Fuller , Rucker & Blue Lakes Nevada County
VOL . 36 • ISS . 20
Fuller / Rucker / Spaulding / Lake Valley Reservoir Facts
Lake Spaulding : offers 25 campsites , ( 13 are walk-in sites ), ( fee ), 5 picnic sites , fishing , swimming , boat ramp , water skiing and an overflow camp . The lake is handicap accessible . Chinook salmon , rainbow trout , brown trout and a sleeper population of brown trout are available . Elevation is 5000 ft .
Directions : Take Hwy . 20 from I-80 for 2.3 miles . Turn right on Lake Spaulding Road , then 0.5 mile to area .
Fuller Lake : offers day use facilities and a boat ramp . The boat speed limit 10 mph . Rainbow and brown trout abound in the lake ’ s cold waters .
Directions : Take Highway 20 from I-80 . Turn right on Bowman Lake Road then approx 5 miles to Fuller Lake . Elevation is 5341 ft .
Rucker Lake : offers 7 dispersed , walk-in campsites ( fee ), fishing , swimming . Nonmotorized boating only is allowed here . Largemouth bass , brown bullhead catfish and green sunfish are the three species anglers can catch . Elevation is 5464 ft .
Directions : Take Highway 20 from I-80 . Turn right on Bowman Lake Road , then approx 7 miles to right turn on Rucker Lake Road , ( unpaved ), follow signs for Camp Liahona .
Lodgepole Campround , Lake Valley Reservoir : offers 35 campsites ( fee ), fishing , swimming , handicap accessible . Boaters have to observe a 10 mph speed limit . Anglers target brown , and rainbow trout and brown bullhead catfish .
Directions : Take Yuba Gap exit south from I-80 0.3 mile , turn right toward Lake Valley Reservoir and go 2.7 miles to camp . Elevation is 5800 ft .
For more information on recreation facilities on PG & E lakes , go to : www . pge . com / mybusiness / environment / pge / recreation .
MAP FEATURE
Fuller , Rucker & Blue Lakes Nevada County
To Grouse Ridge Area Lakes
Rucker Creek
Spaulding Tunnel
Clyde Mtn 6052
Black Oak Spring
Rucker Lake Spillway 5462 ‘
Fuller Lake Spillway 5463 ‘
Day Use
Dam
To Bear Valley Highway 20
Conduit
Zion Hill Tunnel 5678
Sept . 15 - 30 , 2017
Jeep
Trail
Siphon
( 4WD
5567
Blue Lake Spillway 5464 ‘
Zion Hill 6204
Rim Powerhouse
15
Lake Spaulding 5040 ’
Fishing Notes
• Fuller Lake features Rainbow and Brown Trout , a mixture of holdover and planted fish . Float tubers find success on both species using a variety of dry and wet flies , while boaters troll with Rapalas , Rebels and other minnow imitation lures . Shore fishing access is excellent ; Power Bait , nightcrawlers , flies and spinners are all productive . Fishing is good from mid-May when the road is opened to the late fall or early winter when snows prevent access to the lake .
• Rucker Lake has a self sustaining population of Largemouth Bass , Bluegill and Brown Bullhead Catfish , but bass are the most prevalent species . Fish with light line and finesse baits , such as 4 inch Magic Worms , for the best action . Spinnerbaits , crankbaits , jigs and top water lures can also be good at times .
• Blue Lake is in reached the process via a 1.5-mile of being long re-filled trail . from The trail a big is drawdown not recommended . Rainbow for Trout inexperienced and Brown hikers Bullhead . Catfish are found here .
Dam
Only )
Penstock
Fuller Lake features year round cold water habitat for rainbow and German brown trout .
I usually do best using wacky-rigged Yamamoto Senkos or split shotting with Berkley Power Worms and other soft plastics .
The CDFW planted 2,100 Goose Lake redband rainbow fingerlings in 1985 . Redband trout , originating in the warm waters of Goose Lake , are uniquely adapted to survival in shallow , warm lakes not suitable for the survival of other trout and char . However , I have never seen nor heard of any trout being taken out of the warm waters of Rucker in recent years .
On a trip to Rucker July 2010 , my neighbor hooked two brown bullhead catfish in the 2 to 3 pound range while fishing a jig off the dam where the cats were protecting their nests .
There is no boat ramp at Rucker , although you can carry in a float tube , canoe or small boat from the campground .
Another option for anglers is fishing for brown bullhead catfish at Blue Lake , located at 5964 feet in elevation , on Rucker Creek above Rucker Lake
Other nearby angling options nearby include Lake Spaulding and Lake Valley Reservoir .
Spaulding , a beautiful Pacific Gas & Electric Company reservoir located on the South Fork of the Yuba River in Nevada County at an elevation of 5,014 feet , is known mainly for its landlocked salmon fishery , but hasn ’ t been planted for five years . There are some wild browns in the lake , along with a sleeper population of smallmouth bass .
“ Spaulding is only planted with Inland Chinook , which have been in limited to no availability in recent years due to low fish numbers on the Klamath . Iron Gate Hatchery has been our statewide inland Chinook hatchery for years , due to normally decent fish numbers and low incidences of disease outbreaks particularly IHN ,” said Rowan .
“ When we did have Chinook available the last few years we have prioritized stocking Folsom and Almanor for our region since they have much higher angling use , better fish returns and are close to an urban area .”
“ Trout of various species have been tried in Spaulding in the past but returns have been very poor . The last Chinook plant in Spaulding was 25,000 finger-
Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff . lings in 2012 . Not likely any of those fish remain ,” said Rowan .
On the other side of Interstate 80 from Spaulding , you can sample the trout and brown bullhead catfish action at Lake Valley Reservoir off the Lake Valley Reservoir Road . You can hook beautiful holdover rainbows to 20 inches while tossing out PowerBait , nightcrawlers , spinners and spoons near the boat ramp and dam or while trolling with nightcrawlers and an array of spoons , spinners and plugs .
The CDFW has stocked 2.900 rainbows in Lake Valley so far in 2017 , about 50 percent of the allotment , and more trout will be planted in the next couple of months .
For more information , contact : Yuba River Ranger District , Tahoe National Forest , 15924 Hwy 49 , Camptonville , CA 95922 , Phone : 530-288-3231 .