I sure am excited about this lake report page. This page will be updated as often as possible. I hope to sit down and give you updated information the beginning of each month. Even if your not able to go fishing with me this month, tell your friends about the site. This should be good information if you're in a bass club, and need some fresh, up to date information on Lake Casitas and Lake Castaic in Southern California. Hey, if you own your own boat, and just fish by yourself, check this page out. I hope it helps. Oh, and by the way, when you see me on the water make sure you stop and say hi!
|
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
The list is unreal. As I look through my old U.S. Open programs from the 80's and 90's, it almost takes my breath away to think about the number of superstars of the sport that have competed in this event. Just about every major player to ever cast a plastic worm has traveled to Las Vegas to compete in the western "Super Bowl" of bass fishing. Since some of our anglers this year were not around back then, let me bring you back to the start.
Let's start with Jimmy Houston. It was U.S. Open No. 1. The year was 1981. I still remember sitting in the harbor at Calville Bay watching Jimmy tie on his favorite spinnerbait in the last few moments before take off on day one. Later on that day, I stood in line to weigh my fish and chatted with Roland Martin as we worked our way to the scales. Heck I'm 23 years old at the time, and I watched these guys TV shows like every day since I was 15 years old. These guys are my absolute heroes! Here I am standing in the desert sun, hot and wind burned, just absolutely having the time of my life. It was the greatest feeling in Western bass fishing. All of the superstars that I had read so much about as a kid growing up were actually out West!
And they were at Lake Mead, a lake that all us Western anglers had grown up on. It was actually happening. As I look over all of my 29 U.S. Opens, I still remember Charlie Campbell competing in U.S. Open No. 2. This is the guy that got the world to fish a Zara Spook. His name is signed in script writing on the side of the Zara Spook that I won my U.S. Open on! Here he is competing with me on the "Gentle Giant" Lake Mead.
Larry Nixon, the nicest guy and the best fisherman in the world at that time, was a mainstay for many years at the Open. He was always super tough there, and almost won two or three different Opens. Larry just "flowed" at Lake Mead, he just "got it" right from the start. I guess it was his clear water background growing up in Arkansas.
Then there is Mr. Pop-R himself, Zell Rowland. Wow, what a charter. Just for starters, no question about it, he is the greatest angler in the history of the sport to ever sling a topwater bait. He was flat out gifted! I think Zell fished about 10 U.S. Opens and never missed the money. He was always "dog" tough. He is probably best known for having his boat pop off the trailer hitch ball on that curvy road heading down to Calville Bay. The boat flew off a cliff and went end over end for 100 yards and rested upside down at the bottom of a gully. Typical of Zell, he just goes "oh well', gets back in his van, drives back to town, hooks up his friend’s boat, grabs his Pop-R rod and goes fishing. He catches one of the biggest limits of the day and finishes in the top 10. By the way, he went back with a tow truck and got his Ranger bass boat back a few days later..no big deal.
The Girls, Linda England and Fredda Lee. A lot of folks thought that Linda and Fredda were just "showgirls" because of their heavy schedule of sport show speaking engagements. Don't be fooled, they were super tough professional anglers. They could flat fish! Although they struggled with consistency, they had some super good one-day catches at Mead. I miss them.
Former world champion and BassMaster Classic qualifier Paul Elias still has the greatest line I have ever heard from a U.S. Open competitor. We had just finished day two of competition, it rained and was cloudy all day, yet most of the good scores came from deep water. Paul had a rough go of it. He came up to me and my roommate and best friend Greg Hines and said "any bass dumb enough to go deep on a dark cloudy day is too stupid for me to catch."
