16 June 11 , 2021 MAP FEATURE
VOL . 40 • ISS . 11
The boat ramp is out of the water at Spicer Reservoir at this time , but kayaks and small boats can be launched from the shore .
Photo by Dan Bacher
Scenic Spicer Reservoir Hosts Rainbows , Browns and Lahontan Cutthroats
S picer Reservoir , a Central Sierra gem located in the North Fork of
the Stanislaus River watershed , has for years offered anglers a chance to battle gorgeous square-tailed rainbows grown out from fingerlings or naturally spawned in Hobart Creek , Highland Creek and other lake tributaries . There are couple of recent changes to Spicer ’ s fishery that anglers should know about . First , the California Department of Fish and Wildlife ( CDFW ) is now planting fingerling brown trout , in addition to the fingerling rainbows that it has been planting for years ., reported Ben Ewing , CDFW district fisheries biologist . The Department in 2019 released 49,973 browns weighing a total of 107.7 pounds and 70,000 browns weighing 564.52 pounds . The CDFW also planted 9.821 Eagle Lake fingerling rainbow trout weighing 29.2 pounds and another 40,163 Eagle Lake trout weighing 228 .. 2 pounds . In 2020 , the CDFW stocked 120,007 brown trout weighing a total of 322.6 pounds on May 21 and 50,000 Eagle Lake rainbows weighing 56.25 pounds on July 7 . The agency also plans to stock approximately 120,000 fingerling browns and 50,000 fingerling rainbows this year , according to Ewing . Second , under new regulations , Hobart Creek , now opens on the
Saturday preceding Memorial Day and closes on September 15 , so anglers don ’ t have to be worried about casting into the creek waters when fishing the creek inlet of the lake during this expanded open season . Previously , Hobart didn ’ t open until July 1 . The limit on Hobart Creek is two trout , while the limit in the lake is five trout . Spicer , formally called New Spicer Meadow Reservoir , is located in eastern Tuolumne County and western Alpine County 39 miles south of South Lake Tahoe . Spicer is formed by the New Spicer Dam on Highland , Hobart , and Wilderness Creeks , with additional water diverted from the North Fork Stanislaus River , according to Ewing . Spicer is owned by Calaveras County Water District ( CCWD ), operated by Northern California Power Agency ( NCPA ) and permitted by the United States Department of Agriculture ( USDA ) and United States Forest Service ( USFS ). Spicer drains into Highland Creek , which flows into the North Fork Stanislaus River watershed . “ In 1990 , CCWD replaced Pacific Gas and Electric ’ s ( PG & E ) old dam on Spicer with a new dam that increased reservoir volume . The new dam increased
This shore fisherman successfully battled this rainbow trout while fishing in the cove to the left of the boat ramp at Spicer . Photo by Dan Bacher
maximum pool in Spicer from 215 surface acres and 4,062 acre-feet to 2,000 surface acres and 189,000 acre-feet of water storage ( NCPA 2012 ). Spicer currently sits at an elevation of approximately 6,614 feet above mean sea level ,” said Ewing . The trout fishery is now in good shape after recovering from a tapeworm infestation that plagued the lake ’ s fish in the late 1990s and some browns are already showing in the fishery . When the expanded reservoir first filled in 1990 , the influx of nutrients into the reservoir created a relatively rich food chain that allowed rainbows to grow to large size , including some fish in the 3 to 5 pound class .
However , the lake ’ s nutrients have declined over recent years , accounting for smaller , though still healthy fish in the catches . When the road to Spicer opened this year on the Tuesday before the Memorial Day weekend , the boat ramp was out of the water , so only boaters with small boats and kayaks are able to access the reservoir this summer . “ Shore anglers are doing really well ,” reported Bill Reynolds of Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods in Arnold . “‘ Bank anglers are experiencing the best action while fishing Power Bait , Panther Martins and Kastmasters at the dam and in the creek inlet .” Trollers are also picking up trout while pulling nightcrawlers behind dodgers , Speedy Shiners , Rapalas and other minnow imitation lures at 15 to 20 feet deep , noted Reynolds . The CDFW has stocked Spicer since 1953 for recreational fishing . Historically , Spicer was stocked with rainbow trout snd brook trout . Currently , CDFW only stocks fingerling- size rainbow and brown trout in Spicer , which is managed as a “ put and grow ” fishery , said Ewing . “ Spicer currently has a recreational fishery including brook trout , Lahontan cutthroat trout ( LCT ), brown trout ( BN ) and rainbow trout ( RT ),” Ewing stated . “ Historically , Spicer had a brown bullhead fishery . Spicer is open year-round with a fivetrout bag limit with 10 in possession regulation . “ In order to assess the fishery , CDFW installed an angler survey box ( ASB ) at the public launch ramp in 2015 . Anglers were asked to complete a voluntary survey form related to their fishing experience . In a report completed by Ewing in December 2017 , he noted the catch