The Weekly Fishing Report
Wednesday, August 12 – Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Central Valley · Sierra · Delta · Coast | Issue 26-33
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NEW MOON EARLY THURSDAY AUG 13 • LAST MINUS TIDES UNTIL AUG 25 • SALMON FLEET COOLS: 5 OF 29 TRIPS AT LIMITS • FORT BRAGG NOW CLOSED, SF & MONTEREY OPEN TO AUG 31 • PINE FLAT DOWN 10.7 FT IN SIX DAYS, NOW 23% • 28-LB LINGCOD OFF PURISIMA POINT
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Last week we told you to take Tuesday or Wednesday off. If you did, you caught the best of it. The new moon actually arrives at about 12:45 a.m. Thursday the 13th, and the minus tides that made the last ten days worth planning around are gone by Friday afternoon. After that the water goes flat for a week and a half. The next negative low at the Gate is August 25.
The salmon fleet cooled off with it. Two weeks ago boats were coming in at two fish a rod as a matter of routine; over Sunday, Monday and Tuesday only five of twenty-nine salmon trips hit limits, and plenty came in under one fish per rod. The fish are still there and still big, a 30-pounder on the Salty Lady Monday, but you are working harder for them than you were. Rockfish, meanwhile, is still a formality: nearly every bottom trip from Emeryville to Avila is coming back full.
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◉ This Week’s Best Bets
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● No. 1, Moon & Tide
Wed–Fri, Then It’s Over
New moon at 12:45 a.m. Thursday. The last minus lows of the run: −1.1 ft Wednesday and −0.8 Thursday at the Gate, −1.2 and −0.9 at Port San Luis. Saturday the tide goes positive and stays there. If you were saving a day, spend it now.
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● No. 2, Central Coast
Avila & Morro Bay Rockfish
Eight of the last nine Central Coast trips came in at exact limits. Morro Bay’s Endeavor put 300 rockfish on 30 rods Sunday. Avila’s Patriot found 190 on 19 at Purisima Point plus a 28-pound lingcod. This is the most dependable fishing in range right now.
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● No. 3, Ocean
Bodega Is Holding Up Best
While the Bay fleet slid to one fish a rod, Bodega kept scoring: Dragonfly 12 kings on 6 rods Monday, Surf Scooter 30 on 18 Monday and 24 on 12 Tuesday, fish to 26 and 27 pounds. If you are chasing salmon this week, that is where the numbers are.
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● No. 4, Bay Bottom
Halibut Showing at Berkeley
New California Dawn ran halibut Monday and put 10 flatties on 10 anglers, best to 18 pounds, plus limits of rockfish. When the salmon get stubborn the halibut boats are the smart pivot, and the outgoing water Wednesday and Thursday is the right tide for the drift.
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⚠ Water Watch
Pine Flat lost 10.7 feet of elevation in six days. It went from 781.42 ft and 259,137 acre-feet on August 4 to 770.68 ft and 229,111 acre-feet on August 10, about 30,000 acre-feet gone in under a week. That is 23% of gross pool, down from 26% last issue. Ramps and hazards are moving daily. Verify before you tow.
The good news: the release came down. Pine Flat is now putting 3,071 cfs down the lower Kings, off from 4,226 a week ago. It is still too much water to wade below the dam, but it is trending the right direction, and if the cutback continues the lower river becomes fishable on foot later this month.
Hensley is the one to watch. Down to 7.5% of gross pool, dropping 293 acre-feet a day, with the Fresno River above the lake reading 0.0 cfs, no inflow at all. Eastman is at 7.1% and the Corps has shut its outflow to zero, which is what you do when there is nothing left to give.
One number we will not print as fact. The Corps sheet lists Kings River natural flow above Pine Flat at −236.5 cfs for August 10. Rivers do not run backward. That is a gage or accounting artifact, so we are ignoring it and using the Trimmer gage below the North Fork, 291.8 cfs, as the honest read on the upper drainage.
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◉ Lakes & Reservoirs
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Reservoir Levels
Corps projects: data ending midnight Aug 10, report generated Aug 11, current. Section 7 projects: data ending midnight Aug 5 and not refreshed since our last issue, six days old. Percent full is against gross pool.
| Water |
Elev (ft) |
Storage (AF) |
% Full |
Trend |
| Pine Flat | 770.68 | 229,111 | 22.9% | ↓ 3,858 AF/day |
| Millerton (Friant)* | | 275,465 | 52.9% | ↓ 1,161 AF/day* |
| Kaweah (Terminus) | 609.98 | 26,977 | 14.5% | ↓ 273 AF/day |
| Success (Schafer)† | 609.90 | 19,339 | 23.5% | ↓ 139 AF/day |
| Isabella | 2,565.92 | 204,918 | 36.1% | ↓ 1,615 AF/day |
| Eastman (Buchanan) | 467.05 | 10,666 | 7.1% | Outflow shut to 0 |
| Hensley (Hidden) | 453.55 | 6,705 | 7.5% | ↓ 293 AF/day |
| New Melones* | | 1,603,497 | 66.8% | Unchanged in stale report* |
| New Hogan | 674.32 | 176,062 | | ↓ 464 AF/day |
| Bass Lake (Crane Valley)* | | 38,553 | 84.9% | Unchanged in stale report* |
| Shaver | No data reported again this cycle, USACE shows “-NR-”. Second week running. 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. Flow below McSwain also “-NR-”. |
| Huntington · Florence · Edison | All showing “-NR-” on the Section 7 report. No current storage figures. |
* Section 7 (non-Corps) projects. The Section 7 sheet has not been regenerated since August 6, these are the exact same numbers we printed last week. Treat Millerton, New Melones and Bass Lake as six days old, not current.
† 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.
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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 |
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| Lake San Antonio* | 270,863 | 148% | Aug 2* |
| Lopez Lake* | 48,679 | 129% | Jul 26* |
| Nacimiento‡ | 285,131 | Not usable | May 31‡ |
| Santa Margarita | No current figure available, the county feed is not reporting. Check with San Luis Obispo County Parks. |
* San Antonio and Lopez are both carried over from earlier readings and have not updated. Lopez is now more than two weeks old. Directional only.
‡ Nacimiento’s last posted storage is May 31, ten weeks stale, and the source’s “percent of normal” figure contradicts its own seasonal average, so we are not printing it. What is current: the Nacimiento River below the dam is running 264 cfs per USGS.
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Bite Report
Same caveat as last week: no fresh guide reports were filed for Central California, the Delta, the Sierra Foothills or the Central Valley rivers, NorCal Fish Reports still shows the week of August 3 and came back empty for all four regions. The most recent published Central California column we could verify is the July 31–August 6 report, which had good bites at Shaver, Wishon and Courtright and Delta bass hitting. Everything below is measured water plus the normal August pattern. Call your local shop before you commit the day.
| Water | Conditions (measured) | Pattern to Work |
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| Kings & Tulare Basin |
| Pine Flat |
22.9% full, down 10.7 ft in six days. Releasing 3,071 cfs against 1,152 cfs inflow. |
Still falling, but slower than last week. Fish keep sliding off the flats onto the sharp breaks. Find the shad first, spots, trout and kings all ride the bait in August. Fresno Bass Club has it Aug 29–30, so the lake is fishable. |
| Kaweah |
14.5% full, down from 16.1% a week ago. Three Rivers running 49 cfs. |
Getting genuinely small. Bass stacked on whatever structure is still under water. Ramp access is the question, not the bite. |
| Success |
23.5% full. Inflow 18 cfs, S.F. Tule only 5 cfs. |
Low and warm. Early and late only. Catfish after dark remains the honest play. Golden Empire has a tournament here Sep 19. |
| Isabella |
36.1% full, down 1,615 AF/day. Kern at Kernville up to 217 cfs. |
Drawdown slowed a little from last week. American Bass fished it Aug 8 and returns Sep 19. Do not trust July waypoints. |
| San Joaquin & Madera |
| Millerton |
53% full, but that figure is six days old and has not moved. |
Still the most consistent numbers water on this list, and the fish still run small. Spotted bass on jigs and plastics; stripers are the reason to make the drive. |
| Eastman |
7.1% of gross pool. Outflow cut to 0 cfs. Fresno River above Hensley: 0.0 cfs. |
Sierra Bass Club fishes it this Saturday, Aug 15. Somebody thinks it is worth launching on. Confirm the ramp yourself. |
| Hensley |
7.5% of gross pool, down 293 AF/day, zero inflow, elevation off 4.6 ft in six days. |
The thinnest water on the list and getting thinner. Concentrated fish, but boat access is a real question. Call first. |
| Bass Lake |
84.9% in the stale report, still the fullest water on this page. |
Recreation lake in August: fish early, off the water by ten, back at dusk. Kerman Bass Club has it Oct 10. |
| Foothill & High Country |
| New Melones |
67% in a report that has not updated since Aug 6. Stanislaus natural flow 95 cfs. |
Best-conditioned big lake in range and the August kokanee water. Go deep, troll slow. Goodwin release below Tulloch steady at 251 cfs. |
| Don Pedro |
No level reported this cycle. Third week with no data. |
River Bank Bass Anglers on Aug 22, then a heavy September calendar. Kokanee is the draw. |
| McClure & McSwain |
No level reported. Flow below McSwain not reported. |
Bass Angler Inc. fished McClure Aug 8. McSwain stays cold and is the better trout bet of the pair. |
| Shaver |
No level reported, two weeks running. |
The reliable August kokanee and trout water for Fresno County, and the last verified Central California column called the Shaver bite hot. No plant this week, holdover and wild fish. |
| Wishon & Courtright |
No USACE reporting, these are PG&E projects. |
High country, cold water, small crowds, and the last verified column had both fishing well. Shore and float-tube hold up all day up there when the valley is done by nine. |
| Central Coast |
| Lopez |
129% of normal for the date, as of Jul 26. |
Good water year for this lake. Kern County Bassmasters fish it Sep 19. |
| San Antonio |
148% of normal for the date, as of Aug 2. |
Still the biggest and healthiest water on the Central Coast list. |
| Santa Margarita |
No current level available. |
Orange County Bass Club has it Sep 19–20. Quiet water until then. |
| Nacimiento |
Storage ten weeks stale. River below dam 264 cfs. |
SLO County Bass Ambushers on the water Aug 29. White bass and the deep summer bass pattern. |
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◉ Delta, Rivers & Aqueduct
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The Delta
Port Chicago gives you two more negative mornings and then it is done: −0.3 ft at 9:07 a.m. Wednesday and −0.2 at 9:44 a.m. Thursday. Friday flattens to 0.0 and by the weekend the lows are sitting at half a foot and climbing. Those Wednesday and Thursday mornings are the last hard outgoing swings for nearly two weeks, stripers set up on the current edges when water moves like that, and after Friday you are fishing a much lazier tide.
The tournament calendar still likes the Delta. Twelve permitted black bass events run in the Contra Costa, Sacramento and San Joaquin County reaches between August 12 and August 19, with six of them stacked on Saturday the 15th alone. Nobody books six clubs on one Saturday on water they think is dead.
No guide report was filed for the Delta this week, same as last week. The tide and event data above are measured and verified; the fish are your problem.
California Aqueduct, San Luis & O’Neill Forebay
Still no current storage or pumping figures for San Luis or O’Neill through the Corps reports, these are Reclamation and DWR facilities and appear on neither the COE nor the Section 7 sheet. August forebay striper fishing is driven almost entirely by the 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 |
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| Kings, Pine Flat natural flow (above the lake) | −236.5 | Reported negative. Not physically possible, treat as a bad reading, not a low river. |
| Kings, below North Fork nr Trimmer | 291.8 | The number to trust for the upper drainage. Down slightly from 310 last week but still a real summer level, wadeable, cool, best trout water in the system. |
| Kings, Pine Flat release (lower Kings) | 3,071 | Down from 4,226 but still high. Bank or boat only below the dam. |
| Mill Creek nr Piedra | 0 | Dry. |
| Kaweah at Three Rivers | 49.1 | Down from 60. Low and warm, early morning only. |
| Kaweah at McKay Point | 307 | Irrigation delivery, not a fishery. |
| Tule, S.F. nr Success | 5.3 | Effectively dry. |
| Tule nr Springville | 9.6 | Marginal and slipping. |
| Kern at Kernville | 217.5 | Up from 170. Best summer flow on this list and the most comfortable water to stand in. |
| Fresno River above Hensley | 0.0 | Zero. That is why Hensley is dropping. |
| Stanislaus natural flow at New Melones | 95 | Low natural inflow; the lake is running on storage. |
| Goodwin release to river | 251 | Steady below Tulloch. |
| Nacimiento River below the dam | 264 | USGS, current. The only fresh Nacimiento number available. |
USACE Sacramento District, readings at 0700 Aug 11 unless noted; Pine Flat natural flow is the Aug 10 daily value. Dry Creek near Lemoncove and Yokohl Creek at Garcia Bridge both reported “-NR-”.
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◉ Ocean Report & Charters
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Dock Totals, Boat by Boat
Sunday Aug 9 through Tuesday Aug 11. Fish-per-rod calculated from reported angler counts. Central Coast per-rod is the full rockfish group (rockcod, bocaccio, copper, red/vermilion) against the 10-fish aggregate.
| Boat / Landing | Anglers | Score | Per Rod |
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| Bodega Bay |
| Surf Scooter, Bodega Bay Sportfishing, Tue 11 | 12 | 24 king salmon, to 23 lb | 2.0, limits |
| Surf Scooter, Mon 10 | 18 | 30 king salmon, to 26 lb | 1.7 |
| Dragonfly, Reel Obsession, Mon 10 | 6 | 12 king salmon | 2.0, limits |
| Surf Scooter, Sun 9 | 19 | 4 kings to 27 lb, plus a bottom score the site lists as 190 lingcod / 2 rockfish | 0.2 salmon |
| Dragonfly, Sun 9 | 4 | 4 king salmon | 1.0 |
| Berkeley |
| New Easy Rider, Berkeley Charter Boats, Sun 9 | 14 | 28 king salmon | 2.0, limits |
| New California Dawn, Mon 10 | 10 | 10 California halibut to 18 lb, 2 lingcod, 80 rockfish, 1 striper | 1.0 halibut |
| New California Dawn, Sun 9 | 9 | 5 halibut, 6 lingcod, 90 rockfish | 10.0, limits |
| New Easy Rider, Mon 10 | 17 | 22 king salmon, to 23 lb | 1.3 |
| California Dawn II, Sun 9 | 18 | 17 king salmon, to 25 lb | 0.9 |
| California Dawn II, Mon 10 | 15 | 9 king salmon | 0.6 |
| Right Hook, Right Hook Sportfishing (short trips) | 4 | 6 king salmon, both Sun and Mon | 1.5 |
| Sausalito |
| Salty Lady, Mon 10 | 20 | 15 kings to 30 lb, biggest fish of the week, 1 striper to 18 lb | 0.8 |
| Hog Heaven, Sun 9 | 15 | 19 king salmon | 1.3 |
| Hog Heaven, Mon 10 | 7 | 9 kings, to 22 lb | 1.3 |
| Emeryville |
| Sea Wolf, Fish Emeryville, Sun 9 | 20 | 40 lingcod, 200 rockfish | 10.0, limits |
| Oakland Anglers II, Tue 11 | 18 | 162 rockfish, 6 lingcod, 2 halibut, 1 cabezon | 9.0 |
| Scallywag, Tue 11 | 6 | 12 king salmon | 2.0, limits |
| Scallywag, Sun 9 | 6 | 12 king salmon | 2.0, limits |
| Lady K, Sun 9 | 9 | 15 king salmon | 1.7 |
| C Gull II, Sun 9 | 17 | 26 king salmon | 1.5 |
| New Huck Finn, Sun 9 | 16 | 18 kings, 1 white seabass | 1.1 |
| Oakland Anglers II, Sun 9 | 16 | 15 king salmon | 0.9 |
| Playn Hooky (1/2 day), Sun 9 | 6 | 60 rockfish, 3 lingcod, 4 kings | 10.0, limits |
| C Gull II, Mon 10 | 15 | 11 kings, 2 bonito | 0.7 |
| Lady K, Mon 10 | 7 | 7 king salmon | 1.0 |
| San Francisco |
| Lovely Martha, Sun 9 | 23 | 35 king salmon | 1.5 |
| Lovely Martha, Mon 10 | 18 | 25 kings, 3 bonito | 1.4 |
| Bass-Tub, Bass Tub Sportfishing, Sun 9 | 18 | 22 king salmon | 1.2 |
| Argo, Argo Sportfishing, Sun and Mon | 6 | 6 chinook each day | 1.0 |
| Half Moon Bay & Santa Cruz |
| Queen of Hearts, HMB Sportfishing, Sun 9 | 15 | 150 rockfish, 2 lingcod, 1 halibut | 10.0, limits |
| Mega-bite, Monterey Bay Charters, Sun 9 | 5 | 50 rockfish, 5 lingcod, 2 petrale sole | 10.0, limits |
| Riptide, Riptide Sportfishing, Sun 9 | 4 | 5 kings to 25 lb, 60 rockfish | 1.3 salmon |
| Monterey |
| New Horizon, J&M Sportfishing (1/2 day), Mon 10 | 19 | 190 rockfish, 6 lingcod | 10.0, limits |
| Kahuna, J&M Sportfishing (1/2 day), Sun 9 | 19 | 190 rockfish, 2 lingcod | 10.0, limits |
| New Horizon (1/2 day PM), Sun 9 | 5 | 31 rockfish, 1 lingcod | 6.2 |
| ▼ C E N T R A L C O A S T ▼ |
| Endeavor, Morro Bay Landing (full day), Sun 9 | 30 | 150 rockfish, 60 bocaccio, 60 red, 30 copper, 9 lingcod to 12 lb, 7 whitefish | 10.0, limits |
| Patriot, Patriot Sportfishing, Avila (full day, Purisima Point), Sun 9 | 19 | 148 rockcod, 38 red, 4 bocaccio, 9 lingcod to 28 lb | 10.0, limits |
| Flying Fish, Patriot, Avila (1/2 day, Out Front), Tue 11 | 17 | 156 rockcod, 12 bocaccio, 2 copper | 10.0, limits |
| Endeavor, Morro Bay Landing (3/4 day), Tue 11 | 13 | 80 rockfish, 26 red, 12 bocaccio, 12 copper, 5 lingcod | 10.0, limits |
| Patriot, Avila (3/4 day, Out Front), Mon 10 | 13 | 76 rockcod, 35 bocaccio, 10 red, 9 copper, 4 lingcod | 10.0, limits |
| Flying Fish, Avila (1/2 day), Sun 9 | 15 | 143 rockcod, 5 bocaccio to 7 lb, 2 copper | 10.0, limits |
| Sunny Day, Avila (1/2 day, Diablo), Sun 9 | 4 | 33 rockcod, 4 red, 2 bocaccio, 1 copper, 2 lingcod | 10.0, limits |
| Flying Fish, Avila (1/2 day), Mon 10 | 16 | 154 rockcod, 4 copper, 1 red, 2 lingcod | 9.9 |
What the numbers say. Two different fisheries pulling in two directions. On the bottom, everything is limits, every full rockfish trip we logged over three days came in at or within a hair of ten per rod, from Emeryville to Half Moon Bay to Monterey to Avila. On the salmon side, the fleet gave ground: only five of twenty-nine salmon trips reached limits, against a fleet that was routinely doubling up two weeks ago. Bodega was the exception and Berkeley’s big boats took the worst of it. The fish are still large, 30, 27 and 26-pounders came over the rail, there are just fewer of them per rod. If you want a sure thing this week, drop a jig instead of dragging a mooching rig.
One entry we are flagging rather than repeating: NorCal Fish Reports lists the Surf Scooter at 190 lingcod and 2 rockfish for Sunday. Ten lingcod a rod would be five times the legal limit, so those two species are almost certainly transposed at the source. We have shown the salmon count, which is unambiguous, and left the bottom score alone.
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⏰ The Season Clock, Verify Before Every Trip
Ocean Salmon, Recreational
| Area | Status | Harvest Guideline |
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| 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) | CLOSED Aug 10–31 | 5,100 Chinook |
| OR/CA border – 40°10′ (KMZ) | CLOSED all August | 3,900, attained |
Fort Bragg shut on Monday, as scheduled. The inseason action NOAA Fisheries took July 28 is now in force, Aug 10 through Aug 31 is closed north of Point Arena. San Francisco and Monterey are unaffected and still have two and a half weeks.
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, the Central Coast boats are putting a lot of copper and vermilion in the sack right now, and those are the two with the tightest sub-limits.
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Charter & Landing Directory
| Port | Landings & Boats Working These Ports |
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| Bodega Bay | Bodega Bay Sportfishing Center (Surf Scooter) · Reel Obsession Sportfishing (Dragonfly) |
| Sausalito | Salty Lady Sportfishing (Salty Lady) · Hog Heaven Sportfishing (Hog Heaven) |
| Berkeley | California Dawn Sportfishing (California Dawn II, New California Dawn) · Berkeley Charter Boats (New Easy Rider) · Right Hook Sportfishing (Right Hook) |
| Emeryville | Fish Emeryville, Sea Wolf, Oakland Anglers II, Scallywag, C Gull II, Lady K, New Huck Finn, Playn Hooky |
| San Francisco | Lovely Martha Sportfishing (Lovely Martha) · Bass Tub Sportfishing (Bass-Tub) · Argo Sportfishing (Argo) |
| Half Moon Bay | Half Moon Bay Sportfishing (Queen of Hearts) · Riptide Sportfishing (Riptide) · New Captain Pete · New Rayann Sportfishing |
| Santa Cruz | Monterey Bay Charters (Mega-bite) |
| Monterey | J&M Sportfishing (Kahuna, New Horizon) · Chris’ Fishing Trips |
| Morro Bay | Morro Bay Landing (Endeavor, Starfire) |
| Avila Beach | Patriot Sportfishing (Patriot, Flying Fish, Sunny Day) |
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◉ Tide Tables, Aug 12–19
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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 |
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| 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 |
| Sat 15 | 1:32a, 5.9 | 2:33p, 5.8 | 7:43a, 0.1 | 8:16p, 1.4 |
| Sun 16 | 2:25a, 5.3 | 3:07p, 5.8 | 8:20a, 0.8 | 9:11p, 1.3 |
| Mon 17 | 3:23a, 4.7 | 3:42p, 5.8 | 8:58a, 1.5 | 10:09p, 1.2 |
| Tue 18 | 4:32a, 4.2 | 4:20p, 5.7 | 9:39a, 2.3 | 11:14p, 1.1 |
| Wed 19 | 6:01a, 3.9 | 5:03p, 5.6 | 10:30a, 2.9 | |
Port Chicago / West Delta, Station 9415144
| Date | High AM | High PM | Low AM | Low PM |
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| 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 |
| Sat 15 | 3:59a, 4.9 | 5:05p, 4.7 | 10:48a, 0.2 | 11:19p, 1.1 |
| Sun 16 | 4:53a, 4.4 | 5:36p, 4.7 | 11:16a, 0.5 | |
| Mon 17 | 5:53a, 4.0 | 6:06p, 4.8 | 12:15a, 1.0 | 11:44a, 0.9 |
| Tue 18 | 7:01a, 3.7 | 6:38p, 4.8 | 1:15a, 0.9 | 12:18p, 1.3 |
| Wed 19 | 8:17a, 3.4 | 7:15p, 4.8 | 2:22a, 0.9 | 12:59p, 1.7 |
Monterey, Station 9413450
| Date | High AM | High PM | Low 1 | Low 2 |
|---|
| 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 |
| Sat 15 | 12:20a, 5.4 | 1:24p, 5.0 | 6:57a, 0.2 | 7:23p, 1.4 |
| Sun 16 | 1:14a, 4.7 | 2:00p, 5.1 | 7:31a, 0.8 | 8:22p, 1.4 |
| Mon 17 | 2:13a, 4.1 | 2:38p, 5.2 | 8:03a, 1.5 | 9:28p, 1.3 |
| Tue 18 | 3:27a, 3.6 | 3:20p, 5.1 | 8:35a, 2.2 | 10:42p, 1.2 |
| Wed 19 | 5:08a, 3.2 | 4:08p, 5.1 | 9:11a, 2.7 | |
Port San Luis / Avila, Station 9412110
| Date | High AM | High PM | Low 1 | Low 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 |
| Sat 15 | | 12:53p, 5.0 | 6:29a, 0.1 | 6:52p, 1.3 |
| Sun 16 | 12:43a, 4.8 | 1:28p, 5.1 | 7:01a, 0.8 | 7:49p, 1.3 |
| Mon 17 | 1:39a, 4.1 | 2:05p, 5.1 | 7:31a, 1.4 | 8:55p, 1.3 |
| Tue 18 | 2:48a, 3.5 | 2:47p, 5.0 | 7:59a, 2.1 | 10:15p, 1.3 |
| Wed 19 | 4:33a, 3.1 | 3:38p, 4.9 | 8:28a, 2.6 | 11:38p, 1.1 |
Clam diggers: Wednesday and Thursday mornings and then you are done for a while. Port San Luis bottoms at −1.2 ft at 4:41 a.m. Wednesday and −0.9 at 5:19 a.m. Thursday; Monterey −1.1 at 5:07 a.m. Wednesday. The next minus tide anywhere on this page is August 25. Bring a light and confirm the current health advisory and any closures before you dig.
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◉ Moon Phase & Best Days
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Phase computed from a 29.530588853-day synodic month against the January 6, 2000 reference new moon. That puts new moon at 07:45 UTC on August 13, 12:45 a.m. Pacific, Thursday morning. The almanac window brackets new and full, so it runs Aug 11 through Aug 15, and the front half of it is already behind us. The back half is this coverage window, and it is the last good stretch until the full moon around August 27.
| Date | Illumination | Rating | Notes, Solunar Majors vs. Sunrise & Tide |
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| Wed 12 | <1% waning | ★★★★★ Best |
The last big one. −1.1 ft at 5:47 a.m. SF, −1.2 at Port San Luis, dark night, hard outgoing through sunrise (6:23 a.m.). Morning major sits right on first light. Take this day. |
| Thu 13 | <1%, new | ★★★★★ Best |
New moon at 12:45 a.m. −0.8 ft at 6:28 a.m., which now sits right at sunrise, the setup you want. Darkest night of the month for the evening bite. |
| Fri 14 | 2% waxing | ★★★★☆ Very Good |
Window closing, but a 6.4 ft high at 12:41 a.m. keeps the swing large and the low is still negative at 7:06 a.m. Good, not peak. |
| Sat 15 | 5% waxing | ★★★☆☆ Good |
First non-negative low of the run (0.1 ft, 7:43 a.m.). Still a 5.8 ft swing. The best of the weekend, and it is the busiest tournament Saturday of the month. |
| Sun 16 | 11% waxing | ★★☆☆☆ Fair |
Range shrinking fast. Low 0.8 ft after sunrise. Ordinary day, fish it early or fish structure. |
| Mon 17 | 19% waxing | ★★☆☆☆ Fair |
Heading into neap. Low 1.5 ft at 8:58 a.m. Moon setting near midday, evening major weak. |
| Tue 18 | 27% waxing | ★☆☆☆☆ Slow |
Low only 2.3 ft. Smallest swing of the week. Deep structure and the evening window are your friends. |
| Wed 19 | 37% waxing | ★☆☆☆☆ Slow |
Bottom of the neap. Low 2.9 ft, barely a low at all. First quarter lands the morning of the 20th and the range starts rebuilding after that. |
Sunrise at the Gate runs 6:23 a.m. Aug 12 to 6:29 a.m. Aug 19; sunset 8:06 p.m. to 7:57 p.m. Central Valley times run a few minutes earlier at sunrise and later at sunset. Illumination is the mean-synodic value at midday and can differ a point or two from published almanacs as you move away from the exact new moon. Solunar major timing is estimated from lunar transit, not measured, treat the rating as a tiebreaker, not a guarantee.
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◉ Fish Stocking Report
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Nothing on the valley floor again, and there will not be until fall. 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.
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Note: CDFW posts plants as week ranges, and the most recent posted range is still Aug 2–8, the same week we published last issue. The Aug 9–15 list had not gone up as of Tuesday afternoon. These are last week’s plants, not this week’s. All rainbow trout.
| County | Waters Planted | Species |
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| 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. 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
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◉ Tournament Board
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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 |
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| Aug 5 | Folsom Lake | Folsom Rats |
| Aug 5 | Delta (San Joaquin Co.) | Open event, no sponsor listed |
| Aug 6 | Lake Berryessa | Berryessa TNT |
| Aug 6 | Delta (San Joaquin Co.) | Tracy Oasis Marina |
| Aug 7 | Don Pedro Reservoir | Pedro Friday Nighters |
| Aug 8 | Lake McClure | Bass Angler Inc. |
| Aug 8 | Isabella Lake | American Bass |
| Aug 8 | Delta (Sacramento Co.) | Manteca Bassin Buddies |
| Aug 8 | Delta (San Joaquin Co.) | Bass Anglers of Northern California |
| Aug 8 | Lake Oroville | Basin Bassmaster Loomis |
| 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 |
| Aug 9 | Delta (San Joaquin Co.) | American Bass |
This Coverage Window, Aug 12 through Aug 19
| Date | Water | Host |
|---|
| 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 |
| Sat Aug 15 | H.V. Eastman Lake | Sierra Bass Club |
| Sat Aug 15 | Delta (Contra Costa Co.) | Delta Bass Club · Tri Valley Bassmasters |
| Sat Aug 15 | Delta (Sacramento Co.) | Contra Costa Bass Club |
| Sat Aug 15 | Delta (San Joaquin Co.) | El Dorado Bass |
| Sat Aug 15 | Lake Oroville | All American Bass Club |
| Sat Aug 15 | Thermalito Afterbay | Folsom Bass Team |
| Sat Aug 15 | Lake Davis | High Sierra Bass Club |
| Sat Aug 15 | Clear Lake | B2B Hawg Handlers |
| Aug 15–16 | Clear Lake | Bay Area Bassbusters · Battle Born Bass Nation |
| Aug 15–16 | Lake Amador | Modesto Ambassadors |
| Sun Aug 16 | Delta (San Joaquin Co.) | Anglers Press Outdoors · American Bass |
| Sun Aug 16 | Lake Oroville | Oroville Bassmasters |
| Wed Aug 19 | Folsom Lake | Folsom Rats |
| Wed Aug 19 | Delta (San Joaquin Co.) | Open event, no sponsor listed |
📅 Mark the Calendar, Central Valley & Central Coast
| Date | Water | Host |
|---|
| 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 18–20 | Don Pedro Reservoir | Bass Angler Inc. |
| Sep 19 | Lake Success | Golden Empire Bass Club |
| Sep 19 | Lopez Lake | Kern County Bassmasters |
| Sep 19 | Isabella Lake | American Bass |
| Sep 19 | Lake McClure | Sonora Bass Anglers |
| Sep 19 | Don Pedro Reservoir | All American Bass Club |
| Sep 19–20 | Santa Margarita Lake | Orange County Bass Club |
| Sep 26 | Lake McClure | 17-90 Bass Club |
| Sep 26–27 | Don Pedro Reservoir | Sierra 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 |
Source: CDFW Fishing Contest permit database, black bass events, pulled Aug 11. All events listed are Approved status. Permits get amended and cancelled, confirm with the host club before you tow a boat anywhere.
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⚠ Heat & Water Safety, August in the Valley
The lower Kings is still running 3,071 cfs. Lower than last week, and still not a wading flow. It is cold, it is 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.
Pine Flat came down almost eleven feet in six days. Stumps, rock and old roadbed that were comfortably deep on your last trip are at prop depth now, and the shoreline you launched from may not reach the water. Idle in, watch your sounder, and throw out the July waypoints. Isabella is dropping 1,615 acre-feet a day on top of that.
Heat. Valley afternoons are still 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.
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Short version: today and tomorrow are the last two good mornings for a while. New moon, the last minus tides until the 25th, and a bottom fishery that is handing out limits to anybody who shows up. After Friday the tide flattens out and you are fishing on skill instead of on current.
And if the salmon trip you booked comes back light, do not take it personally, the whole fleet slowed down this week. Bodega is the exception. The rockfish boats are the sure thing.
Tight lines
Bryan Mello
B Mello Ag Services · Central Valley, California
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(559) 816-3889
bryan@bmelloag.com
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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 report data ending midnight Aug 10 and generated Aug 11, Section 7 report data ending midnight Aug 5 and generated Aug 6 · NorCalFishReports.com boat-by-boat dock totals for Aug 9, 10 and 11 · SoCalFishReports.com dock totals for Aug 9, 10 and 11 · NorCalFishReports.com weekly skipper report, week of Aug 3 · CDFW Ocean Salmon Fishery Information page, last updated July 28, 2026 · CDFW fish plant listings for the week of Aug 2–8 · CDFW Fishing Contest permit database, black bass, pulled Aug 11 · Snoflo reservoir reports for Lopez Lake, Lake San Antonio, Nacimiento and Santa Margarita · USGS streamgage for the Nacimiento River below the dam · the Central California fishing report of July 31–August 6 compiled by Dave Hurley. 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 on Tuesday afternoon. 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 a figure was stale or missing we said so and date-stamped it rather than guessing.
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