Cachuma Lake Fishing Report

The crappie action is starting to take off at Cachuma as water temps reach the low-to-mid 70s. Folks are pulling in nice double-digit crappie stringers fishing the narrows with mini-jigs, targeting submerged brush or using sonar to find structure in 10–20 feet of water. Even though recent reports are good, Cachuma can always be finicky when it comes to tapping into crappie. Bite can be hot one day and cold the next.

The bass bite has been consistent on finesse stuff. Ned rigs, Senkos, and drop shots are pulling 1–2 pound fish on average. During those foggy mornings, the bass are pushing up much shallower and into a more aggressive feeding pattern. Finesse can still work, but small crankbaits or spinnerbaits run near shallow brush or hard structure have been producing better quality fish... up to 4 pounds.

Bluegill are starting to school up as well, which is a good sign for panfish anglers heading into the warmer months.

Cachuma has been kicking out very good trout action since the 5,000-pound Lassen plant on January 26. Folks are still getting limits of smaller rainbows on PowerBait, while others are targeting the larger fish, some pushing 8 pounds, with mini jigs, nightcrawlers, and micro crankbaits.

Bass fishing has stayed quiet most of the winter, with sluggish fish holding in deeper water. Over the past couple of weeks, though, rising water temps have started pulling fish shallow. Smallmouth are beginning to position near spawning areas, and largemouth are easing into fresh cover (plenty of it with water levels so high). Senkos and Ned rigs are doing most of the work right now, but the real prespawn bite should unlock here in the coming weeks.

Conditions are excellent at Cachuma right now, with water temps holding in the high 60s, but some bass haven’t gotten the memo. A big portion of fish are still holding very deep, stuck tight to the bottom in roughly 30 feet of water. Dropshots, Texas-rigged soft plastics, and jigs are the go-to for targeting them. That said, a few anglers are reporting fish pushing up and hitting shad-style reaction baits... jerkbaits and white spinnerbaits... off secondary points and out in open water. The pattern’s a bit scattered right now, but the fish are biting if you can track them down. No news on trout stocking dates.