VOL . 41 • ISS . 4
Lake Camanche Facts
History and Size : Lake Camanche sits in the rolling Mother Lode foothills of the Sierra Nevada at the juncture of Amador , Calaveras and San Joaquin counties . The EBMUD reservoir covers 12 square miles , is 150 feet deep , and has 53 miles of shoreline when full . The lake is only a two-hour drive from most of the San Francisco Bay Area . Construction of the dam and reservoir on the Mokelumne River was finished in 1963 .
Fishing Season : Fishing for rainbow trout , black bass , channel catfish , bluegill , crappie and other fish is open year round at Lake Camanche . A $ 7.25 fishing access fee is required .
Vehicle Entry / Parking : the daily fee for cars , motorcycles and small vans is $ 18.00 during the regular season and $ 12.00 daily during the off-season from October to April .
Boating Facilities : Marinas on the North and South shores offer boat rentals , slips , fuel , bait , tackle and supplies . Boat ramps are located on both shores . The boat launching fee is $ 15.50 except for during the off-season from October to April when it is $ 12.00 .
Camping and Lodging : Full RV hookups , shoreline camping and lots of campsites with barbecues , tables , hot showers , restrooms and laundry facilities make Camanche one of the best recreational destinations in California . Fully furnished cottages at both shores and motel units at the North shore are also available .
Vessel Inspections Required : The East Bay Municipal Utility District has taken several steps to manage the Quagga and Zebra mussel issue at Camanche . Vessels from Southern California and outside of California will not be allowed on Lake Camanche . All vessels from approved counties will be inspected prior to launch . These inspections should take no more than five minutes per vessel . You can help with the inspection process by ensuring all your water reservoirs are dry and that your boat is clean . For more information , visit : https :// www . ebmud . com / recreation / invasive-mussel-prevention-program
Facilities information : www . camancherecreation . com
Lake Camanche – North Shore , 2000 Camanche Rd ., Ione , Ca . 95640 , 209-763-5121
Lake Camanche – South Shore , 11700 Wade Ln ., Wallace , Ca . 95225 , 209-763-5121
MAP FEATURE
Camanche Reservoir
To Junction Highway 12 & Stockton
To Liberty Rd , Highway 99 & Galt
Buena Vista Rd
River
Mokelumne
To Highway 99 & Lodi
North Camanche Parkway
Dam Restricted Area
Keep Out Spillway Elevation 236 ft
McIntire Rd .
Dike 4
Dike 5
Dike 3
To Jackson
Dike 6
Hat Island
Spillway Elevation
236 ´ Little Hat Island
Dike 2
Goodmans Corner
Causeway
Rabbit Creek Arm
Dike 1
Curran Road
Camanche Reservoir
Restricted Area 5mph
Campers Cove
Wallace
Camanche Arm
Horse Island
March 18 , 2022
San Joaquin , Calaveras and Amador Counties
Camanche Road
Reservation Rd
Wade Lane
China Gulch 5 mph
South Camanche Parkway
North
Finnerts Cove
Pattison Rd
Camanche
South Burson Rd
Buena Vista Road
Parkway
Mokelumne River
Southshore
East Camanche
Burson
Restricted Shoreline Keep Out
11
20 MPH No Skiing , Jet Skis or Personal Watercraft
Burson Rd
To New Hogan Lake
Fishing Notes Rainbow Trout – are caught year-round , but winter and spring are the top times . Shore anglers catch trout in both the south and north shore recreation areas and South Shore Trout Pond . Anglers fish Power Eggs , Power Worms , PowerBait , Zeke ’ s Sierra Gold Trout Bait , nightcrawlers and salmon eggs . During the late spring and summer , trolling spoons and minnow imitation lures in deep water near the dam and in the Narrows is your top prospect . Largemouth , Spotted and Smallouth Bass – reward anglers fishing jigs , spinnerbaits , swimbaits , Senkos and other offerings throughout the year . Largemouths dominate the catches at this structure-rich reservoir . Channel Catfish – offer excellent action during the summer and fall when water temperatures are at their warmest . Soak chicken liver , mackerel , anchovies and stink baits in the coves .
Albert Berends , former Fish Sniffer staffer , shows off a pair of the chunky largemouth and spotted bass that Lake Camanche is known for .
Photo courtesy of Albert Berends
caught by Lonnie Owens back in January of 2013 . The second biggest bass ever caught at the reservoir was caught in January 2018 by Dennis Choi of Rocklin while he was fishing for trout off the north shore day use area at Camanche . While he didn ’ t hook any trout , he managed to catch and release a monster 15.46-pound largemouth bass while using Berkley Power Eggs . “ It was my 73rd birthday ,” said Choi . “ I feel very lucky to catch such a huge fish , especially since it was the second bass that I have ever caught .” He hooked the fish around noon while fishing with an Okuma 8.6-foot ultralight spinning rod teamed up
The Lake Camanche management stocks the reservoir and south trout pond with many thousands of pounds of rainbow trout every year , generally from late October into May .
Photo courtesy of Lake Camanche Recreation Company with a Shimano reel . “ The fish hit so hard that it bent the rod completely over in the holder . I grabbed the rod and as soon as I set the hook , I thought , ‘ Holy Toledo , this is a big fish ,’ ” he said . The reason for the big bass at Camanche is the presence of Florida-strain largemouths that grow bigger than the northern-strain largemouths , plus a healthy forage base . The lake management most years stocks Florida-strain largemouth in the lake to bolster the lake ’ s natural spawning population . On July 10 , 2019 , Bass Unlimited from Willow Creek Fisheries planted 4,700 lbs . of fingerling bass in Camanche . Each pound equals to roughly 170 fingerlings ; the math is about 800,000 baby bass fish . They planted the bass in multiple locations throughout the entire shoreline of the lake .
Beside rainbow trout and black bass , abundant populations of channel catfish , black crappie , bluegill and sunfish are found in abundance in the lake . Steve Anderson set the lake crappie record on March 1 , 2016 when he landed a 3.16 lb . crappie while fishing a jig . Jeff Howard set the lake catfish record on December 3 , 2016 when he landed a 27.6 lb . channel cat while soaking chicken liver in the Narrows . While fishing for any of these species , you may see the iconic bald eagles that migrate south to Camanche every year . For more information , contact : Lake Camanche — North Shore , 209-763-5121 , or Lake Camanche — South Shore , 209-763-5912 . For more information on guided trout adventures on Camanche , call Robbie Dunham , ( 209 ) 712-6611 .