Turlock Lake can be an excellent trout fishery, even though its location wouldn’t say so. Set in the hot Central Valley, Turlock gets its water from the bottom of New Melones Reservoir keeping the water around 10 degrees cooler than its neighboring reservoirs throughout the warmer months. Since trout prefer these lower water temperatures, they typically remain active for year-round fishing.

Lake Turlock also hosts very good fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, catfish, and even carp. The largemouth’s forage consists of stocker rainbow trout, so needless to say they pack on pounds quickly, and a few double-digit bass are caught every year. Crappie and sunfish bites can really ignite during spring, and summer evenings are often ideal for catching big channel catfish.