Calero Reservoir
23201 McKean Rd, San Jose CA 95120
Phone: (408) 268-3883

Rating:

Map: Mapquest Map

Size: 347 acres

Water Level: SCVWD REPORT

Depth: Appx 100'

Species: largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, carp, shad

Fees: $4 to park, launch fee

Boating: gas motors ok, MTBE-free fuel required

Pros: great bass bite most of the year, big bass, good structure and cover, frog bite in summer

Cons: too many water skiers, crowded on weekends, can get windy

Description: Note: This lake has been closed to night fishing until further notice.

Calero Reservoir is the most popular place in the south bay to fish for bass. It has a tremendous population of them, with good size distribution. It has a good variety of structure and cover. The south end of the lake is very shallow with a dirt bottom, which makes it fill up with weeds quickly. The north end of the lake still has lots of weeds, but the shoreline is steeper, with steep rock walls and scattered timber. The primary forage here is shad. The water is contaminated with mercury, don't eat the fish.

Fish: Largemouth Bass: The best time to fish Calero is the spring spawn. The south end of the lake, or the back of other creek arms are good spots to start. Good spring baits are white spinnerbaits, flukes, and gitzits.

Summer is also a great time to fish Calero for bass. The bass with ball up shad in the main lake and push them to the surface. Always have a topwater (my favorite is the Zara Spook or Sammy) on hand to throw into boiling bass. Bass can also be caught in the evening along the shoreline. If the weedbeds have grown thick up to the surface, topwater frogs can also be very good during the summer. If you just are after numbers of fish, drop down a split shotted 4 inch lizard or straight tail worm in 15-25 feet of water. You can pick up a lot of 1-2 pound fish this way. If you're looking for bigger fish, throw jigs. Surprisingly, I've caught more fish throwing shallow during the summer, especially when the water skiers have stirred up a good mudline.

Fall and winter can be tough here. Try throwing small jigs up against the shoreline and slowly work them down into deep water. Another option is to look for schools of shad and jig spoons.