The state of California is the third-largest state in the United States, lying on the west end in bordering the United States with the Pacific ocean. It is also the third most populous state.
When we think of California, we think of deserts And beaches with cities and towns intermingled between. However, that is mainly just the southern portion, as Northern California is filled with forests and rivers. Although Southern California does not have What seems like many water bodies or rivers, It is actually quite full of many fishing spots.
The Pacific coast of California is a very popular area for striper fishing as well as a few lakes and rivers around the south end of the state. As Striped bass are indigenous to salt waters, Southern California is a very sought after area to fish for them, and there have been many caught over time.
The Shores provide miles and miles of possibilities for fishing posts, especially on sandbars and drop-offs. We will go over a few saltwater locations to fish for stripers in Southern California, followed by some spectacular freshwater spots to check out. Let’s get started!
- The Southern California coastline
- Lake Havasu
- Pyramid Lake
- Silverwood Lake
- California Aqueducts
Lets read on about these magnificent striper fishing spots.
Location (Coastal)
The most obvious place to look for striped bass in Southern California would be the coastline, as you will be fishing in this species‘ indigenous waters. As previously mentioned, sandbars and drop-offs in the water of the coastal beaches provide a better area for finding them schooling or transiting from freshwater streams and rivers that they lay their eggs in during migration to the ocean itself. Small feeder fish can be found in these areas to provide food for the hungry stripers after their journey back to the ocean.
Other common places anglers enjoy fishing on the cost would be at wharves and piers along the coastline. Travel a bit more north on the coastline to central California and you’ll find the San Pablo and San Francisco Bays.
These areas are very popular for coastal fishing, as the Sacramento River and the San Joaquin River flow into them, bringing down striped bass after they have already spawned in the rivers in the fall and winter. The best time of the year to fish in these waters would be during the spring and summer when the water is a bit warmer and the bass are trying to reach colder water at the coast.
Various areas have been reported to be great spots for finding these fish around the San Pablo and San Francisco Bay. Some of these include the Capitola wharf, the Marin Rod Pier, and the Berkeley Pier.
Some sandy beaches nearby allow for anglers to wear wading boots or overalls to get a bit deeper into the water to reach drop-offs and sand bars.
The general recommendation for your fishing set up would be something approximate to a 200-yard reel with 30-pound test. Spinners along with a bit of weight, perhaps an egg sinker, are recommended alongside feeder bait such as shad, minnow, or even crabs. One trick would be to look for feeding marine birds, as they will be searching for feeder fish just as the stripers would.
Location (Freshwater)
While it may be a thrill to fish on the coastlines of Southern California and central California, there are also some great freshwater lakes and rivers that have made the list.
One benefit of fishing in freshwater lakes for striped bass as the area is more serene and quiet as opposed to the noisy wharves and piers. On top of that, The freshwater stripers tend to grow larger as they are not all fished out of the bays right after spawning season.
We are quite fortunate to have such an amazing species that we can snag in both saltwater and freshwater bodies. There are some really great locations in Southern California that allow fishermen from all over to catch plenty of striped bass. And although we know the bag limit and size limit differs from place to place, just the sport alone is a fantastic way to spend free time.
Freshwater dwelling stripers differ from saltwater ones mainly in their activity as a whole. Sea bass will congregate in large groups, while lake-dwelling stripers group in smaller groups on the move.
Shad and feeders are the main diet of freshwater stripers, so that is a great way of locating small schools of them as they search for nourishment. You will tend to see them more during cold months fishing off topwater.
It’s a well-known fact that they will feed in shaded and grassy areas of cover such as Hydrilla and lumber in the water. We will focus our attention on the freshwater bodies of southern California and where to fish for striped bass.
Lake Havasu
The Colorado River is a long and my body of water, stretching 1450 miles are in the nine states in the southwest region. Beginning in Colorado in the great Rocky Mountains, this river flows through Miles and miles of mountainous regions.
At the tail end of its journey, The Colorado River flows past Southern Nevada and into Southern California, bordering California and Arizona. In this border area, you will find a great body of water in the form of a reservoir held by Parker dam. This is known as Lake Havasu and is one of the best-known lakes in the southwest United States.
Spanning 19,300 acres, this lake is home to many species of fish. It is named after the Mohave word for the color blue. There are frequently fishing tournaments held on Havasu, as the lake is prime for bass fishing.
Largemouth and smallmouth bass, catfish, crappie, and sunfish can be found alongside our favorite fish here: stripers! Whether you were going to fish off a boat or off the shore, Lake Havasu provides great chances for bites and catches when seeking Striped Bass.
The lake has a few key spots to hit when striper fishing. (Keep in mind these locations are on the Arizona side of the lake.) First off is the infamous Site Six. This site was previously used as an emergency landing strip during World War II and then converted into an R&R base for soldiers during the war.
