An algae bloom covered the surface across much of the lake

Castaic Lake - Castaic, CA (Los Angeles County)

by Chad Burton and Chris Borden
10-23-2026
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The lake dropped to 91% of its storage capacity, and water temperatures were near 70 degrees. An algae bloom covered the surface across much of the lake. Largemouth and smallmouth bass went after small finesse baits in salt-and-pepper, cinnamon, and dark green black-flake patterns. Stick baits like the C3 Slim Pro were effective for bass holding shallow. Bass held at depths of 5 to 30 feet, with most of the better catches occurring in 15 to 30 feet of water. The surface bite was slower, with some action occurring early in the day and again in the evenings. Striped bass chased bait into the shallow weeds, and anglers used single-hook white soft jerkbaits and topwater walking baits to hook up. The live shad bite was phenomenal for anglers lucky enough to scoop bait. Many local guides reported 20- to 30-fish days for each client on board, with more bass than stripers caught.

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Cope's Tackle and Rod Shop Reports

for Friday, October 16th

California Aqueduct: Anglers reported decent fishing in the aqueduct
Castaic Lake: The bite slowed slightly following the last cold front
Pyramid Lake, CA: Anglers reported good bass and striped bass fishing, with plenty of catfish mixed in
Lake Isabella: Lake Isabella held steady at 25 percent of capacity, but fishing remains solid throughout the lake
Kern River: The Upper Kern flows remain very low just above 200 CFS
Lake Kaweah: The lake dropped to 10 percent of its storage capacity, and the bass bite improved significantly
Lake Success: The lake level fell to 10 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing remained good
River Walk Lakes: Bass fishing at River Walk continues to improve
Ming Lake: At Ming Lake, bass action has steadily improved over the past couple of weeks
Buena Vista Lakes: Fishing was fair at Buena Vista Lakes
Hart Park Lake: Fishing was good at Hart Park
Lake Nacimiento: Nacimiento Lake dropped to 34 percent of its storage capacity, and fishing remained good