Santa Margarita is sitting at 90%, and there's plenty of cover along the shoreline. Bass are holding shallow in the weeds and tules mostly, although quite a few fish are chasing shad in open water as well. Frogs and punch rigs have been the go-to for working the heavy cover. Mini jigs in baitfish colors are producing well along the same edges. Poppers and glidebaits are getting hit hard at first light (or when cloudy, like the last few days) further out, with the glides pulling some big fish... reports of a 6-pound-plus fish last week.

Crappie action is good around structure and humps in 20 ft on jigs.

Castaic is full, clean, and fishing very well. Guide Jim Taibi of 661 Fishing reports surface temps at 78 in the morning climbing to 81 by afternoon, with 5 to 15 feet of visibility and no algae.

The story right now is baitfish. Shad in the 2 to 4 inch class have flooded the shallows... some even in three feet of water... and the bass and stripers have followed them into the backs of the bigger coves. That's pushed the bite almost entirely to the surface. Dropshots and other bottom-contact stuff are getting ignored. Taibi reports Lucky Craft Gunfish 115s and Espetit 70s/95s are the ticket.

Stripers are boiling from Center Point down toward Elizabeth Canyon, averaging around five pounds. Taibi notes the boils are smaller and more scattered than earlier in August, with bass and stripers both working the same bait and spreading it out.