Catfish grab the spotlight this weekend as the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven annual catfish derby gets under way at noon today. The tournament wraps up at noon on Sunday.
Tournament headquarters is the Clearlake Oaks Firehouse, where the awards ceremony begins at 1 p.m. on Sunday. There also will be a barbecue and raffle.
If past derbies are any indication, it will take at least a 25-pound-or-better catfish to win the grand prize package of a boat, motor and trailer. It”s unlikely the lake record for catfish of 33 1/4 pounds will be broken, but it could happen.
Most of the catfishermen are concentrating in the south end of the lake near Rattlesnake Island or near Clearlake. Cache Creek should also see a lot of fishermen as should Horseshoe Bend.
The preferred bait for derby contestants will be either jumbo minnows or cut bait. Many of the contestants will be drift fishing. The fishermen will be allowed to fish around the clock and many of the more knowledgeable fishermen will be anchored at their favorite fishing hole all night.
The weather is perfect for catfishing as the forecast is calling for hot weather today and then slight cooling for the weekend. The winds are supposed to die down, which should make fishing more comfortable for those spending the nights anchored out on the lake.
Bass fishermen also should be out in force this weekend.
100 Percent Bass has a team tournament scheduled for Saturday. The tournament operates out of the Anchorage Motel in Lakeport. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
Overall the bass fishing on Clear Lake remains only fair although a few fishermen are doing very well. There are still plenty of bass on the spawning beds but a number have completed their annual spawning cycle and have moved back into the tules or are holding on the rockpiles.
Senkos remain the top lure on the lake. They can be rigged two ways. One is to use a wide-gap size 3/0 hook and rig it weedless style with no weight. The lure is either skipped beneath a dock or cast back in the tules and allowed to slowly sink. Another method is to rig it “wacky worm” style. That”s where the hook is pushed crossways through the body of the worm in the middle. It can be fished either drop-shot style or by itself.
There also have been reports that bass are starting to hit topwater lures. In fact, one fisherman reported catching seven bass on plastic frogs cast back into the tules on Wednesday.
Crappie remain pretty much of a no-show. However, according to Tony Benevento of Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven, there has been a good crappie bite off the resort”s docks. The best action has been after midnight.
Striped bass are being caught at Lake Mendocino. The best action has been the first hour after daylight and the last hour before dark. Topwater lures have been taking most of the stripers, which are ranging from 3 to 10 pounds. Largemouth bass fishing has been very good.
Trout action at Upper Blue Lake is rated fair for trollers working the middle of the lake. The lake is scheduled to be stocked this week. Bass action has been good for fishermen casting Senkos or drop-shotting along Highway 20.
The East Branch of the Russian River still hasn”t been stocked since the opener two weeks ago. Overall the trout fishing has been very slow.
There has been a slight change in the rules for the Father”s Day essay writing contest sponsored by the Record-Bee. The contest is open to all youngsters currently in grades three through eight and that includes out-of-county kids. The reason we decided to allow out-of-county kids to enter is because many of them have grandparents living in Lake County and they would like their grandchildren to be eligible to enter.
The winning youngster will receive a guided fishing trip for him/her and their guest. In addition, the winner receives a new Shimano fishing rod and reel worth more than $200. The two runner-up essay writers receive a new fishing rod and reel compliments of the Tackle It tackle store in Lakeport.
