Catfish dominated the action, as many anglers reported limits or near limits to 7 pounds. Mackerel accounted for most of kitties, but packaged dough baits and nightcrawlers also caught fish. The best areas were the back of Cachuma Bay, the narrows and Clark Canyon. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass tapered and are holding in 15 to 20 feet of water, and taking drop-shot plastics, spinnerbaits, and an occasional early-morning spook or popper. There are still a few trout showing up around the dam area on dodger/crawler combos fished to 8 colors early and drifting worms in the late afternoon and evening has been putting some bows in the bag. Crappie are in the narrows, the back of Cachuma Bay and Harvey’s Bay, and mini-jigs tipped with either a crappie nibble or crawler were reportedly the best baits. Bow fishing has been good in the early mornings at the mouth of Clark Canyon, as well as the wall between Bobcat Canyon and Santa Cruz Bay.
– Ken Hemer