5 Best fishing spots in Central Ca: Lake Don Pedro, Bass Lake, New Melones and more
Fresno Bee May 27, 2026
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 55
Bee’s 5 Top Picks:
Lake Don Pedro
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 2 King salmon 3 Crappie 2
Don Pedro was very busy over the Memorial Day Holiday weekend as only a self-inspection is required to launch a vessel as opposed to quarantine or 30-day decontamination at nearby New Melones. Monte Smith of Gold Country Sport Fishing has been on the lake frequently in the past few weeks, and he said, “This past week we started rolling shad for both king salmon and rainbow trout as there is so much bait in the lake right now. The kokanee scattered after the high winds during the week, and there are already kokanee sitting on structure. We have landed king salmon to 7 pounds, and this fish was taken at 25 feet in depth as they are coming up to feed on shad in the early mornings. I have been using a variety of lures, but large shad-imitations such as Pro-Troll’s Kokanee Killers have been particularly effective.
The kokanee are there, but you will have to start looking for them in the shallows.” Aaron Jones of Central Valley Bait and Tackle in Modesto reported the main lake has been most productive for spotted and largemouth bass as the bass are schooling up and chasing shad. He said, “There are huge bait balls in the lake with a solid shad spawn, and the bass are found even though shad are not immediately in the area. There is a lot of unproductive water, but topwater lures such as Berkley’s Choppo or Spooks are productive along with spinnerbaits, jigs, Senkos, or jerkbaits such as the Megabass Vision 110.
There are fish in the creek arms, but most are in the main lake.” The lake will continue to experience intense fishing pressure on the weekends with one more tournament on the schedule in May along with 8 in June including the 56th Annual Modesto Ambassadors Night Tournament on June 6. Launch updates are posted at www.donpedrolake.com. A self-inspection is required for launching. The lake continues to rise, and it is currently at 822.07 feet in elevation. The Blue Oaks Upper Launch Ramp has reopened.
McClure Reservoir
Bass 3 Trout 3 King salmon 2 Kokanee 0 Crappie 2 Catfish 2
Aaron Jones reported, unlike Don Pedro, the best bass action is taking place in the upper river above the Bagby Bridge. The lake is close to full, and there is access above the bridge. Shad schools are thick, and the bass are chasing shad. Topwater lures such as the Berkley Choppo 90 along with Senkos or jigs are best. Steve Dedrick of Bait Bucket Bait and Tackle in Snelling reported trout anglers are working the shad schools near the dam for holdover and recently planted rainbow trout. The Reel Deal Market is now open daily from 10am - 5pm on weekdays and 10 am to 6:30pm on weekends. The Barrett Cove Café is open weekends through September 7. The lake dropped a half foot to 846.56 feet in elevation and 87%. There is one club bass tournaments remaining in May with the Cen Cal Elite Bass Tournament coming to the lake on June 6.
3 New Melones Reservoir/Tulloch
Trout 2 Bass 2 Kokanee 3
Kyle Wise of Head Hunter Guide Service reported a continued ‘wide open’ but with only a few fish shy of limits by 6:15 am. He said, “It’s not complicated right now as we are running four different lures behind gold hammered dodgers. J-Pex, Apex lures, pink spinners, and Bullet Spoons in greens, solid pink, or white/pink are all working at speeds from 1.4 to 1.5 mph. On the J-Pex and Bullet Spoons, we are running a 15- to 18-inch leader, and the larger fish to 15.5 inches are found at 50 to 70 feet in depth with kokanee in the 12- to 14-inch range found from 40 to 50 feet. The fish are schooling up right now, and they are very aggressive.” For bass, Aaron Jones reported the bass are found around the shad schools in the main lake with jerkbaits, Senkos, underspins, or jgs, but the topwater bite has not been as prevalent as nearby Don Pedro. 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 marina is open. 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. The lake dropped nearly 2.5 feet to 1037.39 feet in elevation and 77% while downstream Tulloch rose to 94%.
Bass Lake
Bass 3 Trout 3 Kokanee 1
Tas Moua reported the bass bite remains strong around the docks and at depths to 15 feet. He said, “There is a lot of grass so weedless presentations on a Texas-rig, Senkos, flukes, plastics on a drop-shot, or quakey-style lures are all effective. There is a topwater bite in the mornings and evenings.” Mike Beighey of Bass Lake Fishing Tours continues to find good action for the holdover rainbows between Miller’s Landing and the Sheriff’s Tower right down the middle of the lake at 20 feet in depth with orange Trout Busters or Wiggle Hoochies along with green mini squids tipped with a piece of nightcrawler behind a Dick’s Mountain dodger at speeds around 1.4 mph. The 10K Derby fish remains out there, worth $500 for derby participants if caught by June 30. A webcam is available at https://www.basslakeca.com/bass-lake-webcam-1. No future bass tournaments are schedule through the end of June.