Without question though, Rick Clunn is responsible for putting the U.S. Open on the map. He single-handedly made this a marquee national event. He loves the U.S. Open, and he told everyone he spoke with "it's the toughest event in the sport of bass fishing" period. That made it for us. It was one thing to have me or Greg Hines fly around the country and speak at sport shows and seminars and tell anglers about winning the event, and how great the U.S. Open was. It was a whole different ball game when the man ESPN voted the greatest bass angler of all time put it all together and won his first U.S. Open in 1984. From that day forward, it was accepted as a national event. We all owe so much to Rick, and all the other great anglers that have supported and promoted this bass tournament. They have all made it what it is today. |
|
Lake Casitas Bass Fishing Report Southern California 6-13-2010 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
" All hail the Treadfin Shad" Yes the live bait fishing has been out of this world! If you can make your bait early, and get some of that 3" stuff, the world is your oyster! There is a catch though. The "good" bait can be tough to make. It really takes being there most everyday like myself to keep up with the swarming schools of spawing Threadfin Shad. It moves around like "Lady Gaga". You go to one little pocket for 1 maybe 2 days,,then off it goes. I have really been networking and keeping my eyes wide open to keep up with the best patches of bait. Best bet is to give me a call at the above phone number, or email me at the "Contact Rich" page at the top, and set up a trip. You can save yourself alot of time a gas money by just booking a trip. The shad is easy to miss, so play it save. I use two $300 shad nets to make bait each morning. Both with florocarbon bags. It's a real science. If you book a guided bass fishing trip with me you can use one of the shad nets and learn how to "make" the bait on your own if you choose. The key right now is making the right size bait and having a real good spot to fish it on. Lot's of folks have a bit of bait and still catch few to any fish. The bass are in very large schools, and the spot you choose to fish is key. I work 7 days a week and have openings. It's a first come first serve system. Just give me a call or email and I can set aside a date. I do not take deposits so holding a day costs you nothing. If you can get the right bait, the days I have had this month have been incredible. It is no streach to catch 40 bass in a full day of fishing. The lake opens at 5:30am each day. The Marina Cafe is open for breakfast 7 days a week at 6am. My 21 foot, 2010 Phoenix Bass Boat is tied to the dock just steps away from the resturant. We can start fishing at 6am or 7am each morning, it's your call. I have 4 and 8 hours trips 7 days a week. Hey, it's summer,,,bring the kids and enjoy a great day of bass fishing at Lake Casitas in Southern California. |
|
|
Lake Casitas Bass Fishing Report Southern California 5-15-2010 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
We have live shad! That's right folks, we started netting the "Candy" on April 26th. I always like to watch it for a few weeks before I write a lake report about it. Here's the deal. Everyday it has been in a different spot. One day it's in one place and the next day it "floats" in a totaly different spot. I can tell you this, when we scoop it, the fishing has been fantastic! I had 3 gentelmen on a guide trip with me on April 26, they fished the live shad with me and caught over 100 pounds of bass off one spot! I have had several days this past week where we have caught 60-80 pounds of bass on the flylined shad. The best technique has been fishing the live bait with no weight on 4-6 pound test line. The battles with these big bass have been awesome. The water is super clear! Maybe the clearest water I have seen in this Southern California lake in 20 years. Lake Casitas has a hugh population of 3-7 pound bass. So far this has been one of the best years I have ever seen for fishing live shad at Lake Casitas. I really think that clear water helps. It seems the fish can find the bait from quite a distance and this really helps. I have been meeting my clients at the Marina Cafe at 7am each morning. We have a little breakfast and coffee, and walk down to the boat and go fishing. Most of you know that I always have the boat in the water and tied to a dock to make things as easy as possible for my guide clients. As always, ice, soft drinks, water, and packaged snacks and fruit are in the boat for you each morning. I have all the tackle you will need for your day. For those of you who would like to bring your own fishing rod, a light action spinning rod with 4 pound line is best. For those of you who would like to fish lures, fishing is still good on plastic worms, flukes, and topwater. We have about a 2 month "window" to net the live shad before it sinks out in deeper waters. I can't stress enough how important it is to take advantage of this time and book a trip now. The shad is up and "floating" now! Take advantage of this "once a year" oppertunity. No need for a deposit, just email me at "Contact Rich" at the top of the page. You can also call me at anytime on my mobile phone (818) 439-1154. Really look forward to hearing from you and catching a bunch of fish at Lake Casitas. See ya soon! |
