As we all know, a 25-pounder was accidentally snagged in March of 2006. That fish was weighed, photographed and returned to the lake. In 2007, the springtime spawn at the lake brought fishermen out of the woodwork trying to find her again, but none succeeded.

A lot of nice fish were taken, but the locals remained tight-lipped about it.

Maybe this year, the fishing will return to normal. The lake does hold two spots on the Top 10 list of largemouths, both over 20 pounds. The lake has a great springtime spawn bite, and that’s when the big-fish chasers descend on the lake.

The rest of the year, the lake holds its own in numbers of fish caught, but the giant females tend to disappear off into the depths.

All the old standards work well here, with cranks for hard baits and drop-shot rigging with plastics. Of course, the trout imitations lead the way in the spring.

LAKE OTAY
Lake Otay in southern San Diego County has always produced some larger fish and fishes very well in the pre-spawn time of year. Cranks and Rattling Spots are great this time of year. Jigs hold their own as well in this crawdad-rich lake. Trout plants have been newly introduced to this lake too and may help some of the larger fish grow to enormous proportions.

Shaking Texas-rigged worms, drop-shotting deep points or dropoffs work well here. Jerkbaits, both soft and hard, score here too. In the summer and fall, the bass school up and chase shad around the lake, making for exciting topwater action.

If the moss grows to the surface, frogs can be fun; bass explode on them as they pass open holes. This lake is definitely the sleeper on the list to watch this year.

LAKE CASITAS
Lake Casitas is another lake well known for producing giant bass. It had a great season in 2007.

“As usual, there were a lot of nice fish caught on swimbaits this year,” said touring professional Stan Vanderburg. “Casitas can be good all year, though, with good fish coming on plastics fished Texas-rigged or drop-shot rigged.”

This is a lake where the bass move a lot as they chase shad around.

“Learn where the bait has traveled and the patterns they follow, and you can just follow the bass around too and catch some,” said Vanderburg. You’ll need to learn patience on this lake. Sluggos, Senkos, or flukes are also great here, but blades can really clean house at times.

lake castaic
Lake Castaic is another lake that’s had its bad years but is on a serious rebound. Sound lake management and a strong practice of catch-and-release have helped this lake return to years of old. You may not have heard anything yet because the regulars don’t broadcast it.

The slot limit has helped fishing greatly here, and this lake will prove it this year. It is a little bit rockier than Casitas, and the fish will key on the rockpiles. The big bass also key in on the shad schools, and you have to find the bait to score here.

LAKE PIRU
Lake Piru is another sleeper lake to watch closely this year. Last year, not many giants were caught, but a ton of 5- to 10-pound fish were. Anglers also weighed 10-pound-plus bass -- but many by regulars, so you probably didn’t hear about them.

Since the fish key in on shad at this lake as well, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and jerkbaits, both soft and hard, can really produce quickly. At times, the summer surface action at this lake can be non-stop.