Fish Reports

🎣 California Fish Plants for 11/23/2025 - 11/29/2025 Trout Are Surfacing Higher Heads up: We are now including extra notes where the fish are biting but don’t have plants this week so you can maximize your trips. Sometimes the best bites are where they just plant. This week, the early Winter’s chill has trout feeding aggressively across California, and they’re getting closer to the surface. This week, the state is planting 12,150 lbs of trout across 20 locations. As always, fresh plants mean hungry fish ready to bite. With unannounced plants included, last week totaled 39,750 lbs of trout across 49 locations. This is THE TIME to get out there.

EBMUD partially reopens launches in 2026 after year-long closure to stop invasive golden mussel. Plan approved November 12, 2025. No mussels in EBMUD reservoirs yet, but spreading in CA since October 2024. Trailered boats need inspection, 30-day quarantine, tamper-proof band. Can close if risks rise. Clean, drain, dry all boats before inspection. Rules keep golden mussels out; they spread on boats, clog gear, harm fish. 2026 Boating Options

Pardee Reservoir: Closed to trailered boats. Rentals: 16 boats. San Pablo Reservoir: Open Feb 8 - Oct 31 (inspections first-come, first-served). Rentals: 53 boats. Camanche Reservoir: South Shore open May 1 - Oct 1 (North Shore closed; inspections by appointment). Rentals: 30 boats. Lafayette Reservoir: Rentals: 40 boats. Chabot Reservoir: Rentals: 75 boats. Kayaks/canoes/car-top boats: On-site inspection only at Camanche, San Pablo, Lafayette, Chabot. Permit required at Briones. Not allowed at Upper San Leandro.

Anglers hitting Convict Lake in the Eastern Sierra report a strong trout bite after recent storms cleared. Trout have turned hungry and aggressive with fish actively chasing lures. MADE Baits in various colorways proved especially effective as trout chased them down hard. One standout catch came from sight fishing a trout holding off a weed line where the bait got hammered on the retrieve. A solid hike around the lake paid off for those willing to explore beyond the easy access points. Focus on weed lines and structure for the best action. This pattern of post-storm aggression and chasing baits holds true across many Eastern Sierra lakes in fall so keep MADE Baits ready for similar bites elsewhere. With the general season now closed many anglers shift to year-round waters nearby. The Lower Owens River, Hot Creek and Upper Owens sections stay open under special regulations often catch-and-release with barbless artificials. These spots deliver solid winter trout action especially for fly anglers targeting browns and rainbows in lower elevation flows.

Luis Gonzalez started November strong at Lake Gregory and landed a thick 4.10-pound rainbow trout on the 1st right next to the boat docks. The fish took an Elevated Spoons “Iron Man” spoon. He ran a mini jig tipped in Rusty Garlic scent from Magic Fish Water as a trailer and used light 4lb Izorline monofilament line for the whole setup. The Iron Man color mixes metallic red and gold flash. That pattern works well when trout chase flashy lures near structure. The mini jig trailer with strong garlic scent added extra attraction in the cooler water. Garlic scents help trigger bites when fish turn picky in fall. Anglers planning a trip to Lake Gregory soon should fish the boat docks and close drop-offs while trout hold shallow. Cast spoons in red/gold tones and add a scented mini jig trailer. Run light line in the 4 to 6 pound range for more bites in clear water. This catch from Luis shows the trout still eat if you match what they want.

On November 13, 2025, during the Hesperia opener at Hesperia Lake Park, the trout bite began slowly, with just one fish caught on PowerBait before 10 PM. As the evening progressed, the bite significantly improved. The combination of a double drop shot rig with black-colored lures and the new pellet punch and cheddar charm scents from Magic Fish Water made a notable difference. This combination reduced short-biting and boosted the fish’s responsiveness.

In total, Devon, Tom, and Eli caught 17 trout, with each angler reaching their limit of five fish. The weather was mostly gloomy with occasional sunny breaks, and the water temperature was just on the brink of comfort for rainbow trout. Devon caught the largest trout of the day, weighing approximately 4.8 pounds.

The 2025-2026 recreational season opened November 1 along sections of the central California coast, and we have seen excellent shore-based action across the Bay Area, Pacifica, and Half Moon Bay. Crabs are running good size with solid meat fill, and squid is a favorite bait among local anglers catching crabs on moving tides.

At Durasnare, we run 3-hour guided snaring sessions at prime jetties, piers, beaches, and spots in the San Francisco Bay with views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Even beginners pick up the techniques fast for baiting, casting, and reading the water. Guests have reached limits of crab, including three first-timers from Singapore who had no experience and still pulled in 30 red rock crabs on their trip.

The key to consistent success is solid bait setup: make sure your squid (or whatever bait) is pushed all the way in and firmly locked inside the snare cage so it stays put on the cast and during the soak. Crabs tend to grab and hang on tight once they commit, but loose bait comes off easy and wastes your time. A properly loaded snare is what turns slow days into limits.

We offer full catch, clean, and cook experiences where you pull your own crabs straight from the water using our handmade Durasnare snares, clean them on site, and eat them fresh minutes later. We make the snares in 8oz, 10oz, and 12oz weights because different surf and current conditions call for different sink rates. For a lot of first-timers it is pure magic: that moment when the rod loads up, you reel in a snare full of crabs, and then sit down to crack and eat what you just caught yourself, ocean breeze, Golden Gate in the background. It is the kind of hands-on coastal day people remember forever. We also run combo trips that add poke poling for monkeyface eels and rockfish so you go home with even more fresh seafood.