After weeks of only mediocre bass fishing at Clear Lake, the fishing has broken wide open. This past week saw fishermen enjoying some of the best topwater action of the season. The results of the WONBASS team tournament, one that required the contestants to use plastic frogs only, were a good example. The winning team weighed in 24 pounds of bass and it took 21 pounds just to receive a check.

Of the 28 teams in the tournament, only six failed to catch a five-fish limit. Most of the fishermen said they caught and released 20-30 fish, and that was for a six-hour tournament.

The reason the frog action has taken off is because there has been an explosion of silverside minnows. The silversides are hiding under the mats and the juvenile bass are feeding on them. This in turn draws the larger bass, which feed on the juvenile bass. A plastic frog cast to the mats and given a twitch or two will draw an explosive strike.

Another topwater lure that has become popular the past few years is the Horny Toad. A number of people want to know what a Horny Toad is and how to fish it. It”s a soft plastic lure with a twin tail. A special size 5/0 hook is used and it”s rigged weedless. The lure is cast to the weeds and retrieved with a steady action, which makes the tail buzz along the surface. When a fish grabs the lure, count to three before setting the hook. Normally you will get three or four blowups for every fish hooked, but that”s what makes this type of fishing so exciting. I also keep a spare rod rigged with a Skitter Pop handy and when I see a small opening in the weeds I cast to it. This also has been a very productive technique. The Horny Toad and the special hooks can be purchased at all of the local tackle shops.

There are now weed mats all along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline, the Lakeport area and from the Lakeside County Park to the State Park. All are holding bass. Plastic frogs also have been effective in the south end of the lake. The best times to fish has been from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. because the bass will go to the mats during the hottest part of the day.

Algae is now all around the lake with the exception of the middle. It is thick in some areas but overall it hasn”t had an impact on the fishing. The reason there are algae blooms in the north end is because the weeds have died off and there are now nutrients available for the algae. It will be another month before the algae starts to die off. By the end of September it should be pretty much gone.

Catfish action remains very good for the few anglers after them. Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing good numbers of catfish, some weighing as much as 20 pounds. Crappie and bluegill action has been dead and most of the anglers have given up on them.

The good news for trout fishermen is that the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has announced that Upper Blue Lake will be stocked with trout on Sept. 1 and Sept. 21. After that the lake will be put on a regular stocking schedule.

The 2009-10 waterfowl seasons have been set. The season opens on Oct. 24 and runs through Jan. 31, 2009. The daily limit is seven ducks, of which there can be seven mallards but only two hen mallards. The daily bag limit can also include two pintails, one canvasback, two redheads and three scaup.

Regardless of the species, no more than seven ducks can be taken daily. The goose daily limit is eight birds of which only six can be the large Canada geese, six small Canada geese, six white geese and four white fronts. The total number of geese in the daily bag limit must not exceed eight. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.

After weeks of only mediocre bass fishing at Clear Lake, the fishing has broken wide open. This past week saw fishermen enjoying some of the best topwater action of the season. The results of the WONBASS team tournament, one that required the contestants to use plastic frogs only, were a good example. The winning team weighed in 24 pounds of bass and it took 21 pounds just to receive a check.

Of the 28 teams in the tournament, only six failed to catch a five-fish limit. Most of the fishermen said they caught and released 20-30 fish, and that was for a six-hour tournament.

The reason the frog action has taken off is because there has been an explosion of silverside minnows. The silversides are hiding under the mats and the juvenile bass are feeding on them. This in turn draws the larger bass, which feed on the juvenile bass. A plastic frog cast to the mats and given a twitch or two will draw an explosive strike.

Another topwater lure that has become popular the past few years is the Horny Toad. A number of people want to know what a Horny Toad is and how to fish it. It”s a soft plastic lure with a twin tail. A special size 5/0 hook is used and it”s rigged weedless. The lure is cast to the weeds and retrieved with a steady action, which makes the tail buzz along the surface. When a fish grabs the lure, count to three before setting the hook. Normally you will get three or four blowups for every fish hooked, but that”s what makes this type of fishing so exciting. I also keep a spare rod rigged with a Skitter Pop handy and when I see a small opening in the weeds I cast to it. This also has been a very productive technique. The Horny Toad and the special hooks can be purchased at all of the local tackle shops.

There are now weed mats all along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline, the Lakeport area and from the Lakeside County Park to the State Park. All are holding bass. Plastic frogs also have been effective in the south end of the lake. The best times to fish has been from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. because the bass will go to the mats during the hottest part of the day.

Algae is now all around the lake with the exception of the middle. It is thick in some areas but overall it hasn”t had an impact on the fishing. The reason there are algae blooms in the north end is because the weeds have died off and there are now nutrients available for the algae. It will be another month before the algae starts to die off. By the end of September it should be pretty much gone.

Catfish action remains very good for the few anglers after them. Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing good numbers of catfish, some weighing as much as 20 pounds. Crappie and bluegill action has been dead and most of the anglers have given up on them.

The good news for trout fishermen is that the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has announced that Upper Blue Lake will be stocked with trout on Sept. 1 and Sept. 21. After that the lake will be put on a regular stocking schedule.

The 2009-10 waterfowl seasons have been set. The season opens on Oct. 24 and runs through Jan. 31, 2009. The daily limit is seven ducks, of which there can be seven mallards but only two hen mallards. The daily bag limit can also include two pintails, one canvasback, two redheads and three scaup.

Regardless of the species, no more than seven ducks can be taken daily. The goose daily limit is eight birds of which only six can be the large Canada geese, six small Canada geese, six white geese and four white fronts. The total number of geese in the daily bag limit must not exceed eight. The possession limit is twice the daily bag limit.