1st time on kayak in 2024 @ Lake Casitas: Hey Fellow Stagers! I finally got out on the water on my kayak this year. I had to wait for a 30 day quarantine period after my invasive...

Elefantdude Loc: Oxnard, CA

Hey Fellow Stagers!
I finally got out on the water on my kayak this year. I had to wait for a 30 day quarantine period after my invasive species inspection before I could put in. I had my inspection in early December of 2023. LOL! It took a while to get out, because of rainy and windy weather, but I finally got out there. I invited my younger brother, Norm, to go out with me, since it is a good idea to have a fishing partner when out on the water on a kayak :-) This was only his 2nd time to fish from a kayak. We arrived at Lake Casitas around 9:00am and launched around 9:15am. The water was like glass at first. We fished the cove just to the right of the marina and I caught and released a lot of small largemouth bass. It was a blast, but i was hoping for some bigger fish. My brother did not catch anything yet. I gave him a lure that I was using to catch the bass to see if it helped him. After a few minutes in the cove, I asked Norm if he wanted to go after some trout. He said, "Sure!" I told him to use the lure that I gave him and to troll it behind the kayak around 100'. So off we went, across the lake. I told him how to vary his speed as we trolled and to steer in an S pattern, instead of a straight line, because that entices more hits. As we almost made it across the lake, my brother tells me that he thinks he has one on. He was about 4:00 o'clock behind me and I looked back and sure enough, he was fighting a fish! He had two rods out so he reeled the one in that had no fish, then continued to fight the fish. It turned out to be a nice trout, which he wanted to go after :-) As he was unhooking it and putting it on a stringer, i circled the area behind him to see if I could get a hit... Nada. My brother took off in front of me and continued on towards the other side of the lake. Next thing i know, a fish jumped right in front of me! I was like, "Wow!" That was a nice trout. Then I looked ahead of me at my brother, as he grabbed a rod out of the rod holder in the kayak, and set the hook. I saw the fish jump again! I was like, "HEY! You got another one!!!" "Was it on the lure I gave you again?" He said, "YUP!!! Thanks!!!" He was having a blast. We continued to fish for a couple more hours. I managed to hook and keep a trout as well and I also caught a decent sunfish! We caught and released a few more largemouth bass, then called it a day after the winds started picking up. You do not want to be out in the middle of a lake when the strong winds hit! It was about 1:00pm when we decided to quit.
Until next time!!!

Nice and calm when we first put in.

Lots of these little guys caught and released by me!

My brother's 2nd time on a kayak, ever!

My one and only trout for the day.

Beauty, aye!
Beauty, aye!...

My brother, Norm's, catches for the day :-)

My Catches for the day :-)
My Catches for the day :-)...

My kind of "Take Home" for dinner :-)

Fredfish Loc: Prospect CT.

Elefantdude wrote:

Hey Fellow Stagers!
I finally got out on the water on my kayak this year. I had to wait for a 30 day quarantine period after my invasive species inspection before I could put in. I had my inspection in early December of 2023. LOL! It took a while to get out, because of rainy and windy weather, but I finally got out there. I invited my younger brother, Norm, to go out with me, since it is a good idea to have a fishing partner when out on the water on a kayak :-) This was only his 2nd time to fish from a kayak. We arrived at Lake Casitas around 9:00am and launched around 9:15am. The water was like glass at first. We fished the cove just to the right of the marina and I caught and released a lot of small largemouth bass. It was a blast, but i was hoping for some bigger fish. My brother did not catch anything yet. I gave him a lure that I was using to catch the bass to see if it helped him. After a few minutes in the cove, I asked Norm if he wanted to go after some trout. He said, "Sure!" I told him to use the lure that I gave him and to troll it behind the kayak around 100'. So off we went, across the lake. I told him how to vary his speed as we trolled and to steer in an S pattern, instead of a straight line, because that entices more hits. As we almost made it across the lake, my brother tells me that he thinks he has one on. He was about 4:00 o'clock behind me and I looked back and sure enough, he was fighting a fish! He had two rods out so he reeled the one in that had no fish, then continued to fight the fish. It turned out to be a nice trout, which he wanted to go after :-) As he was unhooking it and putting it on a stringer, i circled the area behind him to see if I could get a hit... Nada. My brother took off in front of me and continued on towards the other side of the lake. Next thing i know, a fish jumped right in front of me! I was like, "Wow!" That was a nice trout. Then I looked ahead of me at my brother, as he grabbed a rod out of the rod holder in the kayak, and set the hook. I saw the fish jump again! I was like, "HEY! You got another one!!!" "Was it on the lure I gave you again?" He said, "YUP!!! Thanks!!!" He was having a blast. We continued to fish for a couple more hours. I managed to hook and keep a trout as well and I also caught a decent sunfish! We caught and released a few more largemouth bass, then called it a day after the winds started picking up. You do not want to be out in the middle of a lake when the strong winds hit! It was about 1:00pm when we decided to quit.
Until next time!!!

