Castaic Lake Fishing
Largemouth Bass:
The lake is currently eight feet from full pool. Water continues to be released from the Main Lake into the Afterbay and then over the Afterbay spillway into Castaic Creek. This has been going on for two months straight. Water temps have yet to stabilize and the quality fish are spawning deeper than usual. Our best action continues to be in 10-25’ of water in the Fish Arm of the lake. Main lake and secondary points are holding good numbers of bass while the pockets and shoreline zones are still being inhabited by mostly smaller males. The fish being caught from deeper water continue to be cold to the touch as bottom water temps are up to 10 degrees cooler than the surface temp. The 5” Senko in green pumpkin variations has been our mainstay in the morning hours. Adding a touch of chartreuse dye to the tail to mimic the bluegill has shown to be effective in getting the bigger bites. Once the sun gets up the fish are heading to the deeper shoals, points and rocky outcroppings. The dropshot or finesse Carolina rig with a C3 Baits Ice Pick in the Neptune Shad color is our main weapon. RoboWorms in Aaron’s Magic or any of the purple variations will also work well. There is also a jig bite available for anyone who doesn’t mind getting snagged a bit. We’ve been experimenting with the Keitech 3″ Spider on a Texas rig.
Striped Bass:
Striper fishing is still hit and miss with the sometimes extreme weather changes we’ve been experiencing. The best techniques continue to be the trolled KastMaster and Scrounger heads with Keitech Fat Swing Impact 3.8” swimbaits on leadcore line. The best action has been in the first few hours of the day. Look for this bite to keep improving as the lake warms and the shad continue to rise in the water column. I am expecting the summer and fall to be epic for stripers as all signs are positive.