Wishon/ Courtright
Trout 3
Both Wishon and Courtright received trout plants las week, and Kelly Brewer of the Wishon Village RV Park and Store reported, “Wishon is hot right now as the water is moving from power generation. Trout are biting on everythingt thrown at them with trollers are doing well with Wedding Rings behind a flasher at 3 to 4 colors. From the shorelines, both bait and lures are working around the inlets. I have seen a number of trout in the 14- to 18-inch range.” At Courtright, Jay Irvine of Visalia and his group were one of the first trollers on the lake on Saturday, and they picked up over 3 limits of trout. There are a lot of campers there, but only a few boats. Road conditions – Sierra National Forest 297-0706 ext. 4961 or 3
All the rest
Valley/Westside waterways
Striper 2 Catfish 3
Omega Nguyen of Mega Bait and Tackle in Lathrop reported a continued slowdown in the northern section of the California Aqueduct with fast current and muddy water. Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported better action around the middle section of the aqueduct as largemouth bass are spawning in the grassy eddies and red ear perch are also on beds. Jerkbaits have been effective for both largemouth and striped bass along with Z-Man’s Graph ShadZ’s, anchovies, or pile worms.
Eastman Lake/Hensley Lake
Bass 2 Trout 2 Bluegill 2 Catfish 2 Crappie 2
Tas Moua of 559 Fresno Bait and Tackle reported the bass bite is slowing down as the fish are moving into deeper water around 25 feet, but he added, “A 9-pound largemouth was taken in the shallows on a jig, and the other bait that is working is a quakey-style lure. There are some larger bass holding around boulders. Looking around boulders and rocks is a good idea.” Bluegill and crappie are spawning in the shallows and around structure, and bank anglers have been cashing in on the panfish. At Hensley, Moua reported a few bass have been taken along the shoreline while others are holding on the deeper rockpiles. Catfish, carp, bluegill, and crappie are other possibilities. There are no bass tournaments at Eastman through the end of June. Eastman dropped 1.5 feet to 511.17 feet in elevation and 30% with Hensley dropping 3.5 feet to 494.60 feet in elevation and 36%.
Isabella/Kaweah/Success/southern California Aqueduct reports available at https://www.tackleandrod.com/weekly-fishing-report.
Lake McSwain
Trout 2
The shoreline trout bite continues to be slow as the interest is now with the Splash-N-Dash Water feature. The last plant occurred on May 3 with 2240 pounds from the Calaveras Trout Farm on May 3. Many of the planted rainbows have headed into the cooler waters of the river arm, and Steve Dedrick of Bait Bucket Bait and Tackle in Snelling reported a trolling with F and P Bait spoons have been the best bet. He said, “We started a trout derby at shop, and 100 anglers have signed up, but the only fish reported out of McSwain weighed in a 4.25 pounds.” Two additional plants are scheduled in June. The lake held at 84%. Single trout plants are scheduled at Lake Yosemite in May and June. The Reel Deal Market & Cafe is now open every day the Splash N’Dash is operation, Mondays thru Fridays from 10 AM to park close; Saturdays from 8 AM to 7 PM; and Sundays from 9 AM to 7 PM. The Bait Bucket Bait and Tackle at the site of the former’s Angler’s Edge Market at 6710 Merced Falls Road in Snelling is now open. Information on the Splash N’Dash is available at: https://mysplashndash.com/.
Millerton Lake/San Joaquin River
Bass 3 Striped bass 1 Shad 1 Bluegill 3 Crappie 2
Tas Moau reported a good reaction bite for spotted bass to 2.5 pounds with small Keitech 3.3 to 3.8 swimbaits on a ball head or an underspin or topwater lures as the bass are holding at depths from 10 to 15 feet. He said, “Bluegill are everywhere, but shore anglers need to be aware of the rattlesnakes coming out.” The lake dropped slightly to 573.22 feet in elevation and 96%. The San Joaquin River is running at 452 cfs at Friant. 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
Tas Moau reported a decent bass bite for those casting minnows, Neko-rigs, or Roboworms on a drop-shot around Trimmer and from the shoreline at Island Park. He said, “Bluegill are everywhere, and there are some crappie around the bridge near Sycamore.” For trout, Steve Jones of Fresno was out with a friend on Thursday, and despite not receiving a bite from 6:30 to 7:30 am, the bite took off outside of Trimmer at depths from 40 to 50 feet with trout-patterned spoons for rainbows to 16 inches.” In the lower Kings River, a trout plant occurred last week, but the flows remain high at 2669 cfs. The lake dropped over 3 feet to 925.12 feet elevation and 85%. 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
The big news is golden mussel watercraft inspections are no longer needed at San Luis, the O’Neill Forebay, Pyramid Lake, Castaic, and Castaic Lagoon as all bodies receive water from the highly infested California Delta and California Aqueduct.
