Central CA fishing spots ranked: High Sierra, Fresno-area lakes, Millerton, San Luis Obispo
Fishing report compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.
Best bets
Bass lake producing large rainbows, Mike Beighey said. Aqueduct stripers active, and Millerton bass improved, Tas Moua reported. Don Pedro king salmon hitting, Dave Hurley said.
Rankings key below: 4: Fish are jumping in the boat. 3: Good fishing. 2: Decent fishing. 1: Poor fishing. 0: Don’t bother
Unless noted, area code is 559
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 3 Catfish 3
The California Aqueduct continues to run fast due to heavy pumping out of the south Delta, but Tas Moau of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported good striped bass action with 4- to 5-inch shad patterned flukes around bends or bridge pilings. Anglers must be extremely careful when walking on the slippery banks, especially when ice forms on cold mornings. There are yellow-painted escape ladders along the sides of the aqueduct although they may be hard to see.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
At Eastman, the overall bass bite is challenging, but anglers are tossing big baits such as the BGC 10-inch glide bait for the opportunity of a double-digit largemouth bass. Two-time World Kayak gold medalist, Damian Thao of Fresno, caught and released a 10.02-pound largemouth on a big bait over the weekend. Moau said, “Max Lee reported the big fish are cruising the shorelines, but they have been hard to catch as he is working hard for 3 to 4 bass to 4 pounds per short outing.” At Hensley, the bass bite continues to remain quiet with the best options for catfish or carp. Eastman is starting to release water while Hensley rose slightly. No bass tournaments are scheduled at either lake through the end of February.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 3 Crappie 2
Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto reported the consistent sunny conditions are bringing the bass closer to the shorelines, and the bite has been picking up for some. He said, “The water is clear in the upper portion of the lake near the inlet of the river, and the bass are active. Jigs remain the best option as the rising water is bringing out the crawdads, but jerkbaits, paddletail swimbaits with or without an underspin, and plastics on the drop-shot are also picking up fish. Wake baits in the shallows are also working for the occasional large bass. For king salmon and rainbow trout, Steve Wirfs, continues to find solid action for kings in the upper end of the lake once the schools are located. Catfish are another possibility under the houseboats while crappie are starting to get active around submerged structure in the coves. The lake rose a couple of feet. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. A self-inspection is required for launching. There are no remaining bass tournaments scheduled in January, but 9 are scheduled during February. With golden mussel restrictions at New Melones, McClure and Don Pedro are bearing the brunt of tournament action in the Mother Lode.
Isabella/Kaweah/Success/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https://www.tackleandrod.com/weekly-fishing-report.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Aaron Jones reported spotted bass are starting to come to the banks with the warm weather in the afternoons, but the overall grade of bass remains small with a 3-pound spot being an exceptional fish. Jones said, “Tube baits on a ¼ to 3/8th- ounce jig head are working at depths from 15 to 20 feet.” Trolling with shad patterned spoons remains effective for the rainbow trout planted within the past month. There are 8 tournaments on the schedule during February.
