Tulloch: A Fickle Lake For Quality Rainbows   By: Dan Bacher January 29, 2008 More Articles by Dan

Tulloch Lake is distinctive among Mother Lode lakes in featuring striking table mountains that jut into the sky out of the rolling Gold Country hills surrounding the Stanislaus River Canyon. One mountain rises above the south shore marina area like a prehistoric monolith, reminding me of Devil's Tower in Wyoming, made famous as the location where the space aliens landed in the Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."

The reservoir is also unique for the many large custom homes and mansions that dot the shoreline. Many of the homeowners own ski boats and personal watercraft, making the reservoir a place that many anglers avoid during the spring and summer because of the heavy recreational boating pressure.

For anglers that are willing to put up with the boat traffic or fish in the "off season," Tulloch Lake is a mecca for anglers in search of big, bold holdover and wild rainbow trout. 

My first ever trip to Tulloch was on Labor Day, 2001, when James Pagani of Sparklefish Lures and I caught limits of beautiful rainbows in the 3 to 4-1/2 pound range while using Sparklefish and Goldeneyes. It was one of the most exciting and memorable trout fishing trips I've had anywhere. We had to endure the incessant pounding of the water by hordes of skiers and a few near-misses by apparently drunken boat operators, but the fish kept biting in spite of the maelstrom. 

Although I've never experienced the same wide-open action since that trip, I've never been skunked at Tulloch either. The lake regularly produces fish averaging 2 to 4 pounds, with fish in the 4 to 6 pound possible on every trip. Trolling generally yields the best action, but shore anglers also catch fish while fishing the north and south shores.

Situated on the Stanislaus River below New Melones Dam, Tulloch is a tail water fishery that benefits from cold water releases from the much larger New Melones. The lake is set at 504 feet in elevation and stores 59,935 acre feet of water when full.

The lake, operated by the Oakdale and South San Joaquin Irrigation districts as part of the Tri-Dam Project, is situated mostly on private land with substantial residential development on the Calaveras County portion of its shoreline. Access to the reservoir is available through privately owned facilities accessible to the public on a fee basis on both the south and north shores.

The lake is known for its inconsistency, with one day producing superb trout action and the next day zilch. "It's a fickle lake," summed up Monte Smith of Gold Country Sportfishing. 

However, the fishing at Tulloch has been relatively consistent this fall, prompting Smith to fish Tulloch rather than New Melones because of the poor fishing at the upriver reservoir to date.

"Since November we have been averaging 6 to 7 quality trout per day, with the exception of today," quipped Smith after he, his dad, Don, and I got off the lake on Sunday, December 16. "On Thursday, we caught six trout up to 3-1/2 pounds and we missed other bites." 

We ended up with three fish to 2 pounds on our fishing adventure, the day before a series of weather fronts was expected to move into northern California.

"Did you bring a banana?" Monte Smith asked, alluding to the ancient fishing superstition about bananas bringing bad luck on a fishing boat. 

"No, but I ate four of them before getting on the boat," I replied.

The best fishing at Tulloch is when the water temperature is in the mid to upper fifties, as it was in November and early December. When there is a cold snap, you have to work for the fish harder, as was the case during our trip. 

The water temperature was 52 degrees when we arrived at the lake at 7:30 a.m. Fog blanketed the lake and shoreline, with frost covering the grass on the surrounding hills. The boat dock at the south shore marina had some ice on it, prompting Smith to urge me to be cautious in boarding his boat. The morning started cold, below freezing and it never really warmed up all day.

Smith put out two rods, outfitted with rolled shad, on downriggers and another two top-line rods, tipped with nightcrawlers behind Sep's flashers, outfitted with side planers. He injected the shad with Pautzke's krill scent.  Smith uses 7' 6" St. Croix kokanee rods teamed with Shimano Calcutta 100 B reels for his lake trout and salmon fishing.  

We started trolling in the main body near the dam. Within the first 30 minutes, I hooked a quality rainbow that at the last moment shook its head on the surface, turned and broke the line. We also lost another fish.

We finally hooked a rainbow that fell for the nightcrawler, a 13 inch rainbow, unusually fat and sassy. "It looks like a miniature version of a lake Natoma football rainbow," I commented.

