California fishing reports
410 reports for California — what's biting, water temps, and where to focus.
Salmon bite improves off Half Moon Bay as NorCal seas run rough
Captain Jared Davis aboard the Salty Lady out of Half Moon Bay reports vastly improved salmon conditions below Pigeon Point, per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater. Water has cooled to 54°F from the 58°F reading logged at the April 11 season opener — the four-degree drop pushed bonita offshore but firmed up the chinook bite. Unfortunately, NOAA buoy 46013 off Bodega recorded 10.5-foot seas and 10 m/s winds Monday morning, and buoy 46026 showed comparable 9.5-foot swells, keeping most private vessels at the dock. A New Moon phase now underway sharpens tidal swings and can improve low-light bite windows for both offshore and bay-side anglers when conditions allow a run. Inside SF Bay, halibut and striped bass should be in their typical late-spring pattern along channel ledges, though no specific charter or shop reports for bay-side action came through this cycle's feeds. Watch for the next swell window before booking an offshore run.
Tuna Creep Into 1-Day Range as Warm SoCal Waters Come Alive for May
Water temps holding at 65°F across the LA Bight — confirmed by NOAA buoys 46025 and 46221 — are fueling an early offshore push that SoCal anglers haven't seen in years. Western Outdoor News reports bluefin and yellowfin tuna have already moved into grounds southwest of San Diego, well within 1-day-trip range, and the first albacore in the San Diego fleet in several years was gaffed April 30 aboard the Tribute. Two- and three-day trips are adding yellowtail and early dorado to the mix. Closer in, Surf Fishing in So Cal calls May a turnaround after a mixed April: "things are starting to come together in a big way." Corbina and leopard shark are the go-to surf targets right now, and 65°F water has them active along sandy beaches throughout the region. Wave heights of 4.3–5.2 ft (buoys 46221 and 46025) will add texture to the surf zone — plan your beach entries accordingly.
Salmon push rebounds off Half Moon Bay as Central Coast cools
Cooler water along the CA Central Coast is translating directly to improved salmon fishing, per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater. Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady, working out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, reports that water temperatures have dropped to 54°F — down from 58°F at the start of salmon season in April — and that the change "makes a huge difference on the water." Boats working the zone below Pigeon Point are finding "vastly improved salmon conditions," while bonita that congregated during the warmer early-season water have departed. Buoy readings confirm the temperature story: NOAA buoy 46042 logged 52°F offshore Monday morning, with buoy 46028 recording 55°F. The significant caveat is sea state — all three Central Coast buoys show wave heights between roughly 10 and 14 feet on sustained winds, making offshore runs a rough proposition today. Rockfish and lingcod remain typical mid-May nearshore targets, though no specific bite reports for those species are available from current sources.
Improving salmon bite builds along the NorCal coast as cold upwelling locks in
Water at NOAA buoy 46026 is reading 49°F offshore of San Francisco, confirming the deep cold-water upwelling pattern defining NorCal coastal fishing this week. The clearest signal comes from Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, where Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing reports 'vastly improved salmon conditions below Pigeon Point,' noting water temps cooled from 58°F at the April 11 season opener to around 54°F. Davis credits that four-degree drop with pushing warm-water bonito offshore and resetting the grounds for Chinook. Temperatures appear even colder further north, matching the offshore San Francisco reading at buoy 46026. NOAA buoy 46013 near Bodega is logging sustained northwest winds of 16 m/s — a rougher picture for offshore runs out of the north bay. Today's new moon brings amplified tidal exchanges that typically activate striped bass and halibut inside the Golden Gate.
SoCal Surf Fishing Heats Up as Offshore Tuna Push Within Striking Distance
Both NOAA buoys logged 65°F surface water this weekend — notably warm for the LA Bight in mid-May — and Surf Fishing in So Cal declares that "May has delivered" after a sluggish April, with conditions now "starting to come together in a big way." Corbina and leopard shark are the headline surf targets per Surf Fishing in So Cal's May report, with the corbina run picking up in the swash zone as water temps clear the mid-60s threshold. Offshore, Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports bluefin and yellowfin tuna have pushed into 1-day range out of San Diego, with a rare albacore — the first San Diego fleet albacore in years — gaffed April 30 aboard the Tribute out of Mission Bay. Longer-range San Diego trips are also turning up yellowtail and early dorado, per Western Outdoor News. If the warm water mass holds or nudges north, LA Bight and Channel Islands boats could find pelagic action closer to home than a typical May allows.
Salmon bite improving off Pigeon Point as cooling water draws fish in
Water temperatures have dropped to the mid-50s along the Central Coast, and per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady out of Half Moon Bay reports "vastly improved salmon conditions below Pigeon Point" since the water cooled from 58°F in April. NOAA buoy 46042 confirms 52°F near Monterey; buoy 46028 logs 57°F off Point Conception; buoy 46026 reads 49°F farther north. The cooling trend is exactly what Chinook salmon want — and the fish appear to be responding. The obstacle right now is access: all three Central Coast buoys are reporting wave heights between 12.8 and 14.1 feet with sustained winds up to 16 m/s, keeping most sport-fishing vessels at the dock. Anglers who can wait out the swell should focus below Pigeon Point and through the Half Moon Bay corridor when seas moderate. New Moon tides this weekend will drive strong tidal currents that concentrate baitfish near bay entrances and reef edges — a timing advantage worth planning around once conditions allow.
