SLO County Fishing Report — September 15, 2026

Seas off Morro Bay are 5-7 ft on Tuesday and drop to 3-4 ft on Wednesday and Thursday. The ocean is 58-59°F (NDBC 46215, Diablo Canyon, morning), and the lakes are still warm.

Lake Fishing Reports

Lake Nacimiento

Status: Great Water Level: 746.8 ft, 140,329 AF (37% of capacity), CDEC NCM, Sep 15.

Bass fishing is still excellent. The warm water has fish feeding through the day, and early topwater has been hot on frogs and poppers.

• Largemouth bass: Excellent on topwater lures at dawn and dusk
• White bass: Active near shad schools
• Crappie: Good near submerged structure

The best topwater hours are 6-9 AM and 5-8 PM. At midday, switch to crawdad patterns.

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Lopez Lake

Status: Good Water Level: 511.1 ft, 39,483 AF (80% of capacity), CDEC LOP, Sep 15.

Bass fishing is solid on shad raps, Zoom worms and crawdad patterns. Most fish are coming from shallow pockets and coves near structure. They are feeding heavily on shad, so small swimbaits and spinnerbaits are a good match.

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Santa Margarita Lake

Status: Fair

Bass are fair but holding deep during midday. Crappie and catfish pick up at dawn and dusk near the submerged timber, and catfish take cut bait at night.

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Ocean Fishing - Morro Bay

Status: Fair (Improving) Conditions: NW wind 5-10 kt this morning, 10-15 kt this afternoon Water Temp: 61°F (NDBC 46011, Santa Maria, morning) Wave Height: 7-8 ft (2.2-2.5m) at Buoy 46011

Current Ocean Data (Buoy 46011 - Santa Maria):

• Wind: WNW (330°) at 5-6 m/s, gusting to 7-8 m/s (~11-18 mph)
• Wave Height: ~7-8 ft (2.2-2.5m)
• Water Temp: 61°F (16.0°C)
• Air Temp: ~60°F (16°C)
• Pressure: 1011-1012 hPa (steady)

Marine forecast:

• Today: NW 10-15 kt this afternoon, 5-10 kt this morning, seas 5-7 ft
• Tonight: NW 10-15 kt in the evening, becoming light, seas 4-5 ft
• Wednesday: NW 5-10 kt in the afternoon, light winds in the morning, seas 3-4 ft
• Thursday: NW 10-15 kt in the afternoon, light winds in the morning, seas 3-4 ft

NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard, zone PZZ645 (Point Piedras Blancas to Point Sal), issued 211 AM PDT Tue Sep 15 2026.

What's Biting:

• Rockfish: Good when conditions calm
• Lingcod: Strong
• Halibut: Good along the beaches and at Cayucos Pier

Salmon Season: Currently open.

Wednesday and Thursday mornings, with light wind and 3-4 ft seas, are the time for bottom fishing over the rocky structure in 60-150 ft. Friday afternoon's wind is forecast to build to 15-25 kt.

Sources: NDBC buoy 46011.