journal / field-reports / 2026-04-29
SLO County Fishing Report — April 29, 2026
Wednesdaygauge 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
GoodPost-spawn largemouth excellent, 5-10 lb fish in 5-15 ft
Lopez Lake
GoodTrout excellent with limits on spinners; bass good
Whale Rock Reservoir
GoodHot largemouth bite staging near shore 8-11 AM
Morro Bay offshore
GoodLingcod on fire; halibut heating up
Port San Luis / Morro Bay · NOAA 9412110 · ft MLLW · Pacific time
Tides for the day
| 3:39 AM low | 0.1 ft |
|---|---|
| 9:41 AM high | 3.9 ft |
| 3:10 PM low | 1.2 ft |
| 9:26 PM high | 5.4 ft |
- range
- 5.2 ft
- sunrise
- 6:14 AM
- sunset
- 7:47 PM
Predictions from NOAA Tides & Currents. 14-day calendar →
Bite grid
excellentgoodfairslownoted
| Species | Nacimiento | Lopez | Santa Margarita | Whale Rock | San Antonio | Morro Bay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bass | excellentlargemouth · spotted · white | goodsmallmouth · largemouth | goodlargemouth | excellentlargemouth · spotted | goodlargemouth | not reported |
| Catfish | good | fairblue | not reported | not reported | good | not reported |
| Crappie / panfish | good | noted& bluegill | goodred-ear sunfish | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Trout | not reported | excellentrainbow | fair | not reported | fair | not reported |
| Rockfish | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | noted |
| Lingcod | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | excellent |
| Halibut | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | noted |
| Salmon | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | not reported | notedking |
By water
from the reportWater
- Conditions Clear water.
What's biting
- Largemouth Bass excellent Post-spawn feeding in full swing. Big females (5-10 lbs) are hitting baits hard in 5-15 ft near gravel transitions and riprap. Punch baits, frogs and glide baits are working best. Topwater early AM (6-8 AM) draws big strikes. Focus on north shore coves and main lake points.
- Spotted Bass excellent Schools roaming main lake. White bladed jigs, jerkbaits, and shallow cranks.
- White Bass excellent Windy main lake points with white/chartreuse bucktail jigs.
- Crappie good 1-2 lb slabs around submerged timber. Small swimbaits and jigs.
- Catfish good Chicken liver and cut bait near deep creek channels at dusk.
Lures & bait
None listed.
Marine forecast
seaswindas written in the report
- Todaylighter
- seas
- 4–6 ft
- wind
- NW 10–15 kt
- Tonight
- seas
- 6–8 ft
- wind
- NW 10–20 kt
Full report2 min read ›
Post-spawn bass are still aggressive and the trout stockings continue.
Lake Fishing Reports
Lake Nacimiento
Conditions: Clear water.
- Largemouth Bass: Excellent. Post-spawn feeding in full swing. Big females (5-10 lbs) are hitting baits hard in 5-15 ft near gravel transitions and riprap. Punch baits, frogs and glide baits are working best. Topwater early AM (6-8 AM) draws big strikes. Focus on north shore coves and main lake points.
- Spotted Bass: Excellent. Schools roaming main lake. White bladed jigs, jerkbaits, and shallow cranks.
- White Bass: Excellent. Windy main lake points with white/chartreuse bucktail jigs.
- Crappie: Good. 1-2 lb slabs around submerged timber. Small swimbaits and jigs.
- Catfish: Good. Chicken liver and cut bait near deep creek channels at dusk.
Lopez Lake
Conditions: Slightly stained, all ramps open.
- Rainbow Trout: Excellent. CDFW spring stockings ongoing. Shore anglers doing well with chartreuse/rainbow PowerBait near marina and campground. Trollers hitting limits on orange/pink spinners and small #3 spoons.
- Smallmouth Bass: Good. Creek arms and windy coves. Soft plastics and shad-colored cranks near oak-lined banks.
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Moving shallow. Topwater and finesse plastics.
- Crappie & Bluegill: Active near marina. White jigs and small Rapalas.
- Blue Catfish: Decent. Garlic shrimp and chicken liver near deep creek channels.
Santa Margarita Lake
Conditions: Good visibility.
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Post-spawn, still shallow and hungry. Points, coves, weed edges. Swim jigs, Texas rigs, topwater. 2-3 lb average.
- Red-ear Sunfish: Good. Crickets and worms in vegetation.
- Crappie: Fair. Brush piles and deeper structure.
- Trout: Fair. Chartreuse PowerBait near marina.
Whale Rock Reservoir
- Largemouth Bass: Hot. Bass staging near shore, prime window 8-11 AM.
- Presentation: Ned Rig, Swing Head, green pumpkin plastics. 2-2.5 lb average.
- Spotted Bass: Active on drop-offs, deep crankbaits.
San Antonio Lake
- Level: 754.3 ft, 212,800 AF (64% of capacity) — CDEC ATN, Apr 29.
- Largemouth Bass: Good. Post-spawn. Deep crankbaits in 15-25 ft, moving shallower with warming temps.
- Catfish: Good at dusk/dawn, garlic shrimp and chicken liver.
- Trout: Fair. Chartreuse PowerBait near deeper water.
Ocean Fishing: Morro Bay
Charter report highlights:
- Rockfish: Top species: Blue Rockfish, Vermilion, Copper, Bocaccio, Whitefish, Sheephead.
- Lingcod: On fire, from both shallow and deep spots.
- Halibut: Heating up in the bay and shallow water.
- King Salmon: Showing up, trolling near the coast. The season opened April 11 (CDFW).
Dock counts:
- Patriot Sportfishing (Apr 28): Flying Fish, half day, 6 anglers: 40 rockcod, 14 bocaccio, 12 lingcod (up to 15 lb), 3 copper rockfish.
Counts: SportfishingReport.com dock totals, Apr 28.
- Today: NW 10-15 kt, seas 4-6 ft
- Tonight: NW 10-20 kt, seas 6-8 ft
NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard, zone PZZ645 (Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal), issued 221 AM PDT Wed Apr 29 2026.
Reminder: Quillback and yelloweye rockfish remain closed. Check CDFW regulations.