PERSONAL BEST - Castaic Lake Lagoon

In this video I take an early morning fishing trip to the Castaic Lake Lagoon in Castaic, California. Famous for its monster bass as well as being a very tough place to fish, this lake has intrigued me ever since I first moved to Southern California about four years ago. After being skunked here so many times and struggling to catch fish I was starting to become frustrated and discouraged, but dreaming of this moment is what kept me coming back. I didn't know it when my alarm clock went off at 3 am, but this was the day I would be rewarded with the biggest bass I've ever caught. My all time PB of 9.25LBS. Fish of a lifetime. Thanks so much for watching.
Specials thanks to Matt and Dale, I'm thankful you guys happened to be there on this morning and I'm thankful to have shared this experience with you guys. Thank you again for all of your help, I really appreciate it.
Also to my buddy Ron who has taken me under his wing and taught me so much about fishing in Southern California. Thanks bud.
Instagram Links:
Where We Wild: / wherewewild
Richie: / imrichievalentino
Ron: / bigbassronv
Matt: / m.onda37
Dale: / sazeracfish
Camera Gear used in this video:
GoPro HERO8 Black amzn.to/3wJtPdm
SanDisk 256GB Extreme Memory Card amzn.to/3F8NCWs
Portable Charger Power Bank: amzn.to/3QJm7vw
GoPro Dual Battery Charger amzn.to/3niMcml
GoPro Shorty Mini Extension Pole Tripod amzn.to/3cclMfi
GoPro Performance Chest Mount amzn.to/3qDPaUx
Disclaimer: This description contains Amazon affiliate links. Which means if you decide to make a purchase after clicking a link, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks so much for your support!
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#CastaicLakeFishing #CastaicLakeLagoon #fishing #castaiclakelagoonfishing #outdoors

[@jaimealexandra8207]

She’s a beaut!! Congratulations!!! So happy for you 😊♥️

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks 😉❤️

[@fightmilk8613]

That’s awesome! Happy for you brother.

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 👊🏽😃 That was an awesome day for sure! 😊🤙🏽

[@fishingwithair8727]

Well done Rich. This could be the fishing video of the year. All of it. I always say that the "Journey is the Destination" and this particular journey was amazing and the destination was even better. Thanks for sharing !

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man 👊🏽😊 Yes sir, gotta enjoy the ride! Still can’t believe this, I’m so thankful to have the footage to watch years down the road ☺️

[@KphOutdoors27]

Nice!!!! Congrats !

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks! 🤙🏽

[@thecupandthelip626]

What a great video! Congratulations buddy!!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks bud 😊😊😊

[@Gball1405]

Great job taking care of that fish

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man 👊🏽😊 That’s always my main concern, but especially with a fish like this one! Haha and when you’re fishing from shore without a live well to buy you time, you really gotta move fast to get your weight and pics haha only thing I regret is not getting some measurements on her, the adrenaline was so strong I just simply didn’t think of it. 🤦🏻‍♂️😂 All good though. I’ll just have to catch a bigger one. 😎🤙🏽

[@hiroi5686]

Good stuff!! Great video.

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks! 👊🏽😊

[@bigboys_world]

Congratulations good catch 👏 👌 👍

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man 👊🏽😊

[@LastCastLie]

Nice job man! Way to stick with it. Good times!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks bro 👊🏽😊

[@BassRaider]

Congrats again man! Grinding def pays off!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man 👊🏽😊

[@fishingistherapy551]

great video. love that sound of drag peeling. especially when it's a hog on the line.

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man 👊🏽😊 Special day. And oh yeah that thing was PEELING drag! I was trying my best to stay calm 😂

[@Mr.REEP0]

Amazing fish.. Congrats

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 👊🏽😃

[@joel1964.]

Excellent job 👏

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks! ☺️

[@dogemoutdoors7938]

Brooooooo!!!!! Good job keeping your cool and good job all around from everyone who helped! 🙌

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks bro! 😃 Lol ugh man my heart was racing! 😂

[@dogemoutdoors7938]

@@WhereWeWild hope to run into you guys one day 🤙

[@curtes347]

Congratulations bro! Hopefully, that day will come soon for me. Great video!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 😃 Was an amazing day haha I couldn’t even believe it. Just keep casting brother! You’ll get em! 👊🏽😎

[@nowakezone2000]

Congrats man👍 you were there with the boys. Great guys. Hit a 6.2 last weekend. I sat and had a smoke after. Love videos. Keep them coming

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man. GREAT guys. 😊 So thankful they were there to share this with me and help me out! I was shaking so bad I could barely hold the fish when I first caught it 😂 Lol I definitely had to sit down too. And nice dude 6.2 is nothing to sneeze at! Great fish! 😎 Thanks again for watching I’m stoked you enjoy the videos 👊🏽😊

[@DonGrigorianFishing]

Bro what a monster! that thing must be OLD!! Well done bro 🙌🏼

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks bro! 😃 Yeah that thing was insane! It even had broken someone off too! Crazy.

