Boca Reservoir, CA

Boca is at 5,700 feet and covers 980 acres. Boca is often one of the Sierra Nevada's solid producers of kokanee salmon. In some years, Boca can produce kokanee that even rival those at Stampede for size, at 15-16 inches. In spring and early summer, during snowmelt, fishing near the inlet can be very productive for rainbows. The same stream can be productive for kokanee as they make their fall migration in late September. A sampling of stocked rainbow trout join the kokanee and a few giant brown trout to make Boca a decent lake for campers who want a chance to catch a fish or two. Stocks are intermittent at Boca. At times, it has received stocks of 10- to 12-inch rainbow trout, and it sometimes a bonus stock of rainbow trout in the five- to eight-pound class, along with kokanee salmon fingerlings. There are other times when it seems the DFG makes no stocks at all. The best prospects are on the west side of the lake, where a series of coves line the shore from the dam all the way up to the north side, where the Little Truckee River enters the lake. If you dislike personal watercraft, plan on fishing Boca before Memorial Day or after Labor Day. In between, Boca can sometimes seem like the personal watercraft capital of the Sierra Nevada. In drought years Boca can be drained so low that the boat ramp is rendered totally unusable. It's a long drive to the boat ramp, so if you are unsure about conditions, make sure you check conditions before starting out. In high snow years the lake is usually full by June. Finally, sometimes the DFG doesn't stock the lake, and then you are left with fair to middling prospects for smartened-up holdovers. Two campgrounds with vault toilets are on the lake and another is nearby, at Boca Springs. A boat ramp is available. Drinking water is at Boca Rest campground. Supplies can be obtained in Truckee. Fishing access is free. Directions: From Truckee, take I80 east for seven miles to the Boca-Hirschdale exit. Take that exit and drive north on County Road 270 about 2.5 miles to the campground on the right side of the road. The boat ramp is on the southwest end of the lake.