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Silverwood Lake Fishing Report

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

The high-desert striper surprise: State Water Project currents, 2-pound shad schools and largemouth in the coves at 3,400 feet.

2/5
Slow. Work for them.Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing.
Water temp
~84 F est.
Air / High
77 / 78 F
Wind
SSW 20 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.

Silverwood Lake serves up more heat: the productive hours are the dim ones. Today brings clear skies, wind SSW around 20 mph, rising pressure near 1009 hPa and a high of 78. Water sits around 84 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: plan around them and beat the heat.

The plan, species by species

Striped bassGood

Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel)Good

Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Largemouth bassFair

Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

CrappieSlow

Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

Tomorrow: Similar at 82 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.

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 F now

Right now

Latest readings

Air temp77 F
High / Low78 / 60 F
WindSSW 20-29 mph
Pressure1009.4 hPa, rising
Sky / Rain0% cloud, 1%
Sunrise / Sunset06:25 / 19:11
MoonLast Quarter, 50%
Water temp (seasonal)~84 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 · Clear, 78/60 F, wind 20 mph, rain 1%

Fair or better. A 20 mph breeze puts a working chop on the banks it hits: fish the wind-blown side.

Species guide

The species that matter on Silverwood Lake: 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. Topwater at first light on points and seawalls, then slide out to 12-25 ft brush and points with a Carolina rig, deep crank or drop shot. The bite is dawn, dusk or deep.

Striped bass illustration

Striped bass

Best: spring and fall

The reservoir heavyweight. Follows shad and herring schools in open water year-round. Deep and early: live bait on downlines over the river channel at first light, or downriggers along thermocline depth.

Catfish (blue, channel) illustration

Catfish (blue, channel)

Good year-round

The most reliable bite on most southern waters. Blues run big; channels fill the cooler. Anchor on 20-30 ft baited holes with punch bait or cut shad. They keep biting through the heat when everything else quits.

Crappie illustration

Crappie

Best: Nov-Mar

Brush piles, bridge pilings and standing timber. The fish fry favorite. Straight down on bridge pilings and deep brush at 15-25 ft. Minnows outfish jigs in hot water; move until the graph shows them stacked.

When to come: the Silverwood Lake 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
Striped bass
Catfish (blue, channel)
Crappie
SlowPeak

Water temperature through the year

Typical surface temperature for this water type; today is around 84 F (estimated, not a reading).

5060708090JanMarMayJulSepNovSep, ~84 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 Silverwood Lake today, and we feature the best catch of the week.

Water log, last days

Auto-logged from live data
Thu, Sep 3

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 78 F, wind to 20 mph.

Wed, Sep 2

3/5 Fair. Fish early or late. Heat pins the bite to the dawn and dusk windows. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 79 F, wind to 20 mph.

Tue, Sep 1

2/5 Slow. Work for them. Conditions favor short windows and patient fishing. Striped bass led the card at good. High of 81 F, wind to 18 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. Striper: no limit (encouraged harvest). Trout 5/day: check CDFW.

Access

Silverwood Lake SRA main ramp and marina; Cleghorn day-use bank access.

About this water

976 acres on the West Fork Mojave, San Bernardino County, CA. The State Water Project's mountain striper lake.

Fishing Silverwood Lake: the full guide

The aqueduct lake

Silverwood sits where the California Aqueduct crests the Cajon Pass: cold water pumped from the north keeps the lake cooler than its desert address suggests, and the striped bass that rode the aqueduct in built a thriving landlocked population. Current from the inlet towers positions fish like a river: the lake fishes 'moving water' in the middle of the Mojave's edge.

Striper program

Shad boils erupt spring through fall: anchovies and topwater at the surface shows, downlined baits at 20-40 ft between them. The inlet area (when pumping) is the storied stand: current, bait, and stripers stacked in the seam. Winter drops the schools deep off the dam: spooning season for the electronics crowd.

The quiet largemouth game

The coves' tules and rock hold a solid largemouth fishery most visitors ignore: swim jigs and senkos in Cleghorn and Miller Canyon's pockets, topwater at dawn before the ski boats. Planted rainbows (heavy CDFW schedule) add the family staple and feed the occasional giant bass: a mini-Castaic dynamic at friendlier odds.

Mountain-desert logistics

The state recreation area runs the ramps, beaches and the famous summer crowds: fish dawn or weekdays. Wind crosses the pass hard most afternoons: the west end's coves shelter. Quagga inspection applies: the lake's aqueduct plumbing makes it a priority checkpoint.

Common questions

Why does Silverwood have stripers?

They rode the California Aqueduct from the Delta: the lake is plumbed into the State Water Project. Pumping current concentrates them at the inlet: fish it like a river seam.

When do Silverwood stripers boil?

May-October, wherever shad ball: the inlet and dam basins are the classics. Keep an anchovy rod rigged: boils sink as fast as they show.

Is fishing good at Silverwood Lake 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

Big Bear Lake23 miLake Perris31 miDiamond Valley Lake45 miNewport Beach57 miOceanside75 miCastaic Lake75 mi
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