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Lake Camanche Fishing Report

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

A Mokelumne reservoir with two shores: Camanche holds trout, bass and kokanee in Sierra foothill country.

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.

Lake Camanche sits in the sweet spot of the season: active fish and workable weather. 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 / 62 F
WindWSW 6-12 mph
Pressure1013.2 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain1% cloud, 10%
Sunrise / Sunset06:36 / 19:29
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, 79/62 F, wind 9 mph, rain 10%

Fair or better. A 9 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Lake Camanche: 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 Lake Camanche 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 Lake Camanche 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 79 F, wind to 13 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 80 F, wind to 12 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 78 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 plus recreation area fees. Trout, bass and kokanee limits per current CDFW regulations.

Access

North and south shore recreation areas with ramps, camping, cottages and marinas.

About this water

A 7,700-acre reservoir on the Mokelumne River east of Lodi, Amador and Calaveras counties, California.

Fishing Lake Camanche: the full guide

A foothill reservoir

Lake Camanche covers about 7,700 acres on the Mokelumne River in the Sierra foothills east of Lodi, operated with developed recreation areas on both the north and south shores. It offers a broad fishery: stocked rainbow trout in the cooler months, largemouth and smallmouth bass, kokanee, crappie, bluegill and catfish, with oak-covered shorelines and submerged structure.

Trout and kokanee

Trout are stocked through the cool season and trolled or fished from shore near the recreation areas. Kokanee school through the summer at moderate depths, taking dodger-hoochie rigs: a solid fishery that shares the lake with the warm-water species. Both benefit from the reservoir’s cold water at depth.

Bass and panfish

Largemouth relate to the submerged brush, rock and coves, with spring pushing them shallow into the arms. Smallmouth work the rockier points. Crappie stack around the marina structure and any brush, best in spring. The lake draws heavy summer recreation, which pushes serious anglers to dawn and the shoulder seasons.

Amador County logistics

North and south shore recreation areas provide ramps, campgrounds, cottages and marinas with fees. Lodi and Jackson are the nearby towns. Water levels fluctuate with irrigation demand, dropping through summer. Below the dam, the Mokelumne River continues as a separate fishery worth knowing about.

Common questions

Trout and bass together?

Yes: stocked trout and kokanee in the cold water, bass and panfish along the shoreline structure.

Does the level drop?

Yes, with irrigation demand through summer: check current elevation before towing.

Which shore should I use?

Both have full facilities: the north shore is closer to Ione, the south to Valley Springs.

Is fishing good at Lake Camanche 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

Mokelumne River7 miNew Hogan Lake10 miLake Amador15 miNew Melones Lake31 miAmerican River33 miFolsom Lake35 mi
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