Don Pedro Lake: One Of Mother Lode’s Premier Playgrounds

 

Aerial view Fleming & Middle Bay

Aerial view of Fleming and Middle Bay

Located in the Sierra Nevada foothills, east of Modesto, California, Don Pedro Lake is the sixth largest man-made lake in California. The reservoir offers 160 miles of shoreline and 13,000 surface acres of water to enjoy when the lake is full. Boating, fishing, swimming, waterskiing, windsurfing, sailing and house boating are just some of the water-oriented activities enjoyed at the Lake.

Benefiting from a Florida-strain largemouth bass stocking program provided by the Don Pedro Recreation Agency and a trout stocking program provided by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, anglers can find a variety of fish to catch including bass and king salmon of double digit weight. Largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass; rainbow, brook and brown trout; landlocked king, kokanee and silver salmon; catfish, crappie, bluegill and other warm water species are caught at the lake. A brochure about fishing at Don Pedro Lake can be found at the following link: http://www.donpedrolake.com/sites/default/files/docs/dpra-fishing-brochure.pdf

 

17.2 lb bass Nov 08

A 17.2-pound Don Pedro largemouth bass

With the lake surface adjoining Bureau of Land Management lands in many locations, hunting is permitted at Don Pedro Lake in accordance with local and state laws, BLM regulations and Don Pedro Recreation Agency Regulations and Ordinances. More information on hunting at Don Pedro Lake can be found at the following link:

 

http://www.donpedrolake.com/sites/default/files/docs/dpra-hunting-brochure.pdf

 

Summers are busy at the lake with campers and boaters partaking in a wide variety of water oriented sports, in addition to fishing. During fall, winter and spring, activity at the lake is quiet with great opportunity for the fishing and hunting sportsmen to enjoy their sport.

 

Don Pedro Recreation Agency offers campsites year-round at three campgrounds. Fleming Meadows and Blue Oaks are located on the west shore, and Moccasin Point is located on the east shore. The campgrounds offer hook-up sites, tent sites, restrooms, hot showers, boat launch ramps, sewage dump stations, and fish cleaning stations. Two full service marinas are located at Fleming Meadows and Moccasin Point campgrounds. During the summer, Fleming Meadows also features a 2-acre swimming lagoon with filtered/ treated water, complete with a sand beach area, large grass lawn, snack shack and picnic area. Group picnic areas are also available for reservation at Fleming Meadows and Moccasin Point and a group camp area is available at Blue Oaks. Ten miles of hiking trails are located at Blue Oaks (4.5 miles each way, out and back) and Moccasin Point (.5 mile each way) for those who want to get away from the motorized activity of the developed recreation facilities.

 

Camping reservations may be made up to one year in advance but not less than two days in advance and are accepted by mail, phone, in person at the Visitor Center, or on-line. For reservations or more information please look us up at http://www.donpedrolake.com/ and be sure to stay up to date with us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Don-Pedro-Lake-Camping-Boating-and-Fishing/329916833701465# .

 

cropped campsite photo

Don Pedro camping area