Ned Rig Fishing on Lake Oroville
Lake Oroville · California · West
Lake Oroville sits in the Sierra Nevada foothills of Butte County, impounded by the tallest dam in the United States at 770 feet. The reservoir's character shifts dramatically by arm — the main body runs deep and clear, while the North Fork, Middle Fork, and South Fork arms tighten into canyon structure loaded with submerged timber, rock walls, and points. Spotted bass dominate the deeper, clearer sections; largemouth hold wherever timber and flatter coves soften the terrain.
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 Lake Oroville
| 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 Lake Oroville
Lake: Pre-spawn spotted bass stack on rocky points and secondary channel ledges in the 15–30 ft range as water climbs from the mid-50s into the low 60s; largemouth push into the shallower cove timber of the South Fork arm when surface temps hit 58–62°F. Finesse jigs and drop shots outpace reaction baits in the clear water until spawn activity is firmly underway.
Ned Rig: Deadly on pre-spawn fish holding on gravel and pea-gravel flats in 4–12 feet.
Lake: Thermocline sets up by late June, typically between 25 and 40 ft depending on the year's snowpack and drawdown; spotted bass suspend on canyon walls and main-lake points just above or within the thermocline. Ned rigs, drop shots with 6-inch Roboworms, and deep swimbaits on 3/4 oz heads cover the column efficiently.
Ned Rig: Work deeper rock piles and main lake points. Drag slowly, let it stand. Green pumpkin and watermelon dominate.
Lake: Shad migrations pull both species shallow as water cools back through the 60s — the canyon arm mouths and main-lake points with baitfish marks become priority stops. Topwater walks and medium-diving crankbaits (Rapala DT-10, Strike King 5XD) produce hard through October before fish scatter.
Ned Rig: One of the best techniques as fish get finicky before winter. Match shad colors on sandy/gravel bottom.
Lake: Winter concentrates spotted bass on deep main-lake structure in 40–70 ft of water; a 3/8 oz football jig dragged along rocky bottom at 50–60 ft with a Zoom Speed Craw trailer is a reliable cold-season producer. Largemouth drop to the deepest timber in the coves and largely shut down until late February.
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 Lake Oroville
Ready to fish Lake Oroville?
Ask Hank about current conditions, water temp, and exactly what to throw today.
Ask Hank →