Without a doubt, one of the most popular bass lures at Clear Lake is the swimbait. The lure is made of soft plastic and resembles a large minnow. The attractiveness of the lure is that it closely resembles many of the baitfish in Clear Lake such as hitch, threadfin shad, juvenile bass and bluegill.
The swimbait is known as a big bass catcher. In fact, during the Bassmasters tournament held earlier this year a national record for total weight for a Bassmasters tournament was set using swimbaits. It is such a popular lure that many of the professional fishermen use nothing but a swimbait during many of the tournaments.
The swimbait varies in size from smaller than 4 inches long all the way up to 14 inches. The price also varies. The most expensive swimbait can cost as much as $100 while the cheapest runs about $3.
A number of companies manufacture the swimbait and all claim theirs is the best lure. A local company has recently started producing a swimbait that has captured the attention of bass fishermen throughout Northern California. The lure is called “the Maverick BH Swimbait” and Tackle It tackle shop right here in Lakeport manufactures them. Ron Sneed of Lakeport originally made the Maverick plastic worms and he recently sold the company to Ed Clarke of Tackle It.
According to Benno Heuno of Tackle It, the BH Swimbait is perfect for Clear Lake. It is 5 inches long and comes in four popular colors — Chartreuse Shad, Threadfin Shad, Black Hitch and Rainbow Trout. A package of lures consists of three swimbaits and sells for $9.
Heuno said the swimbait can be rigged on a size 6/0 weighted hook or football head jig. The lure can be fished slowly along the bottom or retrieved like a crankbait. Unlike the heavier swimbaits, it can even be cast on a medium-weight spinning rod. Heuno said the lure can be purchased at the Tackle It store and he said he hopes to have it in the other local tackle shops soon.
On the fishing scene, the bass fishing at Clear Lake has settled into the typical winter pattern and that means fish slow or even slower. With water temperatures holding in the mid-40s, the bass have become lethargic. The good news is that bass will feed even in the coldest weather, it just take patience on the part of the fishermen. The best times to fish have been in the afternoon when the water temperature warms up a few degrees.
According to fishing guide Bob Myskey, the best bet is to use live minnows and work them slow.
“The is typical for this time of the year and if you want to catch bass then go with live minnows,” Myskey said. According to Myskey, most of the guides are now using live minnows exclusively.
The best action continues to be in the deeper water in the south end of the lake. Jago Bay, the Boat Works and the rockpiles near Rattlesnake Island have been the top producers. In the north end, the docks at Nice and Lucerne continue to kick out some decent bass.
Crappie action is rated fair at Kono Tayee. The fish are spread out along the shoreline and the only problem continues to be the heavy fishing pressure. On most days there are at least a dozen boats jammed in the area around the main dock. There has been very little action to date around the docks at Konocti Harbor Resort.
No local waters are scheduled for trout stocking this week. Upper Blue Lake is producing a few trout for trollers but it”s hardly worth the effort. Bass fishing also has been slow.
The lake level at Indian Valley Reservoir is holding steady but the lake is still very low. It has also been bitter cold at the lake and about the only action is for bass along the rip-rap at the dam.
Using live bluegill as bait in Clear Lake is illegal and you could be cited by the game wardens.
According to Lake County Deputy District Attorney Rich Hinchcliff, three individuals were recently cited by game wardens for using live bluegills as bait. Hinchcliff said Department of Fish and Game (DFG) code Title 14, section 4.25, makes it”s illegal to use live fin fish in Lake County as bait with the exception of threadfin shad, silverside minnows, golden shiners or flathead minnows.
Hinchcliff said the fine if convicted for this offense is a minimum of $340 and a maximum of $680.