Roger George of Roger George Guide Service reported that the main issue right now is “just getting out on the lake between wind storms that can last a few day! I have had to cancel several trips , but got out one day before I got blown off with 25 mph winds hit. The fishing was very tough and I only got 6 fish, but one was over 12 .5 lbs. The fish are affected by the high winds and tend to shut down right after a big blow hits. There’s a full moon later this week and the forecast looks like constant high winds - it’s a May thing we see each year!” George said.
The O’Neill Forebay remains the top location with Tas Moau reporting anglers are tossing 4-inch swimbaits or topwater lures for up to 50 striped bass with around 1 in 10 being of the legal 18-inch minimum. Check 12, the Highway 152 Bridge, and flat areas where anglers can wade out are all producing numbers. The main lake dropped from 79 to 77% with the forebay also dropping from 83 to 79%. Los Banos Creek Reservoir is now closed to public access until June 1.
Shaver Lake/Huntington Lake
Bass 2 Trout 3 Kokanee 3
Dick Nichols of Mountain Tackle reported Shaver has risen to nearly full at 95 percent, and the water has turned cloudy from the debris washed off the shorelines. The lake was extremely busy over the holiday weekend, and the water will take a few days to clear. Nichols expects the lake to take a week or two before returning to normal water conditions. Nichols was out of with Dave McGlothlin of Clovis and Shaver Lake Sport’s tackle manager, Jarrett Watson this week, and he said, “We connected with 2 nice browns and a 16-inch rainbow in the first hour, but then the bite slowed to kokanee here and there. We stuck it out for two mixed limits running Dick’s Mountain Tube’s in pink and chartruese and pink Mountain Koke Busters tipped with pink corn behind Dick’s Mountain Dodgers in pink scale, pink Super Dave, and Doc Barb on the downriggers at 30 to 34 feet around Black Rock and Eagle Point.
The shoreline bite continues to be slow for trout, and the bass have moved off the shoreline into deeper water.” Nichols touted Huntington as the top central Sierra option for trout and kokanee as Terry Walton of Sierra Gold along with his grandson, Brayden, and Chris Hansen experienced constant action for both kokanee and trout using Sierra Gold Tomahawk spinners and ‘T-Bombs.’ Walton warned boaters that the ramp is under construction with lake dredging in process to accommodate sail boats for the annual regattas in July. The ramp is doable, but restricted.” The June 13 Greg Marks Youth Fishing Derby at Shaver is full, but there is a waitlist at https://shaverlaketrophytroutproject.org/. Huntington is at 96%.
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, “Salmon fishing is picking up as water temperatures drop in the Monterey Bay. Strong northwest winds brought back our natural upwelling, and average surface temperatures are about five degrees lower than at the start of the season. Trollers continue to catch most fish near the bottom in 250 to 300 feet of water although it pays to set lines at 150 because salmon are rising as the water cools.
Anglers from Moss Landing continue to find success catching salmon on the canyon edges, with some fish reported to the south from the Soldier’s Club and Mulligan Hill areas. Most reports came from the northerly Pajaro and Soquel Holes. Depending on the day, the fish can be on the east or the west side of the canyons. Commercial squid boats are working the Santa Cruz area this week in the 100- to 200-foot depths. Farther out on the salmon grounds, anchovies are plentiful, and some sardines are reported in the mix. There’s plenty of bait to make the fish happy and keep them around. Inside the bay, halibut fishing is beginning to take off with fish reported caught from 30 to 80 feet of water, including a few doormats up to 25 pounds.
Halibut fishing is good and getting better from Del Monte Beach and north towards Seaside in the Monterey area. Mid-bay, halibut reports are on the rise from Mulligan’s Hill up to the Strawberry Fields near Sunset Beach. In Santa Cruz, the 40- to 60-foot depths are producing nice flatties from New Brighton up to Steamer Lane. Inshore anglers have no problem limiting out on rockfish and lingcod, especially from the Carmel Highlands area to the south and North Coast spots above Santa Cruz. Rockfishing is very strong with limits being the rule. Surfcasting for perch remains medium-slow around the Monterey Bay and points south.
