Eastman, Madera County’s Trophy Largemouth Fishery   By: Dan Bacher December 14, 2006 More Articles by Dan

Eastman Lake, located in the Sierra Nevada Foothills approximately 23 miles northeast of Chowchilla on the Chowchilla River, is the designated trophy bass fishery of the Fresno and Madera region and the first of its kind in the state. The Department of Fish and Game restricts anglers to a 22 inch minimum size limit and a one fish bag limit, making catch and release mandatory for the overwhelming majority of bass caught in the reservoir.

The beneficial impact of this restriction is demonstrated by the large bass that come out of Eastman every year. Unlike other local reservoirs like Pine Flat and Millerton where the dominant spotted bass are accompanied by smallmouth and largemouth bass, the only bass found in Pine Flat are largemouths.

“A bass over 7 pounds is caught at Eastman probably every week over the course of a year,” said Merritt Gilbert at Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis. “The lake largemouth record is over 16 pounds and this is the best lake in the Fresno area for an angler to catch a trophy Florida-strain largemouth.”

The reservoir features 1,780 surface acres when full, but not all of the lake is open to fishing. The lower two thirds of the lake is open to boating and fishing during daylight hours, while the buoyed off upper one third area is closed to all boating and fishing at all times to protect a nesting pair of bald eagles and to stop the spread of hydrilla, an invasive aquatic weed. I can attest to the quality fish that are found in Eastman, based on an afternoon trip I made there on November 17 with Mike Mitchell of Clovis, a very experienced and knowledgeable bass pro who loves to fish at Eastman. Just as the sun began creeping down over the horizon at sunset, Mitchell and me saw a big bass jump as it chased a trout out of the water.

The DFG had just made the first plant of rainbow trout that day at noon and the bass had apparently already found the rainbows. Mitchell tossed his Huddleston trout swim bait over to where the fish jumped. Mitchell started working the swim bait back to the boat when a fish slammed it.

He set the hook and began putting pressure on the fish as he worked it back to the boat. After a stubborn fight, he brought the fish besides the boat and grabbed it by its lip.

“That’s my first ever bass caught on a swim bait,” said Mitchell, who is a master of the drop shotting technique – and rarely fishes a swim bait. “It’s a good 3-3/4 pounds.”

I shook Mitchell’s hand, congratulating him on his fine fish, and he released the fat, healthy largemouth.

Less than five minutes later, I was dragging an electric purple, Texas-rigged Senko across the bottom just minutes before we were planning to call it quits when I hooked a fish.

“Wow… this is a good fish. It feels like the biggest bass I have ever hooked,” I told Mitchell as my adrenalin got pumping and the fish started ripping off line from my Shimano Stradic reel. I worked the fish up to the surface and Mitchell netted it.

It wasn’t as big as I had originally thought, but it still went a respectable 4-1/4 pounds. Mitchell had warned me that the best fishing at Eastman was right near dark – and he was definitely on the money this trip.

Over the afternoon, we had caught a total of 15 bass, including the two big ones. Mitchell caught the vast majority of his fish while drop shotting purple plastic worms near the dam and off the rocky points, although we each caught a small bass on a Senko. About half of the fish were over 12 inches and half were under 13 inches.

It had been a very good trip, with perfect, sunny mild weather, and two big fish capping the day right at the end. Amazingly, we caught the two biggest fish of the day within 100 yards of the boat ramp! The trip I made with Mitchell contrasted dramatically with an ill-fated trip I made to the lake in May 1998 during the spring conference of the Outdoor Writers of California. Over the course of that unforgettable spring day, I managed to go into the water after a rod taken overboard by a fish, got soaking wet, destroyed my camera, lost my fishing license and became the talk of the conference. To top off the day, I was on a narrow gauge train – with the rest of the group - when it went off the rails (nobody was hurt, thankfully) in the evening.

Although known best for being a trophy bass fishery, Eastman is also stocked with trout during the fall and winter and has good populations of crappie, red ear sunfish, bluegill and channel catfish. The DFG stocked 4500 pounds of trout in the lake last season and plans to even more fish this season, according to Greg Paape, Hatchery Manager II.

“When the lake is high like it is this year, the trout survive in the lake throughout the summer and become big holdovers, since there is so much food in the lake for the trout to feed on,” said Mitchell. “A friend this summer caught 10 trout weighing around 29 pounds while fishing nightcrawlers from his boat.”

The lake has a fascinating recent history. In 1989 the lake was quarantined when hydrillla was discovered growing in the lake. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the lake’s operator, prohibited boating on the lake between 1989 and 1989, but daytime boating has been permitted on the lower two thirds of the lake since 1995.

Bald eagles have visited Eastman during the winter since the lake filled in the mid-1970’s. In 1993, a pair of bald eagles build a nest and fledged three young eagles. In each year since then, the now-resident pair of eagles have raised and fledged two young.

The upper third of the lake is closed both to protect the eagles and restrict boats from bringing hydrilla to other waters, since the hydrilla is found mainly in the Chowchilla River arm.

“The upper portion of the lake is marked with Keep Out Buoys to restrict boats from the area where most of the hydrilla has been found,” according to the Corps report, “Bald Eagle Recovery Efforts at Corps of Engineers Projects.” “The buoy line also provides a buffer or nearly 2,624 feet between the eagles and any boat traffic.”

Anglers argue that the hydrilla problem has been largely eliminated and that the bald eagle nesting area closure needs only to be enforced during the eagle’s nesting season.

For this reason, anglers are circulating a petition to asking the DFG to allow the public, including boaters and fishermen, to be able to access the closed area from the Chapman Creek downstream to the “Keep Out Buoy” line near the Cordorniz boat ramp for three months each year, from September 30 through November 30. The nesting period for bald eagles at Eastman Lake runs from December 1 to August 31 in any given year.

“Petitioners recognize the need to maintain the closure of that portion of the Chowchilla River which extends upstream from the Chapman Creek to prevent the potential spread of noxious flora (hydrilla),” according to the petition.

For more information about this petition, contact Larry Hodge, 559-276-0712.  

Eastman Lake Facts  

Size and History: Eastman Lake Park is nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills surrounded by grasslands and blue oaks 23 miles northeast of Chowchilla. At maximum capacity, the lake has 1,780 surface acres and holds 150,000-acre feet of water. The lake was created by the construction of Buchanan Dam on the Chowchilla River. The dam is an earth and rockfill structure 205 feet high and 1,800 feet in length. At 600 feet elevation, summers are warm and the winters mild, allowing for year-round recreation. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control, irrigation and recreation, the lake is a popular destination for visitors of all ages.  

History: The Yokut and Miwok tribes once claimed this area as their home. Evidence of their presence in the area is still evident, mostly in the form of mortar and metate areas, where they ground acorns for food. Also of historical interest is a monument to the Town of Buchanan located along the entrance road. This once thriving copper town now exists only in legend and a few tattered photos.  

Boat ramps: The lake attracts many anglers, recreational boaters, water-skiers and sailors. Launch ramps are located in the Chowchilla and Codorniz recreation areas.  

Camping Facilities: The Codorniz Campground has 65 sites and is open all year. Three group camping areas in the Codorniz Recreation Area are available by reservation. Equestrian groups and nonprofit organizations may also reserve the group equestrian area.  

Day Use Facilities: The Chowchilla area provides for a variety of recreation activities including picnicking, swimming, hiking, volleyball, and horseshoe toss. The Monument Ridge area has a softball diamond, picnic tables and portable restrooms. Hunting is permitted in the wildlife management area in accordance with California Hunting Regulations. Equestrians, hikers, and mountain bikers enjoy the trails at Eastman Lake.

Contact Information: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Eastman Lake, P.O. Box 67, Raymond, CA, 93653-0067, Phone: 559-689-3255, Fax: 559-689-3408, mailto:eastman-info@spk.usace.army.mil  

Fishing Information: Valley Rod & Gun in Clovis, (559) 292-3474, and Fisherman’s Warehouse in Fresno, (559) 225-1838.  

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