Los Banos, CA (February 12, 2026) — San Luis Reservoir striper fishing has been sporadic as low pressure fronts have moved through the area, along with intermittent fog and sunshine changing the bite. Moderate Topwater action in the 58 degree water continues in the coves and the back of Portuguese Cove – with anglers throwing Zara Spooks and various other topwater and ripbait lures – with limits of schoolfish possible.
Trolling action has been slow , with lots of suspended fish showing up on sonar -but refusing to bite. The best lure trolling options continue to be stick baits like Smithwicks , Rapalas, as well as Arigs worked at 40-60’ depths – and deeper at times. The mouth of Portuguese Cove and the Lone Oak area are top places to work over the shallower flats . The fish are moving fast looking for bait- so I think that covering ground is still a good tactic to finding one of these schools. Baitballs are showing up more as the water temps have fallen.
Boiling groups of schoolfish have been showing up at times- early- in lower light conditions in cove areas as they herd the baitfish into the shallows. It’s a day to day thing- but the fish are going down fast once the sunshine hits the water. There have been a few bigger fish taken in the last 2 weeks.
Some anglers are having some success using jigs and spoons once a school is found- but the schools can move away quickly.
The water level has come up slightly with some daily input up to 5,000 acre feet being pumped into the lake- raising the current storage up to the 1,600,000 acre feet level- about 35’ from the top.
Forecast rain in the next 15 days could improve the bite- and also possibly provide a chance for the lake to reach full capacity this season. I rate the fishing around a 3-4 out of 10, but there are current bite windows that could improve that rating.
Never give up! Roger
Interested in a trip? Let me know! Go to my website at www.rogergeorgeguideservice.com or call (559) 905-2954.
My recently posted YouTube video on the new “Catch America “ channel – about fishing San Luis for monster stripers has gotten over14,000 views in less than 2 weeks .
