Fish Sniffer Magazine Volume 43 Issue 08 | Page 11

Size and Location : The 189,000 acre foot reservoir is formed by New Spicer Meadow Dam on Highland Creek , a tributary of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River , at 6620 feet in elevation . It has a surface area of 2,000 acres when full . The reservoir is situated eight miles southwest of Highway 4 on Spicer Reservoir Road in the Stanislaus National Forest .

History : The reservoir is a relatively new one , since the 262 foot tall rock-fill dam was completed on Highland Creek in 1989 and filled in 1990 . Additional water is diverted from the North Fork of the Stanislaus River by the North Fork Diversion Dam and a two-mile tunnel . Calaveras County Water District ( CCWA ) owns the dam . Water from the reservoir supplies drinking water and water for irrigation in Calaveras County . The water district , along with the Northern California Power Agency ( NCPA ) sells electricity from the 6-MW hydroelectric plant at the base of the dam .

Boating Facilities and Regulations : A boat ramp with turnaround area and movable dock is available when the lake is full . No overnight mooring is permitted . Maximum speed on the western portion of the lake is 10 mph ; the eastern portion , surrounded by the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness , is managed for non-motorized uses only .

Supplies : Gas , groceries , and camping supplies are available in Arnold , Camp Connell , and Bear Valley .

Camping : A Wilderness Permit ( available at the District Office free of charge ) is required for shoreline camping in the eastern ( non-motorized ) portion of the lake .

Spicer Reservoir Campground : located at 6,200 feet on a timbered setting on the shore of Spicer Reservoir . There are 43 total campsites . The maximum vehicle length is 50 ’, the maximum length of stay is 14 days and the maximum use is six persons per single unit site , with several multiple units for small groups . Piped water , restrooms , vault toilets , tables , picnic table , stoves , BBQ grills are available . Reservations are first-come , first-served . The campground is open from June to October , weather permitting .

National Forest Information : Calaveras Ranger District , P . O . Box 500 , Hathaway Pines , CA 95233 , ( 209 ) 795-1381 , http :// www . fs . fed . us / r5 / stanislaus / calaveras / camping / spicer . shtml

Fishing Information : Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods , ( 209 ) 795-1686

To Hiway 4 Markleeville & Arnold

Protect Fragile Shoreline Camp 100 feet from water ’ s edge

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Spicer Meadow Reservoir

Fishing Notes

• Rainbow Trout are the dominant species in Spicer Meadow Reservoir . The DFG plants approximately 50,000 rainbow fingerlings each year . No catchable rainbows or other species of trout are planted in the reservoir . Bank fishing is best on the area near the boat ramp or the dam . Nightcrawlers , Power Bait and salmon eggs are good baits to try . Casting spinners , Kastmasters and flies under plastic bubbles is also worth a try . Trollers find the top action with nightcrawlers behind blades and flashers or minnow imitation lures such as Sparkefish , Needlefish , Cripplures , Triple Teazers , Rapalas and Thomas Buoyants . Float tubing is effective for fly fishermen using Wooly Buggers , beadhead nymphs and black ants .

• Brook & BrownTrout have been reported in the lake , but 99 percent of the fish caught at Spicer are rainbows . For brook trout , fish the Highland Lakes on Highland Creek , a tributary of Spicer , in the Ebbetts Pass high country .

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10 mph Western arm No motorized boating in Eastern arm of reservoir

Eastern Tuolumne County and Western Alpine County 39 miles south of South Lake Tahoe . Spicer is formed by the New Spicer Dam on Highland , Hobart , and Wilderness Creeks , with additional water diverted from the North Fork Stanislaus River .

Spicer is owned by Calaveras County Water District ( CCWD ), operated by Northern California Power Agency ( NCPA ) and permitted by the United States Forest Service . “ Spicer currently has a recreational fishery including brook trout , Lahontan cutthroat trout ( LCT ), brown trout ( BN ) and rainbow trout ( RT ),” Ewing stated in the report . “ Historically , Spicer had a brown bullhead fishery .” In order to assess the fishery , CDFW installed an angler survey box ( ASB ) at the public launch ramp in 2015 . Anglers were asked to complete a voluntary survey form related to their fishing experience . Ewing noted the catch per angler for bait anglers was higher than any other form of gear used in 2018 , which also had the highest catch per angler average in 2015 . “ Most fish caught were rainbow trout for a third consecutive sampling season , which is consistent with the stocking records ,” he reported . “ Although RT continue to be the greatest single species caught , Lahontan cutthroat trout made up 36.4 % of the total catch in 2018 . This indicates Spicer has a large , wild LCT population .” Although Spicer continues to have high catch rates , the great majority of fish caught continue to be under 16 inches , noted Ewing . “ Anglers at Spicer have the opportunity to catch a variety of catchable-size salmonids that are in great physical shape and often fight with greater force than a ‘ put and take ’ hatchery trout ,” the report concluded .

Dan Bacher had a great afternoon catching rainbow trout like these from the bank at Spicer Reservoir on June 25 .

Photo by Dan Bacher

Union Reservoir , situated about a mile from Spicer Reservoir , recently opened also . The CDFW is scheduled to stock this lake with rainbow trout the week of June 23-29 . Anglers can catch both rainbow trout and small bullhead catfish here . Use nightcrawlers for the catfish and PowerBait , spoons , spinners and other offerings for the trout . Alpine Lake , located right off Highway 4 and one of the most popular fishing waters in the Ebbetts Pass region , is open too . Fishing from the back has been really good for rainbows to 7.5 pounds . Anglers should use PowerBait , Power Eggs , nightcrawlers , Kastmasters , Panther Martins and other offerings for the trout . This year , the CDFW stocked Alpine the week of June 9-15 . “ The North Fork of the Stanislaus River offers really good fishing , now that the higher flows have gone down ,” added Reynolds . “ The top two

Dustin Neuman successfully battled these rainbows while bait fishing from a boat at Spicer Reservoir .

Photo by Dan Bacher

areas to fish are at Sourgrass Campground and in Calaveras Big Trees State Park . Fishermen are doing the best throwing Panther Martins , Rooster Tails , salmon eggs , nightcrawlers and Power Eggs . Most of the fish are rainbows with some browns mixed in .” Other solid trout fishing options in the Ebbetts Pass Region include White Pines Lake , Angels Creek and Mosquito Lakes . For more information , contact Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods at 209-795- 1686 or at https :// ebbettspasssportinggoods . com . For the latest information on CDFW trout plants , go to https :// nrm . dfg . ca . gov / FishPlants /.