September 11, 2026

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!

Visit our website at Charters and Events to book your spots today!

September 12th (Departs Friday 9/11), 2026 - Overnight Charter w/Black Pearl Sportfishing

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 aqueduct, with South Valley anglers targeting striped bass, catfish, and largemouth bass. Linesides aggressively struck white and baitfish colored jerkbaits at first light before switching to cut baits later in the day. Other standout lures included small white swimbaits, tube baits, and Flukes. Bait anglers caught mostly smaller fish using cut sardines, anchovies, and jumbo live minnows. Largemouth bass went for Roboworms on the drop-shot and topwater lures such as poppers and walking baits. Catfish anglers did very well using chicken liver, SSS Dip Bait, and cut baits.

Castaic Lake held at full pool, and water temperatures ranged from 75 to 80 degrees throughout the week. Water clarity was good to excellent. Anglers reported good fishing overall despite diminished striper boils. Striped bass chased bait against the shoreline, but anglers had to be in the right place at the right time to capitalize. Most anglers focused on surface-feeding largemouth and smallmouth bass with Lucky Craft Gunfish, Espetites, and poppers. Flukes, A-rigs, and spoons also produced bites. Many local guides targeted bass and striped bass on the surface until about 9 a.m. Afterward, they dipped live shad and boated countless fish until their bait tanks were empty. Other anglers switched to Carolina rigs and drop-shot rigs in about 20 feet of water. Salt and pepper, oxblood, and Margarita Mutilator were productive colors for bass weighing one to three pounds. Catfish anglers did well in the Government Coves using chicken liver and cut sardines.

The bite at Pyramid Lake picked up last week, with reports of limits of striped bass in the 3- to 6-pound class taken on cut bait. Largemouth and smallmouth bass continued to respond to soft jerkbaits near the weed beds, with some anglers also doing well on lipless crankbaits ripped through the weed bed edges and tops. Senkos and Texas rigs took plenty of bass along points, bluffs, and holes and pockets in the weeds. Catfishing was phenomenal for bait anglers using cut sardines in 30 to 60 feet of water, with numerous catfish between 5 and 10 pounds reported by boat anglers.

Lake Isabella has dipped slightly to around 29% of capacity, with water temperatures hovering near 75 degrees. Bass fishing has been very good, with fish holding anywhere from 5 to 20 feet of water around brush, rocks, trees, and points, and some quality bass have been showing. Early mornings have been producing strong topwater action on Spooks, poppers, prop baits, and Whopper Ploppers, while jerkbaits have also been effective around active fish. As the sun gets higher, anglers are switching to slower presentations, with Texas-rigged 8- to 10-inch Rusty’s Big Worms in purple and black/blue working well around brush and structure. Dropshotting 6-inch Roboworms in 15 to 25 feet has also remained productive, along with Senkos in shad patterns. Oxblood and purple worms worked along points down to about 20 feet have been especially effective later in the day. The North Fork around rocks and trees continues to hold good numbers of fish, with Rocky Point also producing some better-quality bass. Crappie fishing has been excellent in 5 to 20 feet of water near structure, with anglers finding good numbers of slabs on live shiners and crappie jigs. The bite has been strong both shallow and deep, with small dagger-style mini jigs, Indian Crickets, Get Bent Baits, and 2-inch Keitechs all producing, although the best colors and depths have been changing daily. Red’s Marina, the North Fork trees, and the cages around Kissack Cove have been consistent areas. Catfish are showing later in the day and into the evening on SSS dip bait, frozen shad, and nightcrawlers, while trout anglers are finding fish near the North Fork on floating baits. Boaters working deeper water near the dam have also been doing well trolling Tasmanian Devils, Needlefish, and Flicker Shads.

The Upper Kern was scheduled to receive a trout stocking this week in both Sections 5 and 6. Anglers are finding fish in the deeper pools, slower eddies, and around river bends, with yellow and gold bead-head nymphs, salmon eggs, and small trout jigs all producing. On the Lower Kern, bass fishing has been strong through the canyon and around Democrat, with fish biting Z-Man and Crush City Ned rigs, small crankbaits, and Roboworms on the drop shot. Catfish are also being caught on nightcrawlers, chicken liver, and cut bait. Current flows are around 174 CFS on the Upper Kern at Kernville and 628 CFS on the Lower Kern.

The lake dropped to 12% of capacity, and fishing was decent last week. Some anglers reported catching and releasing more than 10 bass in a single session, while others reported being skunked. Morning topwater and reaction baits, like crankbaits and jerkbaits, produced bites until it warmed up. After that, most anglers switched to finesse plastics in 10 to 30 feet of water. Some bass schooled around bait balls, and vertical spoons produced a few more bites. Crappie anglers caught fish using small live minnows near submerged rocks, while catfish went for cut anchovies and dip bait.

The lake held near 18% of capacity, and fishing was fair last week. Hot weather once again kept many anglers home, and the bass seemed lethargic as well. The best bet was to fish early or late near the submerged trees. Senkos, crankbaits, 8-inch Texas-rigged worms, and spinnerbaits all produced bites. Catfish went for chicken liver, dip bait, and cut anchovies after the sun went down.

The cooler weather earlier this week brought more anglers out to the lakes, and the amphitheater lake offered a decent early morning topwater bite. Bass have been taking topwater baits early, with crankbaits and soft plastics producing as the day progresses. Bluegill action remains excellent, with live worms fished under a bobber or on a simple split-shot rig producing steady catches around the weed beds and shoreline structure.

