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Don Pedro Reservoir Fishing Report

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

The Tuolumne’s big blue: Don Pedro pairs a serious kokanee-and-trout troll with bass canyons that swallow whole weekends.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
75 / 79 F
Wind
WSW 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.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Don Pedro Reservoir offers the kind of conditions this water was made for. Today brings clear skies, wind WSW around 6 mph, rising pressure near 1013 hPa and a high of 79. 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 bassGood

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

Rainbow troutGood

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

Largemouth bassFair

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

CrappieSlow

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

Tomorrow: Similar at 83 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 temp75 F
High / Low79 / 60 F
WindWSW 6-12 mph
Pressure1012.8 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain3% cloud, 6%
Sunrise / Sunset06:34 / 19:26
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 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 79/60 F, wind 10 mph, rain 6%

Fair or better. A 10 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Don Pedro 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 Don Pedro 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 Don Pedro Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

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 82 F, wind to 11 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 81 F, wind to 9 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 77 F, wind to 14 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. Kokanee within trout limits; standard bass rules: check CDFW. Mussel inspection required before launch.

Access

Fleming Meadows, Blue Oaks and Moccasin Point recreation areas: ramps, campgrounds and marina rentals.

About this water

A 12,960-acre reservoir on the Tuolumne River, Tuolumne County, California: 160 miles of shoreline behind the 1971 New Don Pedro Dam.

Fishing Don Pedro Reservoir: the full guide

Sierra water, foothill setting

Don Pedro backs the Tuolumne River into 13,000 acres of foothill canyons east of Modesto: deep, clear, cold at depth and endlessly folded into arms and coves. It carries two fisheries in one: a cold-water program of kokanee, rainbows and occasional big browns over the 200-foot basins, and a warm-water ledger of largemouth, spotted bass, crappie and bluegill along more shoreline than a season can learn.

The troll

Kokanee here run deep and decent: dodger-hoochie rigs from 30 feet in April to 80 by August, with the Middle Bay and the dam basin the reliable circuits. Rainbows come shallower on the same passes early season: fast-trolled minnow plugs at dawn. The browns are rare and worth the winter effort: big plugs slow-trolled along the Woods Creek and river-arm points when the surface chills into the 50s.

Bass in the folds

Spring bass push into the backs of Woods Creek, Big Creek and the grassy flats near Fleming Meadows: standard flip-and-spinnerbait fare. The rest of the year, spots and largemouth stage on the steep main points: drop-shot 15-45 feet, and night fishing in summer is nearly mandatory given the ski traffic and heat. Crappie hold the submerged trees in the river arm: spring slip-float work finds them.

Houseboat country

Fleming Meadows, Blue Oaks and Moccasin Point hold ramps, camps and the marinas: the lake is a houseboat institution, and anglers do well fishing dawn from a rented base. Mussel inspections are enforced: arrive clean and dry. Summer surface temps push 80: the kokanee bite survives at depth; the bass bite survives at night.

Common questions

Is Don Pedro better for trolling or bass?

It refuses to choose: kokanee limits by 9 AM and a bass bite that evening are a normal day. Bring both rod lockers.

When do kokanee peak?

May-June for numbers at friendly depths; August for the biggest fish, deep. Cycles swing: check recent size reports.

How bad is summer boat traffic?

Main-lake afternoons are a washing machine: the arms stay fishable, and dawn-and-dark anglers own the lake.

Is fishing good at Don Pedro Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Lake McClure11 miNew Melones Lake18 miNew Hogan Lake38 miMokelumne River45 miLake Camanche48 miLake Amador55 mi
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