Troutline

Mokelumne River

California·Central Sierra·38.23° N, 121.02° W
Flow
320 CFS
Camanche Reservoir
Water Temp
—
Condition
—
Weather
71°F
Clear
near Wallace

Insights

Flow
320 CFS — wading range
Solid water for fishing.
Wind
Wind 3 mph — calm
Easy casting and clean surface presentations.

The Mokelumne is really two trout rivers wearing one name, split by a pair of East Bay MUD reservoirs in the Mother Lode gold country an hour-plus east of Sacramento. Upstream, the Electra reach below the Electra Powerhouse is a foothill freestone canyon — pocket water and boulder gardens between Highway 49 and the head of Pardee Reservoir. It holds wild rainbows and browns (plus the odd kokanee that drops down out of Pardee), gets almost no hatchery stocking, and in 2018 the 37 miles from Salt Springs Dam to Pardee earned California Wild & Scenic status. It's a wade-and-scramble summer game: small dries and nymphs worked on foot off Electra Road, best from June once flows settle.

Downstream of the second dam, the Lower Mokelumne below Camanche is a cold tailwater a few miles east of Lodi that CDFW has managed as a steelhead fishery since the 1998 Central Valley steelhead ESA listing. It still kicks out plenty of resident rainbows in the 12–16" class, plus a genuine winter/spring run of steelhead and a fall Chinook push out of the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery. Much of the eight-mile run below Camanche Dam threads private land, so a drift boat out of the Mokelumne River Day Use Area — at the base of the dam, by the hatchery — is the standard approach; wade access exists near the hatchery boat launch but it's tight. The lower river fishes well for trout in a roughly 250–600 CFS window and switches to a swung-fly and egg program from about 700–1,200 CFS in winter.

A note on flow: this page does not yet carry a live flow reading. The trout water has no adapter-ready stream gauge — the old USGS stations below Camanche and in the Electra canyon are discontinued (metadata only), and the nearest live gauge sits 30-plus miles downstream in the Delta, which isn't the fishery. Flow below Camanche tracks EBMUD's scheduled reservoir releases entirely — guides literally tell you to check the district's release page rather than a gauge. Until we wire the Camanche outflow signal, check EBMUD's Mokelumne release info or CDEC's Camanche reservoir data directly before you go.

Species

  • Rainbow Trout
    Primary · Jun-Oct (upper); year-round (lower) · 10-16", some to 18"

    Wild in the Electra reach with little to no stocking; the Lower Mokelumne tailwater produces good numbers of 12–16" resident rainbows year-round when open.

  • Winter Steelhead
    Seasonal · Dec-Apr · 20-25", 6-8 lb

    ESA-threatened Central Valley steelhead, Lower Mokelumne only — the reason the lower river is managed catch-and-release-leaning. Swung flies, egg patterns, and nymphs; half-pounders show early fall and Feb–Apr.

  • Brown Trout
    Resident · Sep-Nov · 12-18"

    Wild population in the Electra reach below the powerhouse and above Pardee. Streamers in fall.

  • Chinook Salmon (fall run)
    Seasonal · Oct-Nov · Large

    Fall spawning run supported by the Mokelumne River Fish Hatchery on the Lower Mokelumne. Drives the seasonal closures; not a fly target.

  • Kokanee Salmon
    Occasional · Summer · Small

    Land-locked drop-downs from Pardee Reservoir turn up in the Electra reach below the powerhouse.

Ideal wading flow250–600 CFS
Blow-out>1,200 CFS
Ideal water temp48–62°F

Upper Electra reach — summer (Jun–Oct) is prime for resident wild trout, once PG&E flows settle. Lower Mokelumne — winter and spring (Dec–Apr) for steelhead, with resident rainbows year-round when the day-use area is open. The tailwater stays cold below Camanche year-round; the upper canyon and North Fork dewater badly by mid-summer. Flow below Camanche is set by EBMUD releases, not natural runoff — stable except during high steelhead-season releases above ~1,200 CFS.

