Mariposa County Fishing Reports

The McClure salmon bite really picked up early last month, but with the summer season here, increased water temps and boat traffic have negatively impacted the bite. Limits up to 17 inches were being pulled out early in the day in the 40-60 foot range... but now the Kokanee are pushing deeper, upwards of 80 feet, and limits haven't been much tougher to come by. Still, fish are being caught... purple Apex spoons are working well. Reports mention close to 1500 pounds of rainbows were dropped in June 20th.

With the recent water drop, bass are moving offshore as well, pushing near submerged structure, points, and transition zones in 20-30 feet of water. Deep-diving crankbaits, jigs, and dropshots are getting most of the action.

The trout action at McClure has been very good over the last month or so. Three 1,000+ pound stocks have gone in since late February, and holdovers are getting more aggressive higher in the water column. Trollers are running spoons around the upper part of the lake, hooking into some nice 3 to 4 pound fish along with the occasional salmon. Shore casters are working the shoreline early in the morning on the outer edges of McClure Point, either throwing spoons or soaking Powerbait, hooking mostly stockers.

The bass bite is picking up as water temps push into the low 60s. Spotted bass are moving shallow near steep rocky shorelines and points. Largemouth are pushing shallow on the south end of the lake, easing into the back of warm coves to begin their spawning patterns. Soft plastics and small jigs have been best.