Hey Fellow Stagers! br I finally got out on the wa... (show quote)

Looks like a great day Ed. Nice fish and a great experience for Norm. Thanks for sharing your trip and the beautiful pictures.

Matt S. Loc: East Lansing Michigan

Elefantdude wrote:

Hey Fellow Stagers!
I finally got out on the water on my kayak this year. I had to wait for a 30 day quarantine period after my invasive species inspection before I could put in. I had my inspection in early December of 2023. LOL! It took a while to get out, because of rainy and windy weather, but I finally got out there. I invited my younger brother, Norm, to go out with me, since it is a good idea to have a fishing partner when out on the water on a kayak :-) This was only his 2nd time to fish from a kayak. We arrived at Lake Casitas around 9:00am and launched around 9:15am. The water was like glass at first. We fished the cove just to the right of the marina and I caught and released a lot of small largemouth bass. It was a blast, but i was hoping for some bigger fish. My brother did not catch anything yet. I gave him a lure that I was using to catch the bass to see if it helped him. After a few minutes in the cove, I asked Norm if he wanted to go after some trout. He said, "Sure!" I told him to use the lure that I gave him and to troll it behind the kayak around 100'. So off we went, across the lake. I told him how to vary his speed as we trolled and to steer in an S pattern, instead of a straight line, because that entices more hits. As we almost made it across the lake, my brother tells me that he thinks he has one on. He was about 4:00 o'clock behind me and I looked back and sure enough, he was fighting a fish! He had two rods out so he reeled the one in that had no fish, then continued to fight the fish. It turned out to be a nice trout, which he wanted to go after :-) As he was unhooking it and putting it on a stringer, i circled the area behind him to see if I could get a hit... Nada. My brother took off in front of me and continued on towards the other side of the lake. Next thing i know, a fish jumped right in front of me! I was like, "Wow!" That was a nice trout. Then I looked ahead of me at my brother, as he grabbed a rod out of the rod holder in the kayak, and set the hook. I saw the fish jump again! I was like, "HEY! You got another one!!!" "Was it on the lure I gave you again?" He said, "YUP!!! Thanks!!!" He was having a blast. We continued to fish for a couple more hours. I managed to hook and keep a trout as well and I also caught a decent sunfish! We caught and released a few more largemouth bass, then called it a day after the winds started picking up. You do not want to be out in the middle of a lake when the strong winds hit! It was about 1:00pm when we decided to quit.
Until next time!!!

Hey Fellow Stagers! br I finally got out on the wa... (show quote)

That is awesome. Thanks for taking us along for the trip.

NoCal Steve Loc: Dunnigan, CA

Nice day! Does that lake still kick out 20lb large mouth bass? Or does it get to much pressure?

plumbob Loc: New Windsor Maryland

Elefantdude wrote:

