Lopez Lake and Reports

Limit:

Thursday, October 26th, 2023

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    Water Temp: 69

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Crappy fishing. I’ll leave it at that.

    Tips: Go somewhere else.

Sunday, September 10th, 2017

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    Water Temp: 75.5

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Fishing was tough. Had several small hits on top water first thing in the AM, all less than a 1 lb, and 1 more small one on a senko in the late morning. We did however catch two huge crappie by the dam both on jerk baits.

Saturday, August 5th, 2017

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    Water Temp: 74

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Fishing until noon then the wind kicked in. Caught a few on jerkbaits and crankbaits. A lot of shad and baby bass in the lake. Big fish went 3.5lbs

    Tips: Reaction baits shallow early morning then slow down and move deeper during the afternoon.

Tuesday, April 18th, 2017

  • Water Temp: 61.5

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: had a good day of fishing at lopez finally! caught a 6 pounder, 5 pounder 4 pounder and several 1 and 2 pound fish... most were caught on swimbaits near the edge of brush lines in 3 to 10 feet deep the fish were moving up to spawn.

    Tips: crawl a swimbait along the bottom or fish a weightless senko for best luck!!

Friday, April 14th, 2017

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    Water Temp: 62

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Fished a few hours in the evening. Caught a few 2.5-4 pounders on Senkos and brushhogs. Tried a few other methods, but they seem to like the Senko. Caught them all in about 7-10 feet of water. Healthy fat fish.

    Tips: Senkos in 7-10 feet

Saturday, March 18th, 2017

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    Water Temp: 62

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Lots of submerged vegetation. Fish were biting but did not want to chase fast baits. Most bites came on a weightless senko. 4 largemouth and 1 small mouth all in the 2-4 lb range.

Saturday, February 18th, 2017

  • Water Temp: 58

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: last weekand headed over to lopez. fished there for 8 hours with not a single bite. the water was mud probably 2 inch visibility. headed back over this coming weekand. hoping for slightly clearer water. the good news is the lake is on the rise and up close to 50% now!!

    Tips: fish shallow the fish are most likely going to be shallow were the water comes in

Thursday, February 2nd, 2017

  • Report: MikeR » Thu Feb 02, 2017 1:21 pm

    poacher wrote:
    they should give you a sticky for Lake level updates


    I've got more.... I spent Sunday through Tuesday in Cambria and the Paso Robles area with the wife, no fishing. The area is completely saturated. Every hill was leeching out water. Every road side creed was flowing. It was Ireland West, green as you can imagine.

    Stopped at Lake Margarita on the way back. The boys up north probably don't want me to post this but the lake looked awesome. I think it's 74% full this morning and the Salinas river is still running into it. Water is murky, cold (under 55 in places). I spoke with one angler getting off the water at about 2:30 pm and he said it was tough, he never got bit. Kind of expected with the amount of water that it just ingested. Fish are probably in shock and spread out until it settles down.

    I spoke with the Ranger on duty and asked about us "Southers" heading north to fish and what, if any, quarantine would be in effect. His response "None. Same day inspect and launching is allowed as long as your bone dry. "Dry as a popcorn fart" as Dave Poolman would say. They will tag you on the way out. He said tags were honored at Nacimiento last year and visa versa, but this year that might have changed. I'm supposed to be getting a phone call from his boss to clarify.

    Lopez's watershed did not receive the amount of rainfall the areas north of them did but it got a healthy amount and the lake is still receiving run-off. It came up a little over a foot this last 7 days and is at 34.8%. The historical data is tough to find on SLO website but it has come up from the 20% range this year.

    When we drove by Cachuma, the Santa Ynez river was still running into the lake. It was nice to see. It is continuing to increase in size but not very quickly. The lake is still in the channel all the way to the marina area. No coves. The storm today isn't producing much up here but hopefully the next couple of storms will. With Santa Barbara in the process of rebuilding their desalinization plant, I don't believe they will buy any water from the State Water project to fill Cachuma except for what they are required per their agreement with the State. I'm pulling permits at SB City hall next week and will check with public works to see what is in the plan this year and post it here.

    Meanwhile......Castaic is filling up. They turned the spigot on and haven't stopped for over a month. Filling it with water that goes through, and was stored in, two quagga infested lakes( Pyramid and Elderberry), and emptying Folsum at the same time. Just kidding about Folsum, but the water apparently comes from Folsum and they have been dumping water at Folsum to where it is now at 40%. All the lakes up North are in "dump mode", dumping water in anticipation of the upcoming snow melt and to maintain control of the water so as to prevent flooding I guess.

    I'm just glad to see water as most of us are. It will take a while for the lakes and fish to recover but at least most of the lakes will be fine. Casitas is still a concern. We still have almost 2 more months of the "rainy season" and Casitas could get enough to add another year to the 4 years the experts say is left.

    Mike

Saturday, November 10th, 2012

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    Water Temp: 62-64

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Had our 2 day TOC and weather was cold and right after a storm. The shad are still deep 30-60 feet. On Saturday we caught 40+ fish mostly dropshot some cranks and some jig. Sunday we caught 10 fish and couldn't get a limit. Lots of 8-10 inchers. You have to weed through them to get some bigger fish. Lake is about 10 feet down from full pool. The dam produced some of the better weight, but even then you had to weed through the smaller ones.
    City: Bakersfield

    Tips: slow down find them on the finder and verticaly drop on them. 10-30 feet, DD22 worked for the cranks and jigs in watermelon or brown.

