Soaring temperatures will greet fishermen this weekend. With the forecast calling for the mercury to hit between 100-105, it”s time to get out the sunscreen.
The hot weather may be tough on the fishermen, but bass can be caught in the hottest weather, especially on Clear Lake, where the bass will seek the cool shade of the docks or hide back in the tules during midday.
There is no more exciting and deadly method of bass fishing than skipping grubs under docks, and Clear Lake is ideal for this technique. During the day when the temperature and sun are at their highest, bass will seek the shade of the docks. At Clear Lake, there are hundreds of crank-up docks that are suspended just a few inches above the surface of the water. These are the type of docks the bass prefer.
The grub is rigged on a 1/16-ounce darthead using a spinning rod with 8-pound test line. The cast is made sidearm and you want the lure to strike the surface of the water at a low angle a few inches in front of the dock.
Done properly, the grub will make several skips and come to rest deep beneath the dock. Allow the grub to fall naturally. Most of the time the bass will grab the grub on the fall. When a bass bites, you”ll see your line move off to one side and that”s the time to set the hook. And then the battle is on.
Most fishermen prefer a salt-pepper colored grub. A Senko also works great for skipping.
Normally only one or two casts per dock is required. If a bass is there it will usually grab the lure on the first cast. By using this technique you can cover a series of docks in a short time and locate active fish. This is an ideal technique to use when the temperature soars to above 100 degrees.
Bass also are being caught back in the tules from the county park to the state park. Shaking a plastic worm has been the best technique.
Crappie action continues to be a hit-and-miss affair. Near Luebow Point the action has been very good and many of the fishermen are catching limits. Earlier in the week good numbers of crappie were being caught around the docks in the Lakeport area but the action had slowed by midweek.
Fishermen are cautioned to be careful when fishing the tules between Lakeport and the State Park. This is the prime area for nesting western grebes and since they nest on floating tule mats, they can be easily disturbed by fishermen. The grebes will be nesting throughout the summer and are an important part of the lake”s ecosystem. In some areas there will be a nest every few yards and if disturbed there could be a high mortality rate among the young birds.
Clearlake Bait and Tackle, located at 14699 Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, will have its grand opening on Saturday. According to owner Jeff Billings, there will be a full day of fishing seminars conducted by popular bass pros such as Jimmy Reese, Mark Crutcher, Tim Hendricks, Jerry Tilton, Sieg Taylor and Arron Coleman. On hand will be representatives from various tackle manufacturers. There also will be hourly drawings for prizes. Hot dogs and drinks will be available. The first 50 kids receive a free tackle pack. The festivities start at 9 a.m. and last until 3 p.m.
Indian Valley Reservoir is full to the brim and fishing is rated as fair. I fished the lake on Thursday and saw trout jumping everywhere in the north end of the lake. The bass fishing was only fair. Bartlett Springs Road, the road that takes you to the north end of the lake, is in good shape but very dusty.
Striped bass action at Lake Mendocino has been good the first hour after daylight and the last hour before dark. The stripers are boiling on the surface and the successful fishermen are casting topwater lures such as the Zara Spook to the feeding fish. The stripers are ranging in size from 6 to 10 pounds.
No local lakes were stocked with trout this past week.
