Welcome to Nor Cal Fish Reports

Welcome to Northern California's best source for regional sportfishing information, including the latest fishing conditions, charter boat information, and the regions best sources for bait, tackle, and all your fishing needs.

Mild weather, surfcasting success

by ALLEN BUSHNELL / Santa Cruz Sportfishing
Mild weather and calm seas resulted in an uptick of positive results for anglers fishing the Monterey Bay this week. Santa Cruz’ Bayside Marine owner Todd Fraser encapsulated conditions well, reporting, “The water was flat calm all day. The anglers
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

Los Vaqueros Fishing Report

by PAUL CLOUSE AND AL HURWITZ
 Paul Clouse, Al Hurwitz, and Abel Wong trolled several coves on both sides of Los Vaqueros Reservoir on January 22, 2026, catching eight and keeping seven good sized Mt. Lassen Rainbow Trout (one was released). Paul also hooked into a
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

Flows were under 1,600 cfs (6.6 feet) on the Jed Smith gauge Friday

by KENNY PRIEST / Fishing the North Coast
Flows were under 1,600 cfs (6.6 feet) on the Jed Smith gauge Friday. Despite the low, clear conditions, fishing has been decent for the boats still trying. Fishing pressure has been very light as a lot of anglers have moved
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

The Van Duzen was down to 190 cfs Friday and is in great shape

by KENNY PRIEST / Fishing the North Coast
The Van Duzen was down to 190 cfs Friday and is in great shape. Catch reports are hard to come by, but it’s a great option if you’re looking for a spot to bank fish.
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

The South Fork is running at just above 1,000 cfs at Miranda as of Friday

by KENNY PRIEST / Fishing the North Coast
The South Fork is running at just above 1,000 cfs at Miranda as of Friday. It’s been in really good shape for over a week and has provided some pretty good fishing at times from the top to the bottom.
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

The main stem dropped into shape this week and is nice and green, but still big

by KENNY PRIEST / Fishing the North Coast
The main stem dropped into shape this week and is nice and green, but still big. It was running at 4,400 cubic feet per second as of Friday and should be in great shape through the weekend and likely through
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

The Mad is in good shape and steelhead are showing up

by KENNY PRIEST / Fishing the North Coast
The Mad is in good shape and steelhead are showing up according to Justin Kelly of Eureka’s RMI Outdoors. “There seems to be a fair number of fish around,” said Kelly. “The water is still not perfect, but green enough.
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

Nearly three weeks dry: coastal rivers in need of rain

by KENNY PRIEST / Fishing the North Coast
It’s been nearly three weeks since the last meaningful rainfall, and most coastal rivers are starting to show it. With the exception of the main stem Eel and the Mad, which are both rounding into excellent shape, flows across the
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

The lake fell to 27 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing remained fair

by CHAD BURTON AND CHRIS BORDEN / Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop
The lake fell to 27 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing remained fair. Bass anglers fished in 10 to 40 feet of water on rocky points, along the dam, and near the submerged trees. Drop shot rigs, spider jigs,
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

The lake fell to 15 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing remained fair

by CHAD BURTON AND CHRIS BORDEN / Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop
The lake fell to 15 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing remained fair. Anglers reported dragging finesse worms at a painfully slow pace to entice bites. Small jigs and spoons fished on deep-water structure were another way to hook
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

Kern River Fishing Report

by CHAD BURTON AND CHRIS BORDEN / Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop
Here in the Upper Kern, anglers are finding success with slower presentations, including salmon eggs and trout jigs, while fly anglers are doing well on nymph patterns during the morning hours and blue-winged olive patterns during afternoon hatches. This week,
(More...) (Friday, January 23, 2026)

🔥 TROPHY ALERT 🔥

by LAKE AMADOR STAFF / Lake Amador Resort
Nik Cardenas with a couple of LUNKER CUTBOWS he caught on F&B Mayan Temple color spoons. He was fishing in Jackson Creek from a kayak. Total weight was 20.3 pounds, the biggest was 11.8lbs and the other was 8.5lbs!! #lakeamador #trout
(More...) (Thursday, January 22, 2026)

Thank you for visiting Nor Cal Fish Reports! Please visit us again, as this site is under development and new features are being added regularly.