[@jonsmith1620]

What a whopper! Good to see one that big caught from the bank.Congrat!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 👊🏽

[@23Gersom]

Great fish 👏nice vid

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 😃

[@valley_angler]

Nothing but hogs in that lake…..Congrats‼️🎣😎👍🏼

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 👊🏽😎

[@strykfishontv7397]

Sicccc catch! Thinking about trying this lake on Sunday. Will be my 2nd time there and don’t know where to start but gonna give it a try.

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 🤙🏽 It’s a tough little lake but they’re in there! 😎 My advice is to just fish nice and slow. Drop shot, senko, texas rig, ned rig…. Something you can just work the bottom with. 👍🏽

[@strykfishontv7397]

Roger that! Appreciate it.

[@johnnychingas3822]

Nice fish

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks brother! 👊🏽😊

[@WillAnderson3rd]

I stopped going to Castaic because it's too far a drive for me and every time I go the wind kicks up. It's nasty when the wind kicks up, but Castaic has produced the biggest largemouth of any lake in the world. The numbers speak for themselves

[@WhereWeWild]

Yeah… it can be a really tough place to fish for sure and it’s not as good as it once was, but there are still a few good ones in there 😊🤙🏽

[@WillAnderson3rd]

@@WhereWeWild Castaic has 5 or 6 of the 25 biggest largemouth ever caught and no other lake has more than 2 entries on the top 25.

[@WhereWeWild]

@@WillAnderson3rd Yeah crazy in the 80s and 90s it was really really special. 😊 It’s a shame the stripers took over the upper lake apparently and the largemouth have been struggling to eat as well as they used to.

[@JoeShowFishing]

Congrats!! whopper!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 👊🏽 Haha yeah it really was, such a beautiful fish. Still can’t believe it. 😂

[@OldSchoolBaller]

Almost double digits with a Senko from the shore in October is crazy. Congrats!!!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! Ugh I know so crazy, still can’t believe it 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

[@RARodriguez2233]

Caught a nice size large mouth at 4:30pm on a very hot day next to the bridge last week. Was using roboworm dropshot, spotted him swimming close to shore right before I caught. Some people say 3am is the best time to catch, others say different. My father and grandfather have been fishing this like since the 80s...continuing the tradition.

[@WhereWeWild]

Nice! Right on man! 😎🤙🏽

[@Gball1405]

You got there at 3

[@ArcherFish]

Great job man! Great fish! Congrats! just for the guy who said it... don't run them back and forth while nursing them back. it can damage the gills. just pull them through water. and don't keep them out more than a minute at a time. great job!

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 😊🤙🏽 Haha yeah gave her a couple baths in between weighing and pics… and got everything done really fast. I’m always very very aware and concerned about getting them back in as fast and as gentle as I can. ESPECIALLY a fish like that. 😊

[@ArcherFish]

@@WhereWeWild awesome ! I could tell you were on it. what a fish!

[@WhereWeWild]

@@ArcherFish Absolutely. 😊 And lol ugh bro I know I still can’t believe it, and what’s crazy is this same fish on a different day might have been double digits! Ugh lol but even still absolutely amazing. Idk how I’m ever going to beat it! 😂 Never know though I guess 😎🤙🏽

[@Strongobado]

Congratulations man!!! My heart was beating right along with ya! The lagoon is so tough. Way to be persistent! How did you rig up the senko? I've always done wacky but have never caught anything with it.

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man! 👊🏽😃 Lol ugh jeez it really is tough there, but they are in there! I still can’t believe this happened haha the footage is still stressing me out 😂 And just normal texas rig no weight… I show it in the fishing hacks vid and an older vid how to rig a weedless senko if you wanna see it they are in the fishing playlist 🤙🏽

[@BiggameTechJourney]

Bro Congrat hopefully I beat my skunk fishing now and tommorow. Keep it up

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks man 👊🏽 Ahhh you will brother! Just keep casting! 😎

[@BiggameTechJourney]

@@WhereWeWild did you weightless or you weight?

[@WhereWeWild]

@@BiggameTechJourney Weightless

[@BiggameTechJourney]

@@WhereWeWild maybe I see you there one day

[@seanpatun9875]

I used to live there before I said I got to get the hell out of California. Live in Alabama now, anyways my friend caught a 14.#largemouth and I caught a 9# er. From that lagoon! Yes big bass in there!

[@WhereWeWild]

Hahaha nice man ahhh I don’t blame ya! It’s a shame how this state is being run into the ground 🤦🏻‍♂️ The fishing is what keeps me sane! 😁

[@seanpatun9875]

Have you tried lake pyramid? My dad and I used to catch big 20-30# stripers back in the early 2000's.

[@WhereWeWild]

@@seanpatun9875 Only been a few times but we plan on going there more this year! Buddy of mine caught a 20 up there a month or so ago!

[@Nutakins]

Just found this vid after reading your review on Tackle Warehouse lol AMAZING catch man, so cool! Congratulations for real. I'd be freaking out as well! Curious, what size line was that?

[@Nutakins]

nm, 8# lol got excited and had to comment... just needed to keep going. 10lb fish on 8lb test for the win!

