WON BASS "Casitas Region" Season Opener January 12

[Rich Tauber]

The 1st tournament of the 2013 season for the WON BASS "Casitas Region" Teams is Saturday January 12. The main entrance gate will open for WON BASS teams 1 hour prior to sunrise. Sign-in will be inside the Marina Cafe from 5-6am. Take off will be at safe light. This is a "Full Disclosure" tournament trail with anglers receiving a print out of every dollar received and paid out. No Comps. Entry fee is $165 per team. Big Fish (Optional) is $35 per team. The "Casitas Super Option" (Optional) is $100 per team and pays the top 3 places. All options payback 100%. Cash only as we pay all awards in cash at the awards ceremony. Weigh-in is 3pm. There will be a free raffle at the awards. The 2013 WON BASS "Casitas Region" TOC will be held on June 8th at Lake Casitas. The complete 2013 "Casitas Region" schedule can be found below and at www.wonbass.com. Anyone with questions feel free to call, or text me at (818) 439-1154. You can also email me at RichTauber@aol.com

January 12

February 16

March 2

March 16

April 20

May 18

June 8 (Regular season event and TOC)

[kitjack]

What does it take to bring a non tagged boat into Castaic these days? You "members" have a world class lake, that a lot of us would like to fish.

[Kelly Ripa]

Used to be world class. You need to pass a clean and dry inspection....they are not kidding about clean or dry. Zero tolerance on moisture of any type. If you pull up and it was foggy and your boat collected water on it.....your toast. You must set up an appointment to have the boat inspected. They will be blowing compressed air through the motor and livewell....not one drop...you pay them 50 bucks and you get locked down for 10 days. Then after the ten days you can come and go through the gate with them tagging your trailer on exit and cutting the tamper proof seal of your cable upon entering. If you don't pass you can try again in 30 days. This lake is nothing near what it used to be and has truely become the posterchild of how not to manage a fishery. Good luck on the circuit.

[elfish16]

Used to be world class. You need to pass a clean and dry inspection....they are not kidding about clean or dry. Zero tolerance on moisture of any type. If you pull up and it was foggy and your boat collected water on it.....your toast. You must set up an appointment to have the boat inspected. They will be blowing compressed air through the motor and livewell....not one drop...you pay them 50 bucks and you get locked down for 10 days. Then after the ten days you can come and go through the gate with them tagging your trailer on exit and cutting the tamper proof seal of your cable upon entering. If you don't pass you can try again in 30 days. This lake is nothing near what it used to be and has truely become the posterchild of how not to manage a fishery. Good luck on the circuit.

Come on Rip! It's a lot tougher sure and the size isn't what it used to be but it's become a fun fishery the last 2 years! Doesn't even matter on the low water levels or high, it's been fun and the number of 4-6lbers is pretty amazing!

[Kelly Ripa]

Sorry.....He said World Class....It's not even a destination anymore...

[Oldschool]

Look at the positive side of mis management; lowered fishing pressure.
When the Quagga issue raised it's ugly head, the waiting period was 21 days, it's now 10 days.
The Fillmore trout plants didn't stop because of management, it's was because of the non-native species law suit and the DFG, now DFW, didn't fight it when they could.
Casitas is an excellent bass fishery, like all other SoCal bass lakes is small with a limited number of trophy size bass. Fishing pressure kills these bass, low water period reduces any meaningfull recruitment of young bass. The missing planted hatcuary trout may prevent the middle aged (4 to 6 years old) bass to grow to become giants, there should still be a good population of big bass due to the shad, crappie, sunfish, crawdad populations.
What does it take to get the DFW to start planting at Casitas now? They are planting Castaic and Cachuma, are you saying it's the lake management!
Tom

[Ron T.]

When the lake management makes it a reasonable place for the day to day guy to pass an inspection of clean and dry and fish the same day , Maybe the dfg will resume planting. As it is , In there eyes its not a lake open to the general public. The general public pays for the plants. Not enough general public willing to lock down to justify the funds to plant. Just a guess.

[kitjack]

I think the guys who fish Castaic a lot have it pretty wired, and pretty much to themselves. I bet they enjoy the fact that it's too much work for others to bother to get in. Not having much traffic is what appeals to me, and I was just wondering how hard it really is to get in, and assume that once you get in you can get tagged as you leave and come back - if you don't go somewhere else first.

[Oldschool]

I think the guys who fish Castaic a lot have it pretty wired, and pretty much to themselves. I bet they enjoy the fact that it's too much work for others to bother to get in. Not having much traffic is what appeals to me, and I was just wondering how hard it really is to get in, and assume that once you get in you can get tagged as you leave and come back - if you don't go somewhere else first.

Give the lake a call, you need to set up an inspection date and time. Ounce you pass, get your lock and cbale installed, waiting the 10 days, you can come and go as often as you like. If you cut the wire and use your boat elsewhere, you must start over with the inspection etc.
Tom

[Kelly Ripa]

Kitjack If you are re inspected and pass you only pay 25 bucks for each re inspection. As with most home waters you over time will build memories which in turn help one be consistent "wired" however how often have you seen someone who " doesn't know the lake" sit'n there with the win'n bag cuz he was doing something different than the tried and true.

I'm not knocking the lake but it in no way qualifies as world class anymore. I met a guy from South Africa in the parking lot back in the hey day....now.....I don't see many boats that I don't recognize. When speaking with local pro's who fish tournaments they said it was bad enough that they had to have two boats to fish. And Casitas isn't even on their venue ....Nice.....How did we get to this?

I don't know Tom seeing whoever makes these decisions first starve off the trout eating bass with no plants because of fears of what came in the water with them to management's buying 300,000 dollars worth of top tier predators at 6 to 15 pounds over a three year period as having a direct impact on the fishery. Rainbows that big don't have to much to fear from 4-6 pound largemouth and the ecosystem is dealing with it....Ask the threadfin what they think of this idea.... .... I live three miles down the road so economics are the only reason I'm on this lake. I see the trout plants as a cheesy way to make some photo on the cover of some weekly paper. It used to be caught and released 12+ pound largemouth for the local papers now it's a dead rainbow on a stringer and a water park for the kiddies.

[kitjack]

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it.
I get it that Casitas may not kick out huge near record bass as it did decades ago. But there just are not that many great lakes in SoCal and to me having a small number of boats on a decent sized lake, where you can get the boat up on plane, enjoy some great scenery, and catch a decent amount of good bass sounds like a pretty darn nice place to be.

[elfish16]

Thanks for the information. I appreciate it.
I get it that Casitas may not kick out huge near record bass as it did decades ago. But there just are not that many great lakes in SoCal and to me having a small number of boats on a decent sized lake, where you can get the boat up on plane, enjoy some great scenery, and catch a decent amount of good bass sounds like a pretty darn nice place to be.

Kitjack, glad that you see it the way that it needs to be seen. I had the mindset of this for too many years and refused to adjust and had a piss poor attitude toward the lake. I get it, the days of 12-15lbers is gone...but with the amount of 5-8lbers I've caught this year, this lake has the bigger fish still and they fight harder than ever! Shad eaters pull hard!

[Kelly Ripa]

All Lakes are fun and having Casitas 3 miles from the front door could hardly be a hardship. It is what it is and I have not given up on the super pigs as I see them from time to time. I just don't fish for them all day long like I used to... . I am on my typical winter bite for this time of year and the jig fish are worth getting up in the morning for. They are Florida's for sure Eric as even a 3 pound fish will be cause for some drama in the boat on light tackle. If not mistaken they replanted pure Florida fingerlings again just a while back?