Bass action at Clear Lake has slowed because of several factors. The bass are on the spawning beds and refuse to bite, plus there are literally tons of threadfin shad in the lake.
Fishermen say they are seeing a lot of fish but aren t catching many. In fact, some of the docks in the Lakeport area have up to a dozen fish suspended beneath them. The good news is that bass to 10 pounds are being spotted and a few are actually being caught.
The 100 Percent Bass pro/am tournament held on Saturday saw the winner with more than 33 pounds. Included in his bag was a 10 ?-pounder and a 9-pounder.
American Bass held a team tournament on Sunday and the winning team weighed in 30.44 pounds. Second place went to the Kelseyville father-son team of Jose and Jackson Jaurez with 26.77 pounds.
Most of the more successful fishermen are using the sight fishing technique to catch their bass. They spot a bass on the spawning bed and cast a plastic worm or tubebait to the fish. The fish tries to remove the lure from the nest and strikes at it. The fisherman sets the hook and lands the bass.
The method the fishermen use in locating spawning fish is to cruise the shoreline in shallow water while using their trolling motor. They use polarized sunglasses, which allows them to see under the surface of the water. Once they locate the smaller male bass on the bed, they look for the larger female that s normally nearby. That s the fish they target.
Tournament rules require that the bass take the lure in its mouth. If the fisherman accidentally snags the fish, he is supposed to immediately release it.
Bass suspended beneath docks are harder to catch. Most of the fishermen will use the skip-casting method where they rig a grub or plastic worm on hook and, using a spinning rod, skip the lure beneath the dock and then allow it to slowly fall.
100 Percent Bass will hold two tournaments on the lake this weekend. On Saturday there will be a team event and on Sunday there will be a Future Pro tournament. Both tournaments operate out of the Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina, with the weigh-ins starting at 3 p.m.
Crappie fishing has slowed. A few crappie are being caught in the south end of the lake and bass fishermen report seeing some crappie suspended beneath the docks near Lakeport. Most of the fishermen are lucky to catch five fish per day.
There have been reports of a shad die-off in the Clearlake Oaks Arm. That s normal. The lake hold billions of threadfin shad and once the water warms up they start to spawn, which means thousands of shad will die. It happens on every lake and doesn t mean there is any kind of pollution.
With the arrival of warm weather, a trip to Lake Pillsbury should produce good trout and bass fishing. The lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week and there have been very few fishermen. One of the best kept secrets of Lake Pillsbury is its excellent bass fishing … the lake holds some monster bass.
The Mendocino Bass Club holds several club tournaments at the lake each spring and it s not unusual for club members to catch at least one 9-pounder and several 5-pounders. This is the ideal lake for the small boater. There is an excellent launch ramp at Fuller Grove, plus several campgrounds.
Trout fishermen are finding fair action at Upper Blue Lake. Mostly it s been the boaters that have been catching most of the fish. The successful anglers have been trolling Needlefish or Kastmasters from the Pine Acres Resort to the Narrows.
The East Branch of the Russian River was scheduled to be stocked with trout next week and should be worth a try. Mepps Spinners or nightcrawlers worked in the deeper holes should prove successful on rainbows to 14 inches.
The best bet for the weekend is Indian Valley Reservoir. The lake is producing limits of both trout and bass. Even a few kokanee are starting to bite. The best part is that you can have the lake practically to yourself.