[@WhereWeWild]

Lol always wondered if anyone would ever see that? 🤔😂 Thanks man! Yeah that was an awesome day and an awesome fish for sure. 👊🏽☺️ Still trying to top it, hopefully one of these casts I will. 😎 And yup! Senko on 8lb mono, a $50 AirdX and a $30 Shimano Sienna. 🎣🤙🏽

[@guohuang9308]

Nice, I think i was the one that got break off by that fish last time. I was using 6lb line, did it had a size 1 dropshot hook inside?

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks 🤙🏽 And idk the other hook wasn’t visible I had to just cut the extra line out of her but it seemed way thicker than 6 pound for sure.

[@seanpatun9875]

We caught those monsters off live crawdads at the time, lots of crawdads in that lake I remember.

[@WhereWeWild]

Oh yeah… I’ve heard some stories from those days! 😎

[@yo_sp33d34]

@@WhereWeWild did you just use a senk and a hook and no weight?

[@WhereWeWild]

@@yo_sp33d34 Yes sir 🤙🏽

[@alexm1841]

Bullfrogs and leopard frogs too between the rocks at the north side of the lagoon

[@alexm1841]

Castaic can be a very tough lake, especially from shore if you don’t know the tricks. It’s like an abusive relationship for me 😂 I get skunked or maybe catch 1 about half the time, but then there’s that one day where I catch five or six over 3 pounds and that keeps me coming back. I do think the fish have seen everything, so you have to make an extra effort to use line, lures, and techniques that break away from the norm. A boat with a good fishfinder helps as well 😝

[@WhereWeWild]

Hahaha yes sir that’s the goon alright! 🤦🏻‍♂️😁 And the upper lake can be just as tough!

[@alexm1841]

@@WhereWeWild don’t even get me started on the upper 😂 there’s a tackle shop in Santa Clarita that’s supposed to have some goodies for Castaic bassin

[@alexm1841]

Tackle Express

[@WhereWeWild]

@@alexm1841 Lol yeah we took home the skunk the other day up there it’s tough right now 🤷🏻‍♂️ And yup Tackle Express… know it well haha 👍🏽😁

[@RARodriguez2233]

I also noticed thats the homie from Tackle Express!!!

[@WhereWeWild]

Hahaha yeah Dale is a good dude 😊

[@rogerrios9539]

@@WhereWeWild I went to Castaic lake today for my first time. No luck! 😒 Where is this location you are fishing at Castaic?

[@WhereWeWild]

@@rogerrios9539 The lagoon? Yeah it’s extremely hard there man. You get skunked most of the time, it’s very very frustrating. 🤦🏻‍♂️😂 Probably the toughest place I’ve ever fished honestly. The upper lake is much easier, even though it can be tough up there as well.

[@rogerrios9539]

@@WhereWeWild yes the lagoon. This was my first time at a lake. I've mostly pond fish at Legg lake. Been skunked for the past 3 months. I need a voodoo Dr. Or something. 😆

[@WhereWeWild]

@@rogerrios9539 Haha hang in there man… it’s a tough lake. I’d hit the upper lake with a Shad patterned drop shot. 😊🤙🏽

[@Martialartskaratetv]

God damn trophy

[@WhereWeWild]

Thanks brother. 👊🏽😊 It was a special day for sure. One of the best days of my life. 😊

[@jeffjohansen6881]

The shaking thing is real when that adrenaline kicks in.

[@WhereWeWild]

Lol hell yeah man! When I saw it jump for the first time my heart just sank, haha and I almost felt like I had no control or power in my body! I was trying to control my breathing and stay calm but my heart was just pounding! 😂

[@JosephChoi007]

Yep. I have better luck off the dam. I've never done well at the Lagoon, but I see monster bass jumping all the time.

[@WhereWeWild]

Yeah it’s tough there man! Haha I always see the Carp jumping, and I used to think they were bass and I would get all excited 😂

[@JosephChoi007]

@@WhereWeWild Heard someone caught a 10 pounder there the other week. Now seeing your video makes me want to keep grinding it out there.

[@WhereWeWild]

@@JosephChoi007 Yeah hahaha idk if it’s the same but Butch Brown caught a monster right in front of me last week haha think it’s was around 10, that guy catches em every day 🤦🏻‍♂️😂

[@theplug2145]

Is there trout in the lagoon

[@WhereWeWild]

No

[@Marzee365]

I remember my first fish 🎣 lil dramatic tho

[@WhereWeWild]

Hahaha wooooooow that is the first hate comment this video has gotten! 😃😂 It had to happen eventually, lol but man I’ve caught thousands of bass in my life before I ever saw one that was 9 plus pounds. Idk what your PB is, haha but for me and just about every other fisherman I know… a bass this size is very special. 😊

[@Marzee365]

@@WhereWeWild bro there was literally nothing negative about my comment now your being a bit sensitive brothaa fish on 🤙🎣

[@WhereWeWild]

@@Marzee365 Ahhhhh come on man 😁 I remember my first fish? 😃 You know that came from a sarcastic negative place lol it’s all good I’m just saying 😂