Bass fishing on Clear Lake has slowed a tad but is still rated very good. Whereas a week ago when catches of 30-50 fish per day were considered average, the catch rate dropped to 15-20 fish this week.
What is surprising is how shallow the fish are holding. Most of the fishermen are reporting that the bass are holding in less than 5 feet of water. The lake level is dropping, which is forcing the bass out to the edges of the tules. The more successful fishermen have been shaking a 6-inch plastic worm in the tule pockets.
Another lure that has been successful is a deep-running crankbait. The lure should be able to go down at least 6 feet and bump the bottom during the retrieve.
The frog bite has been good one day and bad the next. The problem is that the weed mats are constantly shifting around. A good example is the Lakeside County Park area, where last week there were days when the weed mats were everywhere and the frog fishing was outstanding with constant blowups. However, the mats suddenly disappeared and the bass went with them.
The best areas continue to be in the south end of the lake from the Narrows south. Konocti Bay, Jago Bay, Monitor Island and the rockpiles near Rattlesnake Island are just a few areas that are holding large numbers of bass. The stretch from the Lakeside County Park to the state park is also holding a lot of bass.
The big catch of the week goes to 11-year-old San Bruno resident Dan Betts, who reeled in a 12 3/4-pound bass while being guided by Richard Pounds of Kelseyville. The big fish was caught on a plastic worm.
With a few exceptions the crappie fishing has slowed to a crawl. The best action continues to be in the south end near Luebow Point and Jago Bay. Crappie are also being caught near Redbud Park in Clearlake.
Many of the tourists who visit the county want to fish but don”t have access to a boat. The good news is there are a number of places where you can fish from shore and have a reasonably good chance of being successful.
In the Lakeport area there are the docks at the Fifth Street Ramp and Library Park. Both offer excellent fishing. The Fifth Street Ramp docks have produced some huge bass and a lot of crappie and bluegill. In fact, at any given time it”s not unusual to see several kids fishing from the docks. The techniques used are the same as if you were in a boat with drop-shotting a plastic worm being the most popular.
The docks at Library Park are popular with crappie fishermen. The best lure is a red-white crappie jig cast to the edge of the docks.
Another popular area is Lakeside County Park. This year the fishing has been exceptionally good from the docks in the park. The area holds good numbers of bass, crappie, bluegill and even catfish. The crappie action a few weeks ago was very good from the docks at the ramp.
Clear Lake State Park is another excellent fishing area. You have to pay a small fee to enter the park but it”s well worth it. There are two excellent areas the channel where the ramp is located offers very good bass fishing and the other good area is near the swimming beach.
Redbud Park in Clearlake has long been known has an excellent area to fish from shore. There are several docks where large bass are caught as well as bluegill and crappie.
The new boat ramp at Clearlake Oaks is another area where fishermen can catch bass, crappie and bluegills off the docks.
The county park at Lucerne has long been known as an excellent area for bass. The best fishing is off the wooden wall that serves as a breakwater.
The county park at Nice also has access for public fishing. The area is excellent for bass and crappie.
In addition to the public areas a few resorts allow fishing off their docks for a small fee.
The only local water scheduled to be stocked with trout this week is the East Branch of the Russian River. Upper Blue Lake won”t be stocked until next month.
The lake level at Indian Valley Reservoir is dropping as water is being drawn out for irrigation. Overall the kokanee and trout action has been only fair. Bass fishing remains very good.
The fishing pressure has been very light.
