin, around 273 ft
- Break off the point: drop-off, around 191 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 113 ft
- Main-lake point: point, around 92 ft
- Secondary point: point, around 86 ft
- Shoreline point: point, around 85 ft
- Feeding flat: feeding flat, around 75 ft
- Sharp break: drop-off, around 69 ft
- Old creek channel: creek channel, around 45 ft
- Offshore hump: offshore hump, around 45 ft
- Marina / dock area: dock line, around 44 ft
- Creek inflow: inflow / creek mouth, around 38 ft
- Shallow bay flat: weed flat, around 36 ft
- Back-bay flat: weed flat, around 29 ft
Common questions
How deep is Millerton Lake?
Millerton Lake is about 288 ft at its deepest point. The depth chart here comes from real state fisheries GPS surveys, so the contours reflect measured depths.
What fish are in Millerton Lake?
Anglers target largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, channel catfish, striped bass, spotted bass on Millerton Lake.
Where is the best fishing spot on Millerton Lake?
Rock reef is the top-rated area: a rock pile in about 4 ft of water that rates prime for smallmouth bass in spring. Open the map above to see every rated spot for each species and season.
When is the best time to fish Millerton Lake?
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.
Nearby waters
Topaz Lake · Clifton Court Forebay · Bethany Reservoir · Lake Tahoe · Lake Del Valle · Franks Tract
See how Millerton Lake stacks up: best largemouth bass lakes in California · best smallmouth bass lakes in California · best crappie lakes in California · best bluegill lakes in California
Browse all California fishing maps or every water on DepthScout. Bathymetry credit: state fisheries survey programs. How we build these maps. For fishing guidance only, never navigation.