Well, with the weather heating up the last couple days and Brian's fish finders out of commission we decided to look for a shallow bite at Cachuma. Started out throwing trout plugs (slammer, osprey, my bait) at the corner of the log barrier and worked our way into the cove. No biters on crankbaits or spinnerbaits in there. Ran down the lake and worked some more water before we ended up at the steep rock point to the left as you enter the narrows. Brian got a biter on a spider jig but farmed it. Moved into the narrows and Brian stuck one on a deep diving crankbait. Nice fish, about 3.5#. I wish I had a Mann's 30+ today cause I think it would've caught. We fished around some more and Brian was able to catch a dink on the spider jig. Went in for lunch, went back to the narrows, dicked around and had an unsuccessful red ear tournament (rules were you had to talk like a hick at all times, and hold your rod upside down at all times). When we got serious again we fished the shoreline of the narrows. Normally when it's a slow day I'll just go for a big bite or something cause I figure if I'm gonna get skunked, I might as well try for a big fish. So I threw the trout plug for a little bit, then the crankbait, then I made my best decision of the day, about 30 minutes before we had to leave, and that was to throw a swimbait. First few casts I stuck a keeper size fish, but unforutanetly that was really the only good water I was able to fish with the swimbait before we had to take off. Swimbait was a 5" keylime big hammer on a 3/4oz. head. If I were to go back tomorrow, first of all I'd have a fishfinder, cause the fish were definitely not shallow, and secondly, if I wasn't dragging plastics or spooning or dropshotting or whatever I'd throw the swimbait and a Mann's 30+.
-Brian

You gotta keep after them with the spoon. The time that they feed changes daily I noticed a while back and when they put on the feed bag they go off usually bigtime. It really depends on the shad but not having the locator would make this a tougher propisition. Glad to hear it's back. Most lakes have key colors that seem to trigger a more positive response to reaction type baits. Lopez and Cachuma are very similar in that the fish love the Chartruse "Key Lime" color you mentioned. I have been catching a bunch of fish on Chart/Brown colors and have for years. The Bagley's DC9 is a great bait starting about now.You can also fish BIG JIGS black,Brown or combinatin of the two out on the ledges that are your normal spooning spots. The fish react to them just like a reaction bait as they fall by. You must be patient,mark the area with bouys and work it over with the jig first then spoon it.then dropshot. I have been in some awesome Crank bites at the big C in the dead of winter but they don't last very long. Nothing,Nothing,Nothing and then the livewells full and it's over and the same goes for the spoon. I attribute this to the lower water temp/slower matabolism thing. The fish just don't Need to eat as much as they are not digesting it quickly therefore while they will school up on shad they don't feed as long. Editors note: I have caught fish in a foot of water on jigs while there was snow falling! Big fish do things differently than -4 pounders. It has been my experiance that the smaller fish feed on/off/on/off,while larger fish are on/off for longer periods of time. Those big fish that you are hunting have a longer period in which they feed. They are totally different animals than the smaller ones. If you get some sort of atmospheric conditions wind/rain/fog etc. thats when I find them more suseptable to making a mistake on my presentation. Face it when it's Butt calm out there I rarely get that big One but when it's horrific and your thinking that you shouldn't launch the boat....Those have been some of my best days. Editors note: Last year I started throwing my swimbaits in where it's suicideal really shallow and winding for all I was worth to keep them out of the poo and guess what? they'll hite that puppy so hard you can't believe it. Glad to see your playing with your swimbait colors,Keep up the good work.The pay off is worth the investment