A CHANCE FOR BIGGER BASS GOOD YEAR SO FAR COULD GET EVEN BETTER ON LOCAL LAKES.

Byline: Rich Hammond  Staff Writer

For those searching for a big bass windfall as the summer approaches, don't abandon the local lakes just yet.

It might not seem logical that a short drive to Castaic or Casitas could give an angler a good chance or landing a 10-pound or bigger bass. But through the first three months of the year, the numbers suggest that this is precisely the case.

``I don't think it's an abnormal year, but it's a very good year,'' said Bart Crabb of ProStar Publications. ``California lakes are very conducive to spawn and every three or four years, we go through a real good time.''

According to Crabb's figures, 190 bass of 10 pounds or more had been caught through March, and local lakes had been two of the most productive. Lake Casitas (2,500 acres) reported 25 caught, with the biggest catch weighing in at 16.8 pounds, and Castaic (2,500 acres) reported 17 caught, with a high of 14.4 pounds.

``I say it hasn't been abnormal because we haven't seen any 18-pound bass pulled out yet,'' Crabb said. ``That's a big number, 190, but when you look at the number of 13-pounders being pulled out, that number keeps getting smaller and smaller every year.

``When you get up to the 12-pounders, that's when you separate the men from the boys.''

Which is why Rich Tauber, a fishing guide for several of the local lakes, doesn't dispute the numbers but says the local figures are not as impressive as they might seem.

``At a place like Casitas, you're doing a lot of sight fishing because the lake is so low you can look right down on them,'' Tauber said. ``I'm not trying to downplay the activity, but the lake is super-bald.''

The big fish have not been out in force, at least not yet. Among the 190 10-pounders or better in California, just 39 have been 13 pounds or greater, and only four anglers have reached the 17-pound plateau.

Crabb suggests that the big numbers are yet to come because he expects the productivity of local lakes to rise into the summer.

``There's a tendency to believe that once the fish drop their eggs that there's nothing left,'' Crabb said. ``But I think you're going to see a lot of big bass caught in the next couple months, around July or so.

``Each bass carries three or four pounds of fat, and they may drop the eggs, but they still have that fat, so that's when you see some of the big ones being caught.

``Plus, there's a lot of areas that just can't be reached until somebody gets out on a boat, and you see that happening a lot more in the summer.''

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo: (color) Big bass, like this 18.35 largemouth caught a few years ago, are expected to be caught this summer.

Daily News File Photo