Lake Oroville
Oroville (Butte County) · near Oroville · Gold Country & Central Valley
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Spring (Mar-May) for bass; summer-fall trolling for kings
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+). Standard black-bass and inland-salmon regs; bag/size limits change - confirm current CDFW rules. Levels swing dramatically with drought drawdowns.
What is here
- Features
- California's biggest, most diverse foothill fishery · Trophy spotted bass + landlocked kings · Two full-service marinas & houseboats · State rec area with camping
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- Yes
Fishing detail
- Nickname
- The All-Rounder
- Water type
- lake
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Spin · Jigging · Trolling · Bait
- Boat
- both
- Target species
- Spotted bass · Largemouth bass · Landlocked king (Chinook) salmon · Coho salmon
- Intl tip
- In summer the kings hold deep - fish 60-120 ft on downriggers at first light, then switch to bass in the shaded coves as the sun climbs. Launch from Bidwell Canyon; check the current lake level before you tow a boat.
The guide
Lake Oroville is the biggest and most diverse fishery in Gold Country - a 15,000-acre reservoir behind the tallest dam in the U…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Lake Oroville — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 39.54, -121.43