San Luis Reservoir Fishing Report | September 8, 2025
The report at a glance
Depth
Trolling 60 to 80 feet in the main lake, with topwater boils in the coves early.
Presentation
Look for morning topwater boils in coves. Rip baits and swimbaits are producing. Troll shad colored lures at 2.2 mph, 100 to 120 feet back, 60 to 80 feet deep. Cover water to find active fish.
Lures and baits
Shad colored rip baits and swimbaits like Lucky Craft and Smithwick (not Catch America products)
Best time
Mornings, for topwater boils in the coves
Water clarity
Thick algae, six to eighteen inches of visibility
Water level
Rising three quarters of a foot to a foot a day with heavy inflow.
Weather
Windy days bring morning fog and shifting west winds.
Advice for this week
Fish the coves and new flooded areas where stripers follow bait. Keep moving until you find schools.
What is changing
Water rising three quarters of a foot to a foot a day with heavy inflow, flooding new coves and foliage.
Next week
The bite may improve past the full moon as temperatures stabilize and the water keeps rising.
Notable catch
A solo scouting day produced 10 fish up to 24 inches trolling.
San Luis Reservoir has improved slightly in early September 2025 despite a full moon, with heavy inflow raising the lake 0.75 to 1 foot a day. Look for topwater boils in the coves early, then troll shad-colored lures like a Lucky Craft or Smithwick at 2.2 mph, 100 to 120 feet back, 60 to 80 feet deep. Roger George scouted 10 fish to 24 inches trolling.
How is San Luis Reservoir fishing right now?
Slightly improved. Roger George says the bite got a little better despite a full moon. He scouted 10 fish to 24 inches trolling on a solo trip. Rip baits and swimbaits are also producing some fish, and there is topwater action in the coves in the morning.
How do you troll for San Luis stripers?
Run shad-type lures like a Lucky Craft or Smithwick in shad colors at about 2.2 mph, 100 to 120 feet back off the downrigger. Target 60 to 80 feet deep in the main lake and cover ground, since the fish are moving a lot and you have to find them.
Where are the stripers holding at San Luis?
Back in coves and new flooded areas. With heavy inflow raising the lake 0.75 to 1 foot a day, minnows push into fresh shallow cover and stripers follow. Anglers fishing back in the coves report seeing a lot of fish.
What are the water conditions at San Luis?
They are pumping in 6,000 to 9,000 acre-feet a day, so the lake is rising fast and covering new territory. Algae is getting thick with only 6 to 18 inches of visibility, and windy mornings with fog make for shifting conditions.
What is the outlook for San Luis Reservoir?
Roger rates the bite a 3, maybe a 4 on some days. He expects it to improve after the full moon as temperatures stabilize and the rising water spreads bait and stripers into new coves.
Watch the full report
San Luis Reservoir September 8, 2025 FAQ
Slightly improved, rated a 3 to 4 out of 10, with better days expected after the full moon.
Shad-colored trolling lures like a Lucky Craft or Smithwick, plus rip baits and swimbaits.
About 60 to 80 feet deep at 2.2 mph, 100 to 120 feet back off the downrigger.
Back in coves and newly flooded areas where minnows are moving as the lake rises.
About 0.75 to 1 foot a day on 6,000 to 9,000 acre-feet of daily inflow.
Algae is thick, with only about 6 to 18 inches of visibility in most areas.
