Ventura County

At Casitas, as with many California lakes right now, the shad are on full display. Baitfish are everywhere and recently are moving into the shallows... with bass following. This bodes well for anglers throwing swimbaits, flukes, or any other shad imitation lures in 3-10 feet of water. Not a lot of size; most fish averaging just over a pound.

The warming water has sparked an outstanding bite for both bluegill and crappie. Small Rapalas, crappie jigs, and red worms are getting crushed by quality fish.

Smaller largemouth have been chasing shad like crazy. Anglers are throwing shad imitation swimbaits all around the lake... many using electronics to target schools. A few large females (5+ pounders) were reported last week using small swimbaits as well. Small senkos and drop shots are also getting bit. Some slabby bluegill have been caught as well, primarily on crappie jigs and small night crawlers.

Piru continues its very good bass bite, especially for numbers. Finesse was the most effective strategy early this spring, but now with the water clarity worsening, the reaction bite has really turned on. Crankbaits, spinner baits, and early morning top water have been best, especially in shallow water near rocky areas. Anglers report catching up to 25 fish per day; however, the average fish size has been unimpressive, with few bass exceeding 2.5 pounds.

As forecasted in our previous report, the warmer weather has continued improving Casitas bass fishing. Anglers are targeting the shallows and deeper water (15+ feet), with plenty of activity in both. The reaction bite shallow has primarily been on crankbaits and jerkbaits. Finesse plastics are also producing in both shallow and deeper water.

The water temperature is keeping bluegill deep (although active). A few more degrees increase from the projected warmer weather and they'll move shallow to bed.

Bass fishing has been very good at Piru. A variety of techniques are pulling fish from the shallows, but soft plastics in green pumpkin have been hot. Bigger fish are deeper, typically beyond 10ft. White mini jigs are the ticket for crappie lately. Target submerged structure in and around coves. As the warmer weather stabilizes, clarity will continue to improve... and so will the fishing.

Bass fishing continues to be very good. The sporadic cold fronts have dampened the action a bit, but next weeks weather will be consistently in the 70s. So look for bass activity to increase. Anglers are still finding the best action with jerkbaits, although a few have reported swimbaits on underspins getting attention. Water is still stained, something to note when choosing lure color and noise.

Panfish action is picking up as well, especially for big bluegill. Minijigs and worms.