Modesto Reservoir is a lake in California, near Stanislaus 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.
Modesto Reservoir is a lake in Stanislaus County, California and covers about 2,007.8 acres, reaches about 69.9 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 40,000 acre-feet.
Wind can change Modesto Reservoir quickly, so pick one manageable section and learn it before crossing open water. Deep water at Modesto Reservoir gives fish room to move away from shore as summer heat and bright light build.
Fish listed for Modesto Reservoir include Black Crappie, Bluegill, Channel Catfish, Common Carp, Green Sunfish, Hardhead, Hitch, Largemouth Bass, Prickly Sculpin, Redear Sunfish, Sacramento Blackfish, Sacramento Pikeminnow, Sacramento Sucker, Smallmouth Bass, Threadfin Shad, and Threespine Stickleback.
For black crappie, fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; check the downwind corner for food, then test a point before fishing a featureless bank.
For bluegill, use a small jig, worm, or tiny plastic around green weeds and protected pockets; use a slow bait after the search lure, then keep one slow bait ready.
For smallmouth bass, drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point; add vibration in stained water.
For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; look along a shallow shelf, then keep line light around small clear-water fish.
Other targets listed here include Channel Catfish, and Common Carp; give each one its own bait and depth instead of trying to catch everything with the same rig; check the first shelf outside shallow cover.
Rainbow Trout have also been stocked here; that proves fish were released, but it does not promise that they are still common or easy to catch; look for a clean edge beside cover, then change retrieve speed before changing lures.
Make one shallow pass and one deeper pass on the same shoreline; that shows whether fish are tight to cover or using the first break; check the clearest edge before moving, then keep a worm ready for a slower check.
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; check the downwind corner for food, then give low-light water a slower bottom pass.
A medium spinning rod, 8-pound line, a small box of jigs, a few crankbaits, and a simple bottom rig cover most situations; change depth or speed before changing every piece of tackle; fish the first useful drop, then give low-light water a slower bottom pass.
Record the wind, water color, depth along the best drop, 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; pause the bait on each small drop, then test a point before fishing a featureless bank.
Fish a small jig or minnow around wood, weeds, and sharp little drops; begin near moving water, then make the next cast parallel to the edge.
Treat 69.9 feet as the deepest point, not the automatic fishing depth; start near cover and move deeper only when bites or bait give a reason.
It confirms that rainbow trout were released, but it does not prove that fish are now common or easy to catch; use wind to narrow the search.
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.
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.
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.