Hey Fellow Stagers!
I finally got out on the water on my kayak this year. I had to wait for a 30 day quarantine period after my invasive species inspection before I could put in. I had my inspection in early December of 2023. LOL! It took a while to get out, because of rainy and windy weather, but I finally got out there. I invited my younger brother, Norm, to go out with me, since it is a good idea to have a fishing partner when out on the water on a kayak :-) This was only his 2nd time to fish from a kayak. We arrived at Lake Casitas around 9:00am and launched around 9:15am. The water was like glass at first. We fished the cove just to the right of the marina and I caught and released a lot of small largemouth bass. It was a blast, but i was hoping for some bigger fish. My brother did not catch anything yet. I gave him a lure that I was using to catch the bass to see if it helped him. After a few minutes in the cove, I asked Norm if he wanted to go after some trout. He said, "Sure!" I told him to use the lure that I gave him and to troll it behind the kayak around 100'. So off we went, across the lake. I told him how to vary his speed as we trolled and to steer in an S pattern, instead of a straight line, because that entices more hits. As we almost made it across the lake, my brother tells me that he thinks he has one on. He was about 4:00 o'clock behind me and I looked back and sure enough, he was fighting a fish! He had two rods out so he reeled the one in that had no fish, then continued to fight the fish. It turned out to be a nice trout, which he wanted to go after :-) As he was unhooking it and putting it on a stringer, i circled the area behind him to see if I could get a hit... Nada. My brother took off in front of me and continued on towards the other side of the lake. Next thing i know, a fish jumped right in front of me! I was like, "Wow!" That was a nice trout. Then I looked ahead of me at my brother, as he grabbed a rod out of the rod holder in the kayak, and set the hook. I saw the fish jump again! I was like, "HEY! You got another one!!!" "Was it on the lure I gave you again?" He said, "YUP!!! Thanks!!!" He was having a blast. We continued to fish for a couple more hours. I managed to hook and keep a trout as well and I also caught a decent sunfish! We caught and released a few more largemouth bass, then called it a day after the winds started picking up. You do not want to be out in the middle of a lake when the strong winds hit! It was about 1:00pm when we decided to quit.
Until next time!!!

Hey Fellow Stagers! br I finally got out on the wa... (show quote)

I hope to remember that S pattern tip. Your results are proof enough for me. Nice going you 2.

Jer Loc: N. Illinois 🇺🇸

Elefantdude wrote:

Hey Fellow Stagers!
I finally got out on the water on my kayak this year. I had to wait for a 30 day quarantine period after my invasive species inspection before I could put in. I had my inspection in early December of 2023. LOL! It took a while to get out, because of rainy and windy weather, but I finally got out there. I invited my younger brother, Norm, to go out with me, since it is a good idea to have a fishing partner when out on the water on a kayak :-) This was only his 2nd time to fish from a kayak. We arrived at Lake Casitas around 9:00am and launched around 9:15am. The water was like glass at first. We fished the cove just to the right of the marina and I caught and released a lot of small largemouth bass. It was a blast, but i was hoping for some bigger fish. My brother did not catch anything yet. I gave him a lure that I was using to catch the bass to see if it helped him. After a few minutes in the cove, I asked Norm if he wanted to go after some trout. He said, "Sure!" I told him to use the lure that I gave him and to troll it behind the kayak around 100'. So off we went, across the lake. I told him how to vary his speed as we trolled and to steer in an S pattern, instead of a straight line, because that entices more hits. As we almost made it across the lake, my brother tells me that he thinks he has one on. He was about 4:00 o'clock behind me and I looked back and sure enough, he was fighting a fish! He had two rods out so he reeled the one in that had no fish, then continued to fight the fish. It turned out to be a nice trout, which he wanted to go after :-) As he was unhooking it and putting it on a stringer, i circled the area behind him to see if I could get a hit... Nada. My brother took off in front of me and continued on towards the other side of the lake. Next thing i know, a fish jumped right in front of me! I was like, "Wow!" That was a nice trout. Then I looked ahead of me at my brother, as he grabbed a rod out of the rod holder in the kayak, and set the hook. I saw the fish jump again! I was like, "HEY! You got another one!!!" "Was it on the lure I gave you again?" He said, "YUP!!! Thanks!!!" He was having a blast. We continued to fish for a couple more hours. I managed to hook and keep a trout as well and I also caught a decent sunfish! We caught and released a few more largemouth bass, then called it a day after the winds started picking up. You do not want to be out in the middle of a lake when the strong winds hit! It was about 1:00pm when we decided to quit.
Until next time!!!