Sections

2 sections on this river

Electra Reach (Electra Powerhouse to head of Pardee)

WadeSalmon · Brown Trout · Rainbow Trout

Foothill freestone canyon below the Electra Powerhouse — pocket water, boulder gardens, and riffle-pool running through Mother Lode gold country before the river opens into riparian flats near Middle Bar and slides into the head of Pardee Reservoir. PG&E-regulated flow; wild rainbow trout and brown trout, with the odd kokanee dropped down from Pardee. Upstream of here, the North Fork below Salt Springs Dam off Highway 88 is a trackless granite canyon with wild rainbows — but they're small and sparse, the reach is heavily dewatered by hydro (dropping into the low-20s CFS by mid-July), and there's no live gauge. It's a backcountry hike-in curiosity, not a trout program; the Electra reach and the Lower Mokelumne are the fishery.

Best for: Wade fishing for wild rainbow trout and brown trout — small dries and nymphs in technical canyon pocket water, best from June once summer flows settle.

Lower Mokelumne (Camanche Dam to Woodbridge)

FloatSteelhead · Salmon · Rainbow Trout

Cold tailwater out of Camanche Reservoir — roughly eight river miles of productive fly water below the dam and hatchery, opening into slower valley water toward Woodbridge and Lodi. Flow is dictated entirely by EBMUD releases. Managed as a Central Valley steelhead fishery, it also holds consistent resident rainbow trout in the 12–16" class, plus a fall Chinook salmon run.

Best for: Drift-boat fishing for winter and spring steelhead on swung flies and egg patterns, and resident rainbow trout year-round when open; much of the run is private-bank, so a float from the day-use launch is standard.

Regulations

Current fishing rules and restrictions

Two distinct regimes: the Lower Mokelumne below Camanche is managed as a Central Valley steelhead fishery with a seasonal day-use closure, and the upper Electra reach falls under Sierra district trout regulations within the 2018 California Wild & Scenic designation. Verify both against the current CDFW booklet before you go.

  • California sport fishing license required; steelhead report card required to fish for steelhead.
  • Lower Mokelumne (below Camanche Dam): Mokelumne River Day Use Area fishing access is open Jan 1–Mar 31 and again from the 4th Saturday in May through Oct 15 — a seasonal closure protects spawning steelhead and salmon.
  • Barbless hooks recommended on the steelhead water; confirm bag, hook, and gear provisions in the current regulations.
  • Electra reach / upper Mokelumne: Sierra district trout regulations apply within the Wild & Scenic reach (Salt Springs Dam to Pardee); confirm season dates and special regs.

Regulations change annually — re-verify the exact Mokelumne line entries in the current booklet. The Lower Mokelumne day-use seasonal dates are set by EBMUD in coordination with CDFW.

Source: California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Regulations change annually — verify before fishing.

Access & Logistics

Getting there, fly shops, and lodging

Getting There

Lodi, CA (Lower Mokelumne); Jackson, CA (Electra reach)

~1 hr from Sacramento to the Lower Moke; ~1.5 hr from Sacramento/Stockton to the Electra reach

Fly Shops

Camping & Lodging

Camanche Recreation on the reservoir and the EBMUD Mokelumne River Day Use Area (day use) serve the Lower Moke; North Fork canyon campgrounds off Highway 88 (Ellis Road) serve the upper country. Most anglers base in Lodi, Jackson, or Sonora.

The Lower Mokelumne is largely private-bank drift-boat country — the Mokelumne River Day Use Area at the base of Camanche Dam (by the hatchery, ~15 mi east of Lodi off Hwy 12) is the primary launch, with limited wade access near the hatchery boat ramp. The Electra reach is public via the Electra Powerhouse on Electra Road off Hwy 49 (a one-lane road in places), with BLM 'Big Bar' access at the Hwy 49 bridge and a lower access at Middle Bar Bridge.

Conditions data is live from public monitoring networks. Regulations change annually — always verify current rules with your state fish & wildlife agency before fishing.

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