Top fishing spots: Fresno-area lakes, Millerton, Hensley, San Luis Obispo, Monterey
Fresno Bee June 24, 2026
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.
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 2 Catfish 3
Striped bass fishing remains ‘hit or miss’ throughout the entire aqueduct, and heavy algae is forming on the bottom, creating challenging conditions for bait fishing. There is some action on topwater lures around the head gates when the water is moving. With the hot temperatures, fishing interest has been limited to early mornings or late afternoons into the evening.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 1 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Bluegill schools are thick along the shorelines, and the bass are moving up to feed on bluegill during low light conditions in the mornings and evenings. By mid-morning, the bass have moved into deep water and are hanging out on the rockpiles or any submerged structure including islands or humps. Senkos or jigs in crawdad patterns such as green pumpkin/red flake are working best for the deep fish. There is some topwater action in the early mornings or evenings when the bass are feeding in the shallows. Few bass anglers are targeting Hensley with low water conditions and no upcoming tournaments, and like Eastman, the bass are coming up in low light conditions to feed before heading deep off structure. Carp and catfish remain an option. There are no bass tournaments at either lake through the end of July. Water releases have started in earnest at both lakes as Eastman dropped 4 feet to 499.38 feet in elevation and 22% with Hensley dropping 3.5 feet to 485.07 feet in elevation and 27%.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service said, “It’s been tough for kokanee at Pedro, but the fish are big. It’s a matter of quality over quantity as experienced trollers are only landing a handful of fish.” Pre-fishing for Kokanee Power’s Phil Johnson Memorial Tournament has started with the annual tournament a few weeks away on July 11. It’s going to be a very competitive event as those who find the scattered schools and land a few big ones will rise to the top while others are expected to struggle. For bass, Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto said, “It’s been good for some and all right for others as the action has been ‘hit/miss.’ If you find them, there will be others in the area as some fish are found shallow while others have dropped back to as deep as 40 feet. There is a topwater or jerkbait bite for those chasing shad while jigs in crawdad patterns are working for the deep fish as the bass are feeding on crawdads. Underspins worked along the bottom have been effective at all Mother Lode lakes.” There are 2 bass tournaments remaining in June with 7 on the schedule in July, and 5 of the 9 remaining tournaments are on Friday night. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. A self-inspection is required for launching. The lake dropped 2 feet to 819.78 feet in elevation and 95%. The Blue Oaks Upper Launch Ramp is open. With the limited restrictions for launching, recreational boating is high, particularly on the weekends.
Isabella/Kaweah/Success/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https://www.tackleandrod.com/weekly-fishing-report.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 0 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Kokanee trolling has been outstanding for those heading south to McClure as Don Pedro has slowed considerably. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing has transitioned to McClure for up to 4 limits of quality kokanee on a recent trip. Holdover rainbow trout are another possibility, and a plant of 1120 pounds from the Calaveras Trout Farm were released at McClure Point last week. Finding the shad schools is the key for finding the rainbows or kings as king salmon to 5 pounds have been reported. The kokanee have stratified with the hot weather, and there are found as deep as 80 feet. Aaron Jones reported continued solid topwater action along with plastics on a drop-shot or jigs, but most of the bass are small. He said, “A larger grade of bass can be taken on glide baits such as the River2Sea Swaver, but you must put the lure on top of the fish. Jerkbaits are also effective for numbers.” The Reel Deal Market is now open daily from 10am – 5 pm on weekdays and 10 am to 6:30 pm on weekends. The Barrett Cove Café is open weekends through September 7. The lake dropped over 4 feet to 840.27 feet in elevation. There are no bass tournaments scheduled through the end of July.
Lake McSwain
Trout 4
Calaveras Trout Farm planted 2,240 pounds of rainbow trout at McSwain last week, and fishing improved considerably from the shorelines with Power Bait, nightcrawlers, or spoons. The exact date of the plants are not being released to allow the trout to acclimate to the lake without intense angling pressure. Trolling is best in the cooler waters of the river arm below the Exchequer Dam with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a dodger, Kastmasters, or blade/’crawler combinations on a long set back. The Splash-N-Dash Water feature dominates interest on the lake. Information on the Splash N’Dash is available at: https://mysplashndash.com/. The lake dropped slightly to 83%. The Reel Deal Market & Cafe is now open every day the Splash N’ Dash is operation, Mondays thru Fridays from 10 AM to park close; Saturdays from 8 AM to 7 PM; and Sundays from 9 AM to 7 PM.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Heavy recreational boating pressure continues to dominate the lake, and like Eastman and Hensley, bluegill schools are in the shallows. Spotted bass are feeding on bluegill in the early mornings or evenings in the shallows, and bluegill patterned underspins, jerkbaits, or topwater lures are effective. The best fishing takes place during the early mornings or late afternoons during the week when recreational boaters have yet to launch. The lake is now releasing water, and it dropped 2 feet to 572.07 feet in elevation and 95%. The San Joaquin River remains stable at 366 cfs at Friant. There is only one bass tournament scheduled in July, the Sierra Bass Club on July 18.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported a continued ‘wide open’ kokanee bite with T-Bone’s Tackle Head Hunter spoons or J-Pex lures tipped with shoepeg corn behind a 5.5-inch Paulina Peak’s gold hammered dodger, but the fish have dropped to 80 feet and below. Wise said, “They went from 50 to 75 feet to below 80 feet overnight, and I didn’t raise the downriggers above 80 feet on Sunday when we boated 4 limits of kokanee within a few hours. We are starting to see larger fish at 15 to 15.5 inches, but most are still in the 13/14-inch range.” For bass, Aaron Jones reported continued outstanding bass fishing with some bass in the shallows feeding on bluegill or shad while others have moved deep. He said, “The topwater bite has been hit or miss while jigs and underspins have been most productive for numbers.” Both Glory Hole and Tuttletown open from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Glory Hole will be the only ramp open starting at 8:00 am Monday through Thursday. All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated at the New Melones Marina. Water releases have started in earnest as the lake dropped 3.5 feet to 1027.23 feet in elevation and 72% within the week while downstream Tulloch rose to 98%.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 0 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Trout trolling remains a good option at Pine Flat, but the key is finding the bait schools as the rainbows and king salmon are feeding heavily on shad. Shad-patterned spoons or plugs at depths from 30 to 60 feet on a long setback are working best once the shad schools are located. Windy Gap is one area holding bait. The best action for bass remains in the river arm in the early mornings or late afternoons into the evening around Sycamore and Big Creek with underspins or topwater lures on the reaction front while crawdad patterned Brush Hogs or plastics on a weedless presentation are another option. In the lower Kings River, the flows are holding at 542 cfs at Army Weir north of Lemoore. There are no plants on the schedule this week, and the last plant was three weeks ago. A limit of holdover rainbows is possible from the banks, but the action has slowed considerably. The lake dropped nearly 11 feet to 893.41 feet in elevation and 69%. There are no bass tournaments on the schedule in June with only, the Fresno Bass Club on July 26 in July.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Golden mussel watercraft inspections are no longer needed at San Luis and the O’Neill Forebay. The main lake continues to release water, and it dropped from 70 to 65% with the forebay also dropping to 79%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir was scheduled to open this month, but the opening has been postponed to Aug. 1.