Sunday, August 28th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 73.9 - 75

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Forgot to say fish were caught on colorado spinner bait black/blue and drop shot
    City: Lompoc

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    Water Temp: 73.9 - 75

    Water Clarity: Clear (4+ foot visibility)

    Report: Decided to hit the lake after 4 long months away, with the numerous repairs to the boat and house renovation (total), finally had the opprotunity to go fishing in my boat.

    Started in Pozo, saw lots of fish busting surface but found they were just this years hatch. Threw some top water for about an hour with no takers or lookers. Headed to lopez arm and finally caught some fish...LOL 2 small dinks and nothing the rest of the day. Friend who was with me lost a very good fish, he was using 6lb test and the fish dragged his line to bushes 20 feet away without even turning its head. Would liked to have seen that one. Anyway finally lost it after getting tangled in the brush, said he could feel it but couldn't get a grip.
    City: LOMPOC

Monday, May 2nd, 2011

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    Water Temp: 66.4

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Myself and two friends hit the lake today and started in Whittenberg. Pretty quiet so headed to the back where we scored last outing. Hit the banks and weeds with Senkos aand jigs. Scored some nice fat ladies and s few good smallies. Green Pumpkin b/flake, Natural Shad and a few assorted Robo worms worked well.
    City: SM

Friday, March 25th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 61.2

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Lots of trash floating on the lake still so be careful!

    Wow! Level is about 15 feet from the base of the spillway. Hasan't been this high in several years. Great to see water in the lake bringing back some old fising haunts..

    10AM arrival and headed straight to the back. Short stop near Vasquez to checkout the coverage in the back of Vasquez.. Nice! Setteled just past the last dock about 20 yards in. Started with our Bucket Mouth Jig in Wtrmeln/Red with a Wtrmeln trailer. POP! Smacked a nice 3 in 3 foor of water. Pulled three more in, went flat so switched to a Senko. Blasted two in a row over 5 at the boat. Busted off in some tall weeds. 9 total for the day with maybe 21 pounds. Good day -- Heading back Monday
    City: SM

Saturday, February 12th, 2011

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    Water Temp: 56

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Starting fishing around 7:00 a.m started at main point nothing so ran down to strawberry flats first 4 casts picked up three keepers fished there for about 3 hours with a total of 8 fish.
    City: Taft

    Tips: Fish started moving up shallow as the day went on fished slow with a drop shot.

Friday, November 12th, 2010

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    Water Temp: 66.5

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Pretty slow today.. Hit a few good areas with a few of my friends in another boat. Same story. Only a small dink. Headed towards the dam to check thinks out and 'BANG'. Something let go?? Had my buddies pull me back to the dock and loaded. Got home, pulled the lower unit. Driveshaft took a dump. So she's going to sit till I get parts. Bummer.....
    City: SM

Thursday, November 4th, 2010

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    Water Temp: 62.2

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Pretty flat out. Sun came out and it was a great day for sunning. Started with a rettle trap around cliff drop offs, went to plastics, then a swim and a punch bait back in the mossy areas. Nothing!
    City: SM

Sunday, September 12th, 2010

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    Water Temp: 70.4

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Whats with the Pez??? Lake has been like OFF for the past three weeks. NADA ????
    Any offerings?
    City: SM

Saturday, August 21st, 2010

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    Water Temp: 71.5

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Went back today after a disappointing day yesterday. Determined to find out what or where the bite went. Totally different day. Jigs all day today with 11 nice keepers in the boat two of which went in the 5 range. Spent most of the time near Vasquez area hitting the rock walls with a jig in 15-25 foot of water with most hits coming in that 15 foot range up close to the walls.

    Nothing at all in the marina area or Whittenburg. wind came up around 11ish and it pulled several boats off the main lake looking for shelter, or on the trailer.
    City: SM

    Tips: 1/4oz jigs with a DT hula grub trailer. Stay in the green colors. Blues were not working nor was craw colors.

Thursday, August 19th, 2010

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    Water Temp: 71.2

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Here is some good advise.. Stay home this week.. Lake is REALLY off! Took almost 3 hours to get a bite. Small ones- Buddy got one maybe 2 pounder that was it.. 6 fish - all small. Up next to the banks with Green Pumpkin jig and a trailer. Pretty sad. Not even a taker at the dam -- That is REALLY off.
    City: SM

Friday, August 6th, 2010

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    Water Temp: 71.5

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Scum has disepated for the most part..
    Fun trip as I wont be doing Tri Valley Sat so decided to go take a shot at the water.. NOT GOOD! Very tough bite. Temp change and barometer change have fish stuck.. Lock-jawed for the most part. Couln't get anything to work. 2 fish on rattle trap, one on a white hula grug. Thats it! Was so bad, I couldnt even score a small one at the dam! Thats bad.
    City: SM

    Tips: ???? Glad Im not fishing tomorrow... Frustrating