Our experts find the best fishing in Central CA; Fresno lakes, High Sierra, 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
Eastman Lake: Damian Thao released a 18.75 lb monster bass- and Aaron Vang caught a 14.52 bass at Hensley, Tas Moua reported. Don Pedro bass biting, Dave Hurley said. McClure bass and trout active, Monte Smith reported. San Luis Obispo stripers on the prowl, Josh Mesa 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 2 Catfish 3
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported anglers are working around the bends, bridge pilings, or pipes with 4- to 5-inch flukes in Smoky Shad or Pearl Ice on a 3/8th-ounce jig head. Striperz Gone Wild is hosting a free breakfast from 7am to noon at Volta Road. Their Spring Striper Tournament is Saturday, April 25 at Volta Road with an entry fee of 10 non-perishable food items to be delivered to Merced County food banks. Trophies for first through third will be presented in both the adult and youth divisions. 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 3 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Eastman was the talk of the internet this past week as two-time world champion freshwater kayak gold medalist, Damian Thao of Fresno, caught and released an unofficial lake record at 18.75 pounds on a certified scale. The news of this huge bass traveled like wildfire, and Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle said, “We sold out of every big 8- to 10-inch swimbait within days, and we are receiving multiple calls per day for the big baits.” Moua reported the water temperature drops from 51 to 48 degrees in the inlets which are stained from the cold water inflow. Schools of crappie are showing up, and with the recent trout plants, the big bass are finding some quality forage prior to the spawn. Eastman is holding its end of the bargain as a big bass lake, and the potential for a world or state record largemouth bass is present if anglers are willing to let the big girls go. Aaron Vang also caught and released a 14.52-pound largemouth from a kayak this week. No bass tournaments at either lake in February, but there are 4 at Eastman and one at Hensley in March. Both lakes are scheduled for trout plants this week expect bank anglers around the launch ramps targeting the planted trout. Eastman rose to 501.07 feet in elevation with Hensley also rising to 486.77 feet in elevation.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing reported the trout and king salmon bite remains inconsistent, so he targeted rainbows at nearby Lake McClure on Saturday with solid results for 14 rainbow trout, a few bass, and a quality crappie. For bass, the winning weight during Saturday’s Christian Bass Club tournament was 19.94 by Brett and Brian Brown for a solid 4-pound average. The big fish of the tournament was 5.20 pounds so multiple 3- to 4-pound bass are possible with jigs in green pumpkin or brown/purple along with nail-weighted plastics at depths from 15 to 40 feet.
On sunny days, the larger fish will move into the shallows in the afternoons. The lake rose two feet to 804.07 feet in elevation. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. A self-inspection is required for launching. There is one remaining bass tournament in February with seven more in March starting with the weekend of the 14th.
Isabella/Kaweah/Success/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https://www.tackleandrod.com/weekly-fishing-report.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 3 King salmon 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing found solid action for quality rainbow trout running bright-patterned custom spoons or Speedy Shiners on leadcore or on the downrigger at depths from 10 to 15 feet. He said, “The rainbows were in really good shape, very bright and lively. We also landed a large crappie on the troll.” Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournaments produced some impressive weights during Saturday’s tournament with the winning five coming in at 16.39 pounds with a big fish at 7.37. Jigs, Ned-rigs, or tube baits on a ¼ to 3/8th- ounce jig head at depths from 15 to 20 feet are effective for numbers, but the larger females are moving into the shallows in the warmth of the afternoons on sunny days. The lake rose 3.5 feet to 815.73 feet in elevation. There is one bass tournament remaining in February with 4 more in March.
Lake McSwain
Trout 2
The lake needs a plant as shore action is fair at best for the holdovers from the last plant over a month ago. A few holdovers are possible using 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. The best action remains for trollers pulling Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger past the First Fence Line for holdovers. The lake is nearly filled at 95%.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 2 Crappie 2
Moua reported continued solid action for spotted bass as large as 4 pounds as the larger females are starting to move up into the shallows. He said, “The best quality is found in the shallows, but the bulk of the bass are still holding from 20 to 40 feet with the same techniques of plastic worms on a drop-shot, shakey head, or Neko, jigs or Hula Grubs. The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant dropped slightly to 353 cfs. Woodward Park is scheduled for another trout plant this week while Sycamore Island’s trout plant last week created solid action from the banks with Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Millerton rose to 538.06 feet in elevation and 66%. There is one bass tournament remain in February with one in March.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2
Trout trolling remains very slow as Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service worked most of the morning to put his two clients onto limits of rainbows. He said, “We landed three as deep as 138 feet with the remainder on the surface using T-Spoons or Papa G’s Spoons. He said, “There is no consistent pattern right now.” The bass were starting to move up into the shallows, but with the rising cold water, both largemouth and spotted bass moved back out into deeper water. Finesse techniques of plastics on a shakey head, Neko-rig, or jigs are producing. On sunny days, the larger fish will move up into the shallows in the afternoons. All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated at the New Melones Marina. New Melones rose 3 feet to 1034.42 and 75% with Tulloch also rising to 91%.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 3 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Moua reported a solid topwater bite as he got to the lake at 6:30 am this week and started casting a floating Workingclass Zero Tyrant 10 from the banks, and while popping it, he picked up a 3.5-pound largemouth. Believing the topwater bite was on, he switched to a trout-patterned Roman Lite Bite 200 for a 6.40-pound spotted bass. He finally put his kayak in the water and was greeted with a massive strike on an 8-inch Megabait Magdraft, but the hook didn’t set. Moua said, “The larger bass are moving into the shallows, but most fish are still out in deep water from 20 to 30 feet with plastics on a shakey head, smaller jigs, or Hula Grubs.”
For trout, Brian and Evan Klassen of Reedley with a few passengers were out trolling twice this week at running rainbow or blue/silver Speedy Shiners, Brad’s Cut Plugs in Pink Magic, or blade/’crawler combinations at depths from 15 to 20 feet on a setback of 75 feet at 2 mph near Windy Gap for a total of 10 rainbows from 13 to 17 inches. Klassen said, “The action was slow, but we marked a good number of fish between 60 and 75 feet, but they had lockjaw. We launched at Island Park since the Deer Creek parking lot remains under construction.” In the lower Kings and in Avocado Lake, trout plants are scheduled this week.
When the weather cooperates, the easily accessed areas are lined with anglers tossing Berkeley Mice Tails, Pinched crawlers in floating or garlic, small spoons, or garlic Power Bait. The flows have risen from 780 to 1229 cfs at Trimmer. The lake rose 9 feet this week to 865.43 feet in elevation and 56%. Two bass tournaments are scheduled in March.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 3 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Prior to the storms, Tas Moua reported a solid striped bass bite on the Spurl Chad Shad 190 in Bone at depths from 30 to 40 feet in the coves. Since the storms, Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported excellent striper action with live jumbo minnows, pile worms, or anchovies for linesides to 28 inches.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the troll bite has been decent but slow. “Most anglers are working the banks for schoolfish with various ripbaits, swimbaits and topwater lures in the mornings. The storm slowed the action for a time but I expect the bite to continue.”
In the O’Neill Forebay, the stripers are holding tight to the bottom, and flutter spoons, jumbo minnows, or anchovies are finding unlimited numbers of undersized linesides. Check 12 remains the hot spot. Pitching and flipping plastics around the weed growth is producing largemouth bass. In the California Aqueduct, Striperz Gone Wild is hosting a free hot breakfast from 7 to noon on March 7 at the Volta Road Access area. Their Spring Striper Tournament is April 25 with 10 cans of food the entry fee to be donated to Merced County food banks. Striper action remains ‘hit or miss.’ The main lake rose to 82% with the forebay also at 82%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir is closed to public access through April 2026.
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1
Mike Beighey of ‘Fishing Bass Lake with Mike’ reported the lake is perfect for fishing off the shoreline with Power Bait, but it is tricky launching a boat with 18 inches of snow on the ramp and the low water level. He said, “The snow should be melting quickly with the sun out, and the lake will start coming up.” A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. No bass tournaments are scheduled throughout February and March.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle reported over 5 feet of snow descended upon Shaver Lake and over 10 feet at Huntington from last week’s storms, and the launch ramp at the Sierra Marina was still under snow over the weekend. He said, “The shorelines are treacherous with the heavy snowfall, but clean up in the Shaver Village is in process. Another storm is on tap for Tuesday.” The next meeting of Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project is March 14 at 10:00 am in Room 44 at Sierra High School in Tollhouse. The meeting is open to the public.
Check the launch ramp at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions.
