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Bullards Bar Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

California’s spotted bass record water: Bullards Bar drops deep and green in the Yuba country.

4/5
Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
62 / 67 F
Wind
SSW 6 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

4/5Good. Solid day ahead.Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Bullards Bar Reservoir offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings cloud cover, wind SSW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 67. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassExcellent

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutExcellent

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassGood

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieFair

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Warmer at 74 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp62 F
High / Low67 / 55 F
WindSSW 6-11 mph
Pressure1013.3 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain83% cloud, 44%
Sunrise / Sunset06:36 / 19:30
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunsetPRIMEPRIME

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Showers, 67/55 F, wind 7 mph, rain 44%

Fair or better. Cloud and a rain chance can stretch the morning bite well past breakfast: keep moving baits tied on.

Species guide

The species that matter on Bullards Bar Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the Bullards Bar Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks Bullards Bar Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 64 F, wind to 9 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 11 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 11 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California license. Black bass and kokanee limits per current CDFW rules; mussel inspection required.

Access

Dark Day and Cottage Creek ramps plus the marina; Forest Service campgrounds around the reservoir.

About this water

A 4,700-acre reservoir on the North Yuba River, Yuba County, California, behind New Bullards Bar Dam.

Fishing Bullards Bar Reservoir: the full guide

A deep Sierra foothill lake

New Bullards Bar Reservoir covers about 4,700 acres on the North Yuba River in the Sierra foothills north of Nevada City, deep, clear and steep-sided. It is famous among bass anglers for one reason: it has produced the world-record spotted bass more than once, with fish over eleven pounds coming from its kokanee-rich water.

Giant spotted bass

The spotted bass fishery is the draw and it is a specific game: big fish follow kokanee schools in open water and along the steep walls, taking large swimbaits and drop-shots fished deep. This is not numbers fishing: anglers targeting records spend days for a handful of bites. Standard finesse tactics produce plenty of smaller spots along the rock.

Kokanee and trout

Kokanee are the forage that grows those bass, and they are a fishery in their own right: troll dodger-hoochie rigs at 40-80 feet through summer. Rainbow trout cruise the upper water column in cooler months. The lake sits deep in a canyon with limited flat water, so most fishing is vertical along walls and points.

Yuba County logistics

Ramps at Dark Day, Cottage Creek and the marina serve the reservoir, with Forest Service campgrounds around it. Water levels swing with hydropower and drought. Nevada City and Grass Valley are the nearest towns. The canyon setting means limited cell coverage and steep, winding access roads.

Common questions

Is the world record from here?

Yes: Bullards Bar has produced world-record spotted bass, with fish over eleven pounds grown on kokanee.

How do I target the giants?

Large swimbaits fished deep along walls and points near kokanee schools: days of effort for a handful of bites.

Is there other fishing?

Yes: kokanee trolling in summer and rainbow trout in the cooler months, plus plenty of smaller spotted bass.

Is fishing good at Bullards Bar Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up.

Nearby waters

Collins Lake9 miLake Oroville19 miYuba River19 miFeather River24 miFolsom Lake46 miSacramento River50 mi
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