Ventura County Fishing Reports

Casitas is awesome right now. Bass are keying in hard on shad all over the lake, and shad imitation baits are the absolute ticket. Whether it's Flukes, Bass Trix, Karachis or even live bait... folks are catching big numbers of quality fish, with some 8+ pounders reported. A local angler recently reported a 70-fish day working baits from the shoreline out to 30 feet of water. A few shore anglers are getting some decent action as well on dropshots and Senkos near brush. The panfish bite has also been very good... some hand-sized redear being caught on red worms and mealworms in the backs of quiet coves.

The spawn is over at Casitas and bass have fully transitioned into hunting shad. Water temps are now in the low 70s, and shad are schooling up all over the lake. Some anglers are reporting 20+ fish days running underspins, jerkbaits, Keitech swimbaits, and A-rigs. Bass seem to be all over the water column... some in open water, others holding off points and transition zones, and even some pushing into the backs of coves. No matter where you decide to fish, shad is the color and lure pattern. Most fish are 1–2 pounds, but reports also mention some bigger ones, up to 7 pounds. It may seem obvious, but if you can get live shad, it's the ultimate bait for both numbers and size right now.

Piru has been turning out good bass numbers lately. Water temps are sitting in the mid-to-high 60s, and fish have moved shallow, getting very active all around the lake. The best action isn't coming on spawning fish though, it's been mostly schooling bass chasing bait in open water and off points. Baitfish-colored jerkbaits and walking baits are getting crushed once you find the schools. Covering water quickly has been the smart play until you find them. Then it's about working that school hard until the bite quiets. Some finesse guys are finding fish on drop shots and t-rigged worms, but that action has been less consistent.