Lake McSwain
Trout 2
The recent trout plant has spurred on improved shoreline action, but most of the planted rainbows have either been caught or are moving upriver to find cooler water. A few fish per rod can be taken with various offerings including: Berkley’s Mice Tails, garlic-scented Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile, and the peninsula near the marina. Trollers continue to find holdovers in the river arm past the First Fence Line with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler or spoons.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Much improved bass action here as the Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournament on Saturday featured 18 limits over 10 pounds including the top two limits over 16 pounds. Tas Moua reported the bass have moved into the shallows with jigs, Roboworm’s Morning Dawn plastics on a shakey head or drop-shot as the lake is dropping, exposing light green crawdads and sculpins. The bass are waiting in the shallows for the bait coming out of the rocks. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant are steady at 422 cfs. Sycamore Island is scheduled for a trout the week of February 9. Millerton dropped 9 feet this past week. 4 bass tournaments are scheduled in February.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Big largemouth bass is the story here as John Liechty of Xperience Fishing Guide Service put another client onto a double-digit bass at 10.52 pounds this week throwing big swimbaits. The big baits are not the only option as Bob Romiti landed an 11.10-pound largemouth on a Neko-rig. Interest is bass fishing is picking up as more anglers are willing to get their boats decontaminated. For rainbow trout, Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service went searching for early season kokanee over the weekend, but he ended up finding trout instead on the kokanee gear. He said, “The trout are right on the surface, and we are limiting out with Papa G or Speedy Shiner spoons in the top five feet.” All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated at the New Melones Marina. Downstream Lake Tulloch established the 30-day quarantine process to allow boating for inspected boats after the quarantine period is completed, but bass fishing is reported to be strong. Both downstream Tulloch and New Melones continue to rise.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Tas Moua reported bass are starting to move into the shallows, but the most consistent action remains at 25 to 30 feet with finesse jigs. Anglers are starting to throw big Huddleston swimbaits in search of the larger models, but most anglers are content for a few followers. In the lower Kings, the flows are steady at 820 cfs at Trimmer. No plants are listed, but quality holdovers are taken on Berkeley Mice Tails, Pinched crawlers in floating or garlic, small spoons, or garlic Power Bait. The lake rose 4 feet this week. Avocado Lake will be planted the week of February 9. Only two bass tournaments are on the schedule in February, both on February 21.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
The water level in the main lake continues to rise to 78% with consistent pumping out of the south Delta. Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported a continued solid striped bass bite with jumbo minnows near Dinosaur Point in the early mornings along with Zoom 5-inch Super Flukes in white/chartreuse or either a jig head or a Texas-rig. There is a topwater bite in Portuguese Cove in the mornings. Tas Moua confirmed the topwater/glide bait bite from the banks to 40 feet.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that there has been a sporadic topwater bite in the 58 degree water of the rising reservoir . “I guided 2 times last week , and got into a short topwater bite on one trip for 14 released fish - and then 13 schoolies two days later trolling in Portuguese Cove with lucky Crafts. The water has gotten pretty clear- nearly 8-9 ‘ – which slows the bite in clear bright conditions. The full moon has also slowed the overall bite the last couple days – after the early topwater action stops in the coves. I still rate it as decent- although brief topwater action is available.”
In the forebay, Mesa reported largemouth bass are the top option with soft plastics as striped bass fishing is dominated by undersized fish. Check 12 is extremely popular, and it is crowded most of the time. The forebay rose from 69 to 81%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir is closed to public access through April 2026.
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 1
Mike Beighey of Fishing Bass Lake with Mike reported good action from the shoreline across from the Sheriff’s Tower with rainbow Power Bait. He said, “The ramp at the dam is still out of water, but I have seen a few boats trolling. The trout are out there to catch, and I would fish shallow with nightcrawlers along with Dick’s Trout Busters in orange or pink, Wiggle Hoochies, orange squids, or Apex lures on a 13-inch leader behind a Dick’s Mountain Dodger. Trolling at 1.6 mph with a 125-foot setback will get down from 7 to 12 feet.” Chris Counts of Fresno managed over a limit with two rainbows at 16- and 20-inches trolling Rapalas or orange Rocky Mountain Top Devil’s with a tip of crawler in the top 14 feet. For bass, Tas Moau reported quite a bit of pressure from big bite anglers tossing 8- to 10-inch trout patterned swimbaits looking for one big bite. . Numbers of 2- to 3-pound bass are glued to the bottom.” Launching a boat is doable, but with no dock, it’s easiest with two people. A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. No bass tournaments are scheduled through the end of February.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle said, “Shaver Lake continued it’s slow down this week as the fish are very scattered. Brian Klassen of Reedley and his guests hit the water early Sunday morning, and despite an overall slow day, they managed 8 mixed fish consisting of browns, rainbows and kokanee with most fish coming in the top 28 feet of water in Stevenson Bay on Dick’s Doom Mountain Hoochies behind a Moon Jelly Dodger.” Check the launch ramp at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions. Shaver held at 55 with Huntington dropping slightly.
