Best Fishing Near Stockton and San Joaquin County

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San Joaquin County has a fair number of fishing spots within its borders, and residents of Stockton and other communities here also have only a short drive into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada to find several of the region’s best reservoirs and rivers.

Stockton sits near the center of this farming-rich county in the Central Valley. Other cities here include  Tracy, Manteca, Lodi, Lathrop and Ripon.

Other attractions here include Natural Bridges Hiking Trails, Moaning Caverns Adventure Park and Haggin Museum.

In this article, we’ll show you some of the better fishing spots in San Joaquin County. Among the best are the county’s portion of the California Delta, famous for bass fishing and more, and the lower end of Lake Camanche, a bass and trout hot spot.

After seeing all the fishing holes in the county, check out the “Fishing in Neighboring Counties” section at the bottom. The links there will take you to articles about fishing spots just a short drive from the Stockton area.

Camanche, Lake

A fishing boat rounds a tree-studded point at dusk on Lake Camanche.
Photo by Larry Crain (Canva)

San Joaquin County shares this large and often excellent fishing spot with Amador and Calaveras counties.

Also known as Camanche Reservoir, this large manmade lake is best-known as a great spot to catch both largemouth and spotted bass as well as rainbow trout.

Channel catfish and crappie are among the other game fish that can produce excellent catches.

At only about 45 miles from Stockton, this reservoir makes a good day trip. But if you want to stay longer, you’ll find ample camping, good marinas and lots of goods and services to make the trip successful.

More: Lake Camanche Fishing

Dry Creek

This tributary of the Mokelumne River, which forms part of the northern boundary of the county, has been reported to produce some warm-water species at times. At least one person even reported trout.

It might be worth some exploring without high expectations. However, we might suggest you go a little on the early side in the season, as it’s a smaller stream and may live a little too much up to its name a little too much in drought years.

Also note that public access is limited as the streambed is mostly surrounded by private farmland.

Lodi Lake

Sitting along the Mokelumne River on the north edge of Lodi, this lowland lake in a city park has similar species found in the lower Mokelumne and San Joaquin rivers.

Catfish are likely to be the most common species, with bass and panfish also present in the system.

See the city’s Lodi Lake page for park information.

Mokelumne River

In the stretch below Camanche Dam, where there’s a hatchery, the river at times can be fair to good for winter steelhead if it’s opened for fishing.

You might also catch some trout in that tailwater section and down to Elliot Road, about 10 road miles downstream.

Be sure to check the latest regulations for both steelhead and trout, both of which typically must be hatchery-marked to keep.

The Mokelumne River Day Use Area is one spot to try close to the dam.

Lower down, the river is meandering and cut into several sections through vast acres of farms.

Downriver, it’s increasingly likely the fish you will find would be catfish, bass and other warmwater species common in the lower San Joaquin River.

Oak Grove Park Lake

This lake, in a regional park along I-5 on the northwestern edge of Stockton, at times can provide very good fishing. That’ll happen when it’s stocked with either trout in the cool season or later with catfish.

The lake is about 3 acres in a park that also has lots of other amenities such as a nature center with trails, paddleboats, disc golf, picnic areas, horseshoe pits, sand volleyball courts and restrooms. Camping can be available for youth groups.

See the park’s website for details.

San Joaquin Delta

The San Joaquin River’s wide section of a delta that also includes the lower Sacramento River farther north is a vast low-elevation area with sloughs and wider spots … many of them full of fish.

The delta often rates among the best bass fishing spots in the country.

Also found here are striped bass, catfish, crappie and other panfish, and even the occasional sturgeon or Chinook salmon.

There are several marinas serving the delta areas within San Joaquin County.

More: Fishing the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Delta 

San Joaquin River

The lower San Joaquin River flowing through San Joaquin County, through Stockton and the Delta provides a variety of fisheries.

At times, striped bass will push up in the river in good numbers, especially in the spring, perhaps as far up as the county line west of Modesto.

Honestly, striper fishing is a little more hit or miss here than down in the delta or lower Sacramento River, but it can be quite good in bursts.

In really good years, Chinook salmon may also run into the river in decent numbers.

Into the valley south of Stockton, catfish as well as some black bass like largemouths are going to be more common than stripers in the slow-moving river.

Stanislaus River

This San Joaquin River tributary forms part of the southeastern border of the county near Ripon and is most often fished for warm-water species.

It can be pretty good for catfish, along with a smattering of largemouth and smallmouth bass, panfish including bluegill and crappie, and pikeminnow. 

Caswell Memorial State Park is one of the major access points, although there are several other public parks along the stream.

Flows can get pretty low here, especially later into the dry season.

Fishing in Neighboring Counties

Sacramento County: To the north, the state’s capital is surrounded by excellent fishing spots, including the lower Sacramento River and its delta, the lower American River and Folsom Lake.

Amador County: To the northeast, this county not only shares Lake Camanche but also includes Lake Amador and Pardee Reservoir, a trio of the better fishing holes in this region.

Stanislaus County: To the south, the area around Modesto offers a variety of reservoirs and rivers that at times can provide very good fishing.

Santa Clara County: To the southeast, the home of San Jose has a variety of smaller lakes and reservoirs offering lots of bass fishing as well as some trout and other species.

Alameda County: To the west, the home of Oakland offers a surprising number of very good fishing spots, among them Lake Chabot and Lake De Valle.

Contra Costa County: To the west, this East Bay county has excellent San Francisco Bay access along with some great fishing lakes like Los Vaqueros and San Pablo reservoirs.