The soldiers could hike and swim and go fishing during their breaks before being deployed back to their bases. Since then it’s been purchased and renovated into a small “township” with a restaurant and a store, and now is the boating facility we know it to be today.
Site Six has excellent striper fishing from the fishing pier as well as the shores surrounding the site. The pier provides fishing in the near 25 foot deep waters and has excellent topwater activity almost all year round. Another location at Lake Havasu that is worth mentioning is Windsor Beach.
This gorgeous landscape proves to be an excellent spot for snagging stripers. The rocky terrain on the peninsula near the lighthouse creates perfectly shaded and lightly mossy areas for stripers to stay cool during the summer and then will most likely feed further away from shore during the winter.
In October and November, Striped Bass in Havasu will almost always have a “feeding frenzy season” where they will frantically eat multiple times a day to prepare for the colder season that they will face just months ahead of time. This allows for lots of action!
Sometimes fishermen will go at night or before sunrise when stripers are most active to snag them as they are looking for feeder fish. One way to attract feeder fish–and in turn attract the hungry stripers—Is to fish at night and bring a waterproof underwater light to attract them.
The feeder fish will enjoy the calm light And swim now, bringing many stripers that are looking for a meal. Another popular place to fish for stripers would be Havasu Springs. This area of the lake is on the southern end near the Parker Dam. There is even a handicapped-accessible fishing dock available for public use.
Kudos to the state for building something like this for the fellow fishermen that need better accessibility!
Because of its deeper waters and the current through the dam, stripers love to congregate at Havasu Springs in schools to feed, swimming for hours to find the perfect feeder fish. At their most active times, they will mostly bite on anything if they are desperate enough, however, there is a key list of setups to use in these waters.
Spoons and shad have been said to be the most helpful during these times to provide a bountiful harvest of bass. Sometimes anglers will troll with shad to attract schools of stripers before using spoons or other live bait. This will work on the water and on the shores as well, but if on the shore, chum the water first to attract the schools towards the rocks.
Always keep in mind it’s important to be careful when treading around The rocky terrain of Havasu, as falling would not be a fun way to end a fishing trip!
Pyramid Lake
Pyramid lake is a 222,000 acre-ft reservoir located a few miles from Castaic, California. It lies at the foot of the gorgeous San Emigdio mountains and provides a stunning landscape amongst the desert landscape of Southern California.
With cool water flowing from the California aqueducts, this water body is known for lots of recreational water activities such as boating, water skiing, and of course, fishing! Along with the striped bass in these waters are large and smallmouth bass, crappy, bluegill, sunfish, and trout.
Every point on the lake is legal for fishing, however, it is important to avoid the week zones and watch out for other people who are using watercraft.
Shoreline fishing at pyramid lake is sometimes just as exceptional as on-water fishing and is very popular for those who do not have a boat.
Following the guidelines previously mentioned about other Lakes will provide the best possible outcome for snagging some big stripers. Things to watch out for such as the time of day and the season all impact the results of fishing anywhere, but for the most part, people have had success year-round.
Trout are most commonly stocked in this lake, but striped bass are stocked in large amounts to provide successful and enjoyable striped bass fishing. Spoons, shad, anchovies, and spinners have reported being successful baits and lures.
The trick is to chum the waters a bit before trying any spinner or spoon bait do you attract the schools. At some times of the day using live bait on top water will be so successful that you’ll get stripers jumping over and over to catch your line. Pay attention to those hook-setting opportunities!
Silverwood Lake
Located within the gorgeous San Bernardino Mountains, Silverwood lake is a large reservoir that is fed water from the California aqueduct that flows from northern to southern California.
At 73,000 acre-feet, this reservoir house has many types of fish and plant life. Many striped bass Have relocated here from Northern California by taking a long trip down the California aqueduct and resting here after a 444-mile journey.
The west fork Mojave River flows out of this reservoir to the south. It is the Highest reservoir along the state water project consisting of the aqueduct and the three main branches that flow off of it. Because of the fish variety and the availability of watercraft recreation, Silverwood lake has become one of the most popular lakes in Southern California.
The fishing here is reported to be fairly successful year-round as the temperatures of the water do not drastically change due to its vicinity between the ocean and desert. There are many places to fish, however, there are A few key places to check out.
First in for most would be the marina dock, A great spot to fish for nearly any of the water’s species. The best time to do this would be early morning before the boaters show up for the day. Keep in mind there is a three-dollar fee to fish off the marina dock.