|
Lake Casitas Bass Fishing Report 3/19/2010 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
Flat out wide open! That is the best way I can discribe it. The bass at this Southern California lake are up and in! Here is how it happened. The bass showed up on spawning beds on the February moon. I began to see bass bedding in February, on the 27th of the month, in 57 degree water! As we were approaching the next full moon, which is at the end of this month, it got super hot, and the bass flooded the bank. There are fish up on the bank spawning from one end of the lake to the other. The water is super clear. You can see a good 6-8 feet deep in most places. There is no need to cast. You can make small underhand pitches to these visual bass. Just fish slow and bring a pair of Oakley polirized glassess. I am spotting the bass for my clients and we are moving the boat slow and easy as we look for these bass. The best bait has been a Canyon Lures "Fat Gitzit in a white color. The weather has been fantastic. There has been no sign of any live shad to scoop, but then again, ya really don't need it. The lake opens at 6:30 am. The Marina Cafe opens for breakfast at 7am. The lake has come up about 7 vertical feet from all the winter storms and is still rising as we speak. The water from the surrounding mountains is still running into the lake via the Santa Ana creek. I have been super busy. Please,,,if you feel like you want to go bass fishing with me this spring, give me a call. I do not take deposits. Just email me at the "Contact Rich" page, or call me at (818) 439-1154. I can hold you a date for no charge. Don't miss this special time at one of Southern California's most famous bass lakes. Lot's of fish shallow, and lot's of big fish up and looking to play! Please give me a call and let me show you how to enjoy this great spring time fishing. |
|
Lake Casitas Bass Fishing Report Southern California 2-2-2010 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
Well here we go! The bass at Lake Casitas are up and moving around. You can just feel it, the world famous spring bite at this Southern California impoundment is set for take off! I wanted to wait a bit for this report as I watched the water level for all you guys and gals. As we all know we had some much needed rain and Lake Casitas has come up 5 vertical feet in the past 2 weeks. We are know launching on the 2nd ramp, and there is all kinds of shoreline grass and weeds in the newly flooded shoreline. The water has a real nice stain to it, you can see about 3-4 feet deep as of this report. The fishing has been really simple,,,,plastic worms! All kinds, drop shot, split shot, Senko, you name it. The lake has no thermicline. The bass are from 1-80 feet deep. With each day more and more fish are moving into shallow water. I have not "seen" a bass on a bed yet,,,but it's really close. The water tempeture is 57 degrees as of today. As most of you know Lake Casitas is one of the first lakes to warm up. It's close to the beach and is a low elevation impoundment. This is where you want to spend your time in the early spring. There have been no shad to "scoop" for over a month now. Like I said it's straight up worm fishing which is really fun for everyone. Folks, this is a busy time of the year. As all of you know I always run the trips "myself". I have openings now, but lot's of folks are calling each day to book trips. I don't want you to get shut out. As you know I do not take deposits. Just give me a call at the above number, or simple go to the "contact" page, and set a date. It costs nothing and holds you a spot. If you have to cancle, you owe nothing. The resturant is open at 7am with there wonderful full breakfast and lunch menu. By the way, make sure you stop by my booth, "Lake Casitas Fishing Guide Service" at the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach March 3-7. I am right next to the Lake Casitas Recreation Booth at the show, we are side by side. Hope to hear from you soon,,,,and good fishing to you! |
|
Lake Casitas Bass Fishing Report Southern California 12-20-2009 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
Well here we are back at Lake Casitas, on the prowl for one of those famous Southern California monster bass. As most of you know I always follow the best fishing that is available. For the last several years that has been fishing Lake Casitas from January thru July. Then July thru December I chase those schooling topwater bass at Lake Castaic. Fishing is really tough at both lakes. The water is cold, and those Florida strain bass just don't care for it. This is when you can really focus on fishing for a pre-spawn throphy bass at Lake Casitas. We are fishing Casitas with two basic techniques. One is a 8-12" monster straight tail worm right up on the bank. I have been fishing it on 12 lb. line and a 1/4oz. slip sinker. Just good old Texas rig worm fishing. The other method has been fishing the swimbait. It's "all in" fishing. You are fishing for a giant, plain and simple. The water tempeture is 60 degrees. The lake did come up a foot or so from the last rain strom. This is absolutly the best time of the year to catch a fish of a lifetime. Like I said, very few bites but the fish are good quality bass. If you are intrested in fishing for a giant, give me a call at the above phone number. You can also send me an email from the contact link at the top of the page. I wish you all a great holiday season and I hope we get a chance to fish together soon. |
