California Fishing Reports

Chinook salmon are showing strongly along the Central Coast, with Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reporting a genuine upgrade in conditions after northwest winds drove upwelling that dropped sea surface temperatures four to five degrees. Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady out of Half Moon Bay confirmed water temps fell to 54°F below Pigeon Point, a stark improvement from the 58°F readings that opened the season in April. NOAA buoys are backing that picture: buoy 46042 (Monterey) reads 59°F while buoy 46026 shows a cooler 51°F farther offshore, reflecting the active upwelling cell. The nutrient-rich cold water is pulling baitfish to the surface and setting up feeding lanes the Chinook are beginning to exploit. Conditions are rough — buoys 46028 and 46026 report wave heights between 10.8 and 11.5 feet with winds near 11–12 m/s — so offshore runs should wait for a calmer window. A Waxing Gibbous moon this week favors low-light bite windows at dawn.

17h ago

USGS gauge 11455420 registered a strong tidal backflow of -63,800 cfs on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta at midday on May 26, reflecting an active flood-tide push through the slough network — a reliable trigger for feeding activity along current breaks and tule edges. Water temperature was unavailable from the gauge this period. NorCal Fish Reports covers Delta conditions in their weekly roundup, though no Delta-specific catch details surfaced in this week's available feeds. Late May typically marks the tail end of the striped bass spawn, with fish transitioning back from upriver staging areas into the broader tidal network and entering a post-spawn feeding recovery. Largemouth bass are in classic post-spawn mode: males guarding fry in shallow tule margins, females recovering and pushing toward adjacent mid-depth structure. The waxing gibbous moon supports amplified tidal swings and stronger dawn and dusk feeding windows through the week. Confirm current conditions at NorCal Fish Reports before launching.

20h ago

Water temperature at NOAA buoy 46026 has dropped to 51°F, a reading that lines up with the Chinook salmon improvement playing out along the NorCal coast right now. Per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady out of Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing reports water temps falling to 54°F below Pigeon Point, down four degrees from the 58°F recorded at the season's start on April 11, saying it 'makes a huge difference on the water.' From Monterey, Allen Bushnell (Western Outdoor News — Saltwater) adds that northwest winds have intensified upwelling, pulling cool, nutrient-rich water to the surface and concentrating baitfish that draw Chinook into feeding position. The timing looks right for late May. For now, seas are running 9.8-11.2 feet across both offshore buoys, so offshore access is on hold until the wind backs off.

21h ago

Water temps holding at 64-65°F across the LA Bight per NOAA buoys 46025 and 46221, with 3.6-foot swells at the outer buoy. A Memorial Day half-day trip report on BD Outdoors Forums from the Victory on May 25 put five sculpin, whitefish limits, and five miscellaneous rockfish on the board, working the sculpin grounds before wind built to sporty levels in the afternoon. Overnight charter trips to San Clemente Island targeting white seabass and rockfish are booking into June and July per AllCoast Forum, consistent with late May sitting inside the traditional peak window for WSB along the Channel Islands. Forum discussion on BD Outdoors is generating buzz around local bluefin: anglers are rigging tungsten jigs ahead of June trips on the Searcher, though that bite has not been corroborated by a charter or shop report as of this update. Light westerlies and a waxing gibbous moon favor evening windows through the weekend.

21h ago

Water temps at NOAA buoy 46042 are reading 56°F off Monterey, and that cool reading is precisely the signal salmon chasers have been waiting for. Western Outdoor News — Saltwater reports the Central Coast Chinook situation has shaped up to be "actually looking pretty good," with northwest winds driving an upwelling event that pulls nutrient-rich cold water to the surface and concentrates baitfish from the Santa Cruz area southward. Up at Half Moon Bay, Captain Jared Davis of the Salty Lady (via Western Outdoor News — Saltwater) says water below Pigeon Point has fallen to 54°F after the season opened four degrees warmer, a swing he calls game-changing. The waxing gibbous moon and building northwest swell running at 6.6 ft at buoys 46042 and 46028 are keeping conditions sporty, so plan early-morning departures before afternoon wind builds. Rockfish and lingcod hold on structure throughout the region as typical for late May saltwater conditions.

1d ago

USGS gauge 11447650 on the Sacramento River recorded 69°F and 12,900 cfs this morning, the only direct conditions signal available for the Delta this cycle. At nearly 70 degrees, largemouth bass have largely cleared their beds and are shifting into post-spawn recovery patterns along tule edges and submerged grass lines. Striped bass, which finish their upper-Sacramento spawn earlier in the season, are dispersing back into the Delta's channel network and hunting baitfish wherever the elevated flow creates rip seams and back-eddies. Channel catfish are entering one of their most productive temperature windows of the year at this reading. No specific Delta captain or tackle-shop reports were available from our sources this cycle; conditions here reflect gauge data paired with what is typical for this region at this time of year. The building waxing gibbous moon is amplifying tidal swing in the lower channels — plan around moving water for the best bite windows this week.

