Camp Far West Reservoir: A Central Valley Sleeper For Largemouths, Smallmouths, Spots And Stripers     By: Cal Kellogg December 18, 2006 More Articles by Cal

There is no doubt about it - Golden State bass enthusiasts are blessed with dozens of top notch destinations to choose from. With waters such as Clear Lake, Lake Berryessa, Shasta Lake and the California Delta on the menu, it is inevitable that some of the state’s less glamorous lakes get lost in the shuffle. That’s certainly the case with Camp Far West Reservoir, yet the lake offers anglers an outstanding opportunity to catch big numbers of largemouths and spots along with the occasional smallmouth and striper.

Camp Far West Reservoir is located at the junction of Placer, Nevada and Yuba counties near the town of Lincoln. Both Beale Air Force Base and the Spenceville Wildlife Area lay directly to the north of the lake. The lake’s location makes it easily accessible by anglers coming form Sacramento, Roseville or the Yuba City/Marysville area.

Camp Far West’s 185 foot high earth and rock dam was completed in 1963 as part of the Central Valley Water Project impounding water from both the Bear River and Rock Creek. The dam was built for the purpose of flood control and irrigation, but has proven to be a boon for anglers and recreational boaters in the years since.

Camp Far West is situated at an elevation of 320 feet. It is a fairly large lake, impounding 104,500 acre feet of water when at full capacity with a surface area of 2,000 acres and 29 miles of shoreline. The lake got its name from a gold rush era immigrant camp that was located just downstream from the present day dam site. Since it was the last camp on the immigrant trail before the 49ers coming from the east reached the Sacramento Valley, it was dubbed, “Camp Far West”.

In the spring when the lake is full, the hills are green and the oak trees lining the shoreline are covered with budding leaves, the lake is quite beautiful. In the fall when the water level is drawn down 60 feet or more, the grass is parched and the leaves have fallen, the visual impact isn’t quite as awe inspiring, but the fishing can be just as good as it is early in the year, plus crowds are typically very light during the fall.

I had the opportunity to fish Camp Far West with my dad on Friday, November 17. Since I had a speaking engagement in Auburn at 8 o’clock that morning, dad and I didn’t arrive at the lake until about 10:30. After launching my Jetcraft 1825 at the north shore launch ramp we motored down the lake and started working near the north corner of the dam. Dad started out working a perch pattern River2Sea Tungsten Vide, while I went with a fire tiger Yo-Zuri rip bait. For the next hour we worked our way east fishing a variety of features including rock piles and points.

When our reaction baits failed to produce, dad tied on a darter head adorned with a Yamamoto grub, while I set up a spinning rod with a drop shot rig. After moving offshore we located big masses of baitfish along with some larger fish holding 20 to 30 feet deep. Unfortunately for us, the fish refused our offerings.

“I think we need to keep on covering ground until we find some active bass. Let’s put on some crankbaits and work our way up toward Rock Creek,” I said. Dad agreed, so we rigged up a couple rods with shad pattern Yo-Zuri crankbaits and motored back up toward the boat ramp. Once we were above the ramp, I dropped the Minn Kota back into the water and we started working along a steep clay and rock bank that was studded with stumps.

I held the boat about 30 feet offshore, allowing us to angle our baits up tight to the shoreline and then retrieve them down the slope as they bounced off the rocks and stumps. We hadn’t been at it for long when a spot hammered my lure. A few casts later I hooked a second bass right at the boat and lost it. After that, it was dad’s turn to get in on the action. He landed a quality largemouth and lost a larger bass.

As we worked our way up the lake the bank gradually became shallower and the strikes become less frequent, so I motored the boat back down toward the ramp, so we could work our way along the steep area a second time. I stayed with my crankbait, but dad switched back to his grub thinking there might be some inactive fish on the bank. Dad’s hunch soon paid off when a chunky spot assaulted his grub.

After I landed a couple more bass on the crankbait I saw a fish break the surface chasing shad. Grabbing my bait caster, I tossed a River2Sea V Joint Minnow into the area, cranked it down, paused briefly, gave it a sharp rip and suddenly felt the weight of a fish. After landing and releasing the fat spot dad and I fished for another 30 minutes or so, but when the wind came up we decided to call it a day and beat the traffic on the way home. All in all it had been a very successful day of fall bass fishing.

