VOL . 40 • ISS . 11 |
MAP FEATURE |
June 11 , 2021 |
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Spicer Reservoir Facts
Size and Location : The 189,000 acre foot reservoir is formed by New Spicer Meadow Dam on Highland Creek , a tributary of the North Fork of the Stanislaus River , at 6620 feet in elevation . It has a surface area of 2,000 acres when full . The reservoir is situated eight miles southwest of Highway 4 on Spicer Reservoir Road in the Stanislaus National Forest .
History : The reservoir is a relatively new one , since the 262 foot tall rock-fill dam was completed on Highland Creek in 1989 and filled in 1990 . Additional water is diverted from the North Fork of the Stanislaus River by the North Fork Diversion Dam and a two-mile tunnel . Calaveras County Water District ( CCWA ) owns the dam . Water from the reservoir supplies drinking water and water for irrigation in Calaveras County . The water district , along with the Northern California Power Agency ( NCPA ) sells electricity from the 6-MW hydroelectric plant at the base of the dam .
Boating Facilities and Regulations : A boat ramp with turnaround area and movable dock is available when the lake is full . No overnight mooring is permitted . Maximum speed on the western portion of the lake is 10 mph ; the eastern portion , surrounded by the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness , is managed for non-motorized uses only .
Supplies : Gas , groceries , and camping supplies are available in Arnold , Camp Connell , and Bear Valley .
Spicer Meadow Reservoir Tuolumne County
To Hiway 4 Markleeville & Arnold
Protect Fragile Shoreline Camp 100 feet from water ’ s edge
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Spicer Meadow Reservoir
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10 mph Western arm No motorized boating in Eastern arm of reservoir
Camping : A Wilderness Permit ( available at the District Office free of charge ) is required for shoreline camping in the eastern ( non-motorized ) portion of the lake .
Spicer Reservoir Campground : located at 6,200 feet on a timbered setting on the shore of Spicer Reservoir . There are 43 total campsites . The maximum vehicle length is 50 ’, the maximum length of stay is 14 days and the maximum use is six persons per single unit site , with several multiple units for small groups . Piped water , restrooms , vault toilets , tables , picnic table , stoves , BBQ grills are available . Reservations are first-come , first-served . The campground is open from June to October , weather permitting .
National Forest Information : Calaveras Ranger District , P . O . Box 500 , Hathaway Pines , CA 95233 , ( 209 ) 795-1381 , http :// www . fs . fed . us / r5 / stanislaus / calaveras / camping / spicer . shtml
Fishing Information : Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods , ( 209 ) 795-1686
Fishing Notes
• Rainbow Trout are the dominant species in Spicer Meadow Reservoir . The DFG plants approximately 50,000 rainbow fingerlings each year . No catchable rainbows or other species of trout are planted in the reservoir . Bank fishing is best on the area near the boat ramp or the dam . Nightcrawlers , Power Bait and salmon eggs are good baits to try . Casting spinners , Kastmasters and flies under plastic bubbles is also worth a try . Trollers find the top action with nightcrawlers behind blades and flashers or minnow imitation lures such as Sparkefish , Needlefish , Cripplures , Triple Teazers , Rapalas and Thomas Buoyants . Float tubing is effective for fly fishermen using Wooly Buggers , beadhead nymphs and black ants .
• Brook & BrownTrout have been reported in the lake , but 99 percent of the fish caught at Spicer are rainbows . For brook trout , fish the Highland Lakes on Highland Creek , a tributary of Spicer , in the Ebbetts Pass high country .
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per angler for bait anglers was higher than any other form of gear used in 2018 , which also had the highest catch per angler average in 2015 .. “ Most fish caught were RT for a third consecutive sampling season , which is consistent with the stocking records ,” he stated . “ Although RT continue to be the greatest single species caught , Lahontan cutthroat trout made up 36.4 % of the total catch in 2018 . This indicates Spicer has a large , wild LCT population .” Although Spicer continues to have high catch rates , the great majority of fish caught continue to be under 16 inches , noted Ewing . “ It is unknown why there have been so few trophy-size fish being caught . |
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Salmonids are generally considered as opportunists . New Spicer is a large reservoir with a large population of baitfish , including golden shiner and speckled dace that would likely be a great forage base for trout . Although few-trophy- size fish have been reported , it is possible they are being caught and not being reported or present , but not being caught ,’ he stated . Spicer has a “ put and grow ” hatchery supplemented fishery and a wild trout component . Spicer has numerous tributaries where species like BN , LCT , and BK have created a self-sustaining population , according to Ewing . “ Anglers at Spicer have the opportunity |
to catch a variety of catchable-size salmonids that are in great physical shape and often fight with greater force than a ‘ put and take ’ hatchery trout ,” he concluded . When I first fished the lake in the early summer of 2002 , the lake was just beginning to recover from the trout population ’ s battle with a tapeworm parasite . I caught an easy limit of rainbows while bait fishing from shore one evening . On the following day , James Pagani of Sparklefish Lures and I landed limits of fish while trolling . Although the fish were square-tailed and very pretty , they were only in the 10 to 12 inch range . Since then , I have fished Spicer |
several times , catching limits on two trips while soaking Power Bait from shore near the boat ramp . Most of the fish have been larger than on my first trip , ranging from 12 to 16 inches long . I have found the best fishing on this lake during the spring and early summer after the lake becomes accessible and then again in the fall just before the snow arrives . While I have caught fish here in the morning , I find the best time to hit the lake is in the late afternoon just before dark . For more information about fishing Spicer Reservoir , contact Ebbetts Pass Sporting Goods at ( 209 ) 795-1686 , https :// ebbettspasssportinggoods . com . |
Beautiful , scrappy rainbows like this one provide the majority of catches at Spicer Reservoir , according to CDFW surveys .
Photo by Dan Bacher
Nearby Union Reservoir offers good fishing for rainbow trout and brown bullhead catfish at times .
Photo by Dan Bacher