journal / field-reports / 2026-04-03
SLO County Fishing Report — April 3, 2026
Fridaygauge Port San Luis / Morro Bay · NOAA 94121105 places
There is a newer report: SLO County Fishing Report — November 15, 2026 →
Verdicts by place
Lake Nacimiento
Good774.7 ft65% capacity
White bass excellent; catfish to 10+ lbs at night
Santa Margarita Lake
GoodLargemouth good bite staging in 15-25 ft; catfish good at dusk
Lopez Lake
GoodBass good on cranks and jerkbaits; catfish excellent at dusk
Morro Bay offshore
GoodLingcod great; rockfish excellent across species
Port San Luis / Morro Bay · NOAA 9412110 · ft MLLW · Pacific time
Tides for the day
| 5:45 AM low | -0.0 ft |
|---|---|
| 11:54 AM high | 3.8 ft |
| 5:11 PM low | 1.5 ft |
| 11:24 PM high | 5.2 ft |
- range
- 5.2 ft
- minus tide
- -0.0 ft
- sunrise
- 6:47 AM
- sunset
- 7:26 PM
Predictions from NOAA Tides & Currents. 14-day calendar →
Bite grid
excellentgoodfairslownoted
| Species | Nacimiento | Santa Margarita | Lopez | San Antonio | Morro Bay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | excellentwhite · spotted | goodlargemouth | good | noted | not reported |
| Catfish | excellent | good | excellent | good | not reported |
| Crappie / panfish | good | noted | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Trout | not reported | not reported | not reported | fair | not reported |
| Rockfish | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | excellentvermilion · copper |
| Lingcod | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | noted |
By water
from the reportWater
- Level 774.7 ft, 248,300 AF (65% of capacity) — CDEC NCM, Apr 3.
What's biting
- White Bass excellent Multiple-fish days reported
- Spotted Bass Aggressive on main lake points and flats
- Crappie good On 3-inch swimbaits near rocky pockets and docks
- Catfish excellent Night fishing producing 10+ lb cats.
Lures & bait
None listed.
Full report1 min read ›
Boat lingcod season opened April 1 on the Central Coast. Inland, night anglers at Lake Nacimiento are catching catfish over 10 lbs.
Lake Fishing Reports
Lake Nacimiento
- Level: 774.7 ft, 248,300 AF (65% of capacity) — CDEC NCM, Apr 3.
- Spring spawn in full swing
- White Bass: Excellent. Multiple-fish days reported
- Spotted Bass: Aggressive on main lake points and flats
- Crappie: Good on 3-inch swimbaits near rocky pockets and docks
- Catfish: Excellent. Night fishing producing 10+ lb cats.
Santa Margarita Lake
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Fish staging in 15-25 ft
- Best Baits: Senkos, drop-shots, Neko rigs, creature baits
- Crappie: Active on points with bright-colored jigs (chartreuse, orange)
- Catfish: Good. Big cats hitting garlic shrimp and chicken liver at dusk
Lopez Lake
- Bass: Good. Shad-colored crankbaits, jerkbaits, and spinnerbaits
- Catfish: Excellent at dusk on chicken liver and cut bait
San Antonio Lake
- Level: 754.3 ft, 212,800 AF (64% of capacity) — CDEC ATN, Apr 3.
- Trout: Fair. Chartreuse/rainbow PowerBait near deeper channels
- Catfish: Good. 2-5 lbs on garlic shrimp and chicken liver
- Bass: Warming up. Try shallow crankbaits and spinnerbaits
Ocean Fishing: Morro Bay
April ocean fishing is excellent so far.
- Lingcod: Great. The boat season opened April 1 (CDFW).
- Rockfish: Excellent across all species
- Vermilion Rockfish: Strong numbers
- Copper Rockfish: Good action
- Bocaccio: Active in 100-200 ft water
Dock counts:
- Morro Bay Landing (Apr 2): Endeavor, 3/4 day, 30 anglers: 180 rockfish, 50 bocaccio, 25 copper rockfish, 8 lingcod (up to 10 lb).
- Patriot Sportfishing (Apr 2): Patriot, 3/4 day, 24 anglers: 63 rockcod, 6 bocaccio, 6 red rockcod, 3 lingcod.
- Virg's Landing (Apr 2): Fiesta, half day, 29 anglers: 288 rockfish, 2 lingcod, 2 vermilion rockfish.
Counts: SportfishingReport.com dock totals, Apr 2.