Tackle Express Castaic Fishing Reports

Bass fishing remains solid for fish that are mostly in the pre-spawn stage. Fat and strong, willing to bite on virtually any finesse technique and any popular color. Rocky points and shoals leading into spawning areas continue to be our focus. We are mainly fishing wacky-rigged Senkos early and dropshot rigs once the sun gets high.

Good numbers of quality two to five pound Largemouth are available to anglers dragging the C3 Baits/Carolina Rig combo in the swim beach area. There are lots of small males on beds in this zone with the larger females out in slightly deeper water. Shimmys and Jobus in Oxblood/Red Flake and Neptune Shad color patterns continue to dominate this bite. A low and slow presentation with 6lb. test line will definitly get you bites. Very crowded on weekends.

High winds, rain showers and even snow all hit the area this past week making it tough to find a window to get out on the water. Bass fishing remains virtually unchanged though, as fishing is good for both size and numbers. Finesse plastics on Splitshot rigs, and Carolina rigs continue to dominate most days with any of the C3 Baits doing the trick. Crankbaits, jerkbaits and Alabama rigs are also productive in the ten to twenty foot depth zone. Look for East-facing rocky points and bluffs that warm up fast and hold heat resulting in a slightly warmer water temp.

Better weather resulted in an uptick in fishing success this week. The Bass are still spread out around main lake bluff walls, 45 degree banks and rocky points. The key has been to focus on East facing rock that gets the sun early. These areas tend to warm up first and attract Bass looking to move up into warmer water. The ten to twenty five foot depth has been a good zone to target these active fish. Finesse plastics, Alabama rigs and jigs continue to get bit by Bass averaging two pounds.

Trolling for Striped Bass took a hit this week for the same reasons as mentioned above. We have gone from five bites a day to one or no bites as the conditions worsen. The fish are there in good numbers and size, as most fish we’re catching are seven to eight plus pounds. Producer Flies, Yak Flies and 661 KastMasters trolled anywhere from 20-60′ deep on leadcore line is producing the few bites available. 

Water fluctuations and high winds this past week have the baitfish on the move from shallow to deep and back again. Fishing live Shad and Silverside minnows has helped bridge the gap on the ever-changing Bass movements for my clients. The baitfish are either on the bank or out in the sticks and bushes in the middle of the coves and some main lake shorelines. The “Wolf packs” of a few to many quality Castaic Largemouth continue to roam these areas and can be found from two to thirty feet deep on any given day. Casting flutter spoons and Kastmasters thru the suspended bait schools is a good technique to employ to find the groups of bait chasers. Otherwise the usual finesse plastics will get grabs when the biters come thru.