Ocean
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch
Josh Mesa of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported continued outstanding surf perch action for fish to 1.5 pounds, and the big sellers remain Mekini Baitz in Killer Kool Aid or Moto Red along with Honey Badgers or Lucky 13’s in motor oil/red flake. Due to demand, individuals are limited to three packages of the baits. Striped bass remain quiet from the shorelines.
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “Most of the sport-caught species in Monterey Bay are found in deep water, closer to the bottom or midway up the water column. One notable exception are the surf fish, namely perch, striped bass and occasionally halibut. Naturally, the water is shallower where it meets the sand. And there are a dedicated cadre of surf flycasters that roam our beautiful Monterey Bay beaches, on the hunt for that trophy fish or dinner tonight for the family. Ken Oda lives in Pacific Grove, but fishes all around Monterey Bay, and he began surfcasting in the 1980’s with the usual spinning gear, using sand crabs or grubs. Then he met a fellow who was “really good” at flyfishing the surf. Since then he’s been dedicated to the flyrod approach to surfcasting. “It’s a challenge to feel everything through your fingers without the gearing and transmission of a spin or bait cast reel,” Oda says.
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay/Half Moon Bay
Halibut 2 Striper 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2
Every angler is waiting for the results of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s annual Salmon Information Meeting taking place this Wednesday, February 25 at 1:00 pm. This is a hybrid meeting where in person attendance is available along with a livestream online. There is great optimism as the upper Sacramento River saw an adult salmon return 15 times as great as 2024 along with a threefold increase in jacks, or two-year-old sub-adult salmon, from 5,500 in 2024 to about 14,500 in 2025.”
After the February 25 meeting, the next steps in the process are the March 4-9 Pacific Fishery Council Meeting (PFMC) in Sacramento for the development of a range of ocean fishing season alternatives. Final season recommendations will be adopted at the April 7-12 meeting of the PFMC.
Striped bass action remains strong in San Pablo Bay with some large fish over 20 pounds caught and released on ghost shrimp, mud shrimp, or mudsuckers. Sturgeon are also a strong possibility as the fresh water flow is pushing some of the diamonbacks further into San Pablo Bay. The area 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.
The Pacific Pier remains crowded on weekends and holidays, and the coming storms may shut down access to the pier for a few days. 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.
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 2 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
The California Delta turned muddy again as a push of fresh water from last week’s storms has arrived. Striped bass action is best with live mudsuckers or minnows along with frozen shad or sardines as the reaction bite for trollers or plug casters has ground to a halt in the muddy water. Sturgeon fishing remains phenomenal in Suisun Bay with six-pack captains reporting as many as 20 diamondbacks to the boat. Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing out of Pittsburg had a group of novice anglers out on Saturday, and they landed 10 sturgeon out of 14 hookups. Mitchell said, “The water temperature dropped to 52 degrees, but the fish are biting everywhere. They are in the sloughs, in the shallows, and even outside of our harbor. Cured salmon roe remains the top bait, and all 10 of the sturgeon caught and released on Saturday were slot-limit fish from 40 to 60 inches.”
Events:
February 27 - March 1- Alameda County Fairgrounds Pleasanton Fly Fishing Show –Friday: 10am – 6pm; Saturday: 9am – 5:30pm; Sunday: 9am – 4:30pm. Information: https://flyfishingshow.com/pleasanton-ca/.
February 28th – Paradise Point – Grand Opening of the Nor Cal Bass Hideout Tackle Shop – free BBQ tri tip starting at 4:00 pm.
March 13-15 – Kern County Fairgrounds – Sportsmen’s RV and Boat Show – information - https://www.calshows.com/.
Tournament Results:
McClure – Cen Cal Elite Tournaments Travelers - February 21st: 1st – Tom Loya/Rusty Rummerfield 16.39 (Big Fish - 7.37); 2nd – Jeff D’Alessandro/Tim Wells Sr. - 13.27; 3rd – Ryan Accardo/John Gallardo -11.65.
Pine Flat – Sierra Bass Club – February 21st: 1st – Joe Ploharz – 7.90; 2nd – Dave Bissett – 7.02; 3rd – Traci Ploharz – 6.65. Big Fish – Quincy Marrs – 2.92.
This story was originally published February 23, 2026 at 8:14 AM with the headline "Our experts find the best fishing in Central CA; Fresno lakes, High Sierra, San Luis Obispo."
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