Largemouth Bass:

High winds early in the week saw the lake closed again and the Northwest gusts blew most if not all of the debris back into the marina area. The good news is that the Fish Arm has cleared significantly and the smaller male Bass have moved back up into the shallower areas to begin the spawning process. Underspins with Zoom Flukes or Lunker City Fin-S-Fish as well as the usual Ned rigs and dropshot rigs are all getting bites in the five to ten foot zone. The bigger females are starting to stage and the upcoming full moon next weekend should make them finally commit to the spawning areas. In the Ski Arm the water is extremely clear and the Neptune Shad C3 Shimmys on light line Carolina rigs has once again been hard to beat in the fifteen to twenty foot zone. Some stable days of weather should ignite the Springtime bite that everyone is waiting for.

Striped Bass:

Trolling and bait fishing has been spotty overall as the Stripers are spawning with the high winds providing the necessary current for these broadcast spawners. The most consistent bite continues to be bait fishing in ten to sixty feet of water with sardines being the bait of choice and pretty much the only bait they’re willing to bite. It can be frustrating at times as the bigger fish are more into spawning than feeding. Some days they bite, others they don’t. You have to put in your time and keep a fresh bait on. The area just before Elizabeth Canyon has been the hotspot lately with some boats doing better than others. The boats with the fresh bait, usually bought directly from the bait receivers in the harbors from Ventura to Long Beach, have had a great advantage over the “gas station” bait available locally.

Lagoon: 

Fish continue to move shallow and the bite has been good early in the morning for an hour or two. Once the sun gets on the water some wind definitly helps the action. The drop shot has been the best technique with the the more natural green and brown straight tail worms doing the most damage. keep a short drop on your weight, about four to six inches and drag it around the dropoffs in the ten to fifteen foot zone. Some anglers are targeting shallow fish, with a few bigger models seen on beds. Senkos in Green Pumpkin and Watermelon hues fished around the bushes and reeds in the upper end have gotten some quality bites. 

Water conditions:

Surface temp: 61 degrees

Water temp at 20′ is 57 degrees

Good clarity with a light algae bloom in some areas

Jim – www.661Fishing.com