There’s still fish caught every day, even some limits with big fish in the 14- to 15-inch range. But, the summertime surge of barred surf perch along the coast has yet to occur. The Central Coast is seeing a nice increase of stripers along the surf line. Anglers are hooking up the bass using a variety of approaches, including sand crab or pile-worm bait, stickbaits, irons, or bucktails. Early mornings and sundown evenings seem to be producing best for the stripers.”
Golden Gate/San Francisco Bay/Half Moon Bay
Halibut 2 Salmon 2 Striper 2 Rockfish 3 Leopard shark 2 Sturgeon 2
The last of the minus tides took place on Saturday, and this week will bring a set of smaller tides which should be an indicator of the potential for a strong halibut season. The California Dawn 2 and New California Dawn were in the south bay near Oyster Point on Sunday for a combined 26 halibut to 21 pounds and 9 striped bass, focusing primarily on halibut. Captain Chris Smith of the Pacific Dream was out with an all-female charter from the Female Fish Slayers, and the 22 ladies returned with 21 striped bass, 7 halibut, and a leopard shark.
Captain Steve Mitchell of Hook’d Up Sport Fishing reported an overall tough bite for the halibut, and he said, “There are tons of undersized halibut no matter where you go. The Emeryville side of the Berkeley Pier is holding a lot of shakers, but these will be legal fish next year. The water is dirty from the big tides, but I expect better conditions by mid-week. We ended up with 1.5 fish per rod on Sunday despite the conditions working a number of areas, but the best fishing took place around F-Buoy.” Rockfishing was tremendous on Sunday with the New Huck Finn and the Sea Wolf out of Emeryville returning with a combined 53 limits of rockfish and ling cod at the Farallon Islands on Sunday. The six-pack, Codfather out of Alameda, went offshore outside of Half Moon Bay on Sunday for a bluefin tuna on a pink Nomad Mad Mac, losing another right after hook up. Salmon action continues to improve with limits possible south of Pigeon Point for the Half Moon Bay boats. The New Captain Pete out of Half Moon Bay is running a special half-day rockfish trip on Friday, May 29 for $100/angler.
San Luis Obispo
Rockfish 3 Surf perch 3
There was high interest in rockfishing on the San Luis Obispo County coast over the weekend with three boats out of Patriot Sport Fishing in Port San Luis taking a combined 77 passengers on Sunday for 467 assorted, 60 vermilion, 29 Boccaccio, 13 copper, and 75 ling cod to 10 pounds. Out of Morro Bay Landing, three boats were out on Sunday with a combined 82 passengers for 472 assorted, 111 vermilion, 220 Boccaccio, 17 copper, 6 Petrale sole, and ocean whitefish to go with 23 ling cod.
Delta/Stockton
Bass 2 Striper 3 Sturgeon 3 Catfish 2 Bluegill 3
Big tides were the story over the past week, and the wind blew throughout the Delta most days. Striped bass are making their final push to the bay, and Captain Jeff Soo Hoo of Soo Hoo Sport Fishing put his clients onto limits of quality linesides during the middle of the week. Alan Fong of Alan Fong Outdoors reported striped bass in the 3- to 5-pound range are found around Sherman Island with chatterbaits.
The striped bass will be feeding on crawdads through the summer months, and red crankbaits or chatterbaits are all effective options. Catch-and-release sturgeon fishing ends on June 30 until October 1, but the diamondbacks remain thick in Suisun Bay, although few boats are targeting them. 29 boats participated in Nor Cal Bass’s tournament on Saturday out of Paradise Point, and tournament director, Dave King, reported Senkos, punching, chatterbaits, and frogs were the main baits with the winning limit at over 30 pounds.
Chatterbaits on the outside weed line are effective during low tide, and the tides will get smaller this week. With the larger tides, the bass moved out of the shallows into deeper water around 10 to 15 feet in depth. There is an early morning topwater bite. During the summer months, San Joaquin side will be dominated by recreational boaters through the summer months.
Events:
Tournament Results:
Don Pedro – Sierra Bass Club– May 17th: 1st – Chris Jones/Michael Rochin Jr. – 23.73 pounds (Big Fish – Jones – 5.76); 2nd – Michael Murphy/Jerry Siligo – 20.70; 3rd – Micheal and April Pair – 20.00.
This story was originally published May 25, 2026 at 8:46 AM with the headline "5 Best fishing spots in Central Ca: Lake Don Pedro, Bass Lake, New Melones and more."
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