After launching your boat, you can start at almost any point of shoreline and begin to fish for the largemouths or smallmouths. All the lake looks very fishy and, for the most part, it is. From the backs of coves to no-nothing banks, special structure was planted around the entire lake, and the fish are spread out. There are several small islands and underwater reefs to fish.

Worms will definitely get you the most bites and will keep the day exciting. Drop-shot, split-shot, or Texas-rigged, every worm technique will work. Smaller baits will probably bring higher catch numbers to the boat. There are tons of 10- to 12-inch fish. And don't forget your jigs at home either, as they will tempt fish both big and small.

Reaction baits -- such as topwater baits, jerkbaits, spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and even swimbaits -- should get you hooked up with bigger fish. Overall, your catch numbers may be lower, but you will have caught some larger fish if you stay with reaction baits. There are a lot of trees and brush in the water, so go with a little heavier line.

Early-morning fishing using big topwater lures such as a Zara Spook over submerged points will call up the big boys. Pop-Rs and buzzbaits will also bring them up. But if you need to drop down under, then go to jerkbaits and spinnerbaits.

Remember, this lake is full of trout and, from bass spawns, smaller bass fry each year. Swimbaits in various sizes will work here as well. Again, your total numbers for the day might suffer by chucking a trout imitation all day. But when you hook one, it will be a giant!

LAKE CASITAS
And last but certainly not least is Lake Casitas, located still further toward the north, just east of Santa Barbara. The dam was finished in 1959 and was to hold water in reserve for southern California as many lakes were built around this time. At around 2,500 acres when full and with 30-plus miles of shoreline, there is plenty of room to fish here. There is a nice camping and recreation area here as well.

This lake is located in a beautiful setting, and the fishing is out of this world! The lake has not only a good population of smaller fish, but it's known for its giants. It is another lake that plants trout, and those big bass just gorge themselves on them, growing to record size. It's not uncommon to catch a limit of giants in a day. The lake record is over 21 pounds!