Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass:

High daytime temps closing in on triple digits has defined the day into either an early morning or late afternoon bite. Topwater and dropshot are the best ways to catch a few in the first two hours of the morning and again in the last two hours of the day. The dropshot is working a little better than the Carolina Rig as the bottom is covered in green moss in most areas making it difficult to drag the bottom. Bass are being caught anywhere from 10′ to 30′ deep on main lake points and coves with shade pockets. C3 Baits Ice Picks in Neptune Shad and Watermelon Candy are the mainstay dropshot baits on the lake. Most fish are in the 1 – 2 pound class as the bigger models are suspended out over deep water on most days. We are still able to net live Shad every day, and the bite continues to produce 10 -15 Bass per angler on a 4 hour, 1/2 day trip.

Striped Bass:

Fly-coring with a Producer Fly was hit and miss this week as the bite switches back and forth between the morning and the evening. Main lake points and drop-offs on the East side of the fish arm are good places to start. In the ski arm, the area around Kong Island and up to the forebay is worth checking out as well. There has been some surface action, mainly in the last hour of the day but the bite is anything but consistent. As much as anglers want the Striper bite to be full speed it just isn’t yet. Things should continue to improve daily and with the upcoming new moon.

Castaic Afterbay:

Not much of a change here. Deeper water in the South end fished with the typical C3 Baits soft plastics will get you some quality bites. The North end weedbeds are at the surface and topwater baits are starting to get some attention in the morning. Bluegill are in the weeds as well and can be caught on mini jigs tipped with meal worms or red worms. Don’t be afraid to toss a big swimbait here as there has been some double-digit sized fish chasing small bass.

Castaic Lake Conditions:

Water Temp Surface:

76° – 80°

Water Temp at 20′:

N/A

Water Clarity:

10′ – 15′ visibility.

Mainly clear

Water Level:

3′ down

Jim – 661 Fishing