South Fork Reservoir

South Fork Reservoir comprises 1,640 surface acres and has a maximum depth of 67 feet at full capacity. It stores excess flow from the South Fork Humboldt River and is operated to release only the amount of water that flows in. The reservoir contains rainbow, brown, and bowcutt (rainbow x cutthroat hybrid) trout along with smallmouth bass, largemouth bass, wipers (striped bass x white bass hybrid), and channel catfish. Harvested rainbow trout average about 16 inches and bowcutt trout are usually greater than 19 inches. Black bass reach up to 21 inches and wipers range from 6 to 12 pounds. Most bait such as nightcrawlers, salmon eggs, and Power Bait are best for trout, along with small spinner, spoons, and tied-flies. The typical small- and largemouth bass fishing lures such as rubber worms, crankbaits, spinner baits, and topwater work great; however, the abundance of natural feed can make angling success at times tough. Catfish are caught using the typical baits such as chicken livers, nightcrawlers, and large shrimp. Spring through early summer is the most productive time for anglers catching trout; however, fish the early morning hours in summer. Ice fishing during the colder months has also produced good results. The best bass fishing occurs in late spring. The entire perimeter of the reservoir is fishable with numerous access sites, but float tubing is very popular. South Fork State Park has a campground facility along with a few primitive camping spaces around the reservoir. Two improved, concrete boat ramps are located within the park on both sides of the reservoir.