San Luis Reservoir is a big, wind blown striped bass fishery in the pass west of Los Banos. The play is to troll and cover ground, running deep diving plugs on downriggers for stripers that hold 50 to 70 feet down in the main lake. Falling water is the number one factor. When the lake drops a foot or more a day the bait scatters and the fish slide off the bite. Summer brings blue green algae and heavy afternoon wind. Find active fish, and if they will not bite, keep moving and try a small one ounce jig on suspended marks.
How do you catch striped bass at San Luis Reservoir?
Troll to cover ground and find active fish. Run deep diving plugs on downriggers, working the main lake where stripers hold 50 to 70 feet down. San Luis is huge, so keep moving. If you mark fish that will not bite, leave them and go look for a school that wants to eat.
Why is San Luis fishing so up and down?
Falling water. San Luis can drop a foot to a foot and a half a day, and it has fallen nearly 100 vertical feet across a spring and summer. When the lake keeps dropping, the bait cannot pattern up and the stripers move out farther and slide off the bite. The fishery needs stability and a little inflow to settle.
Is the algae at San Luis dangerous?
Blue green algae blooms hard in summer once the water hits 70 to 75 degrees, and visibility can drop to an inch or two in places. Per the lake staff it is not considered harmful to people, but avoid direct contact and keep dogs out of it, since it can be harmful to animals.
When do San Luis stripers spawn?
The spawn runs long at San Luis. Through it you catch mostly males, and the fish group into tight globs rather than feeding schools. That protective, spawning behavior can put a lot of fish in front of you that simply will not bite, so do not confuse a big mark with a biting fish.
How does the wind affect San Luis?
The pass funnels strong west wind, and on the worst days the lake closes. The usual pattern is wind in the morning, a calmer window midday, then wind again in the late afternoon, sometimes with fog on top of the pass even on a 100 degree day. Pick your day and your hours around the wind.
What is the best strategy when San Luis is tough?
Cover ground trolling, often around 70 feet over the flats, until you find fish that are actually active. On suspended fish you can try a small vertical jig, about an ounce, and pick off one or two. Stability and a bit of inflow, which often start in August, are what turn the bite back on.
Where is the water clearer at San Luis?
The main lake usually holds better clarity than areas like Portuguese Cove, especially during an algae bloom. Every day is different, so test a few areas and follow the cleaner water and the active fish.
Watch the technique
Trolling San Luis Reservoir for striped bass FAQ
Striped bass. San Luis is a large striped bass fishery, and trolling to cover water is one of the most consistent ways to find the active fish spread across the lake.
In the main lake the stripers often sit 50 to 70 feet down, and trolling around 70 feet over the flats is a good search depth. There are also fish high, medium, and low in the column on tough days.
Trolling to cover ground is usually the best bet, using deep diving plugs on downriggers. A small jig worked vertically can pick off a suspended fish or two, but it is rarely a stand alone pattern.
San Luis holds about 2.1 million acre feet at full capacity. It fluctuates dramatically, and the constant drawdown is the single biggest factor in how the striped bass bite behaves.
Look for stability. The fishery struggles while the lake is dropping fast, and August is often when things start to settle and improve. Watch for the water level to hold and a little inflow to come in.
During the long spawn the fish gather in protective globs and are focused on spawning, not feeding. Many marks are inactive fish, so move on and search for a school that is willing to eat rather than working ones that will not.