Another location that is great for fishing at this lake Is the coves that allow boats at 5 mph maximum. Quiet Cove, Chamise Cove, And Quarry cove all have excellent fishing opportunities and allow watercraft for deeper water fishing. There are a few more curves to the south end of the lake, however, these do not allow motorboats of any kind.
While this may be a hassle for those fishing with boats, the shore fishing—should you be able to get there after a small hike— is exceptional as the cove receives turbulence from the outer watercraft but does not create enough to scare away the fish.
When fishing for bass in Silverwood, Many baits and lures have been said to work. Even crickets and hotdogs have been successful in catching striped bass here! Other baits include Spoons, jigs, plastics, and live bait such as shad and anchovies. Keep in mind, the daily limit here for striped bass is set at 10, with no size limit.
Hey FISHMONGER – make sure to check out my FISHING RESOURCES page.
California Aqueducts
One of the most interesting water bodies on our list is the California aqueduct. Spanning 444 miles from the Sacramento River delta to three separate areas in Southern California, this long water duct carries many catfish and striped bass from the north to the south of the state.
There are five different locations to fish on the aqueduct in southernmost California: Munz Ranch Road Site, 70th Street West Site, Avenue S Site, 77th Street East Site, and Longview Road Site.
When fishing in the open water, use the current as a tool to “troll” by casting out a shad or anchovy and letting the current pull it downstream a bit, then reeling it in slowly to attract passing stripers looking for a meal.
The check gates are also a great place to cast out since they control water flow, and when the water flow is disturbed, schools of stripers like to use this opportunity to feed.
It’s almost a competition for them to find the easiest bait to eat. Bridges along the aqueduct also provide some cover, schooling together feeder fish, and allowing plenty of striped bass to find food.
Casting a line out in those areas will prove successful the majority of the time. Another successful area to check out would be the greats and cut-outs along the embankments of the aqueduct.
The greats act as a filter between the vegetation that grows and the flow of the water. It is often found that feeder fish will use this grate as a barrier to hide from hungry stripers.
The stripers have caught onto this and will feed in those areas a lot of the time, providing the perfect opportunity to cast a line And snag a hungry bass.
One last location that is popular along this water body is The irrigation piping along the sides of the water that pump water into the aqueduct. This pumping of water creates turbulence which in turn attracts curious bass, looking for a possible meal.
Using live bait or even spoons or plastics here will prove to be successful, as the stripers swimming downstream are almost always feeding throughout the day.
When fishing the aqueduct, it is imperative to use caution and practice safety techniques. One danger of the aqueduct is that the water flow is fairly strong and can easily sweep you away at its deeper areas, sometimes Reaching 30 feet in depth.
It is suggested that if you fish here to fish with another person, sort of using a buddy system. That way if anything were to go wrong, you would have backup to help you.
There are ladders and safety ropes along the aqueduct to grab onto should anything go wrong. While it is a fantastic place to snag stripers, please be safe and cautious.
Record catches
In Southern California, fishing is split between inland and ocean coast fishing. When fishing in the ocean, it is not uncommon to find monster size fish. Their habitat is natural and undisturbed with the exception of fishermen and Other fish higher than them on the food chain.
There are some crazy records that have been set in California over time. In the previously mentioned Silverwood Lake, located at the bottom of the east end of the California aqueduct, the record striped bass weighed in at fifty-five and a half pounds.
The largest striped bass ever caught in Southern California was I whopping 67 1/2 pounds. Compare that to the record for the largest giant sea bass, which was caught in 1968.
This Behemoth Took a while to wrestle in, but once caught was measured at 563 pounds. Imagine fighting a fish that weighs as much as three or four grown adults!
Rules and Regulations
Any state has its own set amount of fish that are allowed to be kept during fishing excursions. They differ from state to state and from species to species.
In the state of California, fishing from the beach or shores for striped bass has a certain limit of two fish per day at 18 inches minimum in length. This also accounts for the bag limit for fishing in the aqueduct as it is an extension of the Sacramento bay and river.
The bag limit differs from saltwater to freshwater as well. When fishing in Lake Havasu, the daily bag limit for striped bass is six maximum, was a 13 inch minimum in length. When fishing in Silverwood lake, the bag limit for striped bass is 10 fish per day with no limit on the length of the fish.
Conclusion
In conclusion, fishing for stripers in Southern California proves to be an exciting sport. And with plenty of coastlines combined with the great inland Fishing opportunities at California’s lakes and rivers, angling striped bass here proves to be worthwhile.
Always remember to follow safety precautions in those aqueducts, and to always have the proper licensing in any area you plan to fish. Keep all these things in mind and you will have a very exciting story to tell everyone when you catch some stunning stripers in Southern California. As always, happy fishing!
You can check out a post I wrote called The 5 Best Striped Bass Fishing States Here
or The California Department of Fish and Wildlife Here