We kept trolling up the lake towards the bridge on the north shore, but we didn't have any more bites until we went back towards the dam.

I landed a fat, beautiful 17 inch holdover rainbow near the end of the trip, as well as a 13 inch rainbow. We didn't experience red-hot fishing, but at least we didn't get skunked and we did much better than the anglers that we saw in the other five boats, who apparently didn't land any fish.

"At least you got dinner for tonight," Smith commented.

"Anytime you catch three trout is a good day of fishing this time of year," I responded.

Rainbows comprise the vast majority of salmonids caught at Tulloch, since the Department of Fish and Game plants the lake regularly with catchable rainbows. German brown trout and kokanee salmon are also found in the lake's waters, but they are much less common than the rainbows.

Shore fishing for trout can be very good at Lake Tulloch during the fall and winter, particularly on the south shore shoreline near the boat ramp and the dam, according to Jane Watson at the South Shore Tulloch Resort. Anglers use nightcrawlers, marshmallows, Berkley Power Bait, Berkley Gulp! Bait, Nitro Trout Bait and other baits on sliding sinker rigs to tempt trout to 24 inches.

Smallmouth and largemouth bass offer a very productive "sleeper" fishery at Tulloch. Although bass are caught year round, anglers experience the top action from February through May and then again during the fall.

Threadfin shad and crawdads are the main forage at Tulloch, so anglers should use plastic worms, swim baits, crankbaits and jigs that imitate them. Anglers can also experience a solid smallmouth bite early and late in the day during the summer. Smallmouth over 4 pounds and largemouth over 10 pounds are possible anytime you target bass at Tulloch. 

Crappie offer good action during the late winter and spring, while bluegill provide solid fishing during the spring and summer. "The best area to fish for the sunfish is the Green Springs arm of the lake, where the water is warmest," said Watson.  

For more information about booking a guided trip with Monte Smith on Tulloch and other Mother Lode lakes, call 209-848-2746 or 209-581-4734.  

Tulloch Reservoir Facts

Location and Size: Lake Tulloch, situated on the Stanislaus River below New Melones Dam, is a tail water fishery that benefits from cold water releases from New Melones. The lake is located at 504 feet in elevation and stores 59,935 acre feet of water when full. The reservoir, operated by the Oakdale and South San Joaquin Irrigation districts as part of the Tri-Dam Project, offers over 55 miles of shoreline with many coves.

Fishing Season: Fishing is open year round. Rainbow trout, brown trout, kokanee salmon, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, black crappie, channel catfish and bluegill are found in the lake. 

Recreation Areas:   Recreation facilities are found on the south and north shores.  

South Shore Tulloch R.V. Campground and Marina: offers 130 sites on over a mile of waterfront. These include lakefront hookups with space to keep your boat right at your site, lakefront cabins with your own dock and full hookup sites with 50 amp service, water and sewers. Many tent sites with water, picnic table and fire pits are also available. The resort features a general Store, restaurant, 21 slip marina and gas dock, boat rentals at Lake Tulloch Boat Rentals, modern restrooms, hot showers and a laundromat

For more information: Contact South Shore Tulloch R.V. Campground and Marina, 14448 Tulloch Dam Rd,  Oakdale, CA 95361, (209) 881-0107.

Directions: Take Highway 99 to Route 120 East towards Sonora and Yosemite. Take a left turn 13 miles east of Oakdale at Southshore Lake Tulloch. The GateHouse is approximately 4-1/2 miles down Tulloch Road. 

Lake Tulloch Resort (North  Shore): Features fishing, boating, skiing, wind surfing, swimming and sailing. Cabin rentals include a private sandy beach, dock, fire ring, picnic table and pedestal BBQ at each cabin. Boat launching is available.

For more information: Lake Tulloch Resort, 7260 O'Byrnes Ferry Road. Copperopolis, CA 95228, http://www.laketullochresort.com, (209) 785-8200, Phone: (209) 785-8200, Fax: (209) 785-8202, Email: info@laketullochresort.com.

Fishing guides: Monte Smith of Gold Country Sportfishing, 209-848-2746 or 209-581-4734; Danny Lane, Fish'n Dan's Guide Service, 209-586-2383; Bruce Hamby, Sierra Sportfishing, 209-599-2023

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