02-19-2004, 03:09 PM
1. Trout fishing at Laguna Niguel Lake continued at a good pace for bait anglers and fly-fisherman. The only slow down in action last week was for fly-fisherman after rain on Monday. The murky waters cleared by Thursday, and fly anglers float tubing the flats were catch and releasing 30 to 40 trout per angler again. The lake receivedanother 5,000-pound stocking of trout Tuesday night that included a good number of fish over 4-0. Bait anglers have been using inflated nightcrawlers, Power Bait, salmon eggs, mini-jigs or slow trolled Norman crank baits. Fly anglers have been drifting zebra midges nine-feet under a strike indicator behind the boat dock or in the flats. The only thing that may slow the bite is the heavy crowds that usually show on stock weeks.
2. Lake Castaic continues to have one of the best bites on largemouth in the region. Anglers fishing live crawdads have reported double-limit catches of bass to 5-0. Anglers fishing artificials are targeting bass in 20 to 50 feet of water on pig-n-jigs or drop-shotted or split-shotted plastics in Aaron's Magic or Oxblood with red flake colors. Anglers also continue to score a few big stripers on big trout swimbaits either casting or trolling them. Fisherman are reporting catches of zero to six fish per day, that weigh from 10-0 to 20-0. Most catches are being reported either early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
3. February is typically the month big bass go on the chew at Lake Casitas. The lake has been heavily planted with trout over the last month, but the big bass were nowhere to be found. This week Jerry Rago, Bishop, was out fishing his Generic Trout and scored bass weighing 11-0, 9-8, and 8-0 in a day of fishing on his swimbaits. Locals have been tight-lipped about any big fish catches to keep fishing pressure low. Anglers either trolling or casting swimbaits like Osprey's, Generic Trout, A.C. Plugs, Stocker Trout, or Mission Swimbaits on 20-pound fishing line and a stout eight- to nine-foot long rod have a good shot at the big fish.
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2. Lake Castaic continues to have one of the best bites on largemouth in the region. Anglers fishing live crawdads have reported double-limit catches of bass to 5-0. Anglers fishing artificials are targeting bass in 20 to 50 feet of water on pig-n-jigs or drop-shotted or split-shotted plastics in Aaron's Magic or Oxblood with red flake colors. Anglers also continue to score a few big stripers on big trout swimbaits either casting or trolling them. Fisherman are reporting catches of zero to six fish per day, that weigh from 10-0 to 20-0. Most catches are being reported either early in the morning or late in the afternoon.
3. February is typically the month big bass go on the chew at Lake Casitas. The lake has been heavily planted with trout over the last month, but the big bass were nowhere to be found. This week Jerry Rago, Bishop, was out fishing his Generic Trout and scored bass weighing 11-0, 9-8, and 8-0 in a day of fishing on his swimbaits. Locals have been tight-lipped about any big fish catches to keep fishing pressure low. Anglers either trolling or casting swimbaits like Osprey's, Generic Trout, A.C. Plugs, Stocker Trout, or Mission Swimbaits on 20-pound fishing line and a stout eight- to nine-foot long rod have a good shot at the big fish.
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