Los Angeles County

Summer is ramping up at Pyramid Lake, bringing changes to both weather and fish behavior. The strong afternoon winds are subsiding, and fish are transitioning to their warm-season patterns.

Most largemouth bass are done spawning, but there hasn't been much of a post-spawn slump. Bass are gradually moving out from shallow areas, but have been extremely aggressive towards topwater reaction baits and deeper running crankbaits.

The catfish bite remains strong, as is typical for this time of year, with traditional baits like nightcrawlers and chicken livers working best. Striper reports have been scarce.

The water level is almost full at Castaic, and bass are moving in on the new shallow structure. Finesse soft-plastics are getting hammered the most, while topwater baits (poppers & spooks in the mornings) and swimbaits are pulling in the bigger fish. Most action is from the surface down to 15 feet. For bass and stripers keying on shad schools, jerkbaits and A-rigs have been hot.

Overall, conditions at Castiac are close to ideal with clear water and temps hovering around 73 degrees.

Heavy spring winds have made fishing at Pyramid tough. Early mornings are the most calm, but by 10am, 15mph+ winds are whipping across the lake. For those who do get on the water, fishing has been good for bass and catfish. Bass anglers are getting bites on jerkbaits and finesse plastics.

The last trout stock was at the end of March, but a few anglers are still pulling fish, targeting the deepest spots in the lake.

The final trout stock was the last week in February, and since then trout action has tapered off to zero. But now it's time for warm water species... more specifically, largemouth bass. The bass bite has been excellent all spring. Everything from jerk baits, Senkos, to creature baits have been working well.

Plenty of action for bluegill, carp, and catfish as well. Anglers using corn in the shallows have recently caught behemoth carp. There's a slight algae bloom keeping water clarity a bit dingy.

When Castaic has been open, bass fishing has been good. But recent heavy winds have kept boats off the water and forced the lake to close. If you can get on the lake, most fish are in one of the three spawning modes (pre/post spawn or bedding). Soft-plastics are getting bit most consistently... drop shots and Senkos. No report on the reaction bite.

Striper action is becoming even more sporadic unfortunately. And trout fishing remains fair.