Southern California Bass Fishing Guide | Lake Casitas Fishing Information. Lake Castaic Fishing Information. Lake Cachuma Fishing Information

Lake Castaic

I still remember going bass fishing at Lake Castaic the first day it was open to the public. It was the mid-seventies, I left straight from high school football practice to sample this much talked about bass fishery. The big talk when it first opened was about the size of the launch ramp. It was the largest ever constructed in the west at that time. Well now the talk is about the tremendous bass population. Castaic lake for the most part has always been a very good bass lake. It has also always been a bit querky. What I mean is the lake is famous for some really strange and off the wall bass paterns. Mud lines, barrel booms, under spins, and scroungers, just to name a few. This is what makes Lake Castaic so much fun. It is always a challenge. The winter is time for the big swim bait, and scooping live shad to use for bait. The lake has little or no boat traffic and these two techniques dominate.

Lake Casitas

Lake Casitas opened to fishing in the late 50's, and what a great producer it has been! There are many reasons why I feel that Casitas is one of the finest bass fishing lakes in America.

First, it's a "no body contact" lake, meaning no swimming, water skiing, or jet skiing. This keeps the crowds and noise down. I am a big believer that half the enjoyment of the fishing day is about a beautiful, peaceful setting. And Casitas delivers. For the most part we have little or no wind each morning, and light onshore breezes from the nearby Pacific Ocean every afternoon. I can count on one hand how many days I have had to cancel due to wind. With over thirty miles of shoreline, there's a lot of room to fish. The combination of all these elements make Lake Casitas my #1 choice.

Lake Cachuma

This is where it all started for me. At age nine I caught my first bass on a live shad at this beautiful Santa Barbara, CA impoundment. I guess it goes without saying, I have deep feelings for Cachuma.

Once again this is a "no body contact" lake, as Cachuma is used to supply drinking water for Santa Barbara. This is great because you are guaranteed to have that beautiful, quiet environment that all anglers love.

I like to start fishing Cachuma in the summer months. It a numbers lake. And almost all the trips I take here are for anglers that want to fish artificial lures only. It's a great place to take an angler who wants to learn the tournament game, whether it be as a professional, or to become a better bass club competitor. As a rule, the bass at Cachuma are not as large as nearby Lake Casitas. However, there is a special bonus at Cachuma, lots of smallmouth bass! It is the only lake in the Los Angeles area that has any real established population of smallmouth bass.