George Kramer's column as it appeared in the April 17th, 2009 issue of Western Outdoor News - click here to see how it originally appeared

I’m about three hours away from Lake Casitas--if I hit the traffic right, and the weather holds. In fact, the lake has been so good in the past I’d drive up there on a six-hour round trip, just to fish for four or five hours.

Okay, so I’m a glutton.

But the lake seems to be an even tougher ticket for everyone these days, unless they’re one of those 800 or so who have permits and quarantined boats for use on the lake. And while locals have chained up their $1200 aluminums, or put them in slips to accommodate the dreaded quagga rules, everyone else is on the outside looking in.

Now there are a lot of ways to look at the situation, including scouring the classifieds to find your own lunker junker to slip.  But maybe, if you gauged your time, and maybe had a good fishing partner to share the expense, the best plan might be to hire a guide and tackle one of the most acclaimed waters in the entire U.S.—rather miss out altogether.

Rich Tauber, he of ancient history, U.S. Open winning fame, is one of those guides and the first thing he said on the matter rang my bell like coupon day at a taco joint. “It’s basically like fishing a private lake.”

And that’s more than a little exhilarating when you consider Casitas may be one California’s best hopes for a not-too-many-questions-asked World Record catch. Oh, there will always be questions, but as Rich suggested, if it comes from Casitas, “No one would be shocked.”

Contrast that with a Dixon/Poway type water, where such limitations as long stretches of closed shoreline to boats, and in some cases, no standing in rental boats, makes fishing for the big shapes almost impossible. Well, not impossible if you have a team of spotters above, early arrivers to get first access to the boats, and other “tricks” that take the fun out of legitimate fishing trip.

It’s not exaggeration about the quality of the Casitas bass. Before the quagga you saw a regular stream of big fish photos in the pages of WON. Now you see a stream of big fish photos from the same dozen guys or so.

So what’s to say, a really good idea would be to hook up with Tauber (www.tauberfishing.com) and try and put together one of those legendary outings that only Lake Casitas can deliver. Tauber, I can assure you, is not that bad of company in a boat. He has all the gear, know-how, a new boat every year, and he even promises not to fish while he’s putting you on the big dogs.

He even tells me, “I’m the cheapest guy out there,” but you can call him (818-439-1154) and work out the details.

On the other hand, the part of the Lake Casitas experience you can’t negotiate is the pristine water (about 9-10 feet visibility); the total lack of whining Jet skis crying in the background, and the best launch ramp and marina eatery around.

Makes me think I might stay the whole day, the next time I’m up there.

Bass columnist George Kramer, who also uses a guide to find Road Runners at Bass Pro Shops, can be reached by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .