Clear Lake bass fishermen are hoping the recent warm weather will move the bass into the shallows and improve the fishing. While bass are finally starting to spawn, this year”s spawn is several weeks later than normal because of the cold and unsettled weather this spring. The bass will probably be spawning well into the summer months.
Guide Bob Myskey and six other guides took out a party of 14 fishermen on Tuesday and Wednesday. Myskey said the overall fishing ranged from fair to good. His clients caught 27 bass on Tuesday and 28 on Wednesday, the largest weighing just less than 5 pounds. They stayed in the north end of the lake and fished the edges of the tules with Senkos and Baby Brush Hogs rigged drop-shot style.
Myskey said the water temperatue ranged from 64-68 degrees and bass were spotted on the spawning beds.
Sight fishing for bass during the spring months is probably the most popular and productive method of fishing, especially for the tournament fishermen. However, many recreational fishermen aren”t familiar with this type of fishing.
Clear Lake is a sight fisherman”s dream in that it”s so shallow that you can normally see the bass on the spawning beds. Most fishermen use polarized sunglasses, which allows them to see the fish. The fishermen slowly cruise the shoreline with their electric trolling motors and look for small pockets in the tules. Bass spawning beds can be identified by small openings about the size of a dinner plate. When a fisherman spots the bed, he looks closely to see if a bass is on it. Normally it”s the male that”s guarding the nest.
The favorite lure for bed fishing is either a white or chartreuse tube bait or a curly-tailed grub rigged on a dart head hook. The reason for the colors is that you can see the lure even if the water is slightly cloudy. The fisherman will then cast the lure right on the bed and allow it to sit there. The male bass will usually approach the lure, stare at it for a few moments and then pick it up to remove it from the nest. When the fisherman sees the lure disappear from view, he sets the hook.
Another technique is to tease the fish into striking the lure. The fisherman will make cast after cast and drag the lure past the nose of the bass. Sometimes it may take 15 minutes to an hour to anger the bass enough for it to strike the lure.
Usually the larger bass are the females and they will often stage near the nest. The technique used to catch these larger bass is to stay back and cast a lure to the suspended fish. Often it will take repeated casts to entice the fish into biting.
Angler”s Choice will hold a team tournament on Saturday. The tournament operates out of Konocti Vista Casino and Marina. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven annual catfish derby begins May 16 and fishermen are already out looking for catfish. The derby is expected to draw more than 400 fishermen. The good news is that the action has improved, and if the water temperature rises to 70 degrees or higher, the fishing should be good for the derby.
The trout action at Upper Blue Lake has slowed. One reason could be that so many of the trout were caught during the recent trout derby. The lake will be restocked next week and the action should improve. Bass fishing has been steady, with drop-shotting being the most productive method.
Very little word is coming out of Indian Valley Reservoir. The lake level continues to drop and by the end of the summer it will be little more than a mud puddle.
Bass fishing has improved at Lake Pillsbury. The water is exceptionally clear and some of the more successful fishermen are seeing the bass cruising in the shallows and casting a plastic worm to them. Trout action has been fair.
Trout action on the East Branch of the Russian River has slowed to a dribble.
The river hasn”t been stocked since the opener and needs a fresh supply of trout.
