Top 5 fishing spots in Central CA: Fresno-area lakes highlighted: Bass, Millerton, Shaver, Huntington
Fishing report compiled by California Outdoors Hall of Fame member Dave Hurley and edited by Roger George, who guides in the greater Fresno area and holds the striper record at Millerton Lake.
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
Top 5 Picks
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 2 Kokanee 3 King salmon 2 Crappie 2
Don Pedro was extremely busy over the past weekend with the 75-boat Angler’s Press event along with Bass Angler Magazine’s Kayak Tournament. Matt Frazier of Denair took his second consecutive first place, though he reported a very tough bite requiring he and his partner to change tactics to junk fishing is areas they believed held big fish. They were rewarded with three larger bass which put them over the top. Kayak world champion, Damian Thao of Fresno, continued his regular practice of placing high on the leader board with a 5th place finish in the kayak tournament by switching over to a 1st Gen Top Spin, and the bass were biting. Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto added, “The reaction bite slowed down except jerkbaits, and it is more of a finesse bite with jigs or plastics on the drop-shot or Ned-rig at depths from the banks to 20 feet. For kokanee, Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing found good action for 8 kokanee, 3 kings, and 3 rainbow trout running Hawken Simon Hot Tails or hoochies at depths from 30 to 40 feet. Smith said, “The fish are holding together at the same depths, but the schools are scattered. The kokanee are fat and healthy, and one weighed 1.75 pounds.” Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service has also migrated over to Pedro due to the quality of kokanee, and he said, “Apex lures or spinners have been effective at depths to 30 feet at 1.5 mph.” The lake will experience intense fishing pressure with 8 tournaments on the schedule in May and 8 more in June. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. A self-inspection is required for launching.
Isabella/Kaweah/Success/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https://www.tackleandrod.com/weekly-fishing-report.
New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Bass 3 Kokanee 3 Trout 2
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported catching limits of kokanee hasn’t been a problem, but the landlocked sockeye salmon are much smaller than found at Don Pedro. He said, “The wind over the past week brought the kokanee much closer to the surface, and we were picking them up at depths from 10 to 50 feet. To entice strikes, we are varying speeds and doing S-curves when we find the fish on our electronics. Rainbow trout to 3 pounds have been a revelation, and pink/gold Jpex lures behind a Paulina Peak’s gold hammered dodger are working for both kokanee and rainbows.” For bass, Aaron Jones reported jigs, underspins, or plastics on the drop-shot are all working at depths from the banks to 20 feet along with a topwater bite in overcast conditions.” The lake hours will change on May 1 with both Glory Hole and Tuttletown open from 6:30 am to 8:00 pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Glory Hole will be the only ramp open starting at 8:00 am Monday through Thursday. . All boats must be quarantined for 30 days or decontaminated at the New Melones Marina. The decontamination unit is only available on Fridays by appointment only until May 1. The marina is expected to open May 1. There are two kokanee tournaments on the lake in June with Kokanee Power on the June 6 and the Central Valley Anglers on June 20.
