Santa Margarita Lake Fishing Guide, San Luis Obispo County, California

• Overview

  Santa Margarita Lake is one of the San Luis Obispo County listings for California. The sea is 16 miles distant. The closest town, Santa Margarita, is 8.7 miles away. San Luis Obispo follows at 11 miles, then Atascadero at 16 miles. If this one is busy: Lopez Lake about 9.6 miles, Clear Lake some 11 miles off, Silver Lake about 11 miles, Beck Lake some 12 miles off and Chorro Reservoir about 12 miles. Rules here are straightforward: one county, one set of rules.

• Where to Fish on Santa Margarita Lake

  Open data we checked carries no depth for this water. Draw-down through summer strips the margins, so follow the water out. Standing timber shows when the level drops, and fish sit against it. Open biodiversity records for San Luis Obispo County list flathead grey mullet, rainbow trout, Sacramento sucker, cabezon and black croaker. Species recorded across the county may be limited to a few waters. Work Santa Margarita Lake in sections rather than trying to cover it.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Averages move between 47°F in December and 68°F in August. Cooler months are the productive ones on most of this water. The first and last hours carry the summer; the middle is slow. April and May are the settled weeks, with October close behind. That shapes the year on Santa Margarita Lake.

• Tackle & Baits

  Nothing in our records says who may fish here. Public data records a boat ramp half a mile out. Parking is mapped about half a mile from the bank. There is a jetty half a mile off, worth knowing on a busy day. Public toilets are recorded roughly half a mile off. Local rules can differ across the county line, so check where you stand. A polite question at the farm gate opens more banks than anything else. The nearest alternative is Lopez Lake, 9.6 miles out. Nothing here settles the position at Santa Margarita Lake for certain.