The recent hot weather and dropping lake level has changed the character of Clear Lake once again. In the north end of the lake the weeds have started to return and in the south end the algae is back.
I spent Wednesday on the lake and found massive weed beds all the way from Rocky Point to Long Tule Point. The other thing I noticed is that the water was extremely clear near Rocky Point. In fact, I could see the bottom at depths of 3-5 feet in some areas.
The bass fishing has been a feast-or-famine affair. Some anglers are catching up to 25 fish per day and others are struggling to put three to five fish in the boat. The bass are still tightly schooled and the fishermen lucky enough to find a school of fish are catching good numbers. The trick is to keep moving until you locate a school of fish.
The other factor is the number of small bass being seen and caught. Most of the fishermen report catching dozens of bass in the 5-inch class. These are the bass that were spawned early this year and they have been feeding heavily on the silverside minnows that are abundant throughout the lake.
A wide variety of lures have been effective and they range from jigs, swim baits, crankbaits, shaky heads to topwater lures. The trick to catching fish is to make a lot of casts.
Most of the action continues to be in the deeper water in the south end of the lake. There have been fish caught in the Lakeport area but these are in isolated areas. Much of the water around the docks is too shallow to hold fish.
There are no major bass tournaments scheduled for the weekend but there will be plenty of fishermen on the water prefishing for tournaments coming up in October. There will be a two-day Tournament of Champions (TOC) held by 100 Percent Bass on Oct. 3. That tournament goes out of Redbud Park in Clearlake. On Oct. 10-11, the popular Triton Owners Team Tournament goes out of Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina. On Oct. 21, the giant FLW-Outdoors Pro/Am goes out of Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa.
All these tournaments are expected to draw at least 100 boats each. The lake level will probably be less than a foot on the Rumsey Gauge when these tournaments take place, which will make the lake fish very small. In other words, the fishermen will be jammed into the areas that are holding fish.
Catfish action remains very good and the best action is in the south end. The docks at Indian Beach Resort in Clearlake Oaks also have been producing a lot of catfish.
Crappie and bluegill action has been just about non-existent although there is some good news. Vector Control has been out seining for small fish and they report finding good numbers of juvenile crappie and bluegill.
A number of fishermen have been asking where they can fish from shore. Whereas boaters enjoy the best action at Clear Lake, there are several locations where you can fish from a public dock or shoreline. The docks at Library Park in Lakeport offer a good chance of catching a bass or catfish. Another area is Lakeside County Park, located just off Soda Bay Road. The docks at the Lucerne boat ramp often give up a few fish as does Redbud Park in Clearlake.
Tackle It owners Ed and June Clarke in Lakeport have started a “Tackle for Grades” program. Any student (regardless of what grade he or she is in) that has a 3.2 or better GPA can receive free fishing tackle. Call 262-1233 for more information.
Upper Blue Lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. The fishing pressure on this lake has been light. Most of the successful fishermen have been trolling in the middle of the lake. The shore fishing should be good by the weekend.
Hot weather greeted hunters for the opening of the B-zone deer season. Most of the hunters called it quits by noon, however, reports coming out of the Covelo area in the Mendocino National Forest show that hunters saw quite a few bucks. A spokeswoman at the Black Butte Store, located at the edge of the national forest, said that the campground was full for the opening weekend. She said the hunters reported seeing quite a few bucks at the higher elevations and that several of the hunters were successful.
