Castaic 9-26 Fishing Guide (Ojai Angler)

[udamonkeybutt]

Booked a fishing guide for my dads bday. We got skunked. Marc, the fishing guide, was very nice to us as usual but we spent 4 hours trying to find live shad. We only got 1 shad and it died before we could use it. We also had 3 pinmouths that were no use. First time out with Marc and didnt catch any. Last time we went we caught 40 bucketmouths.. Sad outcome and had to end trip early due to lack of luck/skill.:Embarrassed:

[udamonkeybutt]

We only saw about 5 boils that lasted for only a couple seconds.. tried hitting the boils with artificals no luck.
bad day at castaic overall. Temperatures were in the low 100's.....

[kaneo]

Booked a fishing guide for my dads bday. We got skunked. Marc, the fishing guide, was very nice to us as usual but we spent 4 hours trying to find live shad. We only got 1 shad and it died before we could use it. We also had 3 pinmouths that were no use. First time out with Marc and didnt catch any. Last time we went we caught 40 bucketmouths.. Sad outcome and had to end trip early due to lack of luck/skill.:Embarrassed:
its a shame to pay for a guide service ONLY to use LIVE SHAD.... these guides should have enough experience to put people on fish with artificial baits. he should have offere you at least a discounted rate for another day ? sorry about the bad day ...

[Biggerbass]

From what I saw when I was there this past weekend was the exact opposite of your report.

Saw 4 guys and talked to them at the fishing cleaning station at the lagoon. Both artificial baits and mackeral/dead ocean fish worked for them. I saw at least 7-8 stripers they were cleaning. In addition they did get onto a few bucketmouths too, but small ones about 12-16inchers. They didn't care to ask how I did, so I didn't mention to them that my friends and I got onto 30+ bucketmouths. 5 5-6lbers, 3 7+lber, 1 9+lber, 1 DD. I might post pics later.

About live shad...........hmmm heck no if you are a guide and especially an accomplished fisherman. Articial only! If the client insist to use it give them a hand, but I would never resort to live bait as a professional guide as a means of catching fish. Again only if the clients want to. But it should never be a practiced to be preached method from a pro-guide.

[trail blazer]

No body can catch fish all the time,,,,,,,,,,,,,even experience,d guides BOMB some times,,,,<THATS FISHING>.

Most make allowances for bad days in the form of price reduction ,or free, or discounted trips in the future.

And YES!!!!! Some are better then others at certain species at certain times of the year.

Some are TIME TESTED and PROVEN for CASTAIC=========================================== ===========http://troutonly.net/

Others are becoming KNOWN more and more every day=============================================== ===http://www.davehorstoutdoors.com/

And a cpl others also

Sorry bought the skunk,,,,,,,,,,

TRAIL BLAZER

[merkopac]

Yeah right.Dude your scale must be broken.I dont care what you were using ,You definetely didnt catch largemouth like that out of castaic upper.Matter of fact if you can produce a picture of at least a nine I will give you a free huddleston deluxe.

[Btbdodgers]

Haha o man, me and a buddy went out with Marc 2 years back at casitas and he cudnt get us on any fish, that guy needs a lesson from sddave

[Btbdodgers]

Biggerbass let's see some pics!!!!

[Fire Ball]

Yeah right.Dude your scale must be broken.I dont care what you were using ,You definetely didnt catch largemouth like that out of castaic upper.Matter of fact if you can produce a picture of at least a nine I will give you a free huddleston deluxe.

I agree with you on this one. I'd like to see pics too, haha.

[Biggerbass]

Hold on...hold on here!!!

Did you two even read my post correctly???

HELLO HELLO...:EyePop::EyePop::EyePop::EyePop::EyePop:

Did I say I got them at Castaic upper/lower???

DURH!!!...........I said they didn't ask what I caught so I didn't tell them. My reply has no mention of upper or lower where I caught my LMBs.