Bass Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 0
The annual Bass Lake Chamber of Commerce Trout Derby is this coming weekend May 2/3 with over $55,000 in total cash prizes including two tagged fish worth $10k, one $5k fish, 147 $100 fish, and 850 $20 fish for a total of 1000 tagged fish. Information and registration: https://www.basslakechamber.com/fishing-derby. Bass Lake guide Mike Beighey of Mike’s Bass Lake Charters said, “ The trout bite is hot right now as the Department of Fish and Wildlife made a good plant of large trout last week. On two trips thus week, my guests have all limited out trolling Dick’s Shaver and Brook Trout Busters tipped with piece of nightcrawler behind orange Super, watermelon or pink Mountain Dodgers. We have found them in most parts of the lake in the upper 12 feet.” A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. Two bass tournaments are scheduled in May with none in June.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 3
A rainstorm hit lake over the weekend, and there were few boats out, but prior to the storm, Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle reported, “The kokanee bite at Shaver continues to flourish with most boats reporting multiple limits, and the trout bite has vastly improved with the possibility of limits including at least one trophy-sized rainbow. Dave Loftin of Visalia caught and released multiple limits of both species on his last three trips running Dick’s Trout Busters in Texas Tea tipped with a Berkley white brub behind a Demon Dick’s Mountain Flasher the side pole at depths from 10 to 15 feet down along with an orange Dick’s Mountain Hoochie tipped with the white grub behind a Dick’s Hawaiian Mountain Dodger at 25 feet on the downrigger. He found good action along the dam, the Point, and Black Rock including a 5.8-pound rainbow released. Wade Oberman from Auberry also found success with two limits of kokanee and rainbow trout using similar gear.” who picked up two limits of kokes and trout each for him and his guest. The lake has risen to 76%, and the Shaver Marina will be completely in place by Friday, May 1st. Currently, a row of docks is connected to shore, and some resident boats will move in. The Sierra Marina is readying for its upcoming opener. Check with both the Sierra and Shaver marinas for rental boat availability. Check the launch ramp at http://www.sierramarina.com/webcam-weather-page.html for conditions. Huntington dropped slightly to 95 % as what remains of the snowpack is rapidly melting. Online registration begins on May 1 for the June 13 Greg Marks Youth Fishing Derby. This event fills up quickly. The next meeting of the Shaver Lake Trophy Trout Project is May 9 at 10:00 am in Room 44 of Sierra High School.
Delta/Stockton
Bass 3 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
For the first time since 2022, salmon fishing will be allowed in the Sacramento River with the season opening from the Golden Gate upriver on July 16 with a 2/fish daily limit and 4/fish in possession. Above Woodson Bridge on the upper Sacramento River, the season will open on August 1. Striped bass remains outstanding once the fish are found, and Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors found an ‘epic’ bite with Bailzy Baits swimbaits on Monday near Eddo’s Marina on the San Joaquin River. Fong’s videographer, Denise Loo, said, “We were looking around for some time, but once we found them, it was on. I released a 10 pounder on my first cast, and we must have caught and released 30 fish to 25 pounds within an hour as we had doubles and triples throughout the hour.” Fong released two stripers over 20 pounds. The stripers were reacting to a plant of large salmon smolts near Eddo’s, but these fish have moved out as the smolts moved towards the bay. Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sport Fishing put his clients onto limits of stripers on Saturday, but they went through 9 dozen minnows as undersized stripers were ‘everywhere.’ He said, “Early in the week, big fish were the rule, but these fish have moved out. There are still plenty of stripers around, but you have to find them and stay on top of them.”
For largemouth bass, Dave King of Nor Cal Bass reported 33 boats participated in Saturday’s tournament out of Paradise Point, and 8 limits were weighed in over 20 pounds. He said, “Punching was the technique for the top two places, but there was a frog bite in the early morning at the last of the outgoing tide.” The water of the east Delta has been stained after the past week’s inflow from rain. There is a topwater bite along with chatterbaits, but plastics are the top technique as the water temperatures have cooled from the low 70’s to the mid 60-degree range.
Few six-pack boats are targeting white sturgeon, but the bite remains tremendous in Suisun Bay with double-digit catches using cured salmon roe. White sturgeon season ends on June 1 before reopening October
Wishon/Courtright:
Several areas creeks will be planted this week, and Kelly Brewer of the Wishon RV Park and Store reported, “The lake is below the first turnaround, and with this weekend’s snow, it should come up some more. PGE has installed the docks at Wishon, and the gate should be open at Dinkey Creek by Friday, May 1. The crew is coming up to get the store ready on May 9, and the village should be open shortly after.” Road conditions –297-0706.
