well first off im really annoyed at the Castaic bait. They've been nothing but trouble for me. ive owned two and broken the lip on one of them and on the other one (a newer version) the plastic first ripped off from the section that attatches it to the head, then i find out that it had accidently been glued onto the head, and then after wasting about 10 minutes trying to pry it off, the glued back tail gets ripped off in 3 casts. I glued it back on and continued to use it but had a backlash that snapped it off my line. good riddence! so with that happening in less then an hour of fishing, i fished bucktails most of the day from 7:00 to 9:00. ended up with a skunk. I didnt seen any boils, or any sign of stripers or bass but the trout and shad were still schooled up at the launch ramp. I might try fishing near Vista De Lago or possibly going to castaic sometime this weekend even though i cant stand that lake... Fortunatly, Pyramid is scheduled for a stocking of trout sometime next week.

i actually have a few questions,
you guys have any suggestions on plugs or other lures to throw over there?
my second question was wether or not you guys get bit on straight spectra.

I would really discourage the straight spectra. If I remember right your other post, you said you were using 30lb braided line. That is a recipie for heartbreak right there. My experience with 30lb braid was that it broke like 4lb test if it so much as brushed a rock. It also had a bad habit of snapping off on hooksets. I'm talking about Power Pro, not some junk line. If you're throwing swimbaits, spool up some 25lb test mono and when the big bite comes, you'll be glad you did.

If you're looking for a reliable bait that gets bit and will last you a long long time, try a 9" MS Slammer in light trout or dark trout. Fish it slow and steady on the surface and keep putting in your time. That's a great way to get started.

That sucks you've had so many problems with your Castaic's. I guess I usually lose mine before I have anything go wrong with them. x(
I tend to use my floating Castaic's (pre-snap version) for trolling primarily, I like the eratic action. Don't overlook the sinking or slow sinking 8" Castaic's, they are fairly cheap in price and pretty durable. I like bouncing the sinkers on the bottom, and the slow sinkers should work well for an under the surface steady retrieve.

Pencil popper's around any inlet or current areas could be good as well.

Jerkbaits can work well also. Pointers in shad patterns or even all white have been effective for me on the smaller fish up to 10-12 pounds.

>I would really discourage the straight spectra. If I
>remember right your other post, you said you were using 30lb
>braided line. That is a recipie for heartbreak right there.
>My experience with 30lb braid was that it broke like 4lb test
>if it so much as brushed a rock. It also had a bad habit of
>snapping off on hooksets. I'm talking about Power Pro, not
>some junk line. If you're throwing swimbaits, spool up some
>25lb test mono and when the big bite comes, you'll be glad you
>did.
>
>If you're looking for a reliable bait that gets bit and will
>last you a long long time, try a 9" MS Slammer in light trout
>or dark trout. Fish it slow and steady on the surface and
>keep putting in your time. That's a great way to get
>started.


ive use power pro in saltwater and that stuff is such junk. the spiderwire stealth and izorline spectra are a lot better IMO. one annoying thing about the spectra was that i snapped off a swimbait the other day during a cast.

as for the 9" MS Slammer, i actually have one but have shyed away from using it because i lost the tail and it now has a big hammer replacement until i find out how to order some.




my Castaic was a 9" snap on that sank very slowly. im not sure if this was how it was made or wether the weight of the wires, crimp and trailer hook actually made it sink. Its sad though because its such a nice looking bait. i just wish it was more sturdier.

You mentioned that there is shad all over the ramp. You should try casting shad patterned cranks or try using the Sworming Hornet Fish Head Spinners. They have some at Gallion's market in Castaic which is on the way up to Pyramid...I've also had luck with the 3" Big Hammers swimbaits too. If all else fails you can dip for shad and you'll pretty much be guaranteed to catch something. Good luck!

i was thinking about buying a few of those jigheads but they were to expensive for a 3 hour trip so i just used some bucktails that i already had.