In addition to the recently announced Bassmasters Elite Series bass tournament coming to Clear Lake in 2007, the FLW has announced that it will hold a FLW Series bass tournament on Clear Lake Oct. 24-27, 2007. This is in addition to the FLW Stren Series tournament scheduled for April of next year.
Both tournaments will be hosted by Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa.
The FLW Series tournament will pay out $125,000 to the winning pro. The tournament field will be 200 boats, with each boat holding a pro and a co-angler. The pro will pay an entry fee of $2,750 and the co-angler will pay $650.
— Beat goes on
The beat goes on for Clear Lake bass fishermen as the action continues to improve. Just how good is the fishing? A good example were the results of the Angler”s Choice team tournament held Sunday. It took 26.64 pounds to win the event and 23.67 pounds just to get a check. The winners were Greg McCosker of Lakeport and Randy Marshall of Woodland.
Most of the tournament fishermen said they caught their larger bass on plastic frogs early in the morning. In fact, several fishermen reported catching more than 50 fish during the tournament.
Without question, casting a plastic frog to the weed mats and having a bass blow up on the lure is one of the most exciting types of fishing. Recently the frog bite has been wide open on the lake. Many fishermen report getting 50 or more blowups.
A medium- to stiff-action casting or spinning rod is used with either braided line or monofilament line. The lure is cast just beyond the weed mat and then hopped up on the mat. After pausing for a few seconds, the tip of the rod is twitched, which makes the lure hop again. If a bass is holding under the mat it will usually explode on the lure.
The problem for most fisherman is they try to set the hook too soon and the bass just spits it out. The trick is to wait a second or two and then set the hook ? if you can control yourself. If you”re like me, the excitement of the fish blowing up on the lure makes me react too fast and I usually miss the fish.
Another trick to use when frog fishing is to have a weightless plastic worm or a Senko rigged on a spare rod. If the fish blows up on the frog and you miss it, immediately cast the worm at the fish and let it just sit. Often the bass will attack the worm. This is a trick that tournament fishermen often use.
The rockpiles in the south end of the lake near Rattlesnake Island and in the Redbud Arm are literally loaded with bass. One fisherman said that he caught more than 40 bass off one rockpile on Saturday using the drop-shot method.
The big bass of the week goes to Lakeport”s Joe Herren, who caught a 12-pound, 12-ounce monster on a crappie jig using only 6-pound test line. The bass was 26 1/2 inches long and had a girth of 20 1/2 inches. Herren released the fish.
Catfish action remains very good and most of the fishermen are catching from 10 to 20 fish per day. The tules just outside of Lakeside County Park have been very good. Other areas that have been kicking out good numbers of catfish have been Horseshoe Bend, Cache Creek, the Nice-Lucerne shoreline and the tules behind Rattlesnake Island.
Crappie action is still only rated from fair to good. It all depends on where you fish. The best action is still in the south end of the lake around the docks in Jago Bay and at Luebow Point. A few crappie are still being caught off the docks at Library Park in Lakeport.
There were several reports of a bear swimming in the channel in the Clearlake Oaks Keys. Actually it”s not all that unusual because bears are common in the hills near the Oaks and above Lucerne. In fact, according to the Department of Fish and Game, bear sightings are becoming more common throughout the county. This is especially true as the hillsides dry up during the summer months.
— Local lakes
No local lakes were scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. A few trout are being caught at Upper Blue Lake by trollers going deep. The bass fishing has been fair.
Indian Valley Reservoir has settled into its typical summer pattern as the trout and kokanee are going deep. If you can”t get your lure down to at least 40 feet, you”re not going to catch anything. Bass fishing remains very good early in the mornings.
