Casitas showing signs of big bass returning

[WRB]

14.2 lb LMB was caught on a surface frog a few weeks ago, this is the first "teener" in years at Casitas.

Things are looking up if we get rain this year.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

Good to hear! May we could dig a tunnel and send you some rain, don’t think we have ever been short 

[burrows]

I do believe this is the fish you’re talking about.

[WRB]

Yes, that is bass I am referring to, thank you.

Tom

[TnRiver46]

I’ll be dreaming of that thing eating a frog all night........

[soflabasser]

It is a shame that a beautiful bass like this 14 pounder has no protection in California since bass are a introduced species there. Hopefully this bass does not attract the meat hunters to Lake Casita since they can harvest as much bass as they want.

[burrows]

4 hours ago, soflabasser said:

It is a shame that a beautiful bass like this 14 pounder has no protection in California since bass are a introduced species there. Hopefully this bass does not attract the meat hunters to Lake Casita since they can harvest as much bass as they want.

Most of the meat hunters are eating the planted trout and a lot of those trout guys have no clue how to catch big bass. But your rite there is really no conservation type stuff going on in our lakes out here.

[burrows]

This is also a big bass from casitas in March of 2018 at almost 13 pounds.

[WRB]

The above was a bed fish and the 1st 12 lber caught since 2010, the 14.2 wasn't full of eggs on Oct and may push 16 lbs in March 2019. Casitas isn't getting stocked with trout on a regular bases and hordes of anglers don't target the lake anymore because it's very low, difficult to launch and 35 day quarantine waiting period to put a boat on the lake has reduced boat traffic. All good for lowering the fishing pressure, except very few trout plants and the crawdad population is very low.

My home lake so I hopeful.

Tom

[soflabasser]

7 hours ago, Burrows said:

Most of the meat hunters are eating the planted trout and a lot of those trout guys have no clue how to catch big bass. But your rite there is really no conservation type stuff going on in our lakes out here.

It would be wise to never underestimate a person who fishes for food for they might be more skilled at catching bass than most bass fishermen. Those big bass become easier to catch if a person uses live bait such as waterdogs, crayfish, or anything else that those California largemouth bass like to eat. Most California bass fishermen only use lures so those who use live bait will have a advantage.Have read several reports of +10 pound bass caught while trout fishing so trout fishermen can definitely catch a +13 pound bass and take it home. It is 100% legal for them to keep the bass so there is nothing that can stop them. Lets see if Lake Casitas can come back to what it was way back then in the 1980's and 1990's. For now Florida beats Lake Casitas, and so does the state of Texas.

[WRB]

I don't want to get into a debate regarding catching bass using trout for live bait, it's 100% illegal to use trout dead or alive here.  In California any trout kept in your boat must be dead to keep it, if you hooked a bass while catching a trout it must be immediately released. It all comes down to enforcement and ethics.

Off topic, how many 14+ lb LMB have been reported this year in Texas and Florida?

The big problem for Casitas is lack of water do to the local water district and environmentalist preventing rain run off to enter the lake. Castias is about 1/3rd full, about 1/2 it's full pool size.

Tom

 

[soflabasser]

Check the Florida TrophyCatch program, several people caught +14 pounders in Florida this year,many more caught +13 pounders just this year alone.Hundreds of +10 pound or better bass are caught every year in Florida, which makes sense since Florida strain bass are native to Florida and do great here without stocked trout to eat. Not everyone submits every trophy bass they catch so more people catch trophy bass in Florida than is reported.From my understanding you can use waterdogs, crayfish, and other well known live baits for bass in California.Texas is doing great with many +10 pounders caught every year as well. Texas has the sharelunker program which helps create more bass with trophy bass genetics.It is only a matter of time before the serious old school live bait bass fishermen start catching some trophies in Lake Casita with live bait. Yes the drought and other factors are big problems for many Southern California lakes but the lower water level might also make those trophy bass easier to catch for land based bass fishermen.

[burrows]

Deleted

[TnRiver46]

35 day quarantine??? Good gracious

[everythingthatswims]

On ‎10‎/‎13‎/‎2018 at 4:57 AM, Burrows said:

Most of the meat hunters are eating the planted trout and a lot of those trout guys have no clue how to catch big bass. But your rite there is really no conservation type stuff going on in our lakes out here.

In the tournament I fished at clearlake, each bass over 5lbs had to have its own weigh bag

[SWVABass]

If I remember right Cali didn’t allow the no bag limit for largemouth or stripers to go into effect. Also wasn’t that just going to be implemented on the Delta?? @WRB Cali does have a lot of conservation laws in effect, I think no less stringent than any other state. Bass reproduce and if people want to take and eat that’s their right as a licensed angler. Think about it as hunting most hunters are after a trophy, they don’t use a dart gun to knock them down take a photo and watch them run off again. I personally don’t eat bass, but will not hold it against someone who does. If they eat a lunker well so be it, provides an opportunity for another fish to fill that void and begin to grow to a trophy as well.

[burrows]

Their are conservation laws put in place just like any other state. No lunker programs that I know of but just like any other state their are regulations rules and laws in place they vary depending on the lakes you fish, but programs set in place to grow and produce big bass ? I haven’t really heard of any in programs like that the bass seem to become hogs on their own.

 I could very well be uninformed on any programs set in place.

[TOXIC]

If there is a worry about depleting the quality/quantity of Bass in CA, then the DNR should be aware and impose slot limits and other measures meant to manage the resource.  

[OCdockskipper]

On 10/13/2018 at 9:42 AM, soflabasser said:

...For now Florida beats Lake Casitas, and so does the state of Texas...

In my opinion, Florida & Texas beat California for the number of DD largemouth available, but California beats those states as far as the potential to grow the largest possible bass. 

 

Florida & Texas lakes typically have a better forage base and a good growing season, hence the greater numbers of DD bass.  California, or rather Southern California specifically, has the most stable climate for a largemouth to continue to grow, so when any of her lakes are held at a decent water level and enough forage (trout & crayfish) are introduced for a long enough time, the fish grow to unprecedented sizes.

 

By stable climate, I mean not too hot, not too cold & no disruptive storms/floods.  The Pacific ocean works as a tempering agent for our area, keeping both winters & summers moderate so that our inland water temps never drop below 50 degrees and always stay under 85 degrees.  The fish get comfortable & with no predators and an introduced food supply, some can get REAL big (at which time, they are caught by WRB).

[WRB]

To understand why Casitas is recovering and big bass catches are returning some history is needed.

Nearly every bass lake north of San Diego jumped on the Florida strain LMB band wagon do to it's success *. Castias received thier initial FLMB from San Deigo Upper Otay in 1970, fingerlings and a few adults. Castiac, Cachuma lakes were also stocked at that time. Castaic was new and filling at that time period, Casitas and Cachuma were older lakes with good populations of northern LMB.

The big bass population flourished in Castaic and Castias, did poorly at Cachuma, all 3 lakes were regularity stocked with hatchary raised rainbow trout during the colder period months.

2010 a law suit stopped sticked hatchary trout into Castias, 2012 the hatchary stocking stop in most SoCal lakes.

The big bass in Castias lost their primary food source overnight and didn't adjust, they starved rather then target Shad.

Now it looks like the new generation has adjusted to eating Shad and whatever they can eat.

Hopeful but we need rain!

Tom