James Glover II / Star staff Ralph Chavez of Oxnard attempts to catch some small baitfish off the dock at Lake Casitas on Friday. Chavez says he plans to use the bait while fishing the lake after his boat passes quarantine. Today the park will start looking at some of the 650 boats on the waiting list to be inspected. At top, Dugan Beach shows his 10-pound bass April 26.

James Glover II / Star staff A man fishes early Friday. A park official estimates there are about a tenth of the boats usually on the lake during the partial ban.

James Glover II / Star staff Tim Hansen of Ventura decided to rent a row boat and bring his own engine on Friday so he could fish Lake Casitas on his birthday. Today, outside boats will undergo a 10-day quarantine so they can get back on the lake.

Ojai Angler Fishing Guide Service

Photo courtesy of Marc Mitrany / Ojai Angler Fishing Guide Service Debra Maki caught a 6.5-pound bass April 18.

Photo courtesy of Marc Mitrany / Ojai Angler Fishing Guide Service Jon Owyang and John Loo caught these fish April 28.

A warning to fishermen who can't get on Lake Casitas because of the partial boat ban: You might not want to read this story.

You might not want to hear about how the fishing is so great right now that fishermen are pulling in record numbers of bass.

You might not want to know that casting at one of the county's best bass lakes these days is like fishing a private lake.

No, this is not good news for the hundreds of folks whose boats aren't allowed on the water.

Ever since officials closed the lake to outside boats in March in hopes of figuring out a way to keep the ecology- and infrastructure-damaging quagga mussel at bay, the lake has had a different feel to it.

For the lucky ones who have boats stored at the lake or who rent one of the boats there, the past few weeks have been a bountiful bliss.

"We've been tearing it up," said Mike Neumann, who stored his boat at the lake at the first whisper of potentially banning outside boats. "This is one of the best years we've had in 25 years, no doubt."

He and his neighbor, Edward Earnest, and another friend figured they have caught 450 pounds of fish, most of that released, on Neumann's boat this year.

"We are tickled pink," he said on recent weekday as his was one of the very few boats on the water. "This is what fishing is all about."

Outside boats were banned from the lake so that officials could work on a way to protect the lake from any possible mussel infestation. The mussels can attach themselves to boat hulls and infest lakes, causing untold damage and costing millions of dollars in maintenance. Starting today, a process will begin to allow outside boats back onto the lake.

Before the outside boat ban, there were lots of boats on the lake competing for the best fishing spot; about 26,000 boats launch during normal years. Now, Neumann and crew can be the first to fish countless spots in one morning without having to worry if others have already cast their lures there.

"I've been fishing at this lake since it opened and fishing bass for 30 years, and you can easily tell how different it is," said Gary Wolfe, owner of Lake Casitas Boat Rentals. "It's just more bites and a better quality of fish."

It doesn't hurt that this is the best time of year for catching the fat bass, either, when the baitfish shad are plentiful and the bass are spawning, making them more aggressive and accessible.

"I can go to my first 10 favorite spots and I'm the first one there," said Brian Evans, a 20-year-old who took a job that would fit his fishing lifestyle. "There is a lot more opportunity because places aren't having so much pressure on them."

Adam Casey only meant to go fishing for a few hours but ended up staying out for 12 recently because his pole kept bending with promise of a new bite.

"It's a good day when you lose count," he said.

Many say having fewer fishermen is making the fish a little less hesitant to bite at a hook. Others say giving the fish a break will let populations rebound.

"They ought to shut it every three to five years to let the fish spawn and do their thing," Earnest said.

That, of course, is coming from guys who have their boats on the lake and can get to the great fishing. Those same guys say they have lots of friends these days, always asking when they are headed back out onto the "private lake."

Parks Department Officer Brent Doan estimated there are about a tenth of the boats on the lake these days, when there would normally be up to 400 boats on the weekend.

The quiet lake isn't just good for the fishing; some say it's good for the soul.

"Having no powerboats on the lake is wonderful," said Mike Lawler, who comes to the lake often with his wife to dip their canoe and rowboat oars into the water.

Though there still are some gas-powered boats on the water, it feels different, he said.

He thinks the wildlife viewing is better, when you can glide up to herons stabbing fish in the water without the leggy birds being spooked by the hum of an engine.

But the calm won't last much longer.

Today, the park will start looking at some of the 650 boats on the waiting list to be inspected.

They will undergo a 10-day quarantine so they can get back on the lake and use it exclusively.

If boats are used on other lakes, they would have to go through the quarantine-process again.

But if the folks who have been on the lake for the past few weeks are any indication, the wait is worth it.