Lake Nacimiento
WHITE BASS
DILLON GIVEN
SANDPOINT, ID
One of my favorite lakes to fly fish is Lake
Nacimiento in San Luis Obispo County,
California. Nicknamed “Dragon Lake” because of
its dragon shape, it’s roughly 18 miles long, and
was originally created for irrigation purposes. It
is home to several game species, but the most
sought after are spotted bass and white bass.
There are rumors that in 1981, Corey Wells
(member of the band Three Dog Night) set the
record for the world’s largest white bass caught
on a fly rod in Lake Nacimiento.
grab and fight is second to none in any fish of
its weight class. The greatest tool whities use
during the fight is their stout panfish-like body
structure. They like to work directly beneath
the boat and dig their way to the depths. It
isn’t uncommon to have a 100+ bass day when
fishing with one or two other anglers. These
epic days typically occur in the spring when the
whities are either schooled up in Nacimiento
River or cruising the narrows on the far west
side of the lake.
I have chased white bass with a fly rod since I
was about 10, and for that reason, white bass
will always hold a special place in my heart. The
way beautifully vibrant variations of Clousers are
tossed with a six weight rod against the rocky
bank, enticing the lurking predator…. Even that
act is exciting in its own way.
My latest experience with the “Dragon Lake”
was in late March 2016. We spent a total of 4
days on the water totaling close to 300 bass
all on the fly. I know for a fact that these aren’t
exaggerated numbers either because we keep
a baseball pitch counter to count every bass
landed. We found the white bass schooled up in
15 feet of water in a staging zone just outside
of the narrows. There were schools coming and
going to the river, and we happened to be right
in the middle of it all.
And when you feel your 30ft of T-8 ripped out of
your hand between strips? Well, once you catch
your first one, it’s easy to see how white bass
are cousins with striped bass. The way they