OJAI! NOW IN PODCAST FORM

With 200 hours of dialogue, Ojai's podcast, Talk of the Town, has barely scratched the surface of what makes this village, perched on the eastern edge of the Pacific Rim, so rich, diverse and fascinating. Listen in to conversations with legends like Malcolm McDowell and Sergio Aragonés to the people who make Ojai what it is such as Chumash elder Julie Tumamait-Stenslie and assorted newsmakers, writers, filmmakers, fishermen, musicians, rogues & scoundrels.

Available wherever you get your podcasts.

New episodes drop every week!

Together, we can protect and restore the natural landscapes of the Ojai Valley forever.

If you are so inclined, pack your fishing gear when you come to Ojai. While many people don’t typically associate vacationing in Ojai with fishing, fishing there is to be had.

In fact, one of the largest largemouth bass ever caught came from Lake Casitas, a 21-pound, 3-ounce tank caught by Ray Easley in 1980. It was the state record at the time, displaced in 1990 by Bob Crupi’s 22 pound, .5 ounce lunker from nearby Castaic Lake.

with young children is to fish off the dock by the boat ramp, in the nearby Wadleigh Arm, or around Mallard and Grebe campgrounds. Ask the staff in the marina tackle shop for the latest information and fishing reports. You can get a peek at Easley’s monster bass as well.

For those who like to get off the beaten path, there are opportunities to stalk native rainbows in Ventura River tributaries, as well as the Sespe

The largemouth bass record, set by George Perry in Georgia in 1932 is the fishing world’s equivalent of Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak, considering unbeatable. However, the official record was upset, not by California lakes like Castaic and Isabella Lake, but in Japan’s Biwa Lake in 2009 with Manabu Kurita’s 22-pound, 5-ounce fish. The International Game Fishing Association officially posts Kurita’s fish as tied with Perry’s because of their two-ounce rule.

Lake Casitas doesn’t just hold the potential world-record largemouth bass, but also sizable populations of bluegill, red-eared sunfish, black and white crappie, channel catfish (this forktailed fish provides excellent sport and can exceed 20 pounds), carp (an underrated sport fish) and winter stockings of rainbow trout (feeding on stocked trout are one of the main reasons the largemouth bass get so big.

The best bets for casual fisherman and those

River watershed just over the hill from Ojai. Be prepared to hike in from the trailheads, and be prepared to catch small, albeit colorful and feisty, rainbows that seldom exceed one foot in length. There are few more exciting fishing experiences than outwitting these beautiful wild fish in their natural habitat.

Because of extended drought and warming water, the trout, provided they haven’t been extirpated, have been under great stress. It might be best to leave them be and hopefully populations will rebound with another few rainy seasons. Certainly, catch and release is in order.

Perhaps with recovery efforts, the endangered southern steelhead will again return. Estimated spawning runs before Casitas Dam was built in 1947 were 5,000 to 10,000 fish heading up the Ventura River, attracting famous Los Angeles sportsmen like Cecil B. DeMille, Zane Grey and Errol Flynn.

Family owned & operated restaurant serving hand-made Mexican & American style food. Breakfast & Lunch served all day. One of the best views from a dining room anywhere!

Hands down our favorite breakfast spot — their country fried chicken with biscuits and gravy is to die for! — Kevin M.

CasitasMarinaCafe

CasitasBoatRentals.com

805-649-2514

OPEN DAILY 5:30 AM TO 2 P.M.

Bait • Tackle • Snack Bar •

Fishing Licenses & Stories

Kayaks • Boats & Motors

Pontoon Boats

Lake Hours 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Rental boats must be returned by 7 p.m. A call to reserve boats on the weekends recommended.

LakeCasitasBoatRentals

CasitasBoatRentals.com

805-649-2043

OPEN DAILY 5:30 AM TO 8 P.M.

A cottage from the 1930s with open air courtyards filled to the brim with over 100,000 USED & NEW books of all kinds Everything, under the sun, since 1964.