Tackle Express Castaic Fishing Reports

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.

Bass fishing continues to be good in the ten to fifteen foot zone on a variety of baits. Main lake and secondary points with deep water access have been most productive. Carolina rigged straight tail worms, dropshot curl tail worms and Ned rigs will all get bites along with 5″ green pumpkin or watermelon Senkos and smaller jerkbaits like the Luckycraft Pointer 78. Good color choices for the worms are purple smoke, oxblood red and any of the Aaron’s Magic hues. The Shad are moving up in some areas and we’ve seen large schools as shallow as ten to fifteen feet.

Bass fishing continues to gain momentum for both size and numbers. Although steady action can be had with the usual finesse plastics, Jigs and smaller glide baits have produced some bigger than average Bass lately. Crankbaits, jerkbaits and Alabama rigs have also been productive in the twenty to thirty foot depth zone. Rocky points and 45 degree banks are holding good numbers of fish as the Bass are thinking about moving up to spawn. Next week’s full moon should start the annual migration to the shallows when secondary points leading into spawning areas will come into play.

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.