California fishing reports
701 reports for California — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Striped bass push through the SoCal Bight as warm water lingers
NOAA's San Pedro tide station (9410170) is reading 75°F this morning, with Santa Monica (9410230) trailing at 73°F, keeping the LA Bight solidly in warm late-September territory. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater's latest SoCal Bight report flags striped bass activity swarming the region this week, with action extending out toward the Channel Islands. It's a promising signal heading into the weekend, though anglers should treat it as an early-week read rather than a confirmed pattern until more reports come in.
Shoreline stripers show near Santa Cruz as NorCal water cools
Water temperatures split across the region this morning: NOAA CO-OPS station 9416841 read 53.4°F and station 9418767 read 57.6°F, both logged around 10am, a gap consistent with typical late-September upwelling along this stretch. Per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, Allen Bushnell reported a shoreline striper landed near Santa Cruz this week, with the angler working the surf line behind diving birds and bait. That pattern, bass keying on bait pushed tight to the beach, lines up with the cooler water now showing at the northern station.
Big-Game Gains Continue Off San Diego as Bight Water Warms
NOAA's CO-OPS gauge off San Diego (station 9410170) read 76.3°F this morning, while station 9410230 farther north came in cooler at 71.2°F, the kind of temperature split typical across the SoCal Bight in late September. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports at least three trophy-class gamefish over 400 pounds landed off San Diego in the past two weeks, with strong big-game activity continuing throughout the Bight, including waters off the Channel Islands.
Delta stripers set to stir as fall turnover begins under full moon
The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is moving into its fall turnover this week, with a Full Moon driving the strongest tidal exchange of the lunar cycle through the system's channels and sloughs. That stronger push typically stirs baitfish and predators alike as the Delta shifts out of its late-summer pattern.
Stripers hold steady on California's coast as water cools
Water temperatures at our two regional NOAA tide stations read 54.7°F and 53.6°F as of Sunday evening, the seasonal slide that marks late September along the Northern California coast. Farther south near Santa Cruz, Western Outdoor News — Saltwater's Allen Bushnell reports shoreline striped bass activity holding steady this week, with fish working close to the beach as bait and birds concentrate along the shoreline.
Warm Bight water keeps offshore bite firing near the Channel Islands
Water in the Southern California Bight is running warm this week, with NOAA's San Diego station reading 76.3°F and the La Jolla gauge close behind at 73.6°F. That warmth lines up with what Western Outdoor News — Saltwater is describing offshore: a strong push of big gamefish moving through the Bight and around the Northern Channel Islands, with San Diego-based boats reporting some of the best trophy-class action in recent memory. Surf anglers are getting a different story. Surf Fishing in So Cal has been chronicling an unusually rough 2026 season tied to El Niño conditions, a reminder that warm water offshore doesn't always translate to easy beach fishing.
Shoreline stripers show near Santa Cruz as Central Coast tide builds
Water off Monterey Bay held at 61.2°F this morning, while the Port San Luis station further south on the Central Coast read warmer at 64.4°F. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports shoreline striped bass showing up around Santa Cruz this week, with strong nearshore action across Monterey Bay. The same outlet notes similar striper activity further south in the SoCal Bight, suggesting fish are working a broad stretch of the California coastline right now.
Surf stripers hold as Northern California water cools
Northern California's two NOAA CO-OPS stations show a real split this week: 58.6°F at one gauge versus 53.2°F at the other, roughly a five-degree gap that reflects how much colder the open coast runs than sheltered bay water this time of year. That split lines up with what Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reported out of the Santa Cruz area, where striped bass are holding tight to the beach and anglers are working the surf line behind diving birds and bait pushed shoreward. It's a shoreline pattern rather than a boat bite right now, with the birds doing most of the locating work for anglers walking the beach.
Shoreline stripers surface near Santa Cruz as fall tides build
Central Coast water eased into the low-to-mid 60s this weekend, with Monterey Harbor reading 62.8°F and Port San Luis at 64.8°F as of Saturday night. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports a striped bass taken along the surf near Santa Cruz this week, with local angler Malakai Armenta working the beach by following diving birds and bait schools pinned tight to shore.
Striped bass push through the SoCal Bight toward the Channel Islands
NOAA CO-OPS station 9410170 is reading 76°F this morning, while station 9410230 nearby runs noticeably cooler at 69°F, a real thermocline split across the Bight this week. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports striped bass activity swarming throughout the SoCal Bight, with fish showing as far out as the Northern Channel Islands. That's the headline for anglers working the surf line and nearshore structure right now: stripers are moving, and the warmer pocket is likely concentrating bait and predators tighter than usual this week. Anglers working the beach should lean on the trough-and-rip structure identification tactics Surf Fishing in So Cal has been detailing this season, especially with the surf running rougher than usual most of this year.
Sacramento-Delta shifts into fall mode under a full moon
Late September marks the seasonal turn in the Sacramento-Delta, as freshwater fish respond to cooling water and shortening days heading into fall. The full moon overhead this week tends to concentrate feeding activity around the dawn and dusk hours, and anglers who time trips around those low-light windows typically see the most consistent action in Delta backwaters and channels this time of year.
Striped bass push holds along the Northern California coast
Water temperatures at our two Northern California reference stations read 54.9°F and 55.8°F this week, a typical mid-50s mark for late September as the coast eases from summer into fall. Along the coast to the south, Western Outdoor News — Saltwater's Allen Bushnell reports a strong shoreline striped bass bite out of the Santa Cruz-Monterey Bay stretch, with fish showing tight to the beach as they track bait.