March 3, 2026
Best bets
Delta stripers and sturgeon on big bites, Joey Gamez reported. San Luis stripers continue biting, Mickey Clements said. Eastman pumps out another monster bass for Damian Thao, Tas Moua reported. Don Pedro bass waking up, and New Melones bass numbers are good, Aaron Jones reported.
Rankings key below: 4: Fish are jumping in the boat. 3: Good fishing. 2: Decent fishing. 1: Poor fishing. 0: Don’t bother. Unless noted, area code is 559
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 2
The California Aqueduct has been quiet for the most part, but there have been some large linesides pushing 30 pounds caught and released. There are reports of vehicles being told to leave from the Fairfax Road to the main pumping as private security has been enforcing no vehicle traffic on the aqueduct.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 3 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Two-time world champion freshwater kayak gold medalist, Damian Thao of Fresno, did it again this week with another double-digit largemouth bass at 14.73 pounds caught and released on a 10-inch Megabass Magdraft swimbait. These big fish have set off a flurry of swimbait sales throughout the Central Valley.
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle said, “The lake is highly pressured by boaters, kayakers, and bank anglers, and there are some fish up shallow already. Crankbaits, chatterbaits, or flipping plastics are all working, and the bite should be wide open with this good weather as the fish are moving quickly into prespawn. There are still bass out in deep water.” Moau added that Hensley is far less pressured, and the bass should be moving into the shallows.
The recent trout plant is creating opportunities for swimbait tossers, and an 8-pound largemouth was caught and released this week. Chatterbaits or jigs in crawdad patterns are most effective. There are 4 bass tournaments at Eastman and one at Hensley in March. Eastman rose over 4 feet to 505.32 feet in elevation with Hensley also rising 2.5 feet to 490.29 feet in elevation.
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto said, “The lake is picking up for bass as several fish are moving up. Anglers are reporting areas when the shallows are being fanned. Jerkbaits are effective in the mornings, and the drop-shot bite is also picking up. Covering shallow water with a crankbait is another option along with shaking a minnow using Forward Facing Sonar. The winning weight during Saturday’s Best Bass Tournament was over 30 pounds, and this is the first bag over 30 pounds in some time. The second-place weight was over 19 pounds, and this has been a normal first-place weight.”
The trout bite has slowed overall, but it is a matter of locating the schools of rainbows in the top 20 feet and the king salmon as deep as 50 feet. The lake rose less than a foot to 804.86 feet in elevation. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. A self-inspection is required for launching. There are seven bass tournaments in March starting with the weekend of the 14th.
Isabella/Kaweah/Success/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https://www.tackleandrod.com/weekly-fishing-report.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Calaveras Trout Farm planted 1,120 pounds of rainbows at McClure Point on the 25th, and bank angling improved within days of the plant. Trolling with shad-patterned spoons at depths to 20 feet is the best technique for a five-fish trout limit. Aaron Jones reported the water temperature in the upper arms has reached 61 degrees, and the bass are moving up into the shallows. Nail-weighted Senkos, jigs, plastics on a Ned-rig, or tube baits at depths to 20 feet are producing numbers. The trout plant should spur on the swimbait bite. Crappie are starting to school up around submerged structure in the coves. The lake dropped slightly to 815.17 feet in elevation and 69%. There are 4 bass tournaments scheduled in March.
Lake McSwain
Trout 3
2,240 pounds of Calaveras Trout Farm rainbows were released into the lake on the 25th, and the shoreline bite took off with Berkley’s Mice Tails, garlic-scented Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters from the Handicapped Docks, the Brush Pile, and the peninsula near the marina. Wedding Rings tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a dodger or Kastmasters past the First Fence Line are producing holdover for trollers. The lake is at 86%.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 2 Shad 2 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Tas Moua reported the bass are a little further along as bed fish have already been observed around rocky coves. Plastic worms on a drop-shot, shakey head, or Neko, jigs or Hula Grubs are best for spotted bass while striped bass are showing up right before sunset in front of the Fresno launch ramp . The flows in the San Joaquin River at Friant rose to 438 cfs. Millerton rose over 5 feet to 543.25 feet in elevation and 70%. There is one bass tournament scheduled in March.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 3 Crappie 2 Catfish 2 Trout 2
Aaron Jones reported good numbers of spotted bass to 4.5 pounds using Senkos on a nail-weight, jigs, or tubes, and he said, “Our best five went 14.5 pounds, but there were many short-strikes. The bass are moving around a lot as our largest fish was on the banks with the second largest at 60 feet on depth in a creek channel. The bass bite should be ‘lights out’ within a few weeks, and it will be interesting to see what happens during this full moon.” Trout trolling is a grind, but limits are possible with large T-Spoons at depths to 20 feet. Crappie are starting to keg up in the coves around submerged structure. All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated at the New Melones Marina. New Melones rose 3 feet to 1037.10 and 77% with Tulloch also rising to 91%.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Tas Moua said, “A lot has changed in the past week as more fish have moved up into the shallows and making their way to the backs of the creek channels and pockets, but they are not locked in on beds yet. The bass should be further along next week with the full moon. There is a morning bite in the shallows with glide baits. Swim jigs are effective near Trimmer along with small or large profile swimbaits if you cover water.”
No trout plants are scheduled on the Kings this week, and the flows have risen from 1,229 to 2,482 cfs. Moau said, “Berkeley Mice Tails, Pinched crawlers in floating or garlic, small spoons, or garlic Power Bait are working for the recent planters.” A trout derby was held last weekend at Avocado Lake with some large, planted rainbows landed. The lake rose 9 feet this week to 874.01 feet in elevation and 60%. Two bass tournaments are scheduled in March.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 3 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
The main San Luis reservoir remains outstanding for numbers of striped bass with Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reporting pile worms, anchovies, or jumbo minnows are all working inside of Portuguese Cove along with the rock bluff on the right-hand side from Dinosaur Point. Small fluke-style baits, paddletail swimbaits, or Keitechs in the 5- to 6-inch range are also effective. Tas Moau reported a wide-open striper bite with 7- to 10-inch glide baits, Duo Realis 120 or 130 jerkbaits, or Lucky Craft 128. Covering water is the key.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the hot shoreline bite has slowed with the full moon coming Tuesday. “The trolling reaction bite was off on Friday, but next week I expect it to return.“ George reported. In the O’Neill Forebay, anglers are showing up with waders in the evening hours to cast reaction baits. Pile worms, sardines, or anchovies are all producing small stripers, but many fish must be released to produce a two-fish limit over 18 inches. The main lake rose to 85% with the forebay dropping to 77%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir is closed to public access through April 2026.
High Sierra
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 1
Tas Moua reported the water temperature has risen to the 50/51-degree range, and the bass should be moving up into the shallows. He said, “Once the water temperature reaches 53 to 55 degrees, the bass will moving into the docks.” Mike Beighey of ‘Fishing Bass Lake with Mike’ reported the boat launch is clear, and the snow melt is filling the lake. He said, “You should be able to launch without a problem in a week or so. Fishing from shore with rainbow Power Bait remains the ticket across from either the Pine’s Resort or the Sheriff’s Tower. It is going to be a good year for trout trolling.” A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. No bass tournaments are scheduled throughout March.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 2
Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle said, “Shaver Lake survived a dumping of about 5 feet of snow recently, but it is now experiencing beautiful sunny days. Jarrett Watson, fishing department manager at Shaver Lake Sports reported several anglers have come through the store, but they are reporting slow results. There have been a few brown trout being caught, but still no mixed limits. A good layer of snow surrounds the banks of the lake, but the ramps have been plowed.” The next meeting of Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project is March 14 at 10:00 am in Room 44 at Sierra High School in Tollhouse. The meeting is open to the public.
Check the launch ramp at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions.
Ocean
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 3
Mickey Clements of Coyote Bait and Tackle in Morgan Hill reported continued tremendous surf perch fishing to 15 inches from Rio Del Mar south of Santa Cruz toward Monterey. He said, “The size of the perch has consistently been in the 14/15-inch range. We are having a hard time keeping the Mekini Baitz, Honey Badgers, or Lucky 13 grubs in the shop, and we are limiting family units to three packages of the baits. Striped bass are showing up ‘here and there.’
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “Also fishing slowed for boats out of Monterey last week, likely due to the large northwest swell that steamed through the area, sand dabs, Petrale sole and mackerel are back on the bite as conditions settled. A few big halibut were reported caught on the shell beds off Del Monte Beach this week in 100-to 120 feet of water by kayak anglers. “
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay/Half Moon Bay
Halibut 2 Striper 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2
There is cautious optimism on the ocean salmon front as the adult ocean salmon abundance was estimated at 392,349 fish along with the highest jack counts since 2011, reflecting the benefits of wet years and healthy river flows during last Wednesday’s California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Salmon Information Meeting. The next steps in the process are the March 4-9 Pacific Fishery Council Meeting (PFMC) in Sacramento for the development of a range of ocean fishing season alternatives. Final season recommendations will be adopted at the April 7-12 meeting of the PFMC.
Striped bass action remains strong in San Pablo Bay as Captain Trent Slate of Bite Me Charters out of Paradise Cove limited out with linesides from 8 to 12 pounds soaking ghost shrimp or mud shrimp on the anchor. Slate said, “We didn’t get have any sturgeon hook ups, but there have been boats catching and releasing sturgeon in San Pablo.” The area from lines connecting Point Chauncy to Point Richmond, the Bay Bridge, and Point Lobos to Point Bonita is closed through March 15 to protect sturgeon during the herring run. Halibut trolling is picking up in the South Bay.”
The Pacific Pier remains crowded on weekends and holidays, and the coming storms may shut down access to the pier for a few days. The status of the pier is available here – https://www.cityofpacifica.org/departments/public-works/field-services/pacifica-pier.
San Luis Obispo
Surf perch 2
Boat-based rockfish season will not reopen until April 2026, and shore fishing for surf perch or rockfish is the only game in town during the coming months.
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
The California Delta is turning on for all species as the water is starting to clear up after the storms from the previous week. Captain Joey Gamez of Golden State Sport Fishing found outstanding striped bass action trolling Yo-Zuri Crystal Minnows at depth from 15 to 22 feet despite the stained water in the Sacramento River. Sturgeon action in Suisun Bay remains phenomenal with six-pack operators reporting over 20 diamondbacks to the boat. Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors was out with Right Hook Sport Fishing, and they released over 20 diamondbacks to 6 feet with a few double hook ups. They left at 1:00 pm having had plenty of action for the day. Cured salmon roe remains the key. There is a tremendous amount of floating debris including logs, and this requires boaters to be cautious when on anchor. Largemouth bass action is also picking up despite the off-color water conditions, and the Nor Cal Bass hosted 47 boats in the east Delta on Saturday with two big fish at 9.12 and 7.41 weighed in. Tournament director, Dave King, said, “Most of the teams weighed in.” Going slow is the key.
Events:
March 13-15 – Kern County Fairgrounds – Sportsmen’s RV and Boat Show – information – https://www.calshows.com/.
Tournament Results:
Don Pedro – Best Bass Tournaments Central Division – February 28th: 1st –Forrest Brazelton/Brandon Yang – 30.63 (Big Fish – 10.66); 2nd – Brett and Brian Barber – 19.63; 3rd – Yoham Chang/Xong Heu -16.85.
Delta/Paradise Point – NorCal Bass – February 28th: 1st – Lorenzo/Luca Rossetti – 25.89; 2nd – Tyler Bussart/Aaron Sapp – 21.11; 3rd – Jamond Andrews/Harvey Pulliam -20.30. Big Fish – Clint Groenewald – 9.12.
This story was originally published March 2, 2026 at 11:53 AM.
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The Fresno Bee
Christopher Kirkpatrick is senior editor of The Fresno Bee and Vida en el Valle.