Tackle Express Castaic Fishing Reports

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.

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.

Stripers were hit and miss this week, with some days better than others. Glassy conditions mid-week saw the bite slow significantly. Windy days are better as the fish feed actively in these conditions, sometimes throughout the day. Producer flies, KastMasters and the Fluke/Scrounger head combo are getting grabs trolling at 15′ to 25′ when the fish aren’t busting the surface. The best  area continues to be the deeper water from Kong Island to Necktie Canyon, with the fish pretty much spread out all over the middle of the Ski Arm and up to the forebay buoy line on certain days. There has also been some surface action in the West end of the Fish Arm during the first hour or so of the morning.