Tackle Express Castaic Fishing Reports

A tough week weather-wise for anglers. Heavy rain and winds on most days limited opportunities. The lake was closed over the weekend due to heavy surface debris. They did allow launching on Sunday but it was electric motors only which made most boats turn around and head home.

Bass fishing slowed this week for both numbers and size. A National Bass West tournament with 33 teams was won with a meager 12 pounds last Saturday. Fish will bite a slow presentation like the C3 Baits Shimmy on the finesse Carolina rig in the twenty to thirty foot zone.

Another Trout plant early in the week saw fish in the five to ten pound range active on Trout imitations like Lunker Punkers, Huddlestons and Spro BBZ-1 swimbaits. A few bigger models pushing twenty pounds were caught as well. Smaller Stripers to three pounds are still hitting Alabama rigs and Yak Flies trolled on lead core line with a few bigger fish mixed in.

The dropshot rigged with a 2.8 Keitech Fat Swing Impact swimbait and the 5″ green pumpkin Senko are still our main techniques. There is still a decent crankbait bite when the fish are active, mostly on the red clay points in the mornings and afternoons with some wind. Anglers commiting to throwing the glide bait all day are being rewarded with some quality Largemouth.

The lake continues to slowly rise with water coming in from the forebay on most days. High winds plagued anglers this week, but those getting out during the calmer weather windows saw both numbers and quality of Bass. The dropshot rigged with a 2.8 Keitech Fat Swing Impact swimbait has been hard to beat along with the C3 Baits Shimmy in Neptune Shad on the finesse Carolina rig. Quality Largemouth are hitting glide baits on main lake points for those putting in the time.

Another influx of water from the forebay put a damper on an otherwise fair Bass bite. The lake came up another six feet on Thursday night and repositioned fish all over the lake. Smallmouth didn’t seem to be effected like the Largemouth, as they were schooling up on the rocky, extended points. The dropshot with a 2.8 Keitech fat Swing Impact swimbait outfished the standard finesse worms and we are also continuing to get bites on the 5″ green pumpkin Senko. There is a decent crankbait bite when the fish are active, mostly on the red clay points in the mornings and afternoons.