Sam, there are no secrets to catching one of those bed fish, you just have to be one of the first ones to molest it. Those bass probably have been caught or at least tempted a hundred times by now. They've seen all the lures and live bait as well as the big creatures hovering above them (us) and know the consequences of biting an offering.

On a side note, as long as you are planning to release those bass, folks here will be willing to help you. If you are planning on keeping one, I don't know what to tell you. Bass are no longer stocked by DFG and haven't been for years anywhere in CA, what's there is there. So, I apologize if your plan was to release.