Lake Camanche

Camanche Reservoir is an artificial lake in the San Joaquin Valley in central California, where the Amador, Calaveras, and San Joaquin counties meet. Its waters remain protected by the Camanche Dam, finished in 1963.

Camanche Reservoir isn’t just a sight for sore eyes – it is a place where water serves both industrial and municipal purposes, helping to prevent floods. And finally, besides its practical use, many visitors yearly take to the lake for some top-notch Camanche recreation.

Keep reading to learn more about what the lake offers, accommodation, and excellent bass fishing opportunities.

Overview of the Camanche Reservoir

Lake Camanche is a multi-award-winning campground that offers fishing and other leisure activities for year-round recreation. The lake’s shoreline is 54 miles long, and its 7,700 acres of water are perfect for outdoor recreational activities.

The lake offers family and group accommodations, allowing visitors to camp in a natural setting. Visitors can also stay in a cottage or park their RV at two RV parks.

You can hike, boat, fish, swim, kayak, go on equestrian trails, and camp with your horse. Lake Camanche is also a trendy spot for outdoor weddings, fairs, and business events outside.

In the following passages, we will provide information about boating, accommodations, fishing, and the various fish species that thrive in the Camanche Reservoir.

Fishing at Lake Camanche

Most people go to Lake Camanche to fish for bass, but trout anglers also like it. From October until June each year, 60-75,000 pounds of trout weighing no less than a pound and up to eight pounds are free to roam into the water. At South Shore, the big trout pond is a great place to take toddlers fishing.

Each year, there is also a plant of Florida-strain largemouth bass, which is very rare. Some fish species living in Lake Camanche include rainbow trout, spotted bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, kokanee, catfish, sunfish, crappie, and bluegill.

Anglers can get to the shoreline from both sides. There is also access to the riverbank upriver, which you can only reach by boat.

The boating service charges a small fee, $7.25 per day per angler. All this money goes to their stocking program and towards making the lake a better place for fish.

Here are some of the fish species that you can fish for at Lake Camanche:

Bass Fishing at Lake Camanche

At Lake Camanche, black bass is the main attraction for many anglers.

Spotted bass, largemouth bass, and smallmouths are all swimming around. The bass grows large due to the significant number of threadfin shad and the numerous suitable habitats for bass to inhabit. There is a lot of spotted bass and largemouth bass.

Smallmouths are one species that have settled in Camanche, but most reports say there are so few of them that they don’t offer much or any action unless an angler spots and captures one by accident.

Top Targeted Fish Species

Largemouth Bass

Smallmouth Bass

Spotted bass

Rainbow Trout

Crappie

See all fish species >>>

Lake Camanche Trout Fishing

Trout here grow enormous, and it’s not unusual to catch fish that weigh between five and six pounds. These fish grow large and multiply due to the abundant food sources.

Since the 1980s, rainbow fish have been continuously released into the lake. We’re talking about tens of thousands of pounds of trout yearly, and a brown trout will stick around now and then! There are more typical rainbows than lightning trout, which are rainbows with a golden hue.

There are also kokanee salmon in the lake, but they don’t live there in large numbers, despite attempts to introduce landlocked sockeye salmon to the reservoir.

If you want to find kokanee, go upstream to Pardee Lake.

Crappie Fishing at Lake Camanche

There is crappie all over Lake Camanche, and they live near the underwater cover and usually like places with shade.

Use a light setup to look for a group of them. Crappie jigs do the trick, as do mealworms.

Going to Camanche in the spring or early summer can be a great place to catch crappie. If you only have light gear, these small slabs can pose a significant challenge. Once you find them grouped, you can fill up your fishing net.

Use a specially designed light at night to attract bugs and minnows; the crappie will likely follow soon after.

Black crappie and white crappie are said to live in Lake Camanche.

Chanel Catfish Fishing at Lake Camanche

Imagine going to the lake and finding that it’s hot, the water is above 72 degrees, and not many fish are interested in biting!

Well, now is the perfect time to get some bait with a pungent smell and go to the cliffs on the south side of Lake Camanche. Giant channel catfish swim around this area and are easy to catch, though they prefer cooler evenings and nights.

If cats are your main goal, you might want to camp out and fish all night.

Lake Camanche Charter Captains

To see a complete list of great California Fishing Guides, please click here!

Getting to Lake Camanche

From Stockton, Camanche Reservoir is only 45 miles away, about 55 miles from Sacramento. Camanche Reservoir is a beautiful, well-kept lake in the highlands of the Sierra Nevada.

There are activities to do for visitors of all ages. You can try the trout pond or stay at the South Shore campgrounds during the summer to watch movies at the theater.

This popular place is always full of things to do, whether you go for the day or stay overnight.

Boating and Shore Access

Lake Camanche is extensive, spanning over 7,500 acres at full water capacity. At the reservoir, there are more than 50 miles of lake shoreline, where the Mokelumne River is held back.

It also has two marinas with everything you might need, like snacks and bait.

You can also rent boats at both marinas; however, it’s recommended to book in advance if you prefer not to fish from the shore. Ensure you’re aware of the rules for fishing in the lake before going.

There are areas where the permitted speed is 5 mph, allowing for more leisurely fishing. When it gets warmer, power water sports are trendy here.

Fishing from the shore can be great, depending on the water’s height. Since the lake is open all seasons, people fishing from the lakeside can catch everything from rainbow trout to crappie.

Lake Camanche Map

Places to Stay at Lake Camanche

Around Camanche Reservoir, there are many places to camp with tents or RVs. The North Shore and South Shore offer campsites with direct access to the lake, as well as a range of other camping amenities, including laundry facilities.

There are hot showers, places to do laundry, and full hookups.

The North and South shores have great places to camp for horseback riding. The North Shore has a café and an ice cream shop open year-round. South Shore has a pond with trout, a snack shop, and movie festivals in the summer.

There are cottages, hotel rooms, cabins, and other holiday homes around the lake if you’d rather stay inside.

Camanche Reservoir is a great place to go fishing for people of all skill levels, and it looks like bass and trout fishing will be great there for years to come.

Conclusion

Camanche Reservoir is a popular destination for fishing, hiking, jet skiing, equestrian camping, or just taking a short walk around the RV sites, especially when visiting Stockton, CA. The lake’s many miles of shoreline bring every type of angler an opportunity for a good catch, even in the winter. The Camanche Recreation Company is a good source for more information.

We’ll now do a bit of an overview of the lake to summarize all key points: