El Capitan
Heading north we find Lake El Capitan. This lake has had the benefit of receiving water pumped from the San Vicente Dam project as well as the rainfall last year.

The lake may fill to capacity, and the fish here love the brush when it's in the water. When the North arm extends back into the trees, the fishing explodes here if you use frogs, buzzbaits or just about any topwater bait.

The lake is littered with rocky points, as well as brush. That gives you many types of structure to fish. And they all hold bass.

Early spring brings great spinnerbait fishing, but old standards, such as drop shot fishing some of those rocky points works well, too.

Try Bubba rigs or Carolina-rigged creature baits along the old river channel. Jerkbaits, both soft and hard, do well in late summer and fall. Later in the summer, schools of largemouths roam the lake attacking balls of shad. That means great surface-fishing action.

This lake doesn't turn out many fish more than 10 pounds, but usually has a few big ones brought in each year. It has a lot of midrange 5- to 10-pounders.

The lake record stands in at 15 pounds, 5 ounces.

Lake Hodges
Lake Hodges is home to giant bass that don't need trout to get them that XXL size. Hodges' largest bass is a 20-pound, 4-ouncer.

Last year, it was predicted to be the "break-out" lake. In fact, Hodges started out with a bang, but water management and water draw-off lowered the lake to a point where bass boats couldn't launch.

Fishing this spring should still be better. The bass love the shallow structure and brush here. The lake could easily refill. The springtime spawn and fishing overall should bounce back. The lake turned out some 10-pounders in 2009 and should this spring as well.

Spinnerbaits, soft jerkbaits and plastics thrown to the shoreline brush get the bites. If the water reaches the reeds, flipping can be real fun.

Lake Dixon
Just a little north is the famous Lake Dixon. It's not a giant lake, in fact, it's kind of a farm pond compared with most. But Dixon has always put out some giant largemouths, including Dottie, caught in 2003 when she was 21 pounds, 11 ounces, foul-hooked in 2006 and found dead in 2008.

Big-fish chasers are still scoring here, but keep most giant weights under wraps.

The spring spawn is your best bet to score a giant at this lake. White jigs on nests or trout imitation baits work very well here for the giants in the springtime.

This lake is sure to put out some big fish this year. Throughout the year, there is always a chance at a giant, since the lake has a number of them.

Lake Castaic
Continuing north, Lake Castaic is one of the greatest bass lakes in California. This lake holds four of the top 10 largemouth bass of all time. With the list starting at 20 pounds, 14 ounces, it continues on up to 22 pounds one-half ounce! It will be hard for any other lake to take the limelight away from this impoundment.