California Fishing Reports

There's a lot of good bass action right now at Sandy Wool on finesse stuff. T-rigged 6-inch Roboworms (Margarita Mutilator, PB+J) and weightless Senkos are doing extremely well off rocky structure and the tule line. Fish are looking healthy with big bellies. Water temps are still in the mid-upper 70s, but as the nights cool, temps will drop and the reaction bite will pick up in a big way. Even now, some anglers are pulling fish on squarebills and topwater baits around the dam area at dusk.

A few big carp have been pulled out recently on corn, and bluegill are being caught consistently around brush on wax worms and redworms (a bobber helps). There's been no trout stocking since April, and if it's anything like last year, CDFW may not stock until late December or early January.

Catfish season is still rolling at Santa Ana River Lakes, and the lake just loaded up again with a plant of Imperial cats and big tilapia on September 10. That follows a heavy Labor Day catfish stock and another cat/tilapia plant in late August, so there are plenty of fish in the water. Cut mackerel, blood bait, and dough bait are the go tos, and cats over 10 pounds are not unusual. Tilapia are fun, and there are a few giants roaming as well. No license is needed, and day, night, and overnight sessions are all available. Rental boats are first come, first served, so get there early if you want one.

The algae is way down with water temps dipping to around 79 degrees... and the bass have taken notice. Fish are slowly getting more aggressive as they look to fatten up before winter, though full-on fall mode isn't quite here yet. Early mornings and late evenings have been best for the reaction bite and topwater. Crankbaits run through 10-15 feet near rock or hard structure, and walking baits worked in the backs of coves have both been getting some nice fish in the 2-3 pound range. Midday is still all about finesse right now though... flukes and dropshots are your best bet. Stripers have been spotted schooling off the main points, but reports on what's getting them have been quiet. Once water temps get to the mid 70s, look for the bite to really take off.

San Bernardino Parks wrapped up catfish stocking at Yucaipa in late August, closing out a run of weekly plants that started in May. A few cats are still coming in on prawns, chicken liver, and nightcrawlers... but the bite has really swung over to bass. Days are still warm, but the nights are cooling off... and bass seem to have fall in their sights as feeding activity has picked up noticeably.

Senkos have been the most consistent, fished weightless Texas-rigged or wacky. Other folks are finding fish on reaction stuff like crankbaits and jerkbaits. Mostly 1 pound fish with the occasional 3 pounder. Look for the bite to keep improving through September and into October. Trout plants are scheduled to kick off again in November.

The fall run is on and the Feather is loading up with fish, as DWR's counting station has logged 5,901 Chinook since July 1. Bright kings are pushing through the high-flow section in waves, and anchored boats casting Silvertron-style spinners in the faster seams are putting fish in the net. The lower river from Shanghai Bend down toward the Hwy 99 bridge is producing well. The Thermalito Outlet is releasing about 6,850 cfs, with just 650 cfs trickling through the low-flow section in Oroville, for roughly 7,500 cfs below the Outlet, and that cooling water should keep pulling salmon upriver all month.

Fall-run steelhead typically start showing in September no news yet... keep an eye on the low-flow water as the month rolls on. The stretch from the Afterbay Outlet down to Live Oak closes to salmon Sept. 15, while below Live Oak to the Hwy 99 bridge stays open through Oct. 31, both with a 1-fish daily limit.

Water temps were near their annual peak until the cooldown over the last couple of days. But it's still warm... hovering in the high 70s to low 80s. EBParks dropped two 500 lb catfish stocks in August, nothing in the last few weeks. Catfish action is decent on chicken livers and garlic prawns. The better bite has been for smaller bass at first light and late evening. Smaller swimbaits are getting fish, but dropshots and Senkos have been most consistent.

The bluegill/redear bite is very good on mealworms and redworms all around the shore. Even a few fly anglers are targeting them. Mostly small fish, but the occasional hand-sized slab. A couple crappie are being caught as well on jigs.

Isabella water levels continue to drop, with the lake sitting around 31%. Releases are running near 880 cfs against almost nothing coming in, so the water is falling about a foot a week. Bass are still in that late-summer pattern, hanging 15 to 20 feet off points and around the submerged trees, with the better fish sitting deeper. Most of the action is on shad and bluegill patterns right now, so lipless crankbaits, swimbaits, and topwater (Spooks, Chappos) have been best. The reaction bite is good early morning and late afternoon. When the sun is up, your best bet is still a drop shot for numbers. Some folks are throwing out big 10 inch worms in green pumpkin style colors in 25-30 feet, landing quality fish.

Crappie anglers are finding fish near the Marina in 10 to 20 feet on small shiners and jigs. Catfish have been hitting nightcrawlers, shrimp, and chicken livers... late evening into the night is always best.

Castaic is full, clean, and fishing very well. Guide Jim Taibi of 661 Fishing reports surface temps at 78 in the morning climbing to 81 by afternoon, with 5 to 15 feet of visibility and no algae.

The story right now is baitfish. Shad in the 2 to 4 inch class have flooded the shallows... some even in three feet of water... and the bass and stripers have followed them into the backs of the bigger coves. That's pushed the bite almost entirely to the surface. Dropshots and other bottom-contact stuff are getting ignored. Taibi reports Lucky Craft Gunfish 115s and Espetit 70s/95s are the ticket.

Stripers are boiling from Center Point down toward Elizabeth Canyon, averaging around five pounds. Taibi notes the boils are smaller and more scattered than earlier in August, with bass and stripers both working the same bait and spreading it out.