The warm weather has improved the bass fishing at Clear Lake, but not by much. Most of the fishermen are still working hard to put five or six fish in the boat.
The best action remains in the clearer water in the south end of the lake and the top lure is a jig fished super slow. A good example of fishermen successfully using jigs were the results of the WON BASS team tournament held on Sunday. The tournament drew 21 boats, of which 18 weighed in fish. Eight of the teams weighed in five-fish limits and the winning weight was 21.08 pounds. The average weight per fish in the tournament was 3.06 pounds.
Most of the successful fishermen said they caught their fish by working a black or blue jig slowly over the rockpiles. Others caught their fish by drop-shotting a plastic worm.
The surprising thing is the lack of action on swimbaits. Normally this is the time of the year the swimbaits are the top fish catcher, but not this year.
The water clarity in the north end of the lake is good but the action has been slow. Conditions should improve as the water warms up. The water temperature at Library Park in Lakeport was 47 degrees at noon on Thursday, but earlier in the week the water temperature didn”t rise to 50 degrees until late in the afternoon.
ABA will hold a team tournament on Sunday out of the Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament just prior to blast-off on Sunday morning at the Tackle It tackle shop, which is located on Main Street next to the Skylark Motel.
A few catfish are starting to show up. Horseshoe Bend has been kicking out a few catfish as has Shag Rock. The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven annual catfish derby is scheduled for May 16-18.
Trout action has been good at Upper Blue Lake. Trollers using either a Needlefish or a Kastmaster have been catching three to four fish per outing. Bass fishing has improved slightly.
The ramp and campgrounds at the south end of Indian Valley Reservoir are still closed and there isn”t enough water at the north end to launch anything but small boats or canoes.
The ocean salmon season off Fort Bragg opens Saturday. Normally the opening weekend is on the slow side, but overall the outlook for the upcoming season is good. The limit is two fish per day and they must be at least 20 inches long. Only chinook salmon may be kept. The season is closed on coho (silver) salmon.
The spring wild turkey season doesn”t open until March 29 but hunters who want to hunt Lake Mendocino or Lake Sonoma have to submit their application for permits by Feb. 28.
At Lake Mendocino, there will be a series of three junior and five general hunts. The junior hunts are March 29, April 12 and 15. The general hunt dates are April 1, 3, 5, 8 and 10. Entrance to the hunting area is by boat only.
Hunters should apply for a permit using a standard Postal Service card. Include your name, mailing address, telephone number, hunting license number, boat registration number (CF), a description of the boat and desired hunt date. Two people can apply on one card. Each person can submit only one card. Send the postcard to Lake Mendocino Spring Turkey Hunt, P.O. Box 602, Willits, CA., 95490. The application must be received no later than Feb. 28. For more information call 456-0329.
The Lake Sonoma general hunt will be a two-day hunt and is set for April 5-6. There is also a junior hunt on March 29-30.
Send a postcard with your name, address telephone number, hunting license number and desired hunt date to DFG, Lake Sonoma Spring Turkey Hunt, P.O. Box 47, Yountville, CA., 94599. Applications must be received no later than March 6. Call 944-5537 for more information.
Permits won”t be required on opening weekend at Cache Creek this year so it will be open for everyone.
