It will be wall-to-wall bass fishermen at Clear Lake this weekend as two major tournaments are scheduled. The Future Pro team tournament is expected to field close to 200 boats on Saturday, then on Sunday, Angler s Choice will host a team event.
The Future Pro tournament will operate out of the Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa and will be one the largest bass tournaments to be held on the lake this year. The tournament is strictly for amateurs and is divided into two divisions. One division will be for boats powered by outboards that are 90 hp or less. The second division is for boats that have motors with greater than 90 hp.
According to tournament director Vince Harris, sign-ups will be accepted as late as 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning at Konocti Harbor. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
The Angler s Choice team tournament will go out of Redbud Park in Clearlake on Sunday, with the weigh-in starting at 3 p.m.
The tournaments should provide excellent fishing as was indicated during the 100 Percent Bass team tournament held last Saturday. Wayne Breazeale of Kelseyville and Jerry Tilton of Lakeport won the event with a five-fish limit weighing 32.54 pounds. They also caught the big fish of the tourney, a 9.86-pounder. Their winnings came to $3,420.
The tournament drew 48 teams and 38 weighed in limits. The overall average weight per fish caught was an impressive 3.35 pounds.
Swimbaits continue to be the hot lure. In fact, most of the top finishers said they caught their bass on white-colored swimbaits.
According to guide Ross England, jumbo live minnows have also been very effective. England said his clients have been loading up on bass using minnows.
Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing good numbers of bass. The warm weather has the bass moving into the shallows to spawn.
Crappie fishing is also improving. One fisherman said he found a school of crappie near the state park and caught and released more than 30 fish in a couple of hours. The largest weighed about 2 1/2 pounds.
The bad road into Lake Pillsbury has delayed the Department of Fish and Game from stocking the lake with trout. The lake will be stocked as soon as conditions permit.
At Upper Blue Lake, the dirty water has slowed the trout action. However, the lake should be in good shape for the upcoming trout derby that s scheduled for April 29-30.
Bass fishing has been very good for the few anglers out fishing.
Drop-shotting a plastic worm or working a jig slowly along the bottom has been producing bass to 5 pounds.
The few anglers that have been traveling to Indian Valley Reservoir have been finding excellent action on both trout and bass. The best action for trout has been at mid-lake with trollers working Needlefish or Kastmasters in the top 20 feet of water.
Bass action has been excellent with catches of 15 to 25 fish per day being common. The lake is in excellent condition.
Ocean salmon fishing off Fort Bragg has only been so-so. Most of the party boats are only averaging about a fish per rod on the good days.
The ocean salmon season is all but finalized. The season off Fort Bragg will run from now through May 31. After that, the season will be split up. It will be open June 1-4, 7-11, 14-18, 21-25, 28-30, July 1-9, 15-16, 22-23, 26-31, and again on Aug. 1 through Nov. 30.
The warm weather has finally turned around the spring wild turkey season.
The toms are gobbling like crazy and hunters are enjoying some of the best hunting of the season. The general season closes on April 30 but there is a special archery only season from May 1-14.