The net can just twist any users' words around..........LOL!!!

Last question: do you really want to see pics regardless of where I got them??? I know where I got them people are still having trouble finding them..............cause I was watching everyone fish around me including everyone's idol/s(no name/s to be mentioned...whether it was a particular guide/or a well-known angler). No easy fishing by far!!! But I managed to do OK........;-)

[Biggerbass]

not world record quality, but was fun:Smile::Smile::Smile:

if you want to see more go to another certain site that starts with: "H" and ends with: "G"

[CL SmooV]

Nice Chunkies

[jim young]

Nice fish mount, braaa!

[TroutOnly]

Hey kaneo are you gonna tell greg silks or don spencer they suck cause they dip shad,what if you have clients with no skills or talent but they want to catch,do you throw lures all day for zip, or do you dip,ive had clients the knew the shad were there to dip and thats exactly what they wanted ,fish live shad and catch 75 bass for the day,i dip once in a while does that make me a piece of crap,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

[Ray Lopez]

Hey kaneo are you gonna tell greg silks or don spencer they suck cause they dip shad,what if you have clients with no skills or talent but they want to catch,do you throw lures all day for zip, or do you dip,ive had clients the knew the shad were there to dip and thats exactly what they wanted ,fish live shad and catch 75 bass for the day,i dip once in a while does that make me a piece of crap,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

Yes!!! How dare you dip for shad. A Pro guide doesn't need live bait!!!!!!! bwhahahahahahahaha give me a break.

Live shad is one of the most addicting way of catching fish during the right season. We are not fishing tournys here people. Live shad make for one hell of a day on the water. I've had 100+ fish days using live shad, so if i was a guide i would for sure offer up a day of shad fishing to my clients just so they could have the epic day that they paid for.

[merkopac]

Yeah you made it sound like you were fishing the upper the guys you said you talked to were fishing the upper they said it was slow and then you said it was just the opposite for you.I guess you meant opposite lake.Anyways those are some good bass.Guys catch dd fish out of lagoon just about everyday.Not such a big deal there,but the upper is a different story.By the way what did you catch them on.

[kaneo]

Yes!!! How dare you dip for shad. A Pro guide doesn't need live bait!!!!!!! bwhahahahahahahaha give me a break.

Live shad is one of the most addicting way of catching fish during the right season. We are not fishing tournys here people. Live shad make for one hell of a day on the water. I've had 100+ fish days using live shad, so if i was a guide i would for sure offer up a day of shad fishing to my clients just so they could have the epic day that they paid for.
thats all fine if you find the shad, sounds like they spent the whole morning looking for bait, and not even fishing, sounds like money well spent... ya live bait fishing can be a blast, but ANYONE can catch fish on live shad, not much skill involved if you ask me. kind of like dragging umbrella rigs around till you find the stripers.. not getting into a pissing match with you bob.. just my 2 cents

[okiplug]

I leave on a ten day long range trip in three weeks. I think I'll have the boys on the Independance drive PAST the bait receivers so that they can show me how great they are at "guiding"!

[merkopac]

Wow ten day.Im totally jealous.Im yet to go that long,never caught a wahoo.My five day in aug. sucked for tuna.Wide open yellows at cedros though.Man Ive always wanted to go to the rocks.Good luck!This is whats up with guiding at Castaic.If you can consitantly get the largies to eat on artificials then you probably only have a couple secret weapons and you probably fish tournies there.If you were to show someone a bait and how to get bit ,then he would show someone and so on.Once the bass at Castaic see something too much they will stop eating it good.So pretty much the best tournament angler around here could start a guide service and if he shows his clients how he catches them,then the stuff he uses wont work anymore because too many people will be throwing it.Out here if your a guide shad is the way to go.It sucks these castaic bass are so finicky

[gletemfeelsteelgary]

Sheesh guys, this whole post seems like a bash the guides any way you can free for all..