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0
Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing Tours with Mike reported boat traffic on the lake is intense over the Father’s Day weekend, but fishing has been good despite the heavy boat traffic. He said, “There are plenty of trout in the 16- to 18-inch range with the occasional brooder to 10 pounds, and trolling at 14 to 20 feet with Dick’s orange or pink Trout Busters tipped with corn behind a Mountain Dodger are working best. Tipping a spinner with nightcrawlers is producing strikes, but the fish are pecking off the ‘crawler, and we were losing fish, so we switched over to corn which is harder to peck off.” Bass fishing remains best around the docks or the dam. The 10K Derby fish remains out there, worth $500 for derby participants if caught by June 30. A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. No future bass tournaments are schedule through the end of July.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 3
Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle reported the water level at Shaver dropped this week, and the kokanee action slowed considerably in response. Nichols said, “We received several reports of no bites to just a limit of kokanee. I fished with Coach Pat Hill, his son Mike, and three of his young grandsons on Friday, but we only picked up a limit of kokanee and released a brown trout running pink Dick’s Mountain Tube’s and Koke Busters tipped with scented corn behind Capt J or Super Dave Mountain dodgers at depths from 28 to 35 feet. The kokanee are moving daily, and what was a hot spot for us last week, was zilch for us this week. Former Shaver guide Tom Oliveira picked up a dozen kokanee this week, and just being in the right place at the right time is the key. The trout bite is also slow as we haven’t landed a rainbow in three consecutive trips, but we have been targeting kokanee.” Huntington is producing small kokanee and rainbow trout in the center of the lake to the dam in the upper 30 feet with small spinners or spoons.” Sailboating will dominate Huntington on the weekends of July 11/12 and 18/19 with the annual High Sierra Regatta. Shaver dropped to 87 with Huntington full at 98%. The next meeting of the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project is July 11 at 10:00 am in Room 44 at Sierra High School at 33326 Tollhouse Rod in Tollhouse. The public is welcome to attend.
Wishon/Courtright
Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store said, “The trout bite remains outstanding at both lakes for fish in the 14-inch range. Trollers are producing limits with Wedding Rings tipped with a nightcrawler behind a flasher, blade/’crawler combinations, or Rapalas while bank anglers are using assorted colors of Power Bait and nightcrawlers from the dam, Short Hair Creek at Wishon, or close to the launch ramps.” Road conditions – Sierra National Forest 297-0706 ext. 4961 or 392-0423.
Ocean
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 4 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “Big waves made surfcasting a perilous proposition as evidenced by the multiple water rescues performed by first responders. Sadly, two of the victims didn’t make it after being swept out to sea by the powerful surge. A long-period south swell featuring 20-wave sets and powerful sneaker waves kept the perch busy seeking cover, slowing down the bite. Striper fishing was productive from the beaches around Pacifica. Ironically, there was a last burst of striped bass activity just before the pier was closed, perhaps permanently last week. Despite the big waves and strong currents, surfcasting for perch and especially stripers is improving from Half Moon Bay down through Monterey Bay. Reports from the coast north of Santa Cruz indicate both barred surf perch and stripers in the 30-inch class were biting well by the end of the week. Further south, surfcasters are relaxing into the summer routine of shore fishing, with the number of species and the average size of fish growing. Salmon anglers are averaging half to full limits of fish, concentrating on the central canyon in 250 feet of water. Some catches were reported from 120 to 180 feet closer to shore by Mulligan’s Hill and the Soldier’s Club. Deepwater rockfish is going strong despite a big south swell with the best locations out of Monterey being from Point Pinos to Carmel and the upper Big Sur area. Halibut anglers took a break due to big waves, but those fish will be back on the bite once the ocean settles down. Another big south swell is expected this week. Anglers from Moss Landing continue to maximize their efforts for our Monterey Bay mainstays, king salmon and Dungeness crab. Salmon fishing remains steady while the Dungeness are getting scarce as the season ends on June 30. The big waves were wild in Santa Cruz, making the Santa Cruz Harbor entrance and exit very dangerous if not impossible for a few days. Boat anglers that braved the conditions found most mornings to be fishable with most boats going for salmon. The best spots were along the canyon edges in 200 to 300 feet of water, but a few boats ventured north towards Davenport and found good feeding conditions. Traveling north makes for a rough ride back to the harbor with the big southerly swell. Halibut fishing slowed due to the swell, though smaller flatfish such as sole and sanddabs continued to bite in 150 to 200 feet of water, mostly along the canyon edges.
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay/Half Moon Bay
Halibut 4 Striper 3 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 0 Crab 0
June 27th can’t get here fast enough as the first extended ocean salmon opener since 2022 is this coming Saturday from Point Arena south to Pigeon Point, and boats from Bodega Bay, San Francisco Bay, and Half Moon Bay will be heading out with great optimism. Hopefully, the weather cooperates, and smaller boats will be safe to go as every party boat and most private boaters will be venturing out to find the schools. There is still room on many party boats after the first week of the season with some limited room during the opening week. The Perseverance out of Berkeley will be arriving in port sometime in the next two weeks, and there is room for salmon trips on this boat.
It’s the time of year when party boats start venturing outside the Golden Gate to target rockfish, lingcod, and halibut along the reefs and the beaches, and there is a good showing of striped bass along the coastline. Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Paradise Cove traveled up the north coast on Saturday for limits of beach stripers to 18 pounds and 4 big halibut to 20 pounds. He said, “The grade of bass and stripers was outstanding, and we were picking them up using tube baits along with drifting live anchovies.” Captain James Smith of California Dawn Sport Fishing has been outside the Gate since mid-week, and Father’s Day was particularly outstanding with the California Dawn II returning with 24 limits of rockfish, 24 limits of lingcod to 20 pounds, 19 striped bass to 13 pounds, and 2 halibut while the New California Dawn posted 128 rockfish including 16 sub limits of vermilion rockfish and 21 lingcod to 20 pounds. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing also went to the Farallon Islands on Sunday for limits of big rockfish and a handful of lingcod. Limits were the story over the weekend with the Pacific Dream out of Berkeley Marina also posting 22 limits of both rockfish and lingcod. With the great action outside the Golden Gate, whether at the Farallons or north or south along the coast, most fishing interest is taking place in the ocean.
The demolition of the Pacifica Pier continues with the Chit Chat Café razed to the concrete while the remainder of the pier is being stabilized with rock to prevent further erosion.
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Although a few salmon remain for private boaters, most interest is for rockfish out of the San Luis Obispo County ports. On Sunday, three boats were out of Morro Bay Landing on four trips with a combined 91 passengers for 609 assorted, 91 vermilion, 90 Boccaccio to 10 pounds, 40 copper, and 45 ling cod to 16 pounds. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing, three boats were out with 42 passengers on Sunday for 268 assorted, 25 vermilion, 7 Boccaccio, 6 cabezon, 5 ocean whitefish, 4 copper, one canary, and 12 lingcod to 14 pounds.
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
It’s full summertime mode in the California Delta with largemouth bass action taking center stage as sturgeon catch-and-release fishing will close on June 30 and most of the striped bass have vacated for colder waters. Wind has been the story most days during the past week, and Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors reported challenging conditions with 25 to 35 mph winds in the north Delta. He said, “It made for tough fishing on the shallow flat where the striped and largemouth bass are holding, feeding on crawdads. Our best action for stripers to 8 pounds and largemouth bass to 4 pounds continues to come on chatterbaits with a touch of red.” For largemouth bass, unlimited numbers of small fish are possible on topwater lures such as Rico’s, Poppers or frogs while chatterbaits remain the best offering with the fish feeding on crawdads. Working windblown points along small tule islands with water movement is the best option in the warm water temperatures in the high 70’s in the south, east, and central Delta. Breaks between islands are another good location as water flows through the break, and the larger bass are holding at depths up to 8 feet. There are bass chasing shad in the shallows in the early mornings or late afternoons into the evening, but you must slow down with finesse techniques by mid-morning. Tournament winning weights are improving, and the average tournament weight is rising to between 12 to 15 pounds.
Events:
Tournament Results:
Delta – Sierra Bass Club – June 13th: 1st - Michael Pair / Ronnie Rustigian – 13.41; 2nd - Michael Murphy / Jamal Lane – 11.87; 3rd - Traci and Joe Ploharz – 11.58. Big Fish – Jerry Siligo – 3.48 pounds.
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