Ned Rig Fishing on Don Pedro Reservoir
Don Pedro Reservoir · California · West
Don Pedro Reservoir sits at roughly 800 feet elevation in the Tuolumne River canyon, a deep, clear-to-moderately-clear impoundment shaped by dramatic submerged terrain — drowned creek arms, chunk-rock points, and standing timber that create layered vertical habitat from the surface down past 200 feet. The fishery is best known for spotted bass, which thrive in the canyon-influenced clarity and rocky structure, though largemouth bass occupy the shallower backs of coves and brush-choked flats. Water clarity fluctuates with seasonal runoff, swinging from gin-clear in late summer to stained green following spring snowmelt from the Sierra.
Ned Rig pairs a 3–4" ElaZtech-style floating plastic (TRD, Finesse TRD, or similar) on a 1/15–1/6 oz mushroom head jig. The bait's buoyancy causes it to stand upright on the bottom, creating a subtle action that triggers bites when nothing else will. Exceptional on hard bottom, gravel, and rock.
Ned Rig Setup for Don Pedro Reservoir
| Rod | 6'10"–7'2" medium-light spinning rod, moderate-fast action |
| Reel | 2500 size spinning reel |
| Line | 10 lb braid + 8 lb fluorocarbon leader |
| Weight | 1/15–1/6 oz mushroom jig head (Z-Man Finesse ShroomZ or similar) |
| Hook | Size 1 or 1/0 wide gap, built into jig head |
Seasonal Tactics on Don Pedro Reservoir
Lake: As water temps climb through the 55–65°F range from March into May, largemouth push into the backs of the northern arms — Fleming Meadows and Moccasin Creek areas — staging on submerged brush and secondary points in 8–15 ft. Spotted bass move shallower than most anglers expect, stacking on rocky spawning flats in 6–12 ft once temps hit the low 60s.
Ned Rig: Deadly on pre-spawn fish holding on gravel and pea-gravel flats in 4–12 feet.
Lake: Stratification pushes spotted bass down to the 25–45 ft range along main-lake points and submerged ridgelines, where they suspend just above the thermocline chasing shad and kokanee fry. Topwater action can ignite on main-lake points at first light before the sun breaks the canyon walls, often between 5:30 and 7:30 AM.
Ned Rig: Work deeper rock piles and main lake points. Drag slowly, let it stand. Green pumpkin and watermelon dominate.
Lake: Cooling temps in October and November trigger spotted bass to chase threadfin shad into the mid-lake coves, with schooling activity becoming aggressive on the surface by mid-morning. Largemouth slide back onto secondary points and submerged wood in 10–20 ft as the shad migration concentrates near the creek channels.
Ned Rig: One of the best techniques as fish get finicky before winter. Match shad colors on sandy/gravel bottom.
Lake: Don Pedro's spotted bass remain catchable through the cold months — unlike largemouth, they don't shut down as hard. Fish congregate on main-lake points and deep rocky structure in 30–50 ft, where a slow-rolled swimbait or drop shot along the bottom produces consistent bites even when water temps dip into the mid-40s.
Ned Rig: Best cold-water finesse technique after drop shot. Extremely slow drag on hard bottom near deep structure.
Best Conditions
Clear water, hard and rocky bottoms, post-cold-front, heavily pressured fish, any season except peak summer spawn
Use Z-Man ElaZtech plastics exclusively — they float and are nearly indestructible. Regular soft plastics sink and kill the technique.
More Techniques for Don Pedro Reservoir
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