Folsom Lake is a reservoir in California, near El Dorado County.
Stocking records show that the following fish or strains were stocked here. A historical stocking does not by itself prove that a self-sustaining population remains today.
Folsom Lake is a reservoir in El Dorado County, California and covers about 11,096.4 acres, reaches about 250 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 976,955 acre-feet.
The size of Folsom Lake rewards a simple area-by-area plan instead of long random moves. Deep water at Folsom Lake gives fish room to move away from shore as summer heat and bright light build.
This water sits where the North and South forks of the American River meet, creating two river arms, a broad main body, and sharp seasonal drawdowns.
Use the river arms for moving trout and salmon, work rock for spotted or smallmouth bass, and check flooded cover for largemouth; add vibration in stained water.
Folsom is a Central Valley Project reservoir built for flood control, water supply, and power; use a moving lure to search. Low water exposes old roads, foundations, and river channels that become fishing structure.
A short plan should use the American River forks, exposed old channels, and seasonal water changes for bass and trout. Then compare the same idea in one protected area and one area touched by wind; work the bottom where the bank turns steep.
Cold inflow, shade, or a steep drop can create a small pocket that fishes unlike the surrounding water. Give that change a careful pass before making a long move.
A useful report should name the exact arm, depth, and target; separate open-water fish from bank fish. A catch from another part of the water can be real and still be useless for the section in front of you; keep the first route short.
Fish listed for Folsom Lake include Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Spotted Bass, Black Crappie, Channel Catfish, and Common Carp.
For black crappie, fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; watch for food before choosing lure depth.
To begin with smallmouth bass on this water, drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point.
For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; check a protected pocket after sunrise, then check both sides of the point.
For channel catfish, fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat; keep a worm ready for a slower check.
Other targets listed here include Rainbow Trout, Chinook Salmon, and Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig.
Start where two things meet: weeds and open water, rock and mud, a point and a drop, or clear water and dirty water; fish that edge at more than one depth before leaving it; follow any bait found near the surface, then try a brighter bait when the water is dirty.
Spring runoff can add color and pull fish toward fresh water; green weeds and the first drop become stronger summer targets; in fall, follow bait toward points and shallow flats, while winter rewards a slower search; start beside the first useful break, then use a smaller lure in clear water.
A light spinning rod, thin line, a few small spoons, inline spinners, and jigs cover the listed trout; carry one slightly heavier setup when other fish or windy water call for more control; repeat the depth that gives the first bite; check the first shelf outside shallow cover.
Record the wind, water color, depth near the strongest cover, and cover after a bite; those four notes are more useful on the next trip than a long list of spots that did not produce; separate open-water fish from bank fish.
Keep the first hour simple: use one moving bait to find active fish, slow down with a jig or natural bait on the best edge, and repeat the same setup when two bites come from matching depth and bottom during that part of the trip; keep the bait near useful cover.
Folsom Lake sits where the North and South forks of the American River meet, creating two river arms, a broad main body, and sharp seasonal drawdowns.
Use the river arms for moving trout and salmon, work rock for spotted or smallmouth bass, and check flooded cover for largemouth.
Folsom is a Central Valley Project reservoir built for flood control, water supply, and power.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.
Source dates describe the evidence, not a live catch forecast. Check the managing authority before planning access or keeping fish.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.
The linked source supports this fish’s presence or stocking in this water.
Source checked:
This is not a record catch or a measure of how many fish are there today. The source may describe an earlier period.