I can’t help but add my opinion…and I’ll stress that it’s MY OPINION just as you’ve all voiced yours….

The direction of this original post seems more like an attempt to discredit the Ojaj angler (whom I’ve never met) more than stating their discontent over the lack of action…

Heck anyone knows that it’s fishing and there’s NEVER any guarantees when it comes to fish behavior…

Add EXTREME heat to all this equation and you have a no brainer….triple digit heat does not lend itself well to Bass fishing or any fishing for that matter….

Give the guy a break…..

As far as shad…again….you gotta be kidding me guys….give the guy a break…

He’s a guide…..so let’s look at that plain and simple..

His job is to get his clients on fish activity and if that activity extends itself around live shad…then he’s actually doing his job to teach the people how to catch fish that are actually patterned in a shad bite…

As mentioned earlier…this isn’t tournament fishing….bait is acceptable and not forbidden…

NOW with that being said…

From the clients perspective, if their goal for the trip is to have a great day on the water and catch many fish (which is for most guide trip anglers) then they will be happy with the outcome whatever the means of catching the fish….

Now with THAT being said…if the goal of the client is to learn more about the application of lures and strictly artificial, I’m SURE if they voiced that then the potential guide would be more than happy to focus their attack with lures….

It’s all about what the client wants out of the trip…simple as that..

All of the people here discrediting the guides for using shad or trolling and umbrella rig or any other method for that matter really should not stand in judgement as it’s not their money they are spending, it’s the clients….

A holier than though’ approach when it comes to bait is your own standard….doesn’t mean it need apply to every other anglers approach…

As for trolling an umbrella rig….I’d be really curious to watch the unseasoned trolling fisherman troll an umbrella rig without any real trolling knowledge and experience and see how you do…it’s not as easy and cut and dry as indicated..

Seems the perception is to drop a rig in the water and just drive around till a fish is on it…..not so the case !

If you want to catch fish regularly and big fish regularly trolling, it takes applied methods and attacks….not blind luck

Sounds like the comments from someone that doesn’t troll to me…

Either way, my mini novel here will conclude by saying that this thread seems like attempts to discredit an honest angler and businessman who had a slow day on the water regardless of methods…

Give the guy a break cause I’d really love to see what the individuals who are hating here would do if put under the pressure to get clients on fish would do given tough situations…

PLUS I must add that one must remember that a guide could potential be a great fisherman but showing someone and teaching them is only part of the equation, the client (or angler) must be able to absorb the knowledge given to them and apply it so there’s a certain degree of client involvement regarding success as well.

The client needs to be able to pull off what is shown…

Shad or not…


(I'm sorry about the skunk but that is part of fishing)
I would assume you did research ahead of time for the guide you hired, I'm sure he has a reasonable track record - that's why they call it fishing and not "catching"

Hopefully the guide will give you a 1/2 price deal on the next outing, thats usually the standard practice..
Good luck with that but I doubt the gentleman will do it after stating he failed due to lack of skills....

I know I wouldn't help after the open forum bashing

[fishinone]

I agree with Gary,

Sometimes good fisherman don't put it together on a certain day.

I've spent hours chasing shad and only made it after I had decided to give up chasing shad. After that it was wide open fishing on bass and striper. If the shad hadn't swum into my net after I decided to put it away I would have been skunked.

Bashing the guy probably won't help you to get out with him again.

If he saw this post, and he must have, why would he risk having you on his boat again?

[Ray Lopez]

thats all fine if you find the shad, sounds like they spent the whole morning looking for bait, and not even fishing, sounds like money well spent... ya live bait fishing can be a blast, but ANYONE can catch fish on live shad, not much skill involved if you ask me. kind of like dragging umbrella rigs around till you find the stripers.. not getting into a pissing match with you bob.. just my 2 cents

Have you ever gone after live shad?? It's not so easy, and even more difficult when you are new to it. Also as gary said trolling is also not as easy as it looks. Typically people hire a guide because they either:
A.) Don't know how to fish very well.
B.) They want some help learning new ways to target the fish.
C.) Not well versed on fishing said lake.
D.) Don't have all the stuff that a guide can provide. (Like a shad net that can run you up to 300+ dollars)

[Fire Ball]

Hold on...hold on here!!!

Did you two even read my post correctly???

HELLO HELLO...:EyePop::EyePop::EyePop::EyePop::EyePop:

Did I say I got them at Castaic upper/lower???

DURH!!!...........I said they didn't ask what I caught so I didn't tell them. My reply has no mention of upper or lower where I caught my LMBs.

The net can just twist any users' words around..........LOL!!!

Last question: do you really want to see pics regardless of where I got them??? I know where I got them people are still having trouble finding them..............cause I was watching everyone fish around me including everyone's idol/s(no name/s to be mentioned...whether it was a particular guide/or a well-known angler). No easy fishing by far!!! But I managed to do OK........;-)

Well, you said it what they experienced was the opposite from what it was like when you were there last week, meaning that you were at the same lake as they were at, which was the upper lake. Maybe you just worded it poorly. Nice bass though! I too would like to know what you caught them on, if you wouldn't mind sharing.

[TroutOnly]

Hey kaneo i quess you missed me running my dr's at dvl slaying the pigs and opps it wasnt u-rigs,or you missed me at pyramid a few weeks ago fishing the topwater with spooks and kpns making the stripeys come up, you realassholes are so short sighted ,you take youre cheap shots at me when you know idea how much i know how to fish,,,,,,,,,,,

[stg68]

From what I saw when I was there this past weekend was the exact opposite of your report.

Saw 4 guys and talked to them at the fishing cleaning station at the lagoon. Both artificial baits and mackeral/dead ocean fish worked for them. I saw at least 7-8 stripers they were cleaning. In addition they did get onto a few bucketmouths too, but small ones about 12-16inchers. They didn't care to ask how I did, so I didn't mention to them that my friends and I got onto 30+ bucketmouths. 5 5-6lbers, 3 7+lber, 1 9+lber, 1 DD. I might post pics later.

About live shad...........hmmm heck no if you are a guide and especially an accomplished fisherman. Articial only! If the client insist to use it give them a hand, but I would never resort to live bait as a professional guide as a means of catching fish. Again only if the clients want to. But it should never be a practiced to be preached method from a pro-guide.

Yes, that will be nice to see some photos on all this big stripers ............ If any...............

[lurk 182]

Bashing the guy probably won't help you to get out with him again.

If he saw this post, and he must have, why would he risk having you on his boat again?

right? i don't know why you would want to blow this trip up on the net. what were you reporting on other than the fact that you paid for a guide that didn't put you on the wide open shad bite you heard is going on? this kinda thing really hurts a local businessman cause people read this stuff and some of em are gonna think he doesn't know what he's doing.

[fshsrfglf]

Dont normally post but this thread is a joke. I totally agree with Gary. The purpose of a guide is to try to put your client on fish. Sometimes thats not always possible and the fish gods wont allow it. I know Ojai Angler and he is one hell of a fisherman, so if he couldnt get the shad that day I'm sure not alot of people did either. And if anyone on this thread knows about when the shad pop up at castaic, they get focused on the candy and thats about it. I know you can catch them on certain artificials "sometimes" but usually its a shad bite untill the fish tell you otherwise. Was on the lake with my brother last friday and by the looks of things not many of the guys with shad nets got shad. A bit of advice from a long time shad wrangler. DONT MOVE! and just be patient. Ended up filling the tank with my lil buddies and had a 30-40 fish day with my brother. Both greens and silvers..
Will be there again this week so if you see a guy in a blue and silver aluminum with a bait tank dont hesitate to say hi! And all you negative nancy's out there just keep being poopy pants, just means more fish for the positive!

