Pioneering Highland Reservoirs

by

Jeff Kramer

Highland reservoirs at first glance do not give off a positive image. When carp fishermen come to these waters, they find nothing but steep rock walls , sharply angled banks, and a lack of visible cover. Even seasoned anglers may find these large, deep mountain lakes intimidating.

In the winter of 2023, Northern California was hit with major storms and floods. My fishing partner Gerrod Winkler and I had to come up with a “plan B” because our usual Delta river spots were blown out. It was January, so we had to split up to target new water because the spring bite was fast approaching. We opted out of the smaller venues like park lakes and city ponds because we have no interest in recaptured fish, and in my opinion, larger venues are future proof as the sport grows. Gerrod chose to target larger Bay Area and central Valley Lakes while I chose to focus on the Seirra Nevada lakes and reservoirs. Large lakes in Northern California are ripe with unexplored Big Carp waters with 24/7 365 days a year fishing access. There are three very large flood control reservoirs and one privately owned and operated lake within 20 minutes from my house. The three reservoirs are Lake Comanche, Pardee, New Hogan, and Lake Amador. All these lakes are very similar to the size and scope of the legendary USA Carp fisheries Dale Hollow and Blackfoot.

Out of all four of these water's, I chose to pioneer New Hogan because it is only forty dollars for a year pass, twenty-four hour access, and an eight minute walk from my house. Comanche, Pardee, and Amador are more expensive, and Amador will give you free parking if you turn in a dead carp. I am definitely not going to support that business. New Hogan Lake covers 6,342 land acres and 4,333 water acres. When full, the lake has 50 miles of shoreline and extends nearly eight miles upstream to the confluence of the north and south forks of the Calaveras River, and the maximum depth is 180 feet.

As of February 1st, 2024, Gerrod and I have devoted one full year at New Hogan Lake. Gerrod quickly got off the lowland lakes because they too were affected by the storms, and even though he landed a nice 18lb mirror to our chagrin, it was a recapture. New Hogan was very low prior to the floods due to several years of drought. We had the advantage of mapping out spots when the lake level was down in the summer a year prior, and we used our cell phones to pinpoint future locations when the lake levels would rise again.

Highland reservoirs have lower levels in the summer and fill up during the winter due to rain and snow melt. The summer is a good time to study and prepare for the fall and pre spawn bite. Our drought spot is now under 50 feet of water, so that will tell you how rapidly a reservoir can change depth. The first tip on a highland reservoir is to know the geology of the lake. What lies above lies below. You do not need a depth finder to know how deep of water you are fishing. If you're on a steep mountain side, the swim will be very deep close to the bank, and your pack ball or pva will roll down the slope and leave your bait presentation in a not so favorable situation. On top of that, if you are in a depth of thirty feet and the carp are in mid column, the chances of carp finding your hook bait is minimal.

The second tip is to stay off rock veins and rip rap slopes even if they are low and gradual. A big belly carp does not like to rub there scales off on rocky bottoms, and your hook bait can get lost and snagged up in the rocks. There is an exemption to that rule when the rock veins stop at the bank, but you better be sure it does. I can't tell you how many high dollar bass lures and hook links I find in the summer rummaging through the quarts and shale veins off the bank.

The third tip is fish mud flats, points, and bowl shaped coves. If you are fishing on a small hill with a gradual slope, that is the ideal spot. The best tool for this is a good pair of waiters. I like to walk out until the water is up to my chest and cast out about 20 yards, and my hook link is in about 10 to 15 feet of water. The 10 to 15 foot depth is a great way to set a trap for big carp. With a fresh ball of leaky pack bait, they will definitely find your rig.

Tip four no structure, no problem. The highland reservoirs are known for their featureless waters. The reservoir carp is well adapted to its surroundings. A good mud flat is full of natural food. Craw fish, clams, muscles, grass , worms, leaches, snails, and insects. Submerged logs and grass patches are all the structures you need.

Tip 5 and the most important are locating the carp and figuring out weather and fish patterns. If fish are not in the area, it can take several days of pre baiting to bring them in. A reservoir carp always moves around, even in winter. I know we were all taught that carp slow down in the winter. This may hold true in small venues, but big deep lake carp, especially the larger specimens, need energy and have to feed. In California, we do not really have a true winter, more like a long fall. A pack ball full of high-energy carbs can be deadly in the winter months. I have caught most of my larger female carp in winter on the reservoir.

Pre Baiting and building a swim is a great tactic for long sessions, but I tend to fish on my days off, and in California, chumming is not legal except in select spots in the Delta. I find swims I don't build them. I will sit and watch for carp to show themselves, and then I set my trap. First light and sunset times are when the carp move into the shallows to feed. The shallower flats are freeways to the deeper coves where carp travel to at night. The ideal weather pattern is overcast with a light wind, but you can still catch them on blue bird sky days, especially in the fall and winter months. You have to sacrifice and fight through the rain and skunk days to figure the pattern out. You may not get to post that PB up on Instagram for a while, but if you persevere and put in the time on the water, you will find your own Dale Hollow or Blackfoot through water craft.

Frequently, I witness carp anglers in California journey long distances to renowned out of state carp fisheries or smaller lakes that have already been discovered through the pioneering efforts of dedicated anglers to bag an easy catch. Meanwhile, they will drive down interstate 5 and pass multiple potential Dale Hollows and thousands of miles of Delta to fish out of state. We live where people vacation and I feel a responsibility to our beloved Carp to explore new waters so our European friends and the younger generation will have multiple choices when it comes to finding their trophy wild PB without having the problem of offending the locals due to small venue pressure. I take a cue from the tournament, Bass Angling Community, who on any given day can have over 100 boats on a large lake and not over fish it. I hope that this blog has helped you unravel the mystery of the highland reservoir and inspire you to be a pioneer by discovering the next great American carp fishery in your local area.