Ocean
Monterey/Santa Cruz
Rockfish 3 Salmon 2 Halibut 2 Striper 2 White seabass 1 Sand dabs 3 Surf perch 2
Allen Bushnell of Santa Cruz Kayak Fishing and Surf Casting Guide Service reported, “After a few days of decent weather last week and over the weekend, salmon anglers on Monterey Bay were just getting tuned in. Pickings remained slim, and skunks remained a common complaint. Some exceptionally good anglers (and some lucky ones) were bringing home limits, but they were the exception rather than the rule. Conditions degraded at the beginning of this week as another storm passed over our area bringing rain and stiff winds. Salmon anglers from Monterey were finding the fish just north of town, near Mulligan’s Hill and the Soldier’s Club. Scores were low, with an occasional limit reported. The salmon are getting bigger however, as the season slowly progresses. Moss Landing anglers chasing salmon don’t have far to travel. Straight out of the Harbor along the canyon edges in 250 to 300 feet, they’re finding the fish by trolling deep, right on the bottom. This is likely due to the unseasonably warm surface waters. If the main canyon is not producing, it’s a short boat ride to the Pajaro Hole to the north, or Mulligan’s Hill to the south in order to find fish. The Soquel Hole has produced most salmon for Santa Cruz anglers. Boats traveling up towards Davenport and the Pigeon Point area were mostly returning with blanks last week, but it seems a bite was developing in that area just before the storm hit. According to Todd Fraser at Bayside Marine, “There were a few better scores on salmon near Davenport. Anglers near Three Trees also caught a few salmon. Rockfishing out of Monterey is phenomenal right now. It’s early enough in the season that lingcod are abundant, even on the shallow 30 to 70-foot reefs. Boats launching from Capitola and Santa Cruz are finding very productive rockfishing with limits almost guaranteed. The deepwater reefs are producing best for larger fish and quicker limits. Halibut season is early this year. The smaller males are already on the beach and biting for pier fishermen in Santa Cruz .
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay/Half Moon Bay
Salmon 2 Halibut 2 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 3 Sturgeon 0 Crab 0
Salmon action below Pigeon Point is starting to improve with one boat returning with a fish per rod for 12 anglers over the weekend. The salmon remain very deep at depths from 150 to 200 feet, and it takes from 3 to 4 pounds of lead to stay down at these depths. Rockfishing at the Farallon Islands remains tremendous with Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing taking the same crew out on Saturday and Sunday for 8 limits of rockfish and six limits of quality ling cod on Saturday, following up with 8 limits of rockfish and 7 big ling cod on Sunday. Mitchell said, “The bite is really good, but we had to brave some sporty weather on Sunday, and along with a faster drift, the ling action was slower.”
Inside the bay, the stripers have gone MIA with the schools either heading outside the Gate and down the coast or into the Delta on their way to spawn upriver. Captain James Smith of California Dawn Sport Fishing said, “We had our best shot of halibut on Friday with 28 halibut to 27 pounds and 2 striped bass, but the action slowed a bit on Saturday and Sunday.
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
Rockfishing remains the story out of Morro Bay and Port San Luis with one boat from Morro Bay Landing returning with 16 limits of rockfish on Sunday consisting of 120 assorted, 32 vermilion, and 8 coppers to go with 19 ocean whitefish and a ling cod. Out of Patriot Sport Fishing at Port San Luis, three boats were out on Sunday with a combined 55 passengers for 184 assorted, 68 vermilion, 14 Boccaccio, and 3 coppers along with 18 ling cod to 8 pounds and a single Bonito.
