Los Angeles County Fishing Reports

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.

All three lakes are producing some very good summer action, whether it's bass, crappie, catfish, or even tilapia. On the bass front, water temps are still high with the recent hot spell, so fish have been far more active in the mornings and evenings. But even during midday, some quality fish are being pulled out on reaction stuff. Folks are ripping crankbaits, jerkbaits, or even jigs with rattles, landing fish up to 3–4 pounds. Red and black are the key colors. Other anglers have been tossing big glide baits and hooking into giants (a couple 5-7 pounders were recently caught this way on the North Lake).

Crappie action has been good in the center lake on small white jigs and mini swimbaits. Catfish can be caught on garlic prawns or chicken livers (Carolina rig).

If you're going for action and don't care about the species, throw out a big nightcrawler and either soak it or slow-drag it on the bottom. Some quality tilapia, bass, and catfish have all been caught this way recently.