Trout fishermen are in the spotlight this weekend as the East Branch of the Russian River opens Saturday, the same day as the annual Blue Lakes Trout Derby takes place.
The East Branch of the Russian River will be stocked this week and is primed for the opener. This area traditionally draws a big crowd for the opener. The river is in excellent condition and should provide good fishing.
To reach the fishing area, take the Potter Valley Road off Highway 20. There are a number of places to park.
Most of the fishermen use small spinners or even nightcrawlers and fish the holes. A few anglers fly fish.
Lake Pillsbury is also producing limits of trout and the best part is the fishing pressure is practically nil. Bass to 6 pounds are also being caught. The lake level is lower than normal but fishable.
Trout fishermen will be out in force this weekend for the 21st annual Blue Lakes Trout Derby. Derby hours are 7 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sunday. The Narrows Resort is tournament headquarters and the entry fees are $8 for adults and $4 for kids younger than 16. The winner receives $150, the runner-up gets $75, and the third-place finisher receives $50. Proceeds from the derby go toward the volunteer firefighters and other local community projects. Call 275-2718 for more information.
A number of people have asked about the trout and kokanee fishing at Indian Valley Reservoir. The lake wasn”t stocked with trout last fall because of low water and there have been very few kokanee showing up. Bass fishing has been fair. The lake level is down about 75 feet and continues to drop rapidly as water is being drawn out for irrigation.
Cold weather continues to plague bass fishermen at Clear Lake but that could change this weekend as the temperatures is forecast to be in the 70s. Overall the fishing has been slow and the bass still haven”t moved into the shallows to spawn.
The more successful fishermen have been using jumbo minnows and working the edges of the tules. Shaking a plastic worm or working a jig slowly along the bottom are other effective methods. A few bass are also taking swimbaits. Now that the major tournaments are done the fishing pressure has slacked off.
The best action has been in the south end of the lake off the tules. Cache Creek and Rodman Slough are also producing a few bass.
American Bass will hold a team tournament Sunday. The weigh-in starts at 3 pm. at the Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament as late as Sunday morning prior to blast-off at the Tackle It tackle shop in Lakeport.
A few crappie are being caught off the docks at the Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven. Shag Rock is also producing a few crappie as is the Clearlake Oaks Keys.
Catfishermen are also waiting for the water to warm up. A few are catching catfish at Cache Creek by soaking cut bait or using night crawlers. The action is still slow.
The spring turkey season has one more week to go (the special archery and junior hunts run through May 18) and the hunting success has slacked off as most of the hens are now sitting on nests and the toms are widely scattered. The weather also has been cold, which in turn has slowed down the breeding season for the toms. In fact, this has been one of the coldest springs in memory. On Sunday I hunted the Mendocino National Forest and at daylight the temperature was a bone-chilling 25 degrees. Not a gobble was heard.
