Madrone Lake is a reservoir in California, near Butte County.
Madrone Lake is a reservoir in Butte County, California and covers about 21.8 acres, reaches about 28 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 200 acre-feet.
The small size of Madrone Lake makes quiet casts and short moves more useful than carrying a pile of tackle.
Fish listed for Madrone Lake include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Hardhead, Largemouth Bass, Sacramento Pikeminnow, Sacramento Sucker, and Rainbow Trout.
A useful black crappie plan on Madrone Lake is to fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops.
A useful bluegill plan on Madrone Lake is to use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets.
To begin with largemouth bass on Madrone Lake, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover.
Start the channel catfish search on Madrone Lake by trying to fish cut bait or a nightcrawler on the bottom along a channel edge or warm flat.
Other targets listed here include Rainbow Trout, and Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig; test a shaded bank, then test a point before fishing a featureless bank.
Do not let the deepest number control the whole day; nearby cover, firm bottom, and food usually matter more than the deepest hole by itself; look for a clean edge beside cover, then repeat the depth that gives the first bite.
Early in the year, protected water and the first warm afternoon can be the best clues; as the water heats up, check deeper edges without assuming every fish is on the bottom; cooling fall water often makes points and firm banks useful again; cast across the break instead of along it, then save the heaviest tackle for deep cover.
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; work each small drop before going deeper; use the old channel as a guide.
Record the wind, water color, depth of the working lure, 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; keep the lure near the depth that produced, then give low-light water a slower bottom pass.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.