SLO County Weekly Fishing Report — March 22, 2026
Sundaygauge Port San Luis / Morro Bay · NOAA 94121106 places
There is a newer report: SLO County Fishing Report — November 15, 2026 →
Verdicts by place
Lake Nacimiento
Good775.3 ft66% capacity
White bass at peak spring bite; spotted bass on rocky points
Santa Margarita Lake
GoodLargemouth good in 15-25 ft on finesse rigs; catfish excellent
San Antonio Lake
Fair754.2 ft64% capacity
Catfish good; trout slow, bass improving
Lopez Lake
GoodBass solid on shad raps and crawdad patterns in coves
Tides for the day
| 12:19 AM high | 5.6 ft |
|---|---|
| 7:28 AM low | -0.3 ft |
| 1:50 PM high | 3.4 ft |
| 6:34 PM low | 1.9 ft |
- range
- 5.9 ft
- minus tide
- -0.3 ft
- sunrise
- 7:04 AM
- sunset
- 7:16 PM
Predictions from NOAA Tides & Currents. 14-day calendar →
Bite grid
excellentgoodfairslownoted
| Species | Nacimiento | Santa Margarita | Lopez | San Antonio | Whale Rock | Morro Bay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | excellentwhite · spotted | goodlargemouth | good | fair | excellentlargemouth | not reported |
| Catfish | not reported | excellent | not reported | good | not reported | not reported |
| Crappie / panfish | good | noted | notedpanfish | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Trout | not reported | slow | not reported | slow | not reported | not reported |
| Rockfish | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | slow |
| Lingcod | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | slow |
| Halibut | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | noted |
| Salmon | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | slow |
By water
from the report- Level 775.3 ft, 251,000 AF (66% of capacity) — CDEC NCM, Mar 22.
- White Bass excellent Peak spring bite, best on windy days. Excellent all week.
- Spotted Bass Aggressive on rocky points, hitting moving baits hard.
- Bass excellent On March 19 they took jigs, drop shots and ned rigs in 15-25 feet, and crawdad-colored baits worked best.
- Crappie good 3-inch swimbaits near rocky pockets in 10-20 ft. First rated Good on March 21.
None listed.
Main lake points and wind-blown shores.
Marine forecast
seaswindas written in the report
- Today
- seas
- 6–8 ft
- wind
- NW 10–20 kt
- Tonight
- seas
- 6–8 ft
- wind
- NW 15–25 kt
Full report2 min read ›
Reports from March 16 to 22, 2026. The white bass at Nacimiento built to their spring peak, and boat rockfish and lingcod at Morro Bay stayed closed until April 1.
Lake Fishing Reports
Lake Nacimiento
- Level: 775.3 ft, 251,000 AF (66% of capacity) — CDEC NCM, Mar 22.
- White Bass: Excellent. Peak spring bite, best on windy days. Excellent all week.
- Spotted Bass: Aggressive on rocky points, hitting moving baits hard.
- Bass: Excellent. On March 19 they took jigs, drop shots and ned rigs in 15-25 feet, and crawdad-colored baits worked best.
- Crappie: Good. 3-inch swimbaits near rocky pockets in 10-20 ft. First rated Good on March 21.
- Tip: Main lake points and wind-blown shores.
Santa Margarita Lake
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Fish sit in 15-25 ft, and the very clear water calls for slow presentations on Senkos, drop-shots, Neko rigs and finesse worms. Excellent on March 16 and 17, down to Fair and deep by day on March 19, then Good from March 21.
- Crappie: Active on primary points on bright jigs.
- Catfish: Excellent. Garlic shrimp and chicken liver. Up from Hot on March 17.
- Trout: Slow. Last rated on March 17.
Lopez Lake
- Water: Still filling with spring runoff (March 19). The rising water is flooding new ground, and the fish are moving into it.
- Bass: Good. Shad-colored crankbaits and jerkbaits. Good all week; on March 19 they also took Zoom worms and crawdad patterns in green/orange in the coves.
- Panfish: Bluegill and crappie near the marina on small Rapalas and white jigs (March 21).
- Tip: Drop-shot 20+ ft for the better bass.
San Antonio Lake
- Level: 754.2 ft, 212,400 AF (64% of capacity) — CDEC ATN, Mar 22.
- Trout: Slow. Chartreuse/rainbow PowerBait in deeper water. It went Fair, Slow, Fair and Slow again over the week.
- Catfish: Good. Garlic shrimp at the backs of coves. Good all week.
- Bass: Improving on shallow crankbaits in 10-15 ft.
Whale Rock Reservoir
No new report since March 17.
- Water: Clear (March 17)
- Largemouth Bass: Hot. Rated Hot on March 16 and 17. Walking plugs and poppers worked on calm mornings.
Ocean Fishing: Morro Bay
Boat fishing for rockfish and lingcod is closed until April 1 (CDFW).
- Lingcod: Closed. Boat season opens April 1 (CDFW).
- Rockfish: Closed. Boat season opens April 1 (CDFW). Shore anglers can still fish the rocks and jetties.
- Halibut: Starting to show on March 16. Early season prospects improving daily (March 19).
- Salmon: Closed until later this spring.
- Water Temp: 57-62°F (NDBC 46215, Diablo Canyon, morning)
Mackerel are running in the bay and smelt are active near shore. Squid strips have done very well.
- Today: NW 10-20 kt, seas 6-8 ft
- Tonight: NW 15-25 kt, seas 6-8 ft
A small craft advisory is in effect from noon through this evening.
NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard, zone PZZ645 (Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal), issued 205 AM PDT Sun Mar 22 2026.
Shore and Pier Fishing
Surfperch and barred surfperch were good from Morro Bay Pier and the beaches on March 16 and 17, best at dawn and dusk. Bloodworms, mussels and squid strips worked.