Andrea Chabak of Clearlake Oaks took the outstanding photo of the mountain lion that appeared on the front page of Wednesday”s Record-Bee. It just shows that it”s important to always carry a camera when out on the lake. Most people have never seen a mountain lion much less been close enough to take a picture of one. The photo also confirms that mountain lions are common throughout Lake County.
Earlier this year fishing guide Bob Myskey took a photo of two vulture chicks standing on a rock near Shag Rock. The chicks were snow white, which few people were aware of. I know in all my years in the woods I have never seen a vulture chick.
The one time I had the opportunity to witness a spectacular sight while on the lake was last year when a mother otter and her pup put their feet up on the edge of my bass boat and peered over the side at me. It was one of the rare times I didn”t have my camera. Later in the day a bass fisherman told me an adult otter climbed into his boat, curled up and went to sleep on the back deck of the boat. It stayed there for about 45 minutes before jumping back over the side. He also didn”t have a camera with him.
On the fishing scene, bass fishermen continue to work hard for their fish. The best action has been from the Narrows to the south end, where most of the bass are being caught on Senkos or by drop-shotting a plastic worm. There still has been very little frog action. Many fishermen spend hours casting a plastic frog to the weed mats for only one or two blowups.
One technique that has been very successful is casting a jig to the edges of the weed mats. A good example of this occurred on Tuesday evening when Greg Giusti and Bryan Robertson of Kelseyville fished near the State Park. Using jigs they caught more than 20 bass, several weighing in the 5-pound class.
Another area that has been producing decent numbers of bass is Henderson Point, where drop-shotting a plastic worm in 20 feet of water has proven to be very successful.
The heavy weed growth is still a contributing factor in the Lakeport area. For example, the weed mats are so thick just north of the Fifth Street ramp in Lakeport that you can”t get a boat through them. In fact, a number of boaters have complained about their outboards overheating because of the water intakes being plugged by weeds. I have noticed that some of the weeds are starting to die off. This is normal as we go into the late summer months.
The thick algae mats are a factor at Redbud Park in Clearlake, but many boaters are getting around the mats by launching when the algae thins out at different times of the day.
Yolo County has cut back on its water releases from Clear Lake to 33 cfs, which is normal. The two-month drawdown of irrigation water taken from Clear Lake resulted in less than a 12-inch overall drop to the lake level.
Clear Lake will be a busy place next spring. The Bassmasters Elite Series returns March 18-21 and will be nationally televised on ESPN. It will operate out of Lakeport. The popular annual Holder Ford-Mercury team tournament is scheduled for March 13-14.
No local waters were stocked with trout this past week. A few trout are being caught by trollers at Upper Blue Lake, but most of the action has been for bass. No fishermen have been at Lake Pillsbury, the reason being that the lake hasn”t been stocked for months. The bass fishing has been good.
For those interested in learning more about the history of Clear Lake, Dr. Harry Lyons will give a talk Saturday at Clear Lake State Park. The program starts at 1:30 p.m. and it”s free. Few people know Clear Lake as well as Dr. Lyons. He will explain the latest algae blooms and provide other great information.
