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Take a tour of San Luis Obispo County Fish'N with Google Earth |
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| SLO County Fish'N |  |
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| San Luis Obispo County |
| Lake Nacimiento |
| Whale Rock Reservoir |
| Lake Atascadero |
| Santa Margarita Lake |
| Laguna Lake |
| Lopez Lake |
| Oso Flaco Lakes |
Lake Nacimiento At 5,000 acres and 18 miles long, this is a big lake. However t this time in October of 2007, we found the lake to be about 30% full and only about 10 miles long. That takes a drastic hit on the lake. The years this lake has been nearly full has earned it a reputation of being a fantastic fishing lake. Look at the bright side of things. All that brush that has grown up and around the shore, will offer some great fish cover. What really sets this lake apart from the others is that it is loaded with White Bass. You can target these fish all day long and not get tired, and there is no limit. Come spring time and water temps above 60 degrees, this lake really turns on. Everything in the lake is on the bite, with Crappie and White Bass tearing up jigs and minnows. Trolling for the stocked Rainbow Trout is always a welcome treat. However don’t be surprised if while trolling for those stockers you get a nice fat Trout full of Shad. The Trout like to go deep and rest in the lower reaches of the thermo cline. Using lead core line and down riggers will be your best bet. The Smallmouth Bass offer something that no other lake can. There is a strong and stable population that appears to be getting bigger. If bass fishing you will end up with some Smallmouth Bass along with Largemouth Bass and some White Bass. It is not uncommon for anglers to find an area that results in a fish every other cast. Finding a shallow slope in the summer will put you onto some amazing pan fish. Limits on Crappie, Catfish along with coolers full of ¾ to 1.5 pound Bluegill. Although not as common as before, it still happens that large amounts of pan fish are caught. Using a kayak or float tube in the spring time will put you on the sunfish beds. I have caught one pound Bluegill in water no deeper than five feet from a float tube. Other times you can’t find them at all. We managed one very large Bluegill while trolling a smaller Kastmaster, what a sight. A near famous lake, Nacimiento has a lot to offer. Always something different and always exciting. Like with any large lake or reservoir the wind can really pick up, so keep that in mind. Also with the water level low, you should call ahead to find out if the ramps are open to launch. There are also picnic areas, a store and plenty of fish tales to go around. R.V. Park, camping, coin laundry and other facilities are available.
Whale Rock Reservoir Want a freshwater lake that has landlocked Steelhead Trout? Want a lake with no power boats? Want a lake where you aren’t elbow to elbow with the guy next to you? Then this is your place. Whale Rock is only a few miles from the Pacific Ocean. It has a naturally reproducing Steelhead Trout population, when water flows permit. The lake is long and narrow with a lot of people having private property along its shoreline. Most of that is clearly posted. Another very unique situation is that the lake managers will trap and net the spawning fish and hatchery raises the fry. The adults are released back into the lake. You would think that this system will have the lake full of fish, well it doesn’t. It seems that the fishing gets difficult here. Yes the fish are here however with being limited to shore fishing you really don’t have the right set up. There isn’t a lot of fishing pressure on this lake, even though the lake is fairly good size. Best time to fish this lake is either early or late spring. Unsure what type bait fish there are, but there is something. You can see the Trout chasing them on the surface. Not a very popular lake, but well worth checking it out.
Lake Atascadero
Like all county parks in San Luis Obispo the entrance is free, no charge for fishing. A very shallow lake that is mainly run off fed. This lake always produces a strong algae bloom that last all the way till the weather cools. That is when the DFG puts in the stocker Trout. This 30 acre lake receives around 10,000 Trout during the winter months. With no boat launch and kayak rentals only in the summer, you really don’t have much of n option here. However you can hand launch a canoe or small boat and use electric trolling motors only, float tubes are welcome. Set inside a nice county park that has picnic tables, bar-b-cue grills, playgrounds and a few baseball fields. That and the lake, you can see why people come here. Bait dunkers using power bait or the power worm and bubble set up do well here for the stockers. From a float tube you can do well using a 5 or 6 weight fly rod. Olive drab Matukas or Wooly Buggers in sizes 6,8,10 do well here. The Largemouth in this lake offers the angler a surprise. Not only with how many are in the lake, but how stealthy you must be in order to be successful. The Carp run the shallows in the spring and offer some good times on light line. The Catfish bite is a spring time bite and really picks up in the heat of summer. Using Cut baits is your best option here. I saw some impressive Catfish tied to rope stringers, all over 3 or 4 pounds. I would suggest hitting up this lake for the Trout bite, even though it does get cold here. The stockers offer some fun, always call ahead to find out what is going on. Look at the RSS Weather feeds on the home page before you plan a trip.
