September 25, 2026

We have the best charter giveaways for our anglers! We give away a raffle rod and Cope's Tackle gift card to every fisherman and bring sponsor prizes/giveaways on all our charters! PLUS!! All anglers on Cope's Tackle sponsored trips are automatically entered into our BIG LING OF THE YEAR CONTEST!

October 10th, 2026 - 12 Hour Charter w/Black Pearl Sportfishing

November 14th, 2026 - 12 Hour Charter w/Black Pearl Sportfishing

December 12th, 2026 - 12 Hour Charter w/Black Pearl Sportfishing

The bite was good for striped bass, catfish, and largemouth bass in the southern aqueduct. Smaller-grade striped bass went after topwater lures, with pencil poppers, Strike King Sexy Dawgs, and Spooks all putting in work. Other successful lures included jerkbaits in aurora shad and bone colors, tube baits, and soft jerkbaits. Bait anglers used cut sardines below check gates, with evenings producing well. Bass anglers caught plenty of fish on topwater lures, Senkos, and drop-shot rigs with long leaders. Catfish remained reliable for anglers using dip bait and other usual setups near outtake grates.

The lake remained at 95 percent of its storage capacity, and water temperatures held in the mid to upper seventies. Anglers reported a tougher bite last week with many of boil chasing anglers coming getting skunked. Successful anglers focused or casting shorelines and coves with white walking baits, poppers, and drop shot rigs. If and when a boil popped up anglers found they had the surface feeding fish to themselves at the back of a cove. A rigs and soft jerkbaits were also effective. The big numbers and better fish came from the guys dipping live shad. They reported nonstop action for fish up to five pounds. Catfish anglers did well with fresh dead shad on the Carolina rig. The trick was in catching the shad.

Anglers reported tougher fishing at Pyramid Lake lately due to pea-soup water conditions. Cope’s own David Childres put in some time over the last couple of weeks and showed that all species were still willing to bite aggressively. Largemouth and smallmouth bass went for topwater walking baits, jigs, and A-rigs, in that order. David caught both bass and striped bass using his custom lures and techniques, with many of the fish in the three- to five-pound range. Anglers looking for more information can stop by the shop and ask David how he got it done. Local guide Ron of EZ Fishing also showed that striped bass and catfish were readily available for anglers using frozen sardines in 30 to 90 feet of water. His customers reported excellent catches in the three-to-fifteen-pound range. Ron can be found on Facebook, where he books daily trips to Pyramid.

Lake Isabella continues to drop and is currently sitting at about 27% of capacity, with water temperatures hovering around the upper 60s to near 70 degrees. Crappie fishing remains very good, with anglers finding quality fish in 5 to 20 feet of water around submerged trees, brush, and other structure. Live shiners continue to be hard to beat, while small mini jigs, Indian Crickets, Get Bent Baits, and 2-inch Keitechs are all producing. Red’s Marina, the North Fork trees, and the cages near Kissack Cove remain some of the more consistent areas. Bass fishing remains solid, especially during the early morning hours when fish are coming up around isolated stick-ups, rock piles, and points. Poppers, walking baits, prop baits, and other topwater presentations are producing early before anglers transition to slower presentations as the sun gets higher. Texas-rigged 8- to 10-inch Rusty’s Big Worms in purple and black/blue, along with drop-shot worms and Senkos, have been effective in roughly 15 to 25 feet of water. Catfish continue to bite well later in the afternoon and into the evening on SSS Dip Bait, frozen shad, nightcrawlers, and cut bait. Trout anglers are still picking up fish around the North Fork on floating baits, while boaters trolling deeper water toward the dam are scoring with Tasmanian Devils, Needlefish, and Flicker Shads.

The Upper Kern continues to fish well with the cooler weather and low, clear flows. Trout are being found in the deeper pools, slower eddies, river bends, and other areas that provide a break from the current. Salmon eggs, trout jigs, and black/gold Panther Martins have all been producing, while fly anglers are finding success with attractor patterns and small nymphs. CDFW has Kern River Sections 4 and 5 scheduled for trout plants this week, which should provide another boost to the trout bite. In the Lower Kern, trout continue to be caught throughout the canyon and toward Keysville on spinners, trout jigs, and salmon eggs. Bass fishing remains very good through the canyon and around Democrat, with Z-Man and Crush City Ned rigs, small crankbaits, and Roboworms on the drop shot producing consistently. Catfish are still active on nightcrawlers, chicken liver, and cut bait, while bluegill remain plentiful and are taking red worms and mealworms fished on light tackle or drop-shot rigs.

Kaweah Lake continued its annual drawdown in preparation for winter runoff, with the lake sitting at 11 percent of capacity at the time of reporting. Late summer fishing was tough, with many bass holding deeper on main-lake points and submerged humps. Finesse baits and weightless Senkos both enticed bites during the middle of the day, while poppers and smaller walking baits took fish at first light and again in the evenings. Crappie were difficult to find, with successful anglers using electronics to locate schools holding around submerged structure in 15 to 20 feet of water. Small live minnows were by far the best way to entice bites, with minijigs a close second.

The lake level fell a couple of feet, and fishing was good. Largemouth anglers continued to report solid hood ups on magnum sized plastic worms like Rusty’s Big Worms in the 8” green pumpkin, purple, and Aaron’s magic colors. Steep walls, main lake points and the submerged trees all produced quality bass. Deep diving cranks used in those same areas also produced solid bites. Topwater poppers, Zara Puppies, and buzzbaits put some fish in the boat in the mornings and evenings. Catfish anglers did well on the West side of the dam where they soaked dip bait, cut mackerel, and chicken liver. Crappie held near submerged wood in about 15 feet of water and fell for minijigs tipped with crappie nibbles.

Bass fishing remains good, especially during the early morning and late afternoon hours. Topwater baits such as poppers, small walking baits, and Whopper Ploppers have been producing around the weed lines and other shallow cover early before the fish move deeper as the sun gets higher. Wacky-rigged Senkos, drop-shot worms, small flukes, and Ned rigs have been the more consistent choices later in the day. Bluegill fishing remains excellent on live worms, mealworms, and wax worms fished under a bobber or on a light drop-shot rig.

Bass fishing has improved with the cooler weather, with the best action coming during the early morning and late afternoon hours. Giro flukes, small creature baits, and Ned rigs worked around the grass with slightly heavier heads have been producing well. Green pumpkin worms in the 4- to 5-inch range and Strike King Rage Bugs have also been getting consistent bites. Bluegill fishing remains excellent during the cooler parts of the day on wax worms, mealworms, and red worms. Crappie activity continues to improve, especially later in the afternoon, with 2-inch Keitechs and live shiners producing around deeper grass and structure. Carp are showing more frequently and taking dough baits, while catfish continue to provide steady action on SSS Dip Bait, cut bait, and chicken liver during the evening hours.

Anglers reported fair fishing at Buena Vista Lakes, with catfish and bluegill providing the best action. Whiskerfish ate cut anchovies, SSS dip bait, and chicken liver on Carolina rigs. Bluegill went after redworms, waxworms, and mealworms fished under a bobber near brush. Bass anglers used weightless, wacky-rigged green pumpkin Senkos and Texas rigs for bites. Some fish were also reported by anglers throwing white Chatterbaits with a small trailer. Crappie reports indicated small live minnows were the best bait for putting fish in the boat. Crappie held over rocky bottom and near the boat ramp.

Hart Park kicked out some quality largemouth bass, with the same dedicated anglers reporting catches each week. These local anglers shared their secrets, and their pattern for success remained consistent throughout the summer. Bass held in the weed beds, with anglers getting bites along the edges of the weed lines. Weightless Senkos, creature baits, and jigs were all good lure choices. Other successful options included punching through the weed beds or throwing topwater lures. Catfish continued to eat cut sardines or anchovies smeared in dip bait, chicken liver, and nightcrawlers, while bluegill bit well on waxworms, mealworms, and redworms.

The summer season is all but wrapped up, but the bite remained relentless. Anglers reported that the topwater action continued last week, with spotted bass chasing walking baits, poppers, and Whopper Plopper-style baits. Small swimbaits and underspins also produced plenty of fish. Down deep, finesse baits paired with 3- to 6-inch plastics did plenty of damage as well. White bass went after white spoons jigged or reeled quickly through 20 to 40 feet of water. The crappie bite was very good for anglers targeting the 10- to 20-foot zone with small swimbaits in shad colors near submerged structure. Catfish anglers caught fish with cut mackerel and chicken liver.

Yellowfin tuna continue to push well into Orange County and Los Angeles waters, while bonito, yellowtail, dorado, and occasional wahoo are adding variety. Dana Wharf posted 128 yellowfin, 284 bullet tuna, 118 bonito, 12 skipjack, and 5 dorado across six trips on September 23. Davey’s Locker has also been seeing excellent bonito action along with yellowfin and yellowtail, while Newport-area offshore boats continue to find tuna on fly-lined sardines and smaller jigs. Farther north, San Pedro and Long Beach boats are seeing a strong mix of yellowfin, calico bass, bonito, and yellowtail. On September 23, 22nd Street Landing reported 22 yellowfin, 81 calico bass, 30 bonito, and 4 dorado from just two trips. Earlier in the week, one 22nd Street trip produced 118 yellowfin for only 10 anglers, showing how good the tuna fishing can be when a boat gets on the right school. Local island and coastal fishing remains good for calico bass, sand bass, bonito, barracuda, sheephead, and yellowtail around kelp lines, hard-bottom areas, and structure.

Fishing remains very good throughout the Channel Islands, with yellowtail, yellowfin tuna, bonito, calico bass, sand bass, whitefish, and rockfish all showing in the counts. The warm-water bite continues to be impressive for this area, with yellowfin and even dorado being caught alongside the traditional island species. Channel Islands Sportfishing had an excellent September 23 showing, highlighted by the Indicator’s overnight trip with 20 anglers landing 26 yellowfin and 2 dorado. The Aloha Spirit has also been finding yellowfin and yellowtail, while the Island Fox posted 15 yellowtail for only six anglers. Fleet totals from Channel Islands Sportfishing included 39 yellowtail, 26 yellowfin, 170 calico bass, 91 sand bass, and 443 whitefish. Ventura boats continue to see excellent bonito, whitefish, rockfish, and bass action, while Santa Barbara remains dependable for rockfish, whitefish, lingcod, and occasional halibut. Anglers fishing the islands should continue to carry both heavier yellowtail/tuna gear and lighter bass and bottom-fishing setups, as the bite can change quickly depending on where the boats locate fish.

Rockfish and lingcod fishing remains very good along the Central Coast, with boats finding consistent action over deeper reefs, rocky structure, and offshore banks. Morro Bay boats continue to produce limits or near-limits of mixed rockfish along with bocaccio, reds, copper rockfish, and lingcod, while bonito remain an unusual but steady bonus in the warmer water. On September 23, the Endeavor carried 10 anglers and returned with 85 rockfish, 20 bonito, 6 bocaccio, 3 red rockfish, 3 copper rockfish, and 3 lingcod. Earlier in the week, Morro Bay Landing posted 55 lingcod and 365 rockfish across three boats, showing that the deeper-water fishing remains very productive. Port San Luis boats are also seeing solid rockcod fishing, with Patriot Sportfishing reporting 221 rockcod for 24 anglers on September 20 along with a handful of bonito and bocaccio. Bigger lingcod continue to come on large swimbaits, iron, and live or dead bait fished close to the bottom, while smaller jigs and shrimp flies remain productive for mixed rockfish.