Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3707 March 16-30, 2018 | Page 19

Location and size : Situated on the Mokelumne River in the Mother Lode foothills west of Ione , Lake Pardee has 2257 surface acres and 37 miles of shoreline when full .

Management : The East Bay Municipal Utility District ( EBMUD ) oversees the operation and maintenance of facilities , determines recreation fees and establishes rules and regulations . The recreation facilities are operated by the Rocky Mountain Recreation Company .

Camping : Lake Pardee features a total of 141 beautiful , oak studded campsites located within two separate campgrounds within its boundaries . Campsites offer plenty of shade , are clean and each contain a picnic table and a fire ring . Clean , portable toilets are within a short walk . In each campground , running water is close to or right next to a site . Two ADA designed handicap sites are also available . Lakeview Campground is within walking distance of most facilities . The Oaks Campground is a little more secluded . For reservations and fee information , call ( 209 ) 772-1472 . RV Sites : Nightly and weekly RV sites , known as “ C ” units , are located in the Oaks Campground and feature full hook-ups , including electricity , water , and sewer connections . Each site has a picnic table and fire ring .

Boat ramp : The ten-lane boat launch ramp is a real convenience for easy launching and exiting . The extra long trailer parking area is also a plus to boaters at Pardee . Note : EBMUD rangers will be inspecting boats for the presence of Quagga and Zebra mussels .

Marina : Pardee ’ s full service marina features boat rentals , boat supplies , fuel , ice , propane , oil , bait , tackle , beverages , sandwiches and snacks , lake maps and fishing licenses .

Boat rentals : are available out of Lake Pardee Marina for hourly , half day , full day and weekly rates . Deluxe and pontoon boat rentals are also available .

Fishing fees : Permits are $ 6.00 each day for each individual 16 years and older . A valid California fishing license is also required for all persons fishing who are age 16 and older .

Fish cleaning facilities : The state-of-the-art fishing cleaning station is an automated system where you simply approach the station and the grinder turns on automatically . Also , it is ADA designed for the disabled . It ’ s open 24 hours per day , seven days per week .

For more information , contact Rocky Mountain Recreation Company , 4900 Stony Creek Road , Ione , CA 95640-9439 , Office : ( 209 ) 772-1472 , 1-800-416-6992 . http :// rockymountainrec . com / lake-facilities / listing / pardee-lake-recreation-area

Jackson Crk

Buena Vista Rd

To Lake Camanche

Pardee Reservoir Recreation Area

Pardee Dam Rd

Mokelumne

Stony Creek Rd

River

To Hwy 12 and Lodi

Tagers Gulch

Norton Gulch

Dam

Spillway

Campo Seco Rd

To Jackson

Copper Mine Tule Gulch Gulch

Elevation 568

Campo Seco Watertown Rd

Dufresne Gulch

Cave

Gulch Condon Gulch

Thatchers Gulch

To Hwy 12 and Lodi

Watertown Rd

Weidemann Gulch

Grapevine Gulch

Weatherbee Gulch

McCaffee Gulch

Plasse Gulch

Pardee Ln

Lecchiro Gulch

Goodal Rd

Gillam Rd

French Bar Rd

Kirkwood Gulch

Gale Gulch

Goddel Rd

Fletcher ' s Gulch

China Gulch

Gwin St .

Paloma Rd

Youngs Crk

Spanish Creek

Youngs Crk

Twin Mine Rd

PALOMA

Middle Bar Rd .

Bell

To Hiway 12 & Valley Springs

Twin Mine Rd

Poorman Gulch

Ranch

Twin Mine Rd

Paloma Rd numbers of Largemouth Bass are also taken at Pardee by experienced bass enthusiasts .

• Kokanee Chile fishing hits its prime from late March through September , depending upon weather Double and water conditions . Troll Needlefish , Cripplures Camp , Goldeneyes , Apexes , Uncle Larry ' s spinners and other small lures , tipped with white

Springs

Rd Rd corn , in the main body near the dam .

• Rainbow Trout fishing can be good throughout the season , but the best bank fishing is in the spring . The Main Recreation Area is the hot spot for big rainbows in February , March and April . Fish Power Bait , Power Eggs , Pautzke salmon eggs , nightcrawlers , spoons , spinners and flies . Trollers find the hottest action during the late spring , summer and early fall , when the fish are concentrated in the thermocline . Troll minnow imitation lures and nightcrawlers behind flashers .

