Journal • SLO County Fishing Report — April 2, 2026

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SLO County Fishing Report — April 2, 2026

Thursdaygauge Port San Luis / Morro Bay · NOAA 94121104 places

There is a newer report: SLO County Fishing Report — November 15, 2026 →

Verdicts by place

  • Lake Nacimiento

    Good

    774.8 ft65% capacity

    White bass excellent on bladed jigs; spotted bass and crappie good

  • Santa Margarita Lake

    Good

    Largemouth good on drop-shots in 15-25 ft; catfish excellent

  • San Antonio Lake

    Fair

    Catfish good at 2-5 lbs; trout fair, bass improving

  • Morro Bay offshore

    Good

    Rockfish excellent; lingcod good

Port San Luis / Morro Bay · NOAA 9412110 · ft MLLW · Pacific time

Tides for the day

-1 ft0 ft1 ft2 ft3 ft4 ft5 ft6 ft12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM5:05 AM · 0.1 ft11:08 AM · 4.1 ft4:47 PM · 1.1 ft10:59 PM · 5.2 ft
NOAA high and low tides
5:05 AM low0.1 ft
11:08 AM high4.1 ft
4:47 PM low1.1 ft
10:59 PM high5.2 ft
range
5.1 ft
sunrise
6:48 AM
sunset
7:25 PM

Predictions from NOAA Tides & Currents. 14-day calendar →

Bite grid

excellentgoodfairslownoted

SpeciesNacimientoSanta MargaritaLopezMorro Bay
Bassexcellentwhite · spottedgoodlargemouthgoodnot reported
Catfishnot reportedexcellentnot reportednot reported
Crappie / panfishgoodnotednot reportednot reported
Troutnot reportedfairnot reportednot reported
Rockfishnot reportednot reportednot reportedexcellent
Lingcodnot reportednot reportednot reportedgood
Salmonnot reportednot reportednot reportedslow

By water

from the report
Water
  • Level 774.8 ft, 248,800 AF (65% of capacity) — CDEC NCM, Apr 2.
What's biting
  • White Bass excellent Big schools roaming; white bladed jigs
  • Spotted Bass Great on main lake points and creek channels, best on reaction baits
  • Crappie good
Lures & bait

None listed.

The 6-9 AM bite is best, on the wind-blown points.

Full report1 min read ›

At Lake Nacimiento the white bass are still roaming in big schools. Out of Morro Bay and Avila, the boats on the April 1 opener came back with rockfish and some lingcod.

Lake Fishing Reports

Lake Nacimiento

  • Level: 774.8 ft, 248,800 AF (65% of capacity) — CDEC NCM, Apr 2.
  • White Bass: Excellent. Big schools roaming; white bladed jigs
  • Spotted Bass: Great on main lake points and creek channels, best on reaction baits
  • Crappie: Good.
  • Tip: The 6-9 AM bite is best, on the wind-blown points.

Santa Margarita Lake

  • Largemouth Bass: Good. Fish holding in 15-25 ft, and drop-shotting is productive
  • Best Baits: Senkos, drop-shots, Neko rigs, dark finesse worms
  • Crappie: Active on main lake points on small bright jigs
  • Catfish: Excellent.
  • Trout: Fair.

Lopez Lake

  • Level: 515.5 ft, 43,100 AF (87% of capacity) — CDEC LOP, Apr 2.
  • Bass: Good.
  • Tip: Go to 25-35 ft with a drop-shot for the bigger bass.

San Antonio Lake

No new report from San Antonio Lake since March 31.


Ocean Fishing: Morro Bay

  • Lingcod: Good.
  • Rockfish: Excellent. A good mix of species: vermilion strong, coppers in good numbers, bocaccio active in 100-150 ft
  • Salmon: Closed. The Monterey area season opens April 11 (CDFW).

Dock counts:

Counts: SportfishingReport.com dock totals, Apr 1.

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