1d ago

USGS gauge 11447650 logged Sacramento-Delta water at 69°F and 1,650 cfs on the morning of May 26, placing conditions squarely in the late-spring transition zone. NorCal Fish Reports carries a dedicated Delta section in its weekly rundown, though specific on-the-water dispatches from that feed were not captured in this reporting cycle. At 69°F, largemouth bass have typically completed their spawn across the Delta's tule margins and backwater sloughs, and fish are now consolidating on adjacent structure to feed aggressively on shad and hitch ahead of the summer heat. Striped bass, which push into the Delta system through spring, are winding down the run at these temperatures and beginning to stage back toward the Bay. Channel catfish activity typically picks up as water climbs through the upper 60s. Flow at 1,650 cfs is a moderate late-spring level, keeping tidal influence meaningful through the lower channels and creating clean current breaks for staging fish.

1d ago

USGS gauge 11455420 recorded a strong reverse tidal flow of approximately -101,000 cfs through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta on the evening of May 25, signaling a powerful incoming tidal push running through the channels. No water temperature was available from the gauge, though late May typically carries main-channel readings into the low-to-mid 60s°F across the system. Delta-specific biting reports were sparse in this week's feeds, so the species outlook below reflects seasonal patterns rather than confirmed on-water testimony. The most relevant angler intel comes from Wired 2 Fish, whose current post-spawn bass coverage maps directly onto what Delta largemouth are doing right now: after the spawn, some fish chase shad aggressively near flats and vegetation edges, while others stay shallow and spooky, requiring slower finesse presentations. The waxing gibbous moon is amplifying tidal energy, which typically concentrates both largemouth and striped bass on current seams and channel edges during tidal transitions.

1d ago

USGS gauge 11447650 logged 70°F water and 9,380 cfs on the morning of May 25, placing Sacramento-Delta largemouth bass firmly in post-spawn transition. Wired 2 Fish published a detailed post-spawn breakdown this week noting that fish divide between aggressive open-water feeding on shad spawns and spooky, shallow-holding behavior near their beds. Topwater presentations during low-light windows can produce, with midday fish pulling to deeper channel structure. Forum reports on The Fly Fishing Forum describe a strong shad run developing on the American River upstream, with one angler counting more than 20 fish to the net in a two-hour evening session and landing a bonus Sacramento pikeminnow exceeding 30 inches. Shad movement on the Sacramento system typically peaks through May and draws striped bass into tidal corridors below. Flow at 9,380 cfs is moderate for late May, keeping the system accessible across the Delta.

1d ago

The Sacramento River is carrying 71,300 cfs through the Delta system this morning per USGS gauge 11455420, reflecting an elevated late-May snowmelt pulse that is pushing turbid water into the main channels. Angler chatter on The Fly Fishing Forum reports the American shad run firing hard on Delta-tributary rivers: one fly angler tallied more than 20 fish to the net in just two evening hours on the American River, with a bonus 30-inch Sacramento pikeminnow that burned backing twice on a 6-weight. Late May is the classic peak window for shad through this corridor, and high flows tend to extend the run by keeping fish staging longer than in dry years. For bass, Wired 2 Fish's post-spawn breakdown describes the current phase well: some fish are gorging aggressively while others are shallow and spooky. We're seeing the interior sloughs offer the cleanest water and best fish-holding conditions right now. Seek current relief behind island points and tule lines.

2d ago

NOAA buoy 46026 reads 55°F this morning, squarely in the productive range for Chinook salmon along the NorCal coast. Per Western Outdoor News — Saltwater, Central Coast guide Allen Bushnell reports that northwest winds and upwelling have knocked water temps down 4-5 degrees over the past week, with the Chinook outlook now looking "pretty good." Half Moon Bay Sport Fishing's Captain Jared Davis confirmed to Western Outdoor News — Saltwater that temperatures below Pigeon Point have dropped to 54°F, down from 58°F when salmon season opened April 11, and Davis noted the cooler water has made a significant difference on the bite. Seas are running around 5.6 feet per buoy 46013, so offshore windows will depend on swell easing. Striped bass season is ramping into its late-May stride in the bay, while Pacific halibut typically occupy prime feeding grounds this time of year, though no specific charter or shop intel confirms current bite activity for either species this week.

2d ago

Water temps of 62–64°F across the LA Bight, per NOAA buoys 46221 and 46025, are setting the stage for a strong late-May window in Southern California. Surf Fishing in So Cal reports May has delivered after a mixed April, with the region now settled into a comfortable weather pattern and conditions building toward what could be the best fishing of the season. Corbina are the prime near-term target along sandy surf zones, and leopard shark action from shore is running alongside them — the same source calls leopard sharks more approachable than most anglers assume, with the right bait presentation in sandy-bottomed troughs often making the difference. Wave heights of 3 feet at buoy 46221 are workable for surf casters, and light winds from buoy 46025 point to favorable casting conditions this week. With the First Quarter moon generating building tidal movement, expect action to concentrate around tide pushes in the days ahead.

2d ago