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Lake McSwain, the regulating reservoir for Lake McClure on the Merced River, has a well-deserved reputation for producing the most consistent shore trout fishing year round in California’s Mother Lode. The reason for this is because McSwain, receiving its water from the bottom of Lake McClure, is kept relatively cold and clear year round, creating great conditions for sustaining trout.
Boaters also nail larger numbers of rainbows at McClure. When anglers in other Mother Lode lakes are forced to switch over to downriggers and lead core line to get their lures and baits down deep to the thermocline where the fish are holding, anglers can continue to top line troll at McSwain.
McSwain is not a big lake, being a narrow reservoir 7.5 miles long that extends from New Exchequer Dam to McSwain Dam. The water level is relatively level, so you don’t see the “bath tub ring” that occurs on the larger water storage and flood control reservoirs in the summer and fall.
The vast majority of anglers target rainbow trout at McSwain, although the lake has been stocked with brook and brown trout in past years. The lake has the advantage of receiving regular trout plants from two sources – the DFG’s Moccasin Creek Fish Hatchery and Calaveras Fish Farm. While the DFG stocks the standard 10 to 14 inch “catchable rainbows,” Calaveras stocks trophy-sized rainbows ranging from 1-1/2 to 6 pounds to challenge anglers throughout the year.
“They saw lots of bass on the fish finder and then proceeded to catch and release big numbers of spotted bass,” said Marilyn Kemper, the owner of the Lake McSwain Marina, the lake’s concessionaire. Her late husband, the affable and very knowledgeable John Kemper, ran the operation until his death in 2005 and let me stay in one of his trailers on my visits to the Southern Mother Lode.
Not only are the bass numerous, but trophy-sized “spots” are found in the lakes warmer coves. When I fished the lake for trout and bass in May 2002, Randy Hasten of Modesto bagged a spot weighing 6 pounds, 12 ounces, a big spot for any lake anywhere. Hasten and his fishing partner caught both bass and trout while fishing with soft jerk baits - Zoom Flukes in Arkansas Shiner patterns - suspended in 10 feet of water.
John Kemper landed the only larger spotted bass reported out of the lake, a 7 pound fish, in 1994. Kemper caught and released that hungry fish several times!
One reason why bass anglers may pass up fishing McSwain is because of the lake's 10 mph speed limit. On the positive side, this speed limit also keeps water skiers, personal watercraft users and recreational power boaters from churning up the lake during the summer, making the lake, just like Amador and Pardee, a “anglers only” reservoir.
Ralph Abernathy of San Jose landed 3 rainbows in the 2-1/2 to 5 pound range while fishing rainbow Power Bait from the shoreline near the handicapped accessible dock. Larry Robinson of Modesto bagged a hefty rainbow wile fishing a white Power Egg off the Handicapped Dock, while Harry Booth of Mariposa also nailed a large rainbow while fishing orange Power Bait.
Rental boaters also nailed a bunch of trout that day. Ian, Richard and Selena De Leon and Dan Friddle, all of Salinas, took a rental boat out of the marina and ended up catching two quality rainbows. They also lost several other trout, forgetting to bring a net with them.
The most popular spots for anglers to bank fish are the shoreline around the dam, handicapped dock and Brush Pile further up the lake. Good baits include Power Bait, Power Eggs, Berkley Gulp Trout Bait and Yum Troutkrilla in a variety of colors. Anglers also entice trout here while tossing out Panther Martins, Roostertails, Crippures and Wooly Buggers and other flies.
The water warms up enough in the coves for a sleeper bluegill population to flourish. On a trip to McSwain in the early 1990’s, former associate editor Chris Dunham and I caught a bunch of bluegill in a warm creek inlet on the lake.
McSwain is named for Kenneth McSwain, who became the Chief Engineer/Manager of the Merced Irrigation District. MID constructed McSwain to serve as a regulating reservoir for Lake McClure
The McSwain Dam was constructed as a rock fill dam with a crest elevation of 425 feet and a maximum length of 1,620 feet. By 1967, New Exchequer Dam and McSwain Dam were complete, generating tens of thousands of megawatt hours of electricity each month.
Lake McSwain Recreation Area is a very “family friendly” place, offering top-notch picnic spots and excellent campsites with very clean, well-maintained facilities. The marina store offers groceries, ice, cold beer and sodas, hot coffee, donuts, fishing tackle, rods and reels and bait. The store also features burgers and sandwiches made to order.
Fourteen-foot fishing boats are available for rent by the day or the hour. Overnight boat slips are available, as well as a courtesy dock when anglers visit the store.
Other superb fisheries nearby include Lake McClure, Don Pedro and the Merced River. McClure, also operated by the Merced Irrigation District, offers abundant populations of rainbow trout, kokanee salmon, king salmon, spotted bass, smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and channel catfish for the anglers.
Lake Don Pedro, located on the Tuolumne River on the northern route to Yosemite National Park, features king and kokanee salmon, rainbow trout, brown trout, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill and other species.
The Merced River above McClure to El Portal is a great spot to fish bait, lures and flies for wild browns and rainbows year round, while smallmouth bass move up into the river from the lake during the spring and summer.
The Merced River in the Merced Falls area also offers a mixture of planted and holdover trout. Further down river below the Merced River Fish Hatchery, the river attracts annual runs of king salmon. The river also features a smallmouth and largemouth bass fishery, along with good numbers of wild resident trout. Check the DFG regulations booklet for bag limits, closures and other restrictions.
For more information on fishing at Lake McSwain, call Marilyn Kemper at (209) 378-2534. Information about McSwain and McClure is also available on the web at: www.lakemcclure.com.
Lake McSwain Facts
History: Just six miles from Snelling, Lake McSwain Recreation Area offers great trout fishing, wonderful picnicking spots and excellent campsites. The McSwain Dam was constructed as a rock fill dam with a crest elevation of 425 feet and a maximum length of 1,620 feet. New Exchequer Dam and McSwain Dam were completed by 1967.The recreation area is operated by the Merced Irrigation District.
Camping: 99 camping units and 65 water-electric hookups are available. Washers and dryers and hot showers make McSwain a very comfortable place to camp. For campground information, call 209-378-2521. For reservations, call 800-468-8889 Tuesday-Friday 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
Boat ramp: McSwain features a concrete boat ramp with 2 boat launching lanes. The day use fee is $6.00 per vehicle, while the launch fee is $6.00.
Marina Facilities: There is a well-maintained full service marine with fishing and patio boat rentals available for rental. The concession store has groceries, bait, fishing tackle, gas and oil. The restaurant serves breakfast and lunch. Call Lake McSwain Marina at 209-378-2534.
Other activities: Five comfort stations, 48 Picnic Units, children's play apparatus and a swimming lagoon are found in the recreation area. More information: Merced Irrigation Parks Department, 9090 Lake McClure Road, Snelling, CA 95369, 209-378-2521
Fishing information: Call Lake McSwain Marina, 209-378-3534, A-1 Bait and Tackle, 2090563-6505, or Jig's Bait and Tackle, 209-852-2777.
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The fish plants not only help keep trout anglers happy catching fish, but they add supplemental forage to the lake’s surprisingly robust spotted bass and largemouth population. For example, Pat Paszke of Klamath Falls, Oregon and his fishing buddy recently sampled the waters of McSwain for bass and found outstanding action on a variety of lures.
On my most recent venture to the lake this July, everybody I talked to was targeting trout. Calaveras Fish Farm had just planted the reservoir with 1,000 pounds of large rainbows, so the average fish weighed around 3 pounds.