SLO County Fishing Report — July 12, 2026
Sundaygauge Port San Luis / Morro Bay · NOAA 94121102 places
There is a newer report: SLO County Fishing Report — November 15, 2026 →
Verdicts by place
Morro Bay offshore
Good3–4 ftwater 59.5°F
Light winds, seas 3-4 ft; excellent conditions
Lake Nacimiento
Good761.7 ft51% capacity
White Bass: Good; Spotted Bass: Good on main lake points, schooling on shad
Lopez Lake
GoodBass: Good
Santa Margarita Lake
GoodLargemouth Bass: Good; Crappie: Good on deep brush in 20-30 ft
NOAA tide predictions for this day aren't available right now. See the Port San Luis / Morro Bay tide calendar →
Bite grid
excellentgoodfairslownoted
| Species | Nacimiento | Morro Bay |
|---|---|---|
| Bass | goodwhite · spotted | not reported |
| Catfish | excellent | not reported |
| Rockfish | not reported | excellentvermilion · copper · blue |
| Lingcod | not reported | good |
| Salmon | not reported | noted |
By water
from the report- Water Level 761.7 ft, 193,563 AF (51% of capacity), CDEC NCM, Jul 12.
- White Bass good Shallow early in the morning, then deep
- Spotted Bass good On main lake points, schooling on shad
- Catfish excellent Big cats stacked in 20-30 ft, night fishing hot
- Spinnerbaits
- crankbaits (shad colors)
- topwater early
Marine forecast
seaswindas written in the report
- Todaylighter
- seas
- 3–4 ft
- wind
- W 5–10 kt
W 5-10 kt in the afternoon after light morning winds
- Tonightlighter
- seas
- 3–4 ft
- wind
- NW 5–10 kt
- Mondaylighter
- seas
- 3–5 ft
- wind
- W 5–10 kt
W 5-10 kt in the afternoon after light morning winds
- Monday nightlighter
- seas
- 3–5 ft
- wind
- NW 5–10 kt
becoming light
Full report2 min read ›
On Sunday, July 12th, 2026, the wind has finally laid down: NW 5-9 mph at the buoy and 3-4 ft seas, down from 7-9 ft last week. It is a good weekend for the Central Coast rockfish and lingcod bite.
Lake Levels Update (CDEC, Jul 12)
| Lake | Level | Change | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Nacimiento | 761.69 ft, 193,563 AF | -0.17 ft | 51% |
| Lopez Lake | 513.66 ft, 41,577 AF | -0.03 ft | 84% |
| Santa Margarita Lake | — | — | — |
CDEC stations NCM and LOP. Santa Margarita has no published daily level.
Lake Fishing Reports
Lake Nacimiento
- Water Level: 761.7 ft, 193,563 AF (51% of capacity), CDEC NCM, Jul 12.
- White Bass: Good. Shallow early in the morning, then deep
- Spotted Bass: Good on main lake points, schooling on shad
- Best Lures: Spinnerbaits, crankbaits (shad colors), topwater early
- Catfish: Excellent. Big cats stacked in 20-30 ft, night fishing hot
Santa Margarita Lake
No new report from Santa Margarita Lake since Jul 9.
Lopez Lake
No new report from Lopez Lake since Jul 9.
Ocean Fishing: Morro Bay
Conditions improving, with a good weekend ahead
Current Conditions (NOAA/NDBC Buoy 46011)
- Wind: NW 5-9 mph (3-5 m/s), direction 320-350°
- Wave Height: 3-4 ft (1.1-1.3m) at buoy 46011
- Water Temp: 59.5°F (NDBC 46011, Santa Maria)
- Visibility: Good
- Swell Period: 14-15 seconds (long period westerly swell)
Waves have dropped from 7-9 ft last week to 3-4 ft.
This Week's Outlook
Today: W 5-10 kt in the afternoon after light morning winds, seas 3-4 ft
Tonight: NW 5-10 kt, seas 3-4 ft
Monday: W 5-10 kt in the afternoon after light morning winds, seas 3-5 ft
Monday night: NW 5-10 kt, becoming light, seas 3-5 ft
NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard, zone PZZ645 (Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal), issued 218 AM PDT Sun Jul 12 2026.
The NW wind returns Tuesday night, and Wednesday afternoon has NW 20-30 kt.
Fishing Report
Ocean conditions have calmed a lot since last week:
- Lingcod: Good. Fishing deep structure
- Rockfish: EXCELLENT across all species
- Vermilion Rockfish: Strong showing in 80-150 ft
- Copper Rockfish: Good numbers
- Blue Rockfish: Abundant
- Salmon: Open. The Monterey area (south of Pigeon Point) is open through Aug. 31; check CDFW for in-season changes
Morro Bay Landing (Jul 11): Starfire, 3/4 day, 26 anglers: 184 rockfish, 30 bocaccio, 28 red rockfish, 12 copper rockfish.
Patriot Sportfishing (Jul 11): Flying Fish, 1/2 day, 22 anglers: 197 rockcod, 10 red rockcod (up to 5 pounds), 8 copper rockfish, 5 bocaccio.
Black Pearl Sportfishing (Jul 11): Black Pearl, 12 hour, 28 anglers: 238 rockfish (up to 8 pounds), 54 vermilion rockfish (up to 9 pounds), 5 lingcod (up to 18 pounds), 4 petrale sole (up to 6 pounds).
Counts: SportfishingReport.com dock totals, Jul 11.