Lake Cachuma
Santa Ynez Valley (Santa Barbara Co.) · near Santa Ynez · Central Coast
Fishing
At a glance
- Difficulty
- intermediate
- Best season
- Bass spring (pre-spawn Feb–Apr prime); trout winter–spring
Permits and booking
- Licence required
- Yes
- Licence detail
- CA license (16+). Drinking-water reservoir — no swimming/body contact. County-park marina and campground; day-use fee.
What is here
- Features
- Trophy largemouth reservoir · Winter trout plants · County park with camping & marina · Oak-savanna setting
Worth knowing
- Dogs
- Allowed
- Good for a first timer
- No
Fishing detail
- Water type
- lake
- Water
- fresh
- Methods
- Finesse plastics · Swimbaits · Trout trolling · Fly fishing
- Boat
- both
- Target species
- Trophy largemouth bass · Rainbow trout (stocked) · Crappie · Redear sunfish
- Intl tip
- Pre-spawn late winter/early spring is the window for a trophy bass; hire a local guide or rent a marina boat and work the coves with finesse plastics. No swimming here.
The guide
Cachuma is the southern central coast's trophy freshwater lake — a Santa Ynez Valley reservoir with a real reputation for big l…
In the Guidebook
Everything above is yours for free. The written guide to Lake Cachuma — what it is actually like, and what we would tell a friend before they went — comes with the Guidebook.
Getting there
- Coordinates
- 34.583, -119.98