Santa Margarita Lake
Known as a “fishing only” lake you will be pleased to see no jet skiers. In fact no water contact at all. Part of the County Parks Department, this lake and surrounding park are very popular. All float tubes, kayaks and boats less than 10 feet must be inspected prior to launch. Float tubers must wear full chest waders and have the usual Coast Guard Safety Equipment. The lake is primarily fed by the Stanislaus River and there are Stripers in the lake. You and I both know that they will try eating their fair share of the stocker Trout. Trout fishing here is the same as in most lakes in so cal, it is seasonal. The stocks start to go in the first week of October and go all the way to May. With having the lake full in the winter, there are some holdover trout that manage to survive until the summer time. Trolling for Trout covers the most water and offers the best results. Look at the link for the DFG to fund out when the stocks go in. The Largemouth bass population has increased mainly through the efforts of anglers who practice catch and release. With the lake being long and narrow, it offers a lot of rock out cropping for fish to hide. Catfish are found through out the lake and hide all along the rocky drop offs, Cut bit works real well here, right of the side of the boat. I have had more luck with going after the Crappie than most people have. With the spring time bite first thing in the morning and then again around 3:30 or so, you should do fairly well. Good size Sunfish abound all around the docks and weed beds that extend out from the boat launch area. Sitting here in a float tube using live crickets is a blast. However don’t set your pole down, it might get dragged in. There is a nice size park with a store, picnic tables, drills and a pool that is open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
Laguna Lake The lake is also part of the San Luis Obispo County Parks Department. Covering only 60 acres when full and only around 30 feet deep mainly run off fed. No water contact allowed, no canoes, no kayaks, no float tubes allowed. There is a small park and a golf course here as well. Not stocked at all, this lake still produces fish. The lake is shallow for the most part and suffers from extreme algae blooms that turn the lake into pea soup. Lucky for us the wind always picks up a bit and blows the algae to the shoreline. There is a bit of diverse shoreline that offers some better fishing. Carp fishing is fun in this lake, a lot of big bruiser’s well over ten pounds. In my opinion I think that Carp are some of the hardest fighting fish around. Throw out some lines with dough bait and you will have some fun. Bluegill and Sunfish are on the smaller size but are every where. Most of the people that fish this lake are here with families and groups. Although there are a fair amount of anglers that come here to target the Bass, the lake really isn’t known for its Bass. This medium size lake does produce some good size fish. Not a place where records of big fish being caught, just a nice place to fish and enjoy the park.
Lopez Lake Species: Rainbow Trout, Largemouth Bass, Catfish, Carp, Bluegill, Sunfish, Crappie Want a place that something for everybody? Well here it is. Lake Lopez offers swimming, hiking, boating, jet skies and water skiers, all this along with great fishing. Put in your float tube and cruise the docks for Crappie or the rocks for Bass. The DFG puts in a lot of Rainbow Trout during the cooler months and this really brings in the crowds. Any of the lakes that stock Trout will always offer the chance at big Bass. So don’t be alarmed to see some people using large swim baits that look like real Trout. One huge bonus this lake has is the Crappie and the Sunfish. Big Numbers of nice Crappie are the norm here. However you have to hit the lake just right to score with these feisty slabs. If going for the Bass always try one of the larger coves that is out of the wind, because the lake does get windy being so close to the ocean. The Catfish are scattered through out the lake. There are some favorite places to target them; however you really need to put in some time on this lake to target them. Once you do it is more or less like a fairy tale, because nobody will believe your story about bringing in so many catfish. My favorite is float tubing the docks for the Crappie. All I do is float back and forth tossing a jig and getting tons of hits, more hits than hook sets is the norm here. There are just that many Crappies during the spring bite. Click on the DFG link a see the stocking report for the Trout. Plan ahead, take the kids and have good time. The friendly people working here will gladly put you on the fish. Power Bait, Power Worms and the like work real well here for the stockers. Also fly fishing from a tube offers some good times as well.
Oso Flaco Lakes Located on Pismo State Beach, there is always a hard time to find parking during the summer, however it is worth it. Not too many people who don’t live here know about these two lakes. Shallow, wind swept and cool water temps is what you will find. Not to mention the Bass and big Carp. You should try to target these hard fighting fish; they are so much fun to catch. There is a foot bridge that goes across the water and yes you can fish from it. We did and I was amazed at how many big Carp were swimming around. The Bass fishing in the summer can be good; there are days you will have 20 or 30 small Bass slamming your line all day. I have not seen any big Bass come out of here, however the Park Rangers say otherwise. I was asking around about the Bass fishing, but not too many people were after the Bass. They were there for the large Carp and Catfish. One family I saw had around eight Catfish all over 3.5 pounds. |