Warm weather and a rising water temperature helped tournament fishermen competing in the FLW-Stren Series bass tournament on Clear Lake this week. Of the 400 fishermen (200 pros and 200 co-anglers) in the tournament, a total of 1,840 bass were weighed in Wednesday, the first day of the tournament.
Most of the fishermen reported catching plenty of the smaller male bass that were staging just prior to moving on their spawning beds. The top lures were drop-shotting plastic worms, jigs and crankbaits. A few of the fishermen were successful using smaller swimbaits.
The leading weight in the pro division after the first day was a healthy 34 pounds, 11 ounces. In the co-angler division, the leading weight was 23 pounds, 7 ounces.
After today”s third round the field will be cut to 10 pros and 10 co-anglers. Saturday”s final weigh-in takes place at the Wal-Mart parking lot in Clearlake starting at 4 p.m.
The bad news is the weather forecast is calling for a colder and winder weekend, which will slow down the action. To date, this has been a cold spring and the bass still haven”t started spawning in any large numbers although several fishermen have reported seeing some young bass fry.
For those who just want to catch a bunch of fish, one of the best methods is drop-shotting a plastic worm back in the tules. All you have to do is spot a fish either cruising or locked on a bed and pitch the plastic worm in front of the fish. Shake the rod tip a bit and you”re almost guaranteed to catch the fish. Most of the bass you catch will be the smaller and more aggressive males ranging between 1-4 pounds.
One would think that with the high price of gasoline the fishing action would slow down on Clear Lake, but it”s been just the opposite. The lake is busier than ever and on any given day there have been at least 100 boats out on the lake. In fact, the local fishing guides say they have never had a busier season and most are booked solid well into the summer.
A few catfish are starting to show for anglers working the Cache Creek and Horseshoe Bend areas. The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven annual catfish derby is only a month away and fishermen are already out trying to locate catfish. The derby is scheduled for May 16-18.
The lake level is also dropping as Yolo County starts to draw water out of the lake for irrigation.
There has been only one report out of Indian Valley Reservoir and that was from a bass fisherman who caught a dozen largemouths and smallmouths. He fished mainly near the dam and said he was the only fisherman on the lake. There are no reports of any kokanee or trout being caught The lake level is also dropping fast as water is being drawn out.
At Upper Blue Lake, the trout action has been fair for trollers. Bank fishermen are only picking up an occasional fish. The lake won”t be stocked again for at least two more weeks. Bass fishing has been fair to good for fishermen drop-shotting a plastic worm in the deeper water. The water is extremely clear.
Lake Pillsbury is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. This has been another lake with very few fishermen. I was at the lake Sunday and saw only three boats on the entire lake.
Turkey hunters are in the middle of their spring season and to date the season has been rated as very good. Many of the hens have now left the flocks to sit on their eggs and the gobblers are on the prowl. The surprising news is the lack of hunting pressure. Even in the more popular areas such as the Cache Creek Wildlife Area there have been few hunters.