Here at Ming Lake, the bass bite has slowed, and anglers are having to work a little harder to connect. Wacky rigs in natural colors have been producing the most consistent action, while larger swimbaits such as Mag Drafts and Cull Shads remain a good option for anglers looking to target a better-quality fish. A slow-dragged Zoom lizard on a Texas rig has also been picking up bites. Catfish have been active around dusk on cut baits, chicken liver, and SSS Dip Bait. Bluegill fishing remains excellent, with live worms fished near the weed beds producing steady action, while crappie have been showing later in the afternoon on live shiners and crappie jigs.

With much of the summer boat traffic diminished, anglers once again reclaimed the lake. Largemouth bass remained tight to cover, and anglers fished the cattails and submerged brush to find them. Weightless, wacky-rigged Senkos, weedless frogs, poppers, and Texas-rigged creature baits produced bites. Spinnerbaits were another good choice. Crappie anglers reported good results using Get Bent Baits minijigs and swimbaits, while catfish went after SSS Dip Bait, nightcrawlers, and chicken liver.

Fishing was fair at Hart Park, with the exception of a few standout fish. Bass anglers reported several nice fish weighing three to five pounds. A white-and-chartreuse ChatterBait accounted for a five-pounder, while several three- and four-pounders were caught on 7.8-inch Keitech Swing Impact swimbaits. Texas rigs and Senkos produced plenty of smaller-grade bass. Catfish anglers reported decent results using hot dog chunks and dip bait, while bluegill ate just about any live worm fished under a bobber.

Naci fell to 39% of its storage capacity, and fishing was good. Anglers continued to target topwater bass with Whopper Ploppers, poppers, and walking baits, and those same baits took white bass early in the day. White bass moved deeper as the sun rose and were best targeted with deep-water baits like Kastmasters, War Eagles, and tail spins. Spotted bass went for topwater but also fell for small swimbaits, squarebills, and finesse presentations. Catfish took cut mackerel, dip bait, and chicken liver, while crappie ate minijigs and small swimbaits in 15 to 20 feet of water.

The Dana Point, San Pedro, and Long Beach bite continues to offer a great mix of yellowtail, bonito, bass, and offshore tuna. Out of Dana Wharf, yellowtail and bonito have been providing steady action, with yellowfin also showing on the offshore trips. On September 9, the Fury returned from an overnight trip with 46 yellowtail and 40 bonito for 26 anglers, while the Clemente put together 10 yellowfin, 4 yellowtail, 15 bullet tuna, and 10 bonito for 19 anglers. San Pedro has also been producing excellent yellowtail and bonito fishing, along with calico bass around the islands. The Pursuit recently posted 35 yellowtail, 136 bonito, 21 calico bass, and a halibut for 39 anglers, while the Native Sun followed with 8 yellowtail, 71 calico bass, 77 bonito, and 12 sand bass for 25 anglers. The longer trips are still getting shots at bluefin as well, with the Amigo putting together an impressive 50 bluefin and 38 yellowtail on a recent 1.5-day trip. Long Beach has been especially good this week, with yellowtail and bonito providing plenty of action and some strong offshore bluefin numbers. The El Patron returned with 21 yellowtail and 100 bonito for 20 anglers, while the Eldorado finished a 2-day trip with 61 bluefin, 18 yellowtail, 3 dorado, 25 bonito, 185 whitefish, and 177 rockfish for 25 anglers. Overall, anglers from Dana Point through Long Beach are seeing very good late-summer fishing, with plenty of surface action and a legitimate opportunity at everything from calico bass and bonito to yellowtail and quality bluefin.

The Channel Islands, Ventura, and Santa Barbara bite has been producing a solid mix of rockfish, whitefish, lingcod, bonito, yellowtail, halibut, and a few dorado this week. Out of Ventura, the Endeavor had 17 anglers on an overnight trip September 6 and returned with 170 rockfish, 80 whitefish, 27 lingcod, 10 calico bass, and 3 halibut. The Pacific Eagle followed on September 7 with 126 whitefish, 41 rockfish, 4 sculpin, 3 bonito, 3 sheephead, 2 calico bass, and a yellowtail for 24 anglers. The September 6 Ventura dock totals were also strong, with 243 rockfish, 237 whitefish, 29 lingcod, 10 calico bass, 5 sheephead, 3 halibut, 3 bonito, and a yellowtail for 79 anglers. Overall, bottom fishing remains very productive around the islands, with plenty of whitefish and rockfish filling bags and enough yellowtail, bonito, halibut, and occasional dorado mixed in to keep things interesting.

Port San Luis and Morro Bay have continued to see excellent bottom fishing during the past week, with the most recent reported counts from September 6 and 7 showing rockfish making up the bulk of the catch along with lingcod, bocaccio, reds, and a few bonito mixed in. Out of Morro Bay, the Avenger had a strong September 7 trip with 18 anglers bringing back 99 rockfish, 25 bocaccio, 12 red rockfish, 7 lingcod to 13 pounds, and an impressive 49 bonito. The Endeavor also had a solid half-day trip with 14 anglers landing 110 rockfish, 15 bolina, 10 red rockfish, 5 copper rockfish, and 5 lingcod. Out of Port San Luis, the Flying Fish returned September 7 with 188 rockcod, 5 whitefish, and 2 bocaccio for 19 anglers, while the Patriot put together 192 rockcod, 4 cabezon, 4 lingcod, and 4 red rockcod for 20 anglers on September 6. Overall, the latest counts show limits and near-limits of quality rockfish remaining common, with lingcod providing a nice bonus and the bonito showing out of Morro Bay adding some variety to the bite.