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 2
157 anglers participated in the Striperz Gone Wild Spring Memorial Tournament on Saturday at the California Aqueduct at Volta Road near Los Banos. Club spokesman, Bill Sterling, said, “We collected over 2000 items of non-perishable food, and the food was delivered immediately to the Bethel Community Church in Los Banos to be distributed to 300 families the same day. Plenty of stripers were caught, but the largest fish was only 21 inches, and a youth angler landed the biggest fish.” One lucky family took home a kayak, paddle, and life vest. Further down the aqueduct, live sculpin or sculpin imitation plastics have been the ticket for striped bass in the evenings around Nees Road.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
The largemouth bass are in post-spawn and feeding heavily from the banks out to 20 feet. Experienced anglers are still scoring with large trout-patterned swimbaits, but with the incoming fronts, the bite windows are tight. Hensley continues to be ‘hit or miss’ for bass with the best action for bluegill, catfish, crappie, or carp. There is one bass tournament on the schedule at Eastman in May. Eastman is at 511.52 feet in elevation and 30% with Hensley at 500.12 feet in elevation and 42%.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 2 Trout 2 King salmon 2 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Aaron Jones reported the reaction bite has slowed, and finesse techniques of jigs or plastics on a drop-shot or Ned-rig have been most effective from the banks to 20 feet with the fish in post-spawn mode. Trout and kokanee trolling is productive for the few boats heading over to McClure. The Reel Deal Market & Cafe at Lake McClure is now open for weekends with Barrett Cove Cafe service returning on May 23. The lake rose 3 feet to 841.44 feet in elevation. There are five bass tournaments on the schedule in May, but only one in June.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 2 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Spotted bass continue chase shad into the banks with most fish taken on finesse techniques from the shoreline to 20 feet around large rock. Crappie are starting to school up around submerged structure and the docks in the marina. The lake rose 3.5 feet to 563.96 feet in elevation and 87%. There are no bass tournaments scheduled in May with only one in June.
Pine Flat Reservoir/Kings River
Bass 2 Trout 2 Kokanee 0 King salmon 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
The spotted bass remain in post-spawn, and with the fronts moving through, the reaction bite has slowed. Finesse techniques of plastics on a shakey head, finesse jigs, or dragging plastics on the bottom remain the most productive techniques. In the lower Kings River, a trout plant took place last week, and anglers continue to find success with Berkeley Mice Tails, Pinched crawlers in floating or garlic, small spoons, or garlic Power Bait in the transition from slow to fast water. The lake is at 922.30 feet elevation and 84%. There are no bass tournaments on the schedule in May or June.
San Luis Reservoir and O’Neill Forebay
Striper 2 Catfish 2 Bass 2 Crappie 2
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the fishing has been tough to pattern with the weather changes and fronts moving through the area. “ I keep thinking things will take off- especially since this should the spawning period- but there have been few milting males in our catches. I did a scout trip with a buddy and we finally found a school of active feeding fish in the main lake at about a 50 to 70’ depth . We ended the day with over 20 released fish – including one over 12 lbs - on minnow lures like the Lucky Craft in silver blue tones. Lately we’ve really had to work hard to find active fish, and in most cases it’s just one area. The algae is pretty heavy now, and the full moon is on Friday. Most guys were only getting one or two fish.” George said
The main lake dropped slightly to 86% with the dropping to 76%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir is closed to public access until May 11.
Lake McSwain
Trout 3
With last double plant double plant prior to the Merced Irrigation District’s Spring Trout Derby, there are plenty of fish remaining in the lake. During the derby, anglers were lined up shoulder-to-shoulder along the normal bank locations of the Brush Pile, Handicapped Docks, and the peninsula near the marina. Berkley’s Mice Tails, garlic-scented Power Bait, inflated nightcrawlers, or Kastmasters continue to be productive. Holdovers have headed upriver above the Fence Line, and this is one of the best locations for trollers. The lake held at 89%. Another plant is scheduled in May with two in June along with single plants at Lake Yosemite in May and June. The Reel Deal Market & Cafe is now open for weekends, and the good news is the grand opening of Bait Bucket Bait and Tackle at 6710 Merced Falls Road in Snelling on May 16 from 5am to 4pm. This is the site of the former Angler’s Choice.
Events:
May 16 – Grand Opening of The Bait Bucket Bait and Tackle in Snelling – 5 am to 4pm - 6710 Merced Falls Road in Snelling.
Tournament Results:
Delta/Paradise Point Marina – Nor Cal Bass – April 25th: 1st – Lorenzo and Luca Rossetti – 25.45 pounds (Big Fish – 7.55); 2nd – Ryan Ravelin/Lucien Nault – 24.39; 3rd – Aaron Sapp/Tyler Bussart - 23.84.
This story was originally published April 27, 2026 at 11:40 AM with the headline "Top 5 fishing spots in Central CA: Fresno-area lakes highlighted: Bass, Millerton, Shaver, Huntington."
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