• German Browns are occasionally taken , usually when heavy flows push the fish from the Mokelumne Rvier into the lake . Troll Rebels and Rapalas early and late in the day in the spring .

• Other Species found at Lake Pardee include bluegill sunfish , crappie and channel catfish .

Road

Haupe Crk

Mokelumne Rvr

To Hiway 49 & Jackson

Fishing Notes

• Smallmouth Bass are found throughout the season off the rocky points . Toss plastic grubs , Senkos and worms for the big bronzebacks . Good

School Camp Gulch

Black Gulch

log Boom

Stewart Gulch

The NTAC adult winners pose with Sheldon Bright of the Fish Sniffer at Lake Pardee . Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff . opening weekend .

“ The fishing was amazing on opening day ,” said Brad Hoyt of the Rocky Mountain Recreation Company . “ Everybody reported catching limits of trout in the main recreation area . They used PowerBait , Power Eggs , Pistol Pete lures and other offerings for a mixture of planted and holdover rainbows to 8 pounds .”

Three anglers fishing with Big Al ’ s Guide Service experienced great trout fishing on opening day , catching limits of rainbows averaging 16 inches within 3 hours and one 16 inch kokanee salmon . They trolled with hot steel Rapalas near the surface and with hoochies , tipped with white corn , at 25 feet deep . The lake management planted 13,000 pounds of rainbow trout before opening day to add to the thousands of holdover trout left over in the lake from heavy plants last year .

Each week from now through April 27 there will be 1000 pounds of trout planted in Lake Pardee . The delivery date should be typically on Fridays , but that can change depending on the plante ’ rs availability . There will be more planting after April 27 , but that schedule isn ’ t available yet .

Trollers can catch good numbers of holdover rainbows while trolling spoons , spinners , minnow imitation lures and nightcrawlers from the surface to 20 feet deep from the Narrows to the dam .

Shore anglers can also pick up quality rainbows in the 1 to 5 lb class while fishing nightcrawlers , Power Eggs and PowerBait on sliding sinker rigs .

The lake also a sleeper population of wild German browns that spawns in the Mokelumne River and ventures into the lake in search of forage , including the abundant trout and kokanee .

Chris Harris of Sacramento set the lake brown trout record in 2010 when he landed a 15.36 lb . fish while trolling for kokanee at 30 feet deep near the dam . He was using a pink fire tiger Uncle Lar- ry ’ s spinner behind a Sep ’ s dodger .

Kokanee salmon are another popular salmonid fishery at Lake Pardee . The fish are extremely abundant , finding excellent spawning conditions in the Mokelumne River , so the CDFW no longer plants the reservoir with the kokes .

While most anglers fish the lake for salmonids , the lake is home of record-class smallmouth bass . Harold Hardin of Stockton set a new state smallmouth bass record in July 2007 by landing a 9.83 lb . bronzeback , shattering the previous state record of 9.1 pounds caught by Tom Brady of Weaverville in 1976 at Trinity Lake . He fooled the fish with a 6 inch long charcoal colored Castaic swimbait in his aluminum boat .

Then during a Lake Pardee Media Day in 2008 , two anglers bagged two monster smallmouths over 9 pounds in one day .

Allen Fong of Fisherman ’ s Warehouse in Sacramento caught and released a 9 lb . 5 oz . smallmouth while fishing with a green Yamamoto jig outside of the recreation area cove in 20 feet of water . Bass pro Dean McDaniel also nailed a 9 lb . 2 oz . largemouth while fishing a grub in the same area .

While known for its huge smallmouth , Pardee also has a good population of northern strain largemouth bass . Jack Billington from Ione captured the Pardee Lake record when he caught and released a 13.4 lb . largemouth using Blade Runner chartreuse and white craw jig on

March 22 , 2007 . Other species found in the reservoir include channel catfish , bluegill and crappie .

Located on the Mokeumne River , Pardee Recreation Area provides stunning views and diverse activities for all visitors , old and young . The park is nestled in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada of Northern California and is just twelve miles southwest of Jackson .

As the center of EBMUD ’ s drinking supply , to comply with state law , personal water crafts , water skiing , and lake swimming are not permitted .

For more information about the Nor- Cal Trout Angler ’ s Challeng , call Vince Harris at ( 916 ) 768-0938 or go to : http :// www . anglerspress . com

Joe Hill Sr . and Jr . show off their two largest rainbows caught at Pardee on March 3 .

Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff .