October 9th 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!

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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

Fishing was good in the southern aqueduct, as striped bass, largemouth bass, and catfish consistently took various baits. Largemouth bass struck topwater poppers and Spook Jr.'s in baitfish and bone colors at first light and again during the evenings, while wacky-rigged YUM Dingers fished on a jig head successfully fooled bass positioned near inlets and concrete bridge pylons. Catfish reliably gobbled up Triple S dip bait, chicken liver, and assorted cut baits presented on either a classic Carolina rig or a standard bait rig along the bottom. Meanwhile, striped bass preferred cut sardines and lugworms, though a few opportunistic fish responded well to chicken liver as well. Striped bass also chased 3.8-inch Keitech swimbaits in white and silver flash minnow patterns, and topwater walking baits produced explosive surface bites during lower-light windows.

Castaic Lake fell slightly to 94 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing was decent. The largemouth and striped bass bite was wide open for anglers using live shad with split shots or fly-lined setups. However, that just about wrapped up the action for most species. Anglers throwing artificials found a tougher bite while using weightless Senkos and smaller 3- and 4-inch plastics on the drop shot. Most of the lure-biting bass were in the one-pound class and holding in 5 feet of water. Striped bass did not show regularly on the surface, but anglers connected while blind casting small white walking baits. Catfish were easy targets for anglers using dead shad on the Carolina rig. A final technique used by locals was to rig dead shad or small Flukes under a bobber and let the wind work the bait.

The lake remained at full pool, and fishing was good for all species. Bass anglers found success during the first hour of the day while throwing topwater Espetites, Gunfish, and Don Iovino Splash-Its. After that, A-rigs, jigs, and Texas rigs did well near the Island and Beartrap. Striped bass preferred cut sardines in about 50 feet of water. The bite has been a slow pick, but patient anglers scored limits by the end of the day. Catfish continued to eat the sardines intended for stripers, with several fish in the 10-pound class coming ashore.

Lake Isabella has dropped slightly to 25 percent of capacity, but the bass bite remains solid, with water temperatures holding around 75 degrees. Anglers are finding good topwater action early around isolated stick-ups, rock piles, and brush with Spooks, poppers, jerkbaits, and other walking baits. As the day progresses, Texas-rigged 8- to 10-inch Rusty’s Big Worms in purple and black/blue have been producing quality bass around brush piles and points in 5 to 20 feet of water. Aaron’s Magic and red craw patterns are also getting bit. The crappie bite improved this week, with several reports of quality stringers coming in. Live minnows and small minijigs, including 2-inch Keitechs, are working well around structure in 10 to 20 feet of water. Catfish remain active throughout the lake and are biting Triple S dip bait, shad, and mackerel. Trout fishing is fair to good for anglers trolling near the dam with Needlefish and Flicker Shad.

The Upper Kern was stocked last week in Sections 4, 5, and 6. Section 4 runs from Riverside Park in Kernville to Powerhouse #3, Section 5 extends from Powerhouse #3 to Fairview Dam, and Section 6 continues from Fairview Dam to Johnsondale Bridge. Anglers are finding success with small grubs, trout worms, and salmon eggs throughout the upper stretches, while fly anglers are doing slightly better with dry-dropper rigs using a Yellow Sallie nymph as the dropper. In the Lower Kern, both largemouth and smallmouth bass are being caught on a variety of soft plastics and spinners, especially in slower pockets of water. Catfish and bass continue to show along access points as the river flows toward Bakersfield. Catfish are biting Get Bent Baits, clams, and worms, while bluegill are being caught on live worms. At the time of reporting, the Upper Kern River at Kernville was flowing at 180 CFS, while the Lower Kern River was at 565 CFS.

The lake fell to 11 percent of capacity, and spotted bass fishing improved. Bass anglers found success with finesse plastics, crankbaits, and jerkbaits. Crankbaits and jerkbaits worked best during the mornings and evenings, while jigs, drop shots, and Senkos produced bites throughout the day. Most of the spotted bass action came from main lake points and submerged rock piles. Catfish also cooperated in the deeper coves, where anglers soaked chicken liver, cut sardines, and dip bait.

Success Lake fell to 11 percent of capacity, and fishing was hit or miss. Some anglers reported excellent action, while others came away skunked. Bass chased shad in the evenings, and anglers who located boiling fish loaded up using crankbaits, jerkbaits, and topwater lures. During the day, finesse plastics produced most of the action, with jigs, drop shots, and shaky heads working in 5 to 20 feet of water and around the trees. Crankbaits also picked up fish during the mornings and evenings. Catfish went after nightcrawlers, chicken liver, and dip bait.

At River Walk, bass activity has been improving, with the best action coming during the early morning and late evening hours. Small flukes, Ned rigs, shad-patterned plastics on a drop shot, and green pumpkin Senkos have all been producing fish. Bluegill are also biting well in both lakes on wax worms and red worms. The 14th annual Bakersfield Firefighters Trout Derby and Pancake Breakfast is scheduled for Saturday, November 28, 2026.

The bass bite at Lake Ming remains fair, with anglers finding success on shaky heads, micro jigs, and small Senkos. Downsizing presentations has been the key to generating more bites. Catfish continue to stay active and are being caught on anchovies, sardines, and dip bait. There have been no recent reports of carp, while bluegill are biting well on live worms.

Anglers reported decent fall fishing at Buena Vista Lakes, with catfish providing the most consistent action. Catfish went after cut baits, chicken liver, nightcrawlers, and dip bait soaked on the bottom. Bass anglers found largemouth along submerged weed lines, near the islands, and around submerged brush. Crankbaits and spinnerbaits produced fish, along with Senkos, jigs, and Texas-rigged 6-inch straight-tail worms in ox blood and watermelon black flake. Crappie were found around submerged rocks and brush, where small live minnows, minijigs, and small swimbaits produced bites.

Fishing was decent at Hart Park, with anglers reporting good numbers of smaller bass. Weedless frogs worked over the grass during the mornings and evenings, while Texas-rigged worms, Senkos, and green pumpkin creature baits produced bites throughout the day. Anglers also punched plastics through the heavier grass, and a few better-quality bass fell for medium sized paddle tail swimbaits. Bluegill went after redworms, waxworms, and mealworms under a bobber, while catfish ate cut anchovies, nightcrawlers, and dip bait soaked on the bottom.

The lake remained near 35 percent of its storage capacity, and anglers reported another good week of bass fishing. Most anglers relied on finesse presentations in dark green, black flake, Aaron’s Magic, and smoke shad while fishing in 20 to 35 feet of water. Topwater walking baits still produced fish throughout the day, but that bite has slowed. White bass held at similar depths while feeding on large schools of shad, with spoons, underspins, and tail spins all getting grabs. The crappie bite remained strong around submerged stumps in about 15 feet of water, where small swimbaits and minijigs produced fish. Shore anglers caught catfish on cut baits and dip bait.

The warm-water bite continues to hold in the Orange County and Los Angeles areas, with yellowfin tuna, yellowtail, bonito, and occasional dorado and wahoo showing. Dana Wharf boats had another productive week, highlighted by 35 yellowfin and a wahoo on October 6. The Fury returned from a two-day trip with 24 yellowfin, 9 yellowtail, and 2 bluefin, while the Lex Sea landed 33 yellowfin and a wahoo with just four anglers. Local trips continue to find plenty of bonito and calico bass, while yellowtail are showing around the islands and offshore banks. Out of San Pedro, the Amigo returned October 7 with 36 yellowfin and 27 skipjack for 15 anglers, while the Pursuit has continued to put anglers on yellowtail and bonito.

Fishing around the northern Channel Islands remains a mix of excellent bottom fishing and scattered surface action. Rockfish, whitefish, sheephead, and lingcod are providing the most consistent action, but yellowtail, bonito, and even bluefin continue to show. Ventura Sportfishing reported 191 rockfish, 20 whitefish, 4 sheephead, 2 lingcod, and a yellowtail for 30 anglers aboard the Island Spirit on October 4. The previous day, the Ventura fleet added 4 bluefin, a yellowtail, and 53 bonito along with nearly 400 rockfish. Anglers heading to the outer islands should be prepared to fish the bottom while keeping a surface setup ready in case yellowtail or tuna schools show.

Rockfishing remains excellent along the Central Coast, with limits or near-limits of quality rockfish common on trips out of Port San Luis. Patriot Sportfishing reported 289 rockfish for 30 anglers on October 5 along with 4 lingcod, 7 copper rockfish, and a yellowtail. The variety has been unusually good for October, with bonito, white seabass, yellowtail, halibut, and barracuda also showing during the past week. On October 3, the Patriot had 29 bonito, 6 barracuda, 5 white seabass, and a yellowtail on a 3/4-day trip, while another trip that day produced 7 white seabass and 4 lingcod. Rockfish and lingcod remain the safest bet, but anglers should be prepared for surface fish when conditions line up.