Delta bass and stripers prime as late-spring warmth arrives
USGS gauge 11447650 logged 69°F and 15,800 cfs in the Sacramento-Delta on May 17 — water temperatures firmly in the prime feeding range for both largemouth bass and striped bass as the region works through its post-spawn transition. Angler-intel feeds this cycle did not include Delta-specific dispatches from citable sources, so the conditions below draw on the gauge data and established seasonal patterns rather than fresh on-water testimony. At 69°F, post-spawn largemouth should be scattering off beds toward shaded shoreline structure and tule mat margins; topwater and frog presentations are historically productive during the overlapping bluegill spawn, a timing trigger Tactical Bassin (blog) documented this week as producing aggressive big-bass behavior across comparable freshwater fisheries. Striped bass remain the Delta's signature mid-spring target; expect them to be holding on main-channel edges and points where tidal current concentrates on the New Moon cycle. Check NorCal Fish Reports' Delta section for the latest guide and shop intel before launching.
High Delta Flows Push Spring Stripers Into Backwater Sloughs
USGS gauge 11455420 recorded 119,000 cfs on the Sacramento River on the morning of May 17 — a notably elevated reading that signals robust snowmelt runoff still pressing through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. At that volume, main-channel turbidity runs high and the normal tidal pulse is largely masked by freshwater volume, driving fish out of open cuts and into slower-water refuges: tule edges, backwater sloughs, and eddies behind levee bends. No current catch reports from Delta guides or tackle shops reached our sources this pull; NorCal Fish Reports covers the Delta regularly but no specific recent bite data was available at collection time. Based on mid-May seasonal patterns for this system, striped bass are typically in the back half of their upstream spring run, largemouth bass are wrapping up or just past their spawn, and channel catfish hold reliably in murky conditions. High current demands slow presentations and structure-tight casts.
Cooling NorCal Coast Sparks Salmon Surge Below Pigeon Point
Water off the NorCal coast has cooled sharply since mid-April, and salmon anglers are reaping the reward. Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing told Western Outdoor News — Saltwater that conditions below Pigeon Point 'vastly improved' after surface temps dropped to 54°F — four degrees below the 58°F reading at the April 11 season opener. NOAA buoy 46026 logs an even colder 49°F as of Sunday morning, confirming the regional cool-down. The bonita that briefly cluttered early-season salmon sets have dispersed with the falling temps. Both buoy stations are recording sustained winds of 25–27 knots, so Bodega-area captains and small-boat anglers should verify advisories before departure. The New Moon is generating strong spring tides — a reliable driver of bait concentrations along rip lines and bay structure — and conditions favor a productive window for striped bass and halibut inside the bay when the wind lays down.
Warm Water Pulls Tuna and Yellowtail Into SoCal Range Well Ahead of Schedule
Water temperatures of 62–64°F across the LA Bight — logged by NOAA buoys 46025 and 46221 — are running significantly above typical mid-May norms, and the warm conditions are already paying dividends offshore. Per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, spring bluefin and yellowfin tuna have crept into one-day range southwest of San Diego, with the first San Diego fleet albacore in years gaffed April 30 aboard the Tribute out of Mission Bay. Yellowtail and early dorado are also showing on multi-day trips heading south. Closer to shore, Surf Fishing in So Cal notes that late spring marks the opening window for corbina and leopard shark along SoCal sandy beaches — both species favor the 60°F-plus water range now present. A New Moon this weekend drives stronger tidal swings, favorable for bait movement and predator feeding windows along the surf line and shallow inshore structure.
Half Moon Bay Salmon Improving as Chinook Move Below Pigeon Point
Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady, working out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing, reported 'vastly improved salmon conditions' below Pigeon Point this week, per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater. The catalyst: water temps have cooled to 54°F after sitting at 58°F when salmon season opened April 11, and Davis noted the bonita 'took a hike' with the drop — a shift that typically favors Chinook, which thrive in cooler water. NOAA buoy 46042 backs the trend at 52°F, with buoy 46028 reading 56°F to the north. The immediate concern is sea state: wave heights of 15–16 feet across the offshore buoy network, combined with sustained winds of 11–16 m/s, will sideline most private-boat anglers this weekend. When conditions ease, the new moon's strong tidal swings should concentrate baitfish along upwelling edges and structure below Pigeon Point — the same productive zone Davis flagged for this fleet.
Delta Bass On Fire as Bluegill Spawn Pulls Big Fish Into the Shallows
USGS gauge 11447650 logged the Sacramento at 69°F and 2,840 cfs early Sunday morning — water temperatures that put Delta largemouth squarely in post-spawn recovery mode with the bluegill spawn right on the doorstep. With no dedicated Delta captain or shop report arriving in this cycle, the clearest technique signal comes from Tactical Bassin, whose current coverage on bluegill-spawn bass fishing emphasizes shallow heavy cover and topwater frogs as the primary big-fish play right now. Striped bass remain an active presence across the Sacramento-Delta system at these temperatures, historically holding along channel edges and tidal rip points through late May. Catfish are coming alive with the warming trend. NorCal Fish Reports maintains a dedicated Delta regional section — pull their latest update before launching for the most current spot-specific intel. The new moon this weekend compresses the bite toward first and last light.