Ocean
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported continued excellent surf perch action from Rio Del Mar south to Monterey for fish up to 15 inches. A few striped bass have been landed at Sunset Beach in the early mornings. Lucky 13 or Mekini Baitz motor oil/red flake grubs are so popular that the shop has put a limit on the number available for individual purchase.
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “The ocean conditions changed over the weekend due to a significant west swell peaking on Sunday afternoon and evening. Waves averaged five to six feet at the prime surfing spots around the bay during the week. More protected areas enjoyed milder surf conditions, very conducive for surfcasting. . Crabbers were mostly comfortable while pulling their pots for Dungeness crab. Earlier in the week Bayside Marine’s Todd Fraser noted, “The crab anglers are finding some big crab in 110-200 feet of water.”
Favored areas for finding crab are still the flats along deep canyon edges.” . As an unexpected bonus, California halibut are kind of on the bite. It is still January, but maybe the halibut don’t know? Reports indicate a somewhat steady catch of the big flatfish on flat sandy patches in 90 feet of water.”
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay/Half Moon Bay
Halibut 2 Striper 2 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 2 Crab 2
San Pablo Bay remains the location for striped bass, sturgeon, and leopard shark, but there are few boats running consistently. Captain Ron Koyasako of Nautilus Excursions found good action for his clients this week with a pair of sturgeon released along with striped bass near the Hamilton Flats or Bouy 10. He said, “Once you get in water deeper than 10 feet, you can catch all the leopard shark you want. There are more sturgeon in the bay than there have been in the past few years, and the water is nice and muddy.”
Commercial crabbers are selling crab off the docks in San Francisco, Half Moon Bay, and on occasion, out of Berkeley. Emeryville Sport Fishing is running sand dab/crab combination trips depending upon interest and weather.
Targeting white sturgeon is restricted from lines connecting Point Chauncy to Point Richmond, the Bay Bridge, and Point Lobos to Point Bonita from January 1 to March 15 annually to protect sturgeon during the herring run.
Surf perch action has been strong from Ocean Beach through San Gregorio in San Mateo County. The beaches are fair for shoreline crabbing with the most consistent location the Pacifica Pier due to access to deeper water. The status of the pier is available here - https://www.cityofpacifica.org/departments/public-works/field-services/pacifica-pier.
San Luis Obispo
Surf perch 3
Boat-based rockfish season will not reopen until April 2026, and shore fishing for surf perch or rockfish is the only game in town during the coming months. Fortunately, surf action remains steady with Battlestar’s grubs.
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
The water in the central Delta is starting to clear up, and there are locations in the sloughs where the clarity reaches 5 feet. The main channel remains stained. Striped bass fishing is best in the Port of Sacramento, Discovery Bay, or the Port of Stockton where the water is clearest. In the central Delta, drifting live minnows is producing linesides to 22 inches, but the water remains took stained to troll. It’s the same story on the West Bank on the Sacramento side of the Delta where stained water limits trolling, but the action will be tremendous as soon as the water clears within the next few weeks pending a continuation of the current weather pattern of no rain.
Striped bass have headed for the clear water at the Port of Sacramento, and
Sturgeon fishing out of Suisun Bay remains solid for up to a half-dozen hook ups per outing, but the best is yet to come with tremendous sturgeon fishing anticipated during March. With white sturgeon limited to catch-and-release, anglers have yet to embrace the fishery to the degree when harvest was allowed although under the regulations, multiple hook ups are possible.
Largemouth bass has been inconsistent with one tournament being taken with over 18 pounds, but the second-place weight was less than 10 pounds. Anglers are only picking up a few bites per outing, but better days are on the horizon as the water warms up and clears.
Events:
February 14 – Marin Rod and Gun Club - Golden State Salmon Association Crab Feed – information: https://goldenstatesalmon.org/.
Tournament Results:
Millerton – Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments Travelers– January 31st: 1st –Tim Ling/Ryan Huskey – 16.39 pounds (Big Fish – 6.20); 2nd – Ralph Encizo/Denny Bowlin – 16.23; 3rd –Tim Wells/Jeff D’Alessandro – 13.11.
For more go to fresnobee.com/fishing.
This story was originally published February 2, 2026 at 7:52 AM.
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