The Weekly Fishing Report

Friday, August 7 – Friday, August 14, 2026

Central Valley · Sierra · Delta · Coast | Issue 26-32

SALMON LIMITS OFF THE GATE, FISH TO 32 LB • BEST MINUS TIDES OF THE MONTH AUG 10–12 • NEW MOON AUG 12–13 • FORT BRAGG SALMON CLOSES AUG 10 • PINE FLAT DOWN TO 26%, RELEASING 4,226 CFS • 40-LB WHITE SEABASS OUT OF EMERYVILLE

Past Issues

Two things line up this week and they line up well. The new moon arrives the night of August 12–13, and the biggest minus tides of the month land right on top of it — a run of negative lows from Saturday the 8th through Thursday the 13th, bottoming at −1.1 ft in the Bay and −1.2 ft at Monterey and Port San Luis. That is a lot of water moving, and moving water is most of the fight.

Offshore, the salmon are the story and have been for a week. Freshwater is the other side of the coin: the valley-floor reservoirs are getting drawn hard for irrigation, and a few of them are getting thin enough that where you launch matters more than what you throw.

◉ This Week’s Best Bets

● No. 1 — Ocean

SF Bay & Farallones King Salmon

Boats are scoring limits. Aug 5: Lovely Martha 36 kings for 18 anglers, California Dawn II 32 for 16. Aug 4 saw a fish to 32 pounds. Emeryville ran eight boats on salmon Wednesday and all of them found fish. Area open through Aug 31.

● No. 2 — Tides

Minus Tides, Mon–Wed

−0.9 ft Monday, −1.1 ft Tuesday and Wednesday at the Gate; −1.2 ft Monterey and Port San Luis Tuesday. Strong outgoing for Delta stripers, Bay halibut drifts, and the best clamming tides of August. All in the early morning.

● No. 3 — Central Coast

Rockfish, Near Limits Everywhere

Morro Bay’s Starfire put 230 rockfish on 25 rods; Endeavor 219 plus 7 lingcod on 23. Half Moon Bay’s Queen of Hearts hit a clean 270 for 27. Monterey’s Kahuna limited 11 anglers on a half day. Short trips, full sacks.

● No. 4 — Moon

New Moon Window, Aug 10–14

New moon falls the night of Aug 12–13. The almanac window brackets it: Aug 10 through Aug 14 rate best, with Aug 11–13 the peak. Dark nights, big tides, and majors sitting near first light. If you only get one trip, take one of those.

⚠ Water Watch

Pine Flat is being pulled hard. It dropped 6,451 acre-feet in a single day, releasing 4,226 cfs against only 1,003 cfs of inflow. That puts the lake at roughly 26% of gross pool and it will keep sliding through the irrigation season. Ramp discipline: check where the water is before you trailer up.

That same 4,226 cfs is going down the lower Kings. It is high, cold, and pushy. Wading below the dam is a bad idea at this release — fish it from the bank or from a boat, and treat any rock you cannot see as one you do not want to stand on.

The small ones are getting small. Eastman is at 7% of gross pool and Hensley at 9%. Kaweah is at 16%. Launch ramps at these three are the thing to verify by phone before you drive, not after.

◉ Lakes & Reservoirs

Reservoir Levels

Corps projects: data ending midnight Aug 4. Section 7 projects: data ending midnight Aug 5. Percent full is against gross pool.

Water

Elev (ft)

Storage (AF)

% Full

Trend

Pine Flat

781.42

259,137

25.9%

↓ 6,451 AF/day

Millerton (Friant)*

—

275,465

52.9%

↓ 1,161 AF/day

Kaweah (Terminus)

613.54

29,843

16.1%

↓ 848 AF/day

Success (Schafer)†

611.01

20,265

24.6%

↓ 186 AF/day

Isabella

2,567.44

215,280

37.9%

↓ 2,429 AF/day

Eastman (Buchanan)

467.16

10,720

7.1%

↓ 142 AF/day

Hensley (Hidden)

458.17

8,427

9.4%

↓ 314 AF/day

New Melones*

—

1,603,497

66.8%

Holding

New Hogan

675.25

178,909

—

↓ 492 AF/day

Bass Lake (Crane Valley)*

—

38,553

84.9%

—

Shaver

No data reported this cycle — USACE shows “-NR-”. Call the lake before you plan around a level.

