Castaic Lake Report 08-19-2023
Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass:
The small Shad and Silverside minnows are getting bigger by the day and are starting to get the larger Bass to move shallow. Topwater lures like the Lucky Craft Sammy 100 are getting a few quality bites in the first hour or two along the shade lines. Underspins with a 2.8 Keitech swimbait are another good choice.
Finesse plastics like the C3 Baits Ice Picks and 4-1/2″ RoboWorms fished in the 10 to 20′ zone continue to get bites on mostly smaller fish. Smallmouth are active and willing to bite just about anything that gets in front of them.
Bluegill:
The Bluegill continue to bite on mini jigs and mealworms in the backs of coves in the submerged bushes, providing a good alternative for younger anglers.
Striped Bass:
Stripers boils went completely AWOL early in the week but rebounded on Wednesday for the most part. The schools can be found in the mouths of the bigger coves in the first three hours of the day and again in the afternoon when its windy. The South side of the Fish Arm seems to have the steadiest action, anywhere from the marina point to Elizabeth Canyon. A water-filled bobber with a two to three foot leader of 8lb mono and a Spro Phat fly or Zoom Tiny Fluke continues to put quality sized “schoolies” in the net along with smaller topwater lures like the Lucky Craft Gunfish 100. Trolling with Yak flies and Deceiver patterns on 3 to 4 colors of lead core line are getting grabs from some bigger fish in the five pound range.
Lake Conditions:
Water Clarity – 5′ to 10′ in most areas
Light to Medium Algae Bloom
Surface temp – 78 to 81 degrees
Jim – www.661Fishing.com