Clear Lake fishermen are hoping for a few days of decent weather so they can get out onto the lake. On Wednesday, the lake resembled an ocean. By Thursday, the lake was flat although it was still chilly.
The cold air and the cold water temperature has made the fishing anything but relaxing. The good news is that the blustery, wet weather is forecast to come to an end just in time for the weekend. The result is that fishing at Clear Lake and other nearby lakes should be good.
The lake level is slowly rising. As of Thursday, the lake level was at 3.46 feet and rising. The water temperature on Thursday morning was a chilly 43 degrees, but in the afternoons it has been climbing as high as 50 degrees in some areas. The only problem is that the water in the north end of the lake is slightly dirty from the storms. The water clarity is still good in the south end.
Prior to the recent storms, a few fishermen were finding success casting jerkbaits in the shad colors. However, with the dirty water in much of the north end of the lake it will take a few days before it clears up.
Jigs and plastic worms also have been productive. According to most of the experts, the trick to success is to work the jig or plastic worm slowly. Another successful technique in stained water is to shake a plastic worm.
A 6-inch worm is rigged on a 1/0-wide gap hook and a 1/8-ounce worm weight is pegged tight to the hook with a toothpick. The worm is cast back in the tules or under a dock and allowed to sink to the bottom. The tip of the rod is twitched. This allows the worm to dance on the bottom. When a fish grabs the worm, all you will feel is slight pressure.
Jumbo or extra large minnows are also deadly even in stained water. Most of the fishermen are rigging the minnow either on a slip bobber or allowing it to swim free without a bobber.
In addition to live minnows, nightcrawlers also can be very effective on bass and they”re a lot cheaper to buy. A few fishermen have been rigging the nightcrawlers on a drop-shot rig and it has been deadly.
Bass are being caught by dock fishermen working the docks at Library Park in Lakeport and at the Lakeside County Park. Jumbo minnows have been taking most of the fish.
Crappie action remains a little slow and most of the fishermen are struggling to put a dozen fish in the boat. Shag Rock and Kono Tayee continue to be the more popular areas. A few crappie are being caught along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline. The trick is to keep moving from dock to dock until you locate a school of fish. The crappie are holding near the bottom, so allow your jig to sink all the way.
Other nearby lakes are producing good action. At Indian Valley Reservoir, the trout action was good prior to the recent storms. Most of the successful fishermen are trolling Needlefish or Cripplures near the surface. The best action has been from mid-lake to the north ramp. The recent storms have muddied up the water in the north end, although that should clear quickly.
There have been very few fishermen at Upper Blue Lake. The lake was recently stocked and is scheduled to be stocked again next week, so it should be a good bet for the weekend.
Trout fishing is still rated as good at Lake Berryessa. Some of the better areas have been in the Narrows and off Skier”s Cove. The more successful fishermen have been casting live minnows to the surface feeding fish.
Bass fishermen are finding decent action on smallmouths and largemouths by drop-shotting a plastic worm in the deeper water.
Bear season closes on Sunday and as of Thursday hunters had taken 1,613 bears. The yearly hunting quota of bears in California is 1,700.