[JT FISHJUNKY]

Well said Gary,

Saying Marc "ojai angler" isn't good at catching shad is like saying TO isn't any good at catching Stripers. :Shocked:

Both of these guys have more skills than most and even though each has their specialty, trust me they can hold their own fishing any one of our local techniques. Props for putting your customers on fish, regardless of how you do it.

Sucks you had a tuff day out there, it happens, We have all been there. :Embarrassed:

The funny thing is some of the days where I learned the most were the same days when I caught the least.

Makes me want to come back and figure them out. :Big Grin:

[Guy with bent rod 818]

Anyone that is against shad fishing has never caught 100+ largies in one day.
The guide should have given you a 1/2 off coupon for your next trip.
Otherwise sounds like typical Castaic . Those shad are not in the same place everyday.

[hookup90247]

I have a feeling there needs to be something said about being a new fishermen. When I say "New Fisherman" I mean someone who hasn't been fishing for a long time or someone who thinks their way is the only "RIGHT" way to catch a fish. Maybe even someone who is only out there to show everyone what a great fisherman he or she is. The first thing that comes to mind when I hear people bashing like this is that they just plain haven't caught enough fish yet. I was one, a long long time ago. I thought I was the greatest thing that happened to fishing and anyone who couldn't hook one was a "LOSER." But like I said...that was many moons ago. There comes a day in every fisherman's life where the holier-than-thou attitude goes out the door. The "Artificial Only" thing will only last so long. When fishing becomes more fun helping people catch fish (As in being a guide, taking friends fishing, organizing a fishing trip for kids) than catching the fish yourself...you know you're past the "New Fisherman" phase. However, I also believe that some people never give up that attitude but too bad for them. I know 60 year old men who have been fishing for most of their lives who still yet make each outing a serious competition..."New Fisherman" attitude.

My guess is that most people here would agree with me, and there are a few that won't. Guys like TO, OjaiAngler, and many more are doing the rest of us a GREAT service. They not only are open to sharing their knowledge with us online here...but they are willing to take those who are open to it and able to pay, out on the water to help them catch fish. All of us should be thankful that there are guides out there willing to show us the ropes...report how the fishing is...give us an idea of what to do when we get out to a lake so we don't have to "figure it out" all on our own. Thanks to technology, the internet now allows us to get a pretty good snapshot of nearly all of our local lake conditions and up to date fishing reports so that we can plan for our upcoming day of fishing. Just a few years ago that wasn't possible. Thank you to all of the guides and dedicated fisherman who post up to this board consistently. You've made it possible for someone like me who doesn't get out nearly as much as I would like, to go out and have a fun day fishing...and most of the time catching based on your recommendations and reports.

Now...for those of you who think that you MUST be able to take people out to Castaic and only fish artificials... uh...get real! I doubt that you or anyone else could hit the water every time with people who don't know how to fish...hand them a rod with a popper, a plastic worm, or a crankbait and guarantee them fish...that is...at least here in Southern California. That's unrealistic. But then again...thats the attitude of a new-ish fisherman. Keep on fishing and catching fish. Take a few new people out and watch how much fun they have. Start enjoying being out there as much as hooking that next big fish. When you've done that, get back on here and start trying to bash on others for not meeting some unrealistic standard...you won't be able to do it. By then you will have learned the real joy of fishing...not just to catch a lot of fish...but to be able to impart some knowledge to other fishermen to help them also fill out their limits. You can never stop learning about the thing you love to do...and maybe more importantly you can never think you know everything about it...

Good luck everyone...and tight lines!

Darin

[udamonkeybutt]

Wow i didnt expect this many views or replies but i got a 1/2 day trip in late october. Hopefully it will be better.
Last trip i went with in 2004 My pop and I caught well over 50 lmb at casitias on live shad.

[Koontaj]

Is this the Bashing thread...Okay my turn...Just kidding. I read some of the post and said, "Horale F@#$n vato, coleros", its fishing. Leave the homie alone.