By Terry Knight
Clear Lake is undergoing some dramatic changes as we go into the summer months. The clear water in the north end of the lake is making the weeds grow like crazy. In the south end, it”s the algae that”s drawing most of the attention. Clear Lake is like two different bodies of water.
In Lakeport and the Nice-Lucerne areas, the weeds are sprouting up everywhere, which is making the water ultra clear. However, in the south end, the algae is thick as pea soup. In fact, some boaters have been complaining that the algae is getting into their outboard motor water pumps and clogging up their engines.
Bass fishing has been a mixed bag. Some of the fishermen are catching up to 30 fish per day and others are struggling to put a few fish into the boat. The good news is that the topwater bite has finally taken off and fishermen using SkitterPops or other topwater lures have been cashing in. I fished the north end of the lake on Tuesday and caught 15 bass on topwater lures. That paled in comparison to Kelseyville angler Mike Rothstein and Jim Craig of Upper Lake. They caught more than 30 bass on Tuesday.
Most of the bass have finished spawning and have moved out into the deeper water. This is especially true in the Lakeport area when massive weed beds are starting to form. The bass are widely scattered throughout the weeds and the trick to success is to be constantly on the move until you locate concentrations of fish. Fishermen using topwater lures have been scoring by casting the lure into the small openings in the weed mats and giving a few jerks. The bass have been exploding on the lures.
Another method that has been effective is to cast a Fluke, which is a soft plastic lure that is rigged weedless, past the mats and retrieve it with short jerks and long pauses. That”s how Rothstein and Craig caught their fish.
In the south end of the lake the successful fishermen are using jigs or drop-shotting. Some of the better areas have been near Monitor Island and Konocti Bay.
The big question many fishermen are asking is what has happened to the larger fish? Most of the bass being caught are weighing less that 4 pounds and are they are averaging from 2-3 pounds. There have been very few fish caught weighing more than 6 pounds.
The results of the two-day Angler”s Choice Pro/Am held over the weekend are a good example. The big fish of the tourney weighed only 8.86 pounds and, in fact, it was the only bass that weighed more 8 pounds caught during the tournament. This has been typical for most of the tournaments held this year as there have been very few fish weighing more than 8 pounds coming to the scales.
Even the local fishing guides are saying their clients are catching fewer big fish this year than in more than a decade. Some of the theories going around are that the big fish have died off because of a lack of food or just from old age. Whatever the reason, the big fish don”t seem to be out there. Clear Lake”s reputation as the “Bass Capitol of the West” is based on its trophy bass and if the big fish don”t start showing up soon, that title could be in jeopardy.
WONBASS will hold a team tournament on Saturday and the weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. at the Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament at the Tackle It tackle shop, located next to the Skylark Motel. This weekend will be the last weekend for the summer where tournaments last a full day. Starting Monday, the Department of Fish and Game will require all bass tournaments be held to a six-hour duration in order to protect the fish during the hot summer months.
Catfish action continues to be good for the few anglers after them. The more successful fishermen have been working the south end of the lake using cut mackerel for bait. Crappie are pretty much a no=show with the exception of a few fishermen who are catching some very large crappie in the south end.
Trout fishing at Upper Blue Lake is only rated fair. A few anglers are catching some large trout in the 2-pound-plus range. Bass fishing remains good. The East Branch of the Russian River is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week.
Kudos to Tami Cook of the Lake County Education Office. Cook supervises youngsters in the Work Ability 1 program. One of the tasks she has youngsters do is clean up the area around the Fifth Street Boat Ramp in Lakeport. She takes a team of young people to the ramp each Monday morning and cleans up the trash left by the weekenders.
