Salton Sea fishing: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass

Target species: Striped Bass, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass

The lake

Salton Sea covers 202,162 acres in California, across 2 counties: Imperial and Riverside. It is a lake: 92% of it is 48 feet deep or less; the deepest point measured is at least 50.4 feet (15.4 m). Our records hold 8 species for this water.

Salton Sea, Mecca, California (15470428017).jpg
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

Depth and bottom

Deepest measured point: at least 50.4 ft (15.4 m). That is the deepest contour line: the bottom goes deeper. 92% of the water is 48 feet or shallower. We hold 275 depth contour lines for this water.

Salton Sea, Mecca, California (15470825080).jpg
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0
  • 0–3 ft: 0.3% of the water
  • 3–6 ft: 0.2% of the water
  • 6–9 ft: 0.4% of the water
  • 9–12 ft: 0.9% of the water
  • 12–15 ft: 2.9% of the water
  • 15–18 ft: 5.7% of the water
  • 18–21 ft: 5.4% of the water
  • 21–24 ft: 4.4% of the water
  • 24–27 ft: 4.4% of the water
  • 27–30 ft: 4.8% of the water
  • 30–33 ft: 5% of the water
  • 33–36 ft: 5.9% of the water
  • 36–39 ft: 7.3% of the water
  • 39–42 ft: 10.2% of the water
  • 42–45 ft: 17.6% of the water
  • 45–48 ft: 16.6% of the water
  • 48–50 ft: 8.2% of the water

3 target fish, led by Striped Bass

  • Striped Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.
  • Largemouth Bass — Feeding water: 65–85°F.
  • Smallmouth Bass — Feeding water: 60–75°F.

Also recorded here: Common Carp, Red Shiner, Golden Shiner, Threadfin Shad, Western Mosquitofish.

Salton Sea, Mecca, California (15632671146).jpg
Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA · CC BY-SA 2.0

Water and conditions

pH averages 8. These readings span 2018–2024.

What is hard here

Wind is the limit, not the fish: 202,162 acres of open water build a short steep chop, and there is no shelter in the middle.

Where this data comes from

  • U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (survey) — U.S. Bureau of Reclamation: depth contours: class A, a survey of the bottom.
  • Webster, K.E., McCullough, I.M., Soranno, P.A. LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0, EDI, doi:10.6073/pasta/64ddc4d04661d9aef4bd702dc5d8984f (CC BY 4.0); Cheruvelil et al. LAGOS-US LOCUS v1.0 (EDI) — LAGOS-US DEPTH v1.0: Lake depth for 17,675 lakes in the conterminous U.S.: class B, a depth figure measured and published by an agency, without a bottom map.