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San Pablo Reservoir Fishing Report

Updated Fri, Sep 4, 2026 from live gauge and weather data

The Bay Area’s trout lake: San Pablo stocks rainbows heavily and hides sturgeon in its deep water.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~73 F est.
Air / High
69 / 70 F
Wind
W 8 mph

Sources: Open-Meteo, solunar calculated for these coordinates.

Satellite view
Friday
4
September 2026

Today's Fishing Report

Generated this morning from live readings: gauge, weather model, sun and moon. A fresh report is published here every morning.

2/5Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

San Pablo Reservoir lines up a genuinely fishable day across the board. Today brings clear skies, wind W around 8 mph, rising pressure near 1014 hPa and a high of 70. Water sits around 73 F for the season (estimated). With the last quarter, the solunar majors run 5:39 AM-7:39 AM and 5:39 PM-7:39 PM: the windows to build the day around.

The plan, species by species

Smallmouth bassGood

Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow troutGood

Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Largemouth bassFair

Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

CrappieSlow

Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

Tomorrow: Similar at 71 F. The solunar majors shift about 50 minutes later.Next report: Sat, Sep 5, 6:30 AMHow this report is made →

Water and weather

Live readings.

No live gauge on this water

Conditions here are modeled from weather, season and the nearest stations. Water readings appear when a USGS gauge is available.

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp69 F
High / Low70 / 54 F
WindW 8-9 mph
Pressure1013.7 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 2%
Sunrise / Sunset06:41 / 19:33
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~73 F est.

Bite planner

Hour-by-hour bite forecast for today. Tap a bar to see why.

5 AM8 AM11 AM2 PM5 PM8 PMsunrisesunset

Next 7 days

Tap a day for the detailed outlook.

Fri Sep 4 · Overcast, 70/54 F, wind 12 mph, rain 2%

Fair or better. A 12 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on San Pablo Reservoir: seasons, structure and how to fish each one. Today's ratings live in the report above.

Largemouth bass illustration

Largemouth bass

Best: spring and fall

The headline act on most American reservoirs. Relates to cover: docks, brush, grass edges and points. Prime chasing season. Work moving baits on points and pockets: spinnerbaits, chatterbaits and squarebills, with a stick worm behind for followers.

Smallmouth bass illustration

Smallmouth bass

Best: May-Oct

Current and rock. Finds gravel flats, boulders and drop-offs, and fights far above its weight. Peak season. Tubes, jerkbaits and swimbaits around gravel points, boulders and current seams.

Rainbow trout illustration

Rainbow trout

Best: Apr-Jun, Sep-Oct

The workhorse of western rivers: riffles, seams and dry-fly eats. Prime dry-fly and hopper season. Match the hatch morning and evening; nymph the seams midday.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Spawning shallow around cover in spring; jigs under a float near buck brush and laydowns.

When to come: the San Pablo Reservoir calendar

Activity by species and month, and how the water warms through the year. Tap any cell.

Species activity by month

1 = slow, 5 = peak. Current month highlighted.

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Largemouth bass
Smallmouth bass
Rainbow trout
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 73 F (estimated, not a reading).

4050607080JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~73 F now

Angler reports

Real reports from real anglers, reviewed before publishing. The water log below tracks each day automatically.

No angler reports yet this weekBe the first: your report helps every angler who checks San Pablo Reservoir today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 12 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

5/5 Excellent. Go now. Everything lines up: pressure, wind and light are in your favor. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 71 F, wind to 12 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

4/5 Good. Solid day ahead. Stable-to-falling pressure and workable wind line things up. Smallmouth bass led the card at excellent. High of 69 F, wind to 14 mph.

Where roughly, what depth, what bait. Skip anything you want to keep secret.
Only used to send you this water's report each week. No spam, ever.

Before you go

License

California requires a valid fishing license for adults. Buy online from the state agency; one-day options exist for visitors.

Regulations

California license plus day-use and boat fees. Seasonal operating schedule: verify current dates and hours with EBMUD before visiting.

Access

San Pablo Reservoir Recreation Area: ramp, boat rentals, marina and shoreline access with fees.

About this water

An 860-acre East Bay water-supply reservoir near Orinda, Contra Costa County, California.

Fishing San Pablo Reservoir: the full guide

An East Bay water supply

San Pablo Reservoir covers about 860 acres in the hills east of Richmond, an East Bay Municipal Utility District reservoir open seasonally for fishing. It is stocked heavily with rainbow trout, making it one of the Bay Area’s most productive put-and-take fisheries, alongside largemouth bass, channel catfish, crappie, bluegill and a small population of sturgeon that surprises anglers.

Trout and the stocking calendar

Trout stocking runs through the cooler months and drives the fishery: bait anglers work the shoreline and the marina area, while trollers cover the main body with spoons and dodgers. Some trophy-sized fish are stocked, and the reservoir has produced trout well into double digits over the years. Check the stocking schedule before planning.

Bass and catfish

Largemouth relate to the shoreline structure and submerged trees, best in spring. Channel catfish are stocked in summer and reliable on cut and prepared baits. Crappie and bluegill fill the coves. The reservoir operates on a seasonal schedule with fees, gates and hours: verify current operating dates.

Contra Costa County logistics

The recreation area provides a ramp, boat rentals, a marina and extensive shoreline access with day-use fees. No body contact is permitted. Berkeley and Orinda are minutes away, and the reservoir is one of the closest genuine fishing options to San Francisco.

Common questions

Is it open year-round?

No: it operates on a seasonal schedule with set hours. Verify current dates before driving out.

How big do the trout get?

Stocking includes trophy fish, and the reservoir has produced rainbows well into double digits.

How close is San Francisco?

About 30 minutes: one of the closest genuine fishing options to the city.

Is fishing good at San Pablo Reservoir right now?

Check the daily report at the top of this page: it is regenerated every morning from live data. Today's read: Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.

Nearby waters

Pacifica24 miLos Vaqueros Reservoir28 miCalifornia Delta34 miLake Del Valle37 miPutah Creek42 miLake Berryessa46 mi
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