|
Southern California Bass Fishing Guide Report Lake Castaic 11-17-2009 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
Lake Castaic remains the best bass'in choice in Southern California. The new news is Lake Castaic is on the rise. The water level has come up about 10 feet this month. The weather has been mild and the fish continue to respond to 3 basic fishing techniques. First is a Zoom Fluke in a shad or pearl white color fished just under the surface. Next choice would be a split shot worm in any shad pattern. And the third method would be a Zip Irony topwater bait in the chartruse shad color. The fish are very bunched up and you can fish lots of places that are void of any fish. When you catch one, slow down and really work that area. Some of these places are holding hundreds of bass. We had a few trips this month while fishing the shad that we would hook a fish on the live bait and as my client would be fighting the fish, you would see 75-100 bass in a school come up with the hooked fish. Speaking of live shad the bait has been tough to make. I have been using 2 nets to make enough bait for my clients. The shad has been fished best on 4lb green line and the results when you make bait have been fantastic. We have been starting our day at 7am each morning and there is little or no boat traffic on the lake. Try to make it a point to spend some quality time on the water with friends and family this holiday season. Please give me a call or send an email if you have any questions or would like to book a trip. Tell a friend about my monthly fishing report and I hope to see ya soon. |
|
Lake Castaic Bass Fishing Report 10/19/2009 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
Castaic Lake continues to show southern California anglers why it is the best bass fishery in the state. It is truly amazing to me just how good Lake Castaic has been this year. The fish continue to follow and heard hugh schools of threadfin shan and glass minnows. The only small change is that the fish are a bit more picticular as to where they want to make a showing. Where two months ago the fish where breaking pretty much all over the lake, now it is a bit more focused. The best technique continues to the big topwater walking bait. My clients have been fishing a U.S. Irony by Zip Baits in a shad color. The most consistent approach remains fishing the live shad on the flyline. We have been fishing 4lb. green Izorline, with a #8 baitholder hook. There is plenty of bait around, so scooping enough to fish with should be no problem. The lake level has been pretty darn stable. It has not dropped more than a foot or two in the last 30 days. The water has been super clear with a slight alge bloom in the back end of some of the bays. The weather has been fantastic all month. We had a nice bit of rain a week ago and it was even warm. Really does feel like an El Nino year. The striper fishing remains great also and we are catching 2-6 fish a day in the 1-8 pound class. The boat traffic has been very light as most of the vessels on the water are fishing boats. We have been starting our day at about 8am each morning, so you can sleep in an extra hour. I really feel like this is one of the best times of the year to book a trip. We have averaged about 15-20 fish a day on all the trips. Remember, this all about you catching the fish. I don't fish. I am a firm believer that the only way you can learn a technique is for YOU to catch the fish. It has to happen to you! If you have some time this month give me a call (818) 439-1154, or send me an email at the contact link at the top of the page. I would love to get you out to experence some great southern California bass fising. |
|
Lake Castaic Bass Fishing Report 9/14/2009 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
It's been one of those years. For two full months my clients have fished one lure and one lure only,,,,a topwater plug! We have not made one single cast with a plastic worm at Lake Castaic all summer. The fishing has been just flat out fantastic on topwater. Huge schools of largemouth bass, sometimes 75-125 bass in a school, crowd and bust thredfin shad throughout the fishing day. No time seems to be better that another. It's an all day thing. These are 2-3 pound fish with and occasinal 4 pound fish in the mix. The best baits have been the "Irony" from Zip Baits and the "Super Spook" by Heddon Bait Co. When the fish are not breaking, fishing with the live shad has been fantastic! I have been using 2 shad nets to make bait throughout the day. Many of my clients have actually caught so many fish that by by noon they have told me "that's enough, let's take it to the house". We have been launching the boat at 7am each day, and the weather has been very pleasant with light breezes each afternoon. We have the big holiday weekend behind us. Lake Castaic becomes much more of a straight fishing lake now that most of the pleasure boating is done for the year. This is a great time to call (818) 439-1154 or email me about a fishing trip on this super Southern California bass fishery. Great weather and wonderful bass fishing. It's as good at it get's at Lake Castaic! |