Hey Fellow Stagers! br I finally got out on the wa... (show quote)

Great day and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Elefantdude Loc: Oxnard, CA

Any time, Bud!

ranger632 Loc: Near Yosemite Park Ca.

Elefantdude wrote:

Hey Fellow Stagers!
I finally got out on the water on my kayak this year. I had to wait for a 30 day quarantine period after my invasive species inspection before I could put in. I had my inspection in early December of 2023. LOL! It took a while to get out, because of rainy and windy weather, but I finally got out there. I invited my younger brother, Norm, to go out with me, since it is a good idea to have a fishing partner when out on the water on a kayak :-) This was only his 2nd time to fish from a kayak. We arrived at Lake Casitas around 9:00am and launched around 9:15am. The water was like glass at first. We fished the cove just to the right of the marina and I caught and released a lot of small largemouth bass. It was a blast, but i was hoping for some bigger fish. My brother did not catch anything yet. I gave him a lure that I was using to catch the bass to see if it helped him. After a few minutes in the cove, I asked Norm if he wanted to go after some trout. He said, "Sure!" I told him to use the lure that I gave him and to troll it behind the kayak around 100'. So off we went, across the lake. I told him how to vary his speed as we trolled and to steer in an S pattern, instead of a straight line, because that entices more hits. As we almost made it across the lake, my brother tells me that he thinks he has one on. He was about 4:00 o'clock behind me and I looked back and sure enough, he was fighting a fish! He had two rods out so he reeled the one in that had no fish, then continued to fight the fish. It turned out to be a nice trout, which he wanted to go after :-) As he was unhooking it and putting it on a stringer, i circled the area behind him to see if I could get a hit... Nada. My brother took off in front of me and continued on towards the other side of the lake. Next thing i know, a fish jumped right in front of me! I was like, "Wow!" That was a nice trout. Then I looked ahead of me at my brother, as he grabbed a rod out of the rod holder in the kayak, and set the hook. I saw the fish jump again! I was like, "HEY! You got another one!!!" "Was it on the lure I gave you again?" He said, "YUP!!! Thanks!!!" He was having a blast. We continued to fish for a couple more hours. I managed to hook and keep a trout as well and I also caught a decent sunfish! We caught and released a few more largemouth bass, then called it a day after the winds started picking up. You do not want to be out in the middle of a lake when the strong winds hit! It was about 1:00pm when we decided to quit.
Until next time!!!

Hey Fellow Stagers! br I finally got out on the wa... (show quote)

What a great day of catching, some nice looking fish

Elefantdude Loc: Oxnard, CA

Matt S. wrote:

That is awesome. Thanks for taking us along for the trip.

Any time, Matt S.!

Elefantdude Loc: Oxnard, CA

NoCal Steve wrote:

Nice day! Does that lake still kick out 20lb large mouth bass? Or does it get to much pressure?

Hey NoCal Steve, no 20s, but i have heard of a few over 10lbs recently! They stopped stocking trout a while ago, but restarted the trout stocking program again, recently. So I am certain they will get over 15lbs soo and possibly there are some over 20lbs now!

Elefantdude Loc: Oxnard, CA

plumbob wrote:

I hope to remember that S pattern tip. Your results are proof enough for me. Nice going you 2.

It works, trust me! I increased my hit ratio quite a bit when I learned it :-)

Elefantdude Loc: Oxnard, CA

ranger632 wrote:

What a great day of catching, some nice looking fish

Thanks, Ranger632! It was a nice day :-)

Elefantdude Loc: Oxnard, CA

Jer wrote:

Great day and great pictures. Thanks for sharing.

Any time, Jer!

DozerDave Loc: Port Orchard Wa.

I’ve heard of using the “S” method when trolling for Kokanee. I’ve tried it a few times but didn’t notice a significant improvement. Although I have hooked up when making a U-turn, when your inside line slackens and your outside line speeds up. So it maybe working on the same principle…🐟on

NJ219bands Loc: New Jersey

Nice 👍