Bass fishing at Camp Far West can be good all year with the only limiting factors being muddy water during exceptionally wet winters and the big crowds of water skiers present during the summer. Since the lake is well below 1,000 feet in elevation, spring fishing gets off to an early start. If it is sunny and warm great spring action can be encountered as early as the first week of March. During the spring the lake’s black bass are at their most aggressive and can be tempted with a variety of reaction baits including rip baits, crankbaits and spinnerbaits. In addition, plastic lizards, tubes and jigs will take plenty of bass too.

As spring progresses into summer, the bass slowly but steadily retreat offshore and the bite becomes most consistent early and late in the day, with the best action taking place in the Bear River arm. Summer fish will respond to top water baits such as Zara Spooks, but for best action in terms of numbers its tough to beat plastic worms, tubes and deep diving crankbaits.

Night fishing is productive during the summer for anglers working big plastic worms, vibrating crankbaits and spinnerbaits worked slowly. Night navigation can be risky. The lake level will be dropping, exposing rocks and other hazards.

Fall is a great time to visit the lake for a couple of reasons. First, fishing pressure will be very light and you’ll virtually have the place to yourself. Second, the lake will be drawn down and substantially smaller than it is during the spring. As a result the bass are easier to locate.

Fall bass are typically concentrated and aggressive. Top water lures, crankbaits, jigs and spoons jigged vertically are all capable of producing big numbers of bass. Once you catch a bass in the fall, don’t be in a rush to move on. They tend to concentrate at this time of the year and it is possible to pull multiple fishing out of a small area.

Winter is a challenging time to visit the lake. If the water conditions are good the fishing can be very rewarding, but after sustained periods of rain the water often gets muddy and the action shuts down. Provided decent water clarity prevails dragging jigs and vertically jigging with spoons are both effective approaches to targeting bass holding near deep water structure.

Smallmouth bass and stripers are the most elusive of the lake’s bass. Smallmouths tend to hang out around rocky structure near the headwaters of Rock Creek and in the upper reaches of the Bear River arm. Spring and fall are the best times for targeting smallmouths. Small jigs and crawfish pattern crankbaits are the top tempters.

There was a time when Camp Far West had the reputation for kicking out big numbers of big striper. While those days are long gone, there are still decent numbers of stripers up to 12 pounds found in the lake. They are most difficult to catch during the heat of the summer, while the fall and winter months provide the top action.

Bait anglers catch stripers while soaking sardines and other baits from the bank, while boater either troll or plug for their stripers. During the fall, trollers work the surface with Rat-L-Traps and big minnow plugs. Pluggers score with surface plugs, Rat-L-Traps, bucktail jigs, and plastic swimbaits. In the winter trollers probe the deep water off the dam using downriggers, while pluggers ply the same area using their sonar to pinpoint fish that they try to hook while vertically jigging spoons.

If you’ve never visited Camp Far West, plan on giving it a try. While it doesn’t offer the massive bass that are found in Berryessa or Clear Lake, it is full of aggressive black bass in the 1 to 4 pound range with the occasional largemouth ranging up beyond the 7 pound mark. Add to this the possibility of picking up a bonus striper and you just can’t go wrong! 

Camp Far West Reservoir Facts 

Location: The reservoir lies at an elevation of 320 feet between Roseville and the Yuba City/Marysville area. Camp Far West is easily accessed by anglers traveling from Yuba City/Marysville, Sacramento, Roseville, Auburn and surrounding foothill communities. To reach the lake from the Sacramento/Roseville area take Highway 80 to the junction with Highway 65. Go north on Highway 65 to the town of Sheridan. Turn right on Rio Oso Road and proceed to McCourtney Road and turn to the left. McCourtney Road will take you first to the south launch ramp and them to the north ramp. From the Yuba/City Marysville area take Highway 70 to the south and junction on to Highway 65 to the south toward Roseville to the town of Sheridan.

Camping and Lodging: Motels are available in outlying areas. Camping facilities and a store are available at the lake.

Boat Launching: The reservoir boasts two launch ramps. One is on the south shore the other is on the north. Access and launching fees for one vehicle and boat are currently $15 per day for day use.

Fishing Information: Camp Far West Lake (916) 408-5037 or (530) 633-0803.

Bass Fishing Guides: Don Paganelli, Paganelli’s Bass Fishing Experience, (916) 427-0374. Larry Hemphill (530) 674-0276.