Don Pedro

“No Project Data Available” — not reported this cycle.

McClure (New Exchequer)

“No Project Data Available” — not reported this cycle.

Huntington · Florence · Edison

All showing “-NR-” on the Section 7 report. No current storage figures.

* Section 7 (non-Corps) projects. These sometimes lag several days and are reported through USACE rather than measured by them. Storage figures shown are from the report generated Aug 6.
† Success capacity shown as 82,300 AF gross pool. A dam raise may have added roughly 28,000 AF — if the exact percentage matters to you, verify with the Corps before quoting it.

Central Coast — Reported as % of Normal

Different metric. These are percent of the historical average for the date — NOT percent of capacity. 148% does not mean over-full.

Water

Storage (AF)

% of Normal

As of

Lake San Antonio

270,863

148%

Aug 2

Lopez Lake*

48,679

129%

Jul 25*

Santa Margarita

No current figure located this week. Check with San Luis Obispo County.

Nacimiento

No current figure located this week. Check with Monterey County Water Resources.

* Lopez figure is roughly two weeks old as of publication. Treat as directional, not current.

Bite Report

Straight talk: no fresh guide reports were filed for Central California, the Delta, the Sierra Foothills or the Central Valley rivers this week — NorCal Fish Reports came back empty for all four regions. What follows is built on measured water conditions plus the normal August pattern. It is a starting point, not somebody’s Tuesday fish count. Call your local shop before you commit the day.

Water

Conditions (measured)

Pattern to Work

Kings & Tulare Basin

Pine Flat

26% full, dropping fast. Releasing 4,226 cfs. Inflow only 1,003 cfs.

Falling water pulls fish off the flats and onto the sharp breaks. Follow the shad — spotted bass, trout and kings all ride the bait balls in August. Find bait first, fish second.

Kaweah

16% full. Only 14 cfs inflow. Three Rivers running 60 cfs.

Small lake getting smaller. Bass will stack on whatever structure is still submerged. Verify ramp access.

Success

25% full. Inflow 23 cfs, S.F. Tule only 5 cfs.

Low and warm. Early and late windows only. Catfish after dark is the honest play.

Isabella

38% full, dropping 2,429 AF/day. Kern at Kernville 170 cfs.

Biggest drawdown on the list. Fish are relocating daily — do not trust last month’s waypoints.

San Joaquin & Madera

Millerton

53% full, down 1,161 AF/day.

The most consistent numbers water on this list, and the fish run small. Spotted bass on jigs and plastics; stripers are the reason to be there.

Eastman

7.1% of gross pool. Fresno River above Hensley: 0.0 cfs.

Very low. Sierra Bass Club has a tournament here Aug 15, so somebody thinks it is fishable. Check the ramp.

Hensley

9.4% of gross pool, down 314 AF/day. Zero inflow.

Thin water, concentrated fish. Boat access is the question mark, not the bite.

Bass Lake

84.9% — the fullest water on this page.

Recreation lake in August means fish early, get off the water by ten, come back at dusk.

Foothill & High Country

New Melones

67% full, holding steady. Stanislaus natural flow 95 cfs.

Best-conditioned big lake in range. August is kokanee season here — go deep and troll slow.

Don Pedro

No level reported this cycle.

Pedro Friday Nighters run Aug 7 and River Bank Bass Anglers Aug 22, so the lake is in play. Kokanee is the August draw.

McClure & McSwain

No level reported. Flow below McSwain: not reported.