|
Lake Castaic Bass Fishing Report 8/15/2009 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
The fishing at Lake Castaic is "off the hook". This is some of the best bass fishing I have seen here since they opened the lake. Now I know that's a heck of a statement. But that's just the way I feel about it. The shad fishing is just insane. We started to make shad on a consistent basis about 2 weeks ago. Once you make the shad it has been "lights out" fishing. Lot's of 30-50 fish days. If you ever wanted to take your child for there first fish, or a best friend for a special day of fishing, this is the time to book a trip. Most of the fish are largemouth bass with a few stripers mixed in. The largemouth have been 1-3 pounds with an ocassional 4-5 pound fish in the group. The stripers have been 1-2 pounds, with a 5-20 pound fish sliding through the school from time to time. We have been fishing the shad on 6 pound test. We have been making good numbers of really large shad, so you could probably get away with 8 pound line if you wish. The lure bite has been all topwater at Castaic. The bass are breaking on balls of thredfin shad. The bass are coming up in huge schools. Some of the schools of bass that appear crashing on this bait look like there could be 75-100 fish in each school. It's quite the site. Pick up your favorite topwater lure and fire away. When the fish really get to boiling, I like to stand in the ready position. What I mean is you have your bait right there on the tip of your rod, ready to cast. Wait till they appear,,, then fire a cast into the center of the boiling fish. If your even a little bit late on the cast,, your chances of a strike really deminish. Be patience, wait for your oppertunity, and cast as quick as possible. Lake Castaic opens at 6:30 and closes at 7:45. The weather has been very confortable. This has been a very cool summer at Lake Castaic. If you can get away for the day, give me a call or send me an email. We will be fishing out of my brand new 2010, 21' Phoenix Bass Boat. Everyone loves all the extra room in this big, wide, state of the art bass boat. Hope to see you soon! |
|
Lake Casitas Bass Fishing Report, Southern California. 7/14/2009 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
Here it is mid July and we have some pretty good lure fishing and plenty of live shad available to net.
It is offical that summer fishing is in full swing at Lake Casitas. We have had a few 90 degree days and the water tempeture is 78 degrees.
Let's start with the shad fishing. The bait has been spotty. When you get around it there is quite a bit of it. The best time to make the shad is from sun up until 10am. Fish the shad on 4-6 lb. test line. Once the wind blows, fish it on the anchor. It seems as though you have to wait for the fish to make a pass through the area your fishing.
The lure fishing has been the best. Fish are being caught on just about everything you can imagine. And I mean everything. We have caught fish on frogs, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits and every plastic worm fishing technique under the sun. There is a bunch of grass (sago pond weed) growing in the lake now. This works as a filtrator and has really cleaned up the water. There are places that you can see 7-8 feet deep now. The water should continue to clear as we work through the summer. I have been consentrating my efforts around these areas that have grass growth and clean water.
The Marina Cafe is open 7 days a week with a fantasic breakfast and lunch menu. There hours are 6am till 4pm.
Call or email me with any questions. Better yet let's go fishing. I will be available thru August 20. I leave to fish the U.S. Open on Lake Mead until September 3. Wish me luck! |
|
Southern California Bass Fishing Guide Service Report, Lake Casitas. 7/3/2009 |
|
Written by Rich Tauber
|
|
Big fish bite not going away at Lake Casitas
Guide Rich Tauber was gloating again yesterday, given he and his clients were on 'em again.
Said Rich, "No, that's not Manny Ramirez, but batting gloves are standard equipment at Lake Casitas. The monster bass are on the prowl big time...."
Lake Casitas is known to provide many memorable moments. In this case, Friday, Steven Wood of Seattle, WA captured this 8-pound, 15-ounce largemouth. "We have had excellent topwater fishing every morning in the gray," said Tauber. "Then we fish the live shad on the flyline in the afternoon."
Not every fish is a thumper, but Rich says, "It is very difficult to catch a bass under 2 pounds. We are catching lots of 3 to 5-pound stuff. Weather is fantastic, with cool 5-10 mile an hour onshore breezes from the nearby ocean every afternoon."
--George Kramer |
|
|
|
|
|
Page 1 of 2 |
|
|
