New Bullards Bar Reservoir is a reservoir in California, near Yuba County.
New Bullards Bar Reservoir is a reservoir in Yuba County, California and covers about 4,048.2 acres, reaches about 114.7 feet at its deepest point and holds roughly 1,010,000 acre-feet.
Wind can change New Bullards Bar Reservoir quickly, so pick one manageable section and learn it before crossing open water. Deep water at New Bullards Bar Reservoir gives fish room to move away from shore as summer heat and bright light build.
New Bullards Bar is a very deep Yuba River reservoir famous for large spotted bass and a strong kokanee fishery; write down the depth that works.
Find kokanee schools before trolling, then work steep rock and submerged points with small plastics for spotted bass; change retrieve speed before changing lures.
The dam creates steep canyon water with little shallow flat; match lure size to the fish. Fish can suspend over very deep water, so the depth of bait matters more than the bottom directly below the boat.
The strongest local plan is to separate suspended kokanee from trophy spotted bass living on steep Yuba River canyon rock. Keep one backup lure ready, but do not abandon the exact feature after a single empty cast; work each small drop before going deeper.
Here, seasonal advice should stay tied to actual water temperature. A warm spring or a cold runoff year can shift the same pattern by several weeks; compare shallow and deeper water.
Keep a short note after each catch; watch water color during the day. The exact cover and lure depth will help far more on the next trip than a long list of coves that never produced; watch water color during the day.
Fish listed for New Bullards Bar Reservoir include Kokanee Salmon, Rainbow Trout, Brown Trout, Spotted Bass, Smallmouth Bass, and Largemouth Bass.
For smallmouth bass, drag a tube or Ned rig across rock and the hard edge of a point; use a small lure when bites are scarce, then use a moving lure to search.
For largemouth bass, work a soft plastic, jig, or spinnerbait around weeds and protected cover; fish where rock meets mud, then separate open-water fish from bank fish.
For rainbow trout, cast a small spoon, inline spinner, light jig, or fly through cool water; look for a second bite before leaving.
For brown trout, work a small minnow bait, spoon, or streamer along cool breaks and moving water; keep the presentation close to useful cover.
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; follow any bait found near the surface, then use the same depth on the next similar feature.
In spring, start with warming banks, creek mouths, and shallow cover; summer usually pushes the better bite toward the outside weed edge or a nearby drop; fall can bring bait back to windblown points, while winter calls for smaller moves and a slower pace; check the downwind corner for food, then match lure size to the fish.
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; keep one slow bait ready; make short moves after each pass.
Here, record the wind, water color, depth where the school held, 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.
Here, 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; look for a second bite before leaving.
New Bullards Bar is a very deep Yuba River reservoir famous for large spotted bass and a strong kokanee fishery.
Find kokanee schools before trolling, then work steep rock and submerged points with small plastics for spotted bass.
The dam creates steep canyon water with little shallow flat.
Explore nearby waters, including local Featured destinations. Check each page for access and fishing restrictions.
Distances are straight-line estimates between mapped water locations.