Bass Angler Inc. has McClure booked Aug 8. McSwain stays cold and is the better trout bet of the pair.

Shaver

No level reported this cycle.

Cold, high, and the reliable August kokanee and trout water for Fresno County. No plant reported this week — these are holdover and wild fish.

Wishon & Courtright

No USACE reporting — these are PG&E projects.

High country, cold water, small crowds. Shore and float-tube fishing hold up all day at this elevation when the valley lakes are done by nine.

Central Coast

Lopez

129% of normal for the date (as of Jul 25).

Good water year for this lake. Kern County Bassmasters fish it Sep 19.

San Antonio

148% of normal for the date (Aug 2).

Full, healthy, and the biggest water on the Central Coast list.

Santa Margarita

No current level located.

CA B.A.S.S. Nation just fished it Aug 1–2; Orange County Bass Club returns Sep 19–20.

Nacimiento

No current level located.

SLO County Bass Ambushers on the water Aug 29. White bass and the deep summer bass pattern.

◉ Delta, Rivers & Aqueduct

The Delta

The tide book is doing the work this week. Port Chicago runs negative lows Monday through Thursday — −0.1 ft Monday, −0.2 Tuesday, −0.3 Wednesday, −0.2 Thursday, all mid-morning. Those are strong outgoing swings for a neap-to-spring transition, and stripers set up on the current edges when the water moves like that.

The tournament calendar tells you the west Delta is worth fishing: fourteen permitted events run in the Contra Costa, Sacramento and San Joaquin County reaches between Aug 7 and Aug 16. Nobody books fourteen tournaments on dead water.

No guide report was filed for the Delta this week. The tide and event data above are measured and verified; the fish are your problem.

California Aqueduct, San Luis & O’Neill Forebay

No current storage or pumping figures for San Luis or O’Neill were available through the USACE reports this week — these are Reclamation and DWR facilities and do not appear on either the Corps or Section 7 sheet. August is when the forebay striper bite is driven almost entirely by pumping schedule: when water is moving, fish the boils and the current seams; when it stops, so does the bite. Check DWR before you drive out.

Rivers — Measured Flows

River / Gage

Flow (cfs)

Read

Kings — Pine Flat natural flow (above the lake)

385

The Upper Kings above the reservoir is at a real summer level — wadeable, cool, and the best trout water in the drainage right now.

Kings — below North Fork nr Trimmer

310

Upper drainage holding steady. Good for the hike-in stretches.

Kings — Pine Flat release (lower Kings)

4,226

High. Do not wade. Bank or boat only below the dam.

Mill Creek nr Piedra

Dry.

Kaweah at Three Rivers

Low and warm. Early morning only.

Kaweah at McKay Point

364

Irrigation delivery, not a fishery.

Tule — S.F. nr Success

Effectively dry.

Tule nr Springville

Marginal.

Kern at Kernville

170

Fishable and the most comfortable summer flow on this list.

Stanislaus natural flow at New Melones

Low natural inflow; the lake is running on storage.

Goodwin release to river

251

Steady below Tulloch.

USACE Sacramento District, readings at 0700 Aug 5 unless noted. Dry Creek near Lemoncove and Yokohl Creek both reported “-NR-”.

◉ Ocean Report & Charters

Dock Totals — Boat by Boat

Wednesday Aug 5 unless noted. Fish-per-rod calculated from reported angler counts.

Boat / Landing

Anglers

Score

Per Rod

Bodega Bay

Surf Scooter — Bodega Bay Sportfishing

30 king salmon, to 22 lb

2.0 — limits

Dragonfly — Reel Obsession

8 king salmon

2.0 — limits

Berkeley

California Dawn II

32 king salmon, to 25 lb

2.0 — limits

New Easy Rider — Berkeley Charter Boats

16 king salmon, to 24 lb

0.9

Reel Addiction 2

12 king salmon

2.0 — limits

Right Hook (3/4 day)

11 king salmon

1.8

New California Dawn

100 rockfish, 8 lingcod

10.0 — limits

California Dawn II — Tue Aug 4

36 king salmon to 32 lb, 2 stripers to 22 lb

1.7

Sausalito

Outer Limits — Big C’s

25 king salmon

1.8

Salty Lady (1/2 day AM)

13 king salmon to 22 lb, 1 halibut to 8 lb

0.7

Chasin Crustacean — Big C’s

12 king salmon

2.0 — limits

Emeryville

C Gull II

21 king salmon

1.5

Pacific Pearl

18 king salmon

2.0 — limits

Lady K

14 king salmon

1.4

KingFish

13 king salmon

1.4

Scallywag

12 king salmon, 1 halibut

2.0 — limits

Diamond

11 king salmon

1.8

Playn Hooky

9 kings to 19 lb, 1 white seabass to 40 lb

1.5

Here We Go

7 king salmon

1.8

Oakland Anglers II (1/2 day)

220 rockfish, 3 lingcod

10.0 — limits

San Francisco

Lovely Martha

36 king salmon

2.0 — limits

Half Moon Bay

Queen of Hearts — HMB Sportfishing

270 rockfish, 2 lingcod, 1 halibut

10.0 — limits

Monterey & Santa Cruz

Kahuna — J&M Sportfishing (1/2 day)

80 rockfish, 1 lingcod

10.0 — limits

Kahuna — Tue Aug 4

110 rockfish

10.0 — limits

Mega-bite — Monterey Bay Charters, Aug 4

40 rockfish

10.0 — limits

▼ C E N T R A L C O A S T ▼

Starfire — Morro Bay Landing (1/2 day)

230 rockfish, 10 red rockfish, 5 copper, 5 bocaccio, 1 lingcod

9.2 rockfish

Endeavor — Morro Bay Landing (1/2 day)

219 rockfish, 6 red rockfish, 7 lingcod, 4 bolina

9.5 rockfish

Patriot — Patriot Sportfishing, Avila (Out Front)

200 rockcod, 24 bocaccio, 6 red rockcod

8.7 rockcod

Flying Fish — Patriot, Avila (Pecho Rock)

191 rockcod, 6 bocaccio, 3 lingcod to 10 lb, 1 copper

9.6 rockcod

Flying Fish — Patriot, Avila (PM, Out Front)

38 rockcod, 2 bocaccio, 1 lingcod

9.5 rockcod

Sunny Day — Patriot, Avila (Diablo)

3 rockcod, 4 red rockcod

3.5

What the numbers say. Fourteen of the thirty-one trips above came in at limits or effective limits. The salmon fleet from Bodega to San Francisco is running two fish per rod on full days — that is as good as this fishery gets. Rockfish is a formality right now: every half-day boat from Emeryville to Avila is coming back full. If you have been putting off a trip, this is the week you stop putting it off.

⏰ The Season Clock — Verify Before Every Trip

Ocean Salmon — Recreational

Area

Status

Harvest Guideline

Point Arena – Pigeon Point (San Francisco)

OPEN through Aug 31

34,900 Chinook

Pigeon Point – Mexico border (Monterey & south)

OPEN through Aug 31

21,800 Chinook

40°10′ – Point Arena (Fort Bragg)

Open Aug 1–9. CLOSES AUG 10.

5,100 Chinook

OR/CA border – 40°10′ (KMZ)

CLOSED all August

3,900 — attained

Fort Bragg closes inside this coverage window. NOAA Fisheries took inseason action July 28. If you were planning that run, it has to happen Aug 7, 8 or 9.
Bag limit 2 salmon, no coho. Minimum size 20 inches. Two barbless single-point single-shank hooks north of Point Conception; circle hooks required when bait fishing other than trolling between 40°10′ and Point Conception. No filleting on the boat.
Fall season opens Sept 1 — 38°02′N to Pigeon Point through Oct 31, Pigeon Point south through Sept 30. Fall guideline 20,000 Chinook.
Salmon hotline: (707) 576-3429. Seasons close inseason when quotas fill. Call it the morning you go.

Rockfish — North of Point Conception

10 fish per day aggregate. Within that: canary rockfish 2, copper rockfish 1, vermilion rockfish 4.
No retention: quillback, cowcod, yelloweye, bronzespotted. Know them before you drop.

Charter & Landing Directory

Port

Landings & Boats Reporting This Week

Bodega Bay

Bodega Bay Sportfishing Center (Surf Scooter) · Reel Obsession Sportfishing (Dragonfly)

Sausalito

Salty Lady Sportfishing (Salty Lady) · Big C’s Charters (Outer Limits, Chasin Crustacean)

Berkeley

California Dawn Sportfishing (California Dawn II, New California Dawn) · Berkeley Charter Boats (New Easy Rider) · Reel Addiction Sportfishing · Right Hook Sportfishing

Emeryville

Fish Emeryville — C Gull II, Pacific Pearl, Lady K, KingFish, Scallywag, Diamond, Playn Hooky, Here We Go, Oakland Anglers II

San Francisco

Lovely Martha Sportfishing (Lovely Martha) · Riptide Sportfishing · Hog Heaven Sportfishing

Half Moon Bay

Half Moon Bay Sportfishing (Queen of Hearts) · New Captain Pete · New Rayann Sportfishing

Santa Cruz

Monterey Bay Charters (Mega-bite)

Monterey

J&M Sportfishing (Kahuna)

Morro Bay

Morro Bay Landing (Endeavor, Starfire)

Avila Beach

Patriot Sportfishing (Patriot, Flying Fish, Sunny Day)

◉ Tide Tables — Aug 7–14

NOAA harmonic predictions, MLLW datum, local time. Minus lows in red. Predictions run about ±10 minutes and ±0.5 ft; sustained wind and river flow move them further.

San Francisco / Golden Gate — Station 9414290

Date

High AM

High PM

Low AM

Low PM

Fri 7

8:44a — 3.9

6:55p — 6.4

1:16a — 0.4

12:20p — 3.2

Sat 8

9:57a — 4.3

8:00p — 6.6

2:23a — −0.1

1:39p — 3.4

Sun 9

10:50a — 4.6

9:02p — 6.8

3:23a — −0.6

2:49p — 3.3

Mon 10

11:33a — 4.9

10:01p — 7.0

4:15a — −0.9

3:51p — 3.0

Tue 11

—

12:12p — 5.1

5:03a — −1.1

4:47p — 2.6

Wed 12

—

12:49p — 5.3

5:47a — −1.1

5:40p — 2.2

Thu 13

—

1:25p — 5.5

6:28a — −0.8

6:32p — 1.9

Fri 14

12:41a — 6.4

1:59p — 5.6

7:06a — −0.4

7:24p — 1.6

Port Chicago / West Delta — Station 9415144

Date

High AM

High PM

Low AM

Low PM

Fri 7

10:48a — 3.4

9:02p — 5.6

4:35a — 0.8

2:52p — 2.2

Sat 8

—

12:00p — 3.6

5:47a — 0.4

4:06p — 2.4

Sun 9

—

12:59p — 3.9

6:47a — 0.2

5:23p — 2.5

Mon 10

—

1:50p — 4.1

7:39a — −0.1

6:34p — 2.3

Tue 11

12:21a — 5.8

2:35p — 4.3

8:26a — −0.2

7:38p — 2.1

Wed 12

1:20a — 5.7

3:17p — 4.4

9:07a — −0.3

8:37p — 1.8

Thu 13

2:14a — 5.5

3:56p — 4.5

9:44a — −0.2

9:32p — 1.5

Fri 14

3:07a — 5.3

4:32p — 4.6

10:18a — 0.0

10:26p — 1.2

Monterey — Station 9413450

Date

High AM

High PM

Low 1

Low 2

Fri 7

7:54a — 3.2

5:56p — 6.0

12:54a — 0.4

10:55a — 2.9

Sat 8

9:07a — 3.4

6:58p — 6.3

1:57a — −0.2

12:19p — 3.1

Sun 9

9:53a — 3.7

7:59p — 6.5

2:52a — −0.7

1:36p — 3.0

Mon 10

10:31a — 3.9

8:56p — 6.7

3:40a — −1.0

2:42p — 2.7

Tue 11

11:06a — 4.2

9:49p — 6.6

4:25a — −1.2

3:41p — 2.4

Wed 12

11:40a — 4.4

10:40p — 6.4

5:07a — −1.1

4:37p — 2.1

Thu 13

—

12:14p — 4.6

5:46a — −0.8

5:32p — 1.8

Fri 14

—

12:49p — 4.9

6:23a — −0.4

6:27p — 1.6

Port San Luis / Avila — Station 9412110

Date

High AM

High PM

Low 1

Low 2

Fri 7

7:35a — 3.1

5:36p — 5.9

12:34a — 0.4

10:33a — 2.8

Sat 8

8:43a — 3.4

6:40p — 6.2

1:38a — −0.2

12:01p — 2.9

Sun 9

9:24a — 3.7

7:41p — 6.5

2:31a — −0.7

1:17p — 2.8

Mon 10

10:00a — 3.9

8:37p — 6.7

3:18a — −1.1

2:22p — 2.5

Tue 11

10:34a — 4.2

9:28p — 6.7

4:01a — −1.2

3:18p — 2.2

Wed 12

11:08a — 4.4

10:16p — 6.5

4:41a — −1.2

4:11p — 1.9

Thu 13

11:43a — 4.6

11:04p — 6.1

5:19a — −0.9

5:04p — 1.6

Fri 14

—

12:18p — 4.9

5:55a — −0.5

5:57p — 1.4

Clam diggers: Aug 10 through Aug 13 are the tides you have been waiting for. Port San Luis bottoms at −1.2 ft at 4:01 a.m. Tuesday and 4:41 a.m. Wednesday. Bring a light and confirm the current health advisory and any closures before you dig.

◉ Moon Phase & Best Days

Phase computed from a 29.530588853-day synodic month against the January 6, 2000 reference new moon. New moon falls the night of Wednesday Aug 12 into Thursday Aug 13. The almanac convention brackets new and full — so the window runs Aug 10 through Aug 14, and it happens to sit exactly on top of the biggest minus tides of the month. That does not happen every week.

Date

Illumination

Rating

Notes — Solunar Majors vs. Sunrise & Tide

Fri 7

31% waning

★★☆☆☆ Fair

Moon still up well past sunrise. Morning major overlaps first light but the tide swing is modest. Ordinary day.

Sat 8

21% waning

★★★☆☆ Good

First minus low of the run (−0.1 ft at 2:23 a.m., SF). Major runs into the outgoing. Solid weekend morning.

Sun 9

14% waning

★★★☆☆ Good

−0.6 ft at 3:23 a.m. Outgoing water through daybreak. Better than Saturday if you can start early.

Mon 10

7% waning

★★★★☆ Very Good

−0.9 ft at 4:15 a.m., and a 7.0 ft high that evening — the largest swing of the week at the Gate. Morning major lands just before sunrise (about 6:21 a.m.).

Tue 11

3% waning

★★★★★ Best

−1.1 ft SF, −1.2 ft Monterey and Port San Luis. Dark night, hard outgoing, major on top of sunrise. The single best day of the week.

Wed 12

<1% — new

★★★★★ Best

New moon night. −1.1 ft at 5:47 a.m. and the deepest low at Port San Luis. Majors near dawn and dusk. Take the day off.

Thu 13

<1% waxing

★★★★★ Best

Still inside the new-moon window. −0.8 ft at 6:28 a.m. — the low now sits right at sunrise, which is the setup you want.

Fri 14

2% waxing

★★★★☆ Very Good

Window closing but a 6.4 ft high at 12:41 a.m. keeps the swing large. Low at 7:06 a.m., after sunrise. Good, not peak.

Sunrise at the Gate runs 6:18 a.m. Aug 7 to 6:24 a.m. Aug 14; sunset 8:12 p.m. to 8:04 p.m. Central Valley times run a few minutes earlier at sunrise and later at sunset. Solunar major timing is estimated from lunar transit, not measured — treat the rating as a tiebreaker, not a guarantee.

◉ Fish Stocking Report

Nothing was planted on the valley floor this week, and nothing will be. CDFW does not stock warm valley-floor lakes in midsummer — the water will not hold catchable trout alive. Plants this time of year go to cold tailwaters and high-country lakes only. If you want planted fish in August, drive up.

CDFW posts plants as week ranges, not specific dates. Week of Aug 2–8, 2026. All rainbow trout.

County

Waters Planted

Species

Trinity

Ruth Lake · Coffee Creek · Carrville Dredge Pond · Trinity River (above Clair Engle, East Fork, Stuart Fork)

Rainbow trout

Humboldt

Trinity River (above Clair Engle, East Fork, Stuart Fork)

Rainbow trout

Shasta

Whiskeytown Lake · Nora Lake

Rainbow trout

Tehama

Battle Creek — South Fork

Rainbow trout

Mono

Lee Vining Creek · Lee Vining Creek South Fork · Saddlebag Creek · West Walker River (Section 2)

Rainbow trout

Fresno, Tulare, Madera, Kern, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin: no plants reported this week. Expected for August.

CDFW regional plant lines:
Central Region — (559) 243-4005 ext. 151
North Central Region — (916) 351-0832
Bay Delta Region — (707) 944-5581

◉ Tournament Board

Last Week on the Water

No official weights have been published for any of these events. Results post to the host club sites when the clubs get to them — check there. We do not print winning weights or angler names we have not verified.

Date

Water

Host

Jul 30

Delta (San Joaquin Co.)

Tracy Oasis Marina

Jul 31

Don Pedro Reservoir

Pedro Friday Nighters

Aug 1–2

Pine Flat Lake

BASS 101

Aug 1–2

Santa Margarita Lake

CA B.A.S.S. Nation

Aug 1–2

Delta (Contra Costa Co.)

BEST Bass Tournament

Aug 1–2

Clear Lake

Fairfield-Suisun Bass Reapers

Aug 5

Folsom Lake

Folsom Rats

Aug 6

Lake Berryessa

Berryessa TNT

Aug 6

Delta (San Joaquin Co.)

Tracy Oasis Marina

This Weekend & This Coming Week

Date

Water

Host

Fri Aug 7

Don Pedro Reservoir

Pedro Friday Nighters

Sat Aug 8

Lake McClure

Bass Angler Inc.

Sat Aug 8

Isabella Lake

American Bass

Sat Aug 8

Delta (Sacramento Co.)

Manteca Bassin Buddies

Sat Aug 8

Delta (San Joaquin Co.)

Bass Anglers of Northern California

Sat Aug 8

Lake Oroville

Basin Bassmaster Loomis

Sat Aug 8

Thermalito Afterbay

Westside Anglers

Aug 8–9

Clear Lake

Redwood Empire Bass Club · The Clear Lake Bassmasters

Aug 8–9

Delta (Contra Costa Co.)

BEST Bass Tournament

Sun Aug 9

Delta (San Joaquin Co.)

American Bass

Sun Aug 9

Delta (Contra Costa Co.)

BEST Bass Tournament

Wed Aug 12

Delta (San Joaquin Co.)

Open event, no sponsor listed

Thu Aug 13

Delta (San Joaquin Co.)

Tracy Oasis Marina

Fri Aug 14

Delta (San Joaquin Co.)

Tracy Oasis Marina

📅 Mark the Calendar — Central Valley & Central Coast

Date

Water

Host

Aug 15

H.V. Eastman Lake

Sierra Bass Club

Aug 15–16

Lake Amador

Modesto Ambassadors

Aug 22

Don Pedro Reservoir

River Bank Bass Anglers

Aug 29

Lake Nacimiento

SLO County Bass Ambushers

Aug 29–30

Pine Flat Lake

Fresno Bass Club

Sep 5–6

Pine Flat Lake

BASS 101

Sep 13

Bass Lake (Madera Co.)

Kings VIII Bass Club

Sep 19

Lake Success

Golden Empire Bass Club

Sep 19

Lopez Lake

Kern County Bassmasters

Sep 19

San Antonio Lake

SLO County Bass Ambushers

Sep 19–20

Santa Margarita Lake

Orange County Bass Club

Oct 3

Pine Flat Lake

BASS 101

Oct 4

Millerton Lake

BASS 101

Oct 10

Pine Flat Lake

Golden Empire Bass Club

Oct 10

Bass Lake (Madera Co.)

Kerman Bass Club

Oct 11

Lake McClure

Kings VIII Bass Club

Source: CDFW Fishing Contest permit database, black bass events, pulled Aug 6. All events listed are Approved status unless noted. Permits get amended and cancelled — confirm with the host club before you tow a boat anywhere.

⚠ Heat & Water Safety — August in the Valley

The lower Kings is running 4,226 cfs. That is not a wading flow. It is cold, fast, and it will take your feet out from under you before you have decided anything. Fish it from the bank or from a boat, and wear the vest.

Reservoir drawdowns move hazards. Pine Flat is dropping 6,451 acre-feet a day and Isabella 2,429. Stumps, rock and old roadbed that were ten feet down last month are at prop depth now. Idle in, watch your sounder, and do not trust waypoints from July.

Heat. Valley afternoons are the real risk on this list. Be off the water by mid-morning or fish the evening. Water, shade, a hat, and somebody who knows where you went. Cold water and 100-degree air is how people get in trouble.

If you fish one day this week, make it Tuesday or Wednesday. New moon, the deepest minus tides of the month, and a salmon fleet that is putting two fish per rod on the deck — that combination shows up a handful of times a season.

And if you are heading up to Pine Flat or Kaweah, call the ramp first. The water is coming down faster than the signage is going up.

Tight lines,

Bryan Mello
B Mello Ag Services · Central Valley, California

(559) 816-3889
bryan@bmelloag.com

Sources used for this issue: NOAA CO-OPS tide predictions via US Harbors for stations 9414290 San Francisco, 9415144 Port Chicago, 9413450 Monterey and 9412110 Port San Luis · U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Sacramento District daily reservoir reports, COE (data ending Aug 4) and Section 7 (data ending Aug 5) · NorCalFishReports.com boat-by-boat dock totals for Aug 4 and Aug 5 and the weekly skipper report for the week of Aug 3 · SoCalFishReports.com dock totals for Aug 5 · CDFW Ocean Salmon Fishery Information page, updated July 28, 2026 · CDFW fish plant listings for the week of Aug 2–8 · CDFW Fishing Contest permit database, black bass, pulled Aug 6 · Snoflo reservoir reports for Lake San Antonio and Lopez Lake. Moon phase computed from the synodic month against the Jan 6, 2000 reference new moon.

Please read: Conditions, seasons, bag limits and closures change — sometimes with a single day’s notice, and ocean salmon seasons in particular close inseason when quotas fill. Everything here is a snapshot of what the public data said when this was written. Confirm current regulations with CDFW at wildlife.ca.gov, call the salmon hotline at (707) 576-3429 before an ocean trip, and verify ramp access and lake levels with the operating agency before you travel. Where we could not verify a number, we said so rather than guessing.