Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass:

Castaic lake has become the epicenter of summer fun. It’s deep, clear water and green hills have attracted people from all over California. Fishing on the weekends can be an exercise in patience so it’s best to allow yourself a little bit of extra time when heading up to the lake. The water clarity is unbelievable right now and down-sizing our presentations has been the rule lately. Water temps are in the mid to upper-70’s. The bass bite hasn’t changed much but we have noticed the fish seem highly pressured as a result of the good fishing for the past four months. Main lake points continue to be our target zone with the 10′ – 25′ depth being the most productive. There is a good amount of green moss growing so we are sticking with the 5″ Yamamoto – Daiwa Neko Fat worms rigged wacky & weightless as well as the dropshot armed with 4-1/2″ RoboWorms in Aaron’s Magic or Morning Dawn color schemes. We are setting up our rigs with a longer drop leader between the weight and hook. Smallmouth bass are being caught in deeper water in limited numbers on the same baits. C3 Baits Ice Picks and Shimmies in Neptune Shad and Red Smoke continue to produce bigger fish our clients fishing the deeper points, bluffs and dropoffs. 

Striped Bass:

Striper fishing slowed considerably this week with the onset of the full moon and warmer air temps. We have not done much fishing for these fish as most of our clients are wanting to target the excellent trout fishing. We will be focusing more on the Striped Bass in the coming days and weeks as all signs point to an excellent summer and fall angling opportunity to catch these hard fighting saltwater transplants.

Rainbow Trout:

The recent stockings of Rainbow Trout has spread throughout most of the lake and are being caught on all of the usual trout techniques. We have noticed that the bigger fish are taking emerging damselfly nymphs coming off the deeper muddy bottoms. The smaller fish are content with getting these bugs as they reach the surface often resulting in a small splash. We are locating the deeper schools and fishing vertically with mini jigs in green, yellow or white colors. Limits are common and our clients have been happy catching the mixed bag that Castaic currently offers.

Castaic Afterbay:

The lagoon is fishing well with the bass feeding on small shad, bass fry and small bluegills. The weedbeds have reached the surface in the shallower areas and the water has cleaned up nicely, especially in the South half of the lake. Lots of quality bass are being caught by those with local knowledge targeting the early morning and windy afternoon windows. The dropshot rigged with C3 Baits Shimmies in Neptune Shad is still our go-to technique. Senkos are getting bit as well and there is an excellent jerkbait bite for those in the know.

Jim – 661 Fishing