A dropping lake level and cooling water temperatures will greet the bass pros competing in the Triton Bass Owners Team Tournament this weekend. The tournament is expected to draw about 100 boats and operates out of the Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina. The weigh-in Saturday starts at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m. Fishermen from Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona as well as from throughout California are entered in the tournament.
The tournament is unique in that every team will be eligible to win a new Triton bass boat powered by a 225 hp outboard motor. The boat package is valued at more than $40,000. The names of all the fishermen will be placed in a hat and one name will be drawn for the boat. There will be other raffle prizes as well. The winning team will pocket about $5,000 and other top finishers will also receive cash prizes.
The lake level was at .72 (about nine inches) on the Rumsey Gauge as of Thursday morning. The lake level is dropping at a rate of about two inches per week. These means that much of the shoreline has less than a foot of water and it has forced the bass into the deeper pockets. The water temperatures have been ranging from as low as 63 degrees in the mornings to 71 by mid-afternoon.
Wide ranges of techniques and lures have been used to catch the bass. The top technique continues to be yo-yoing a lipless crankbait such as a Lucky Craft LV500. Other fishermen are having success drop-shotting a plastic worm and casting crankbaits such as the Speed Trap. One fisherman reported doing very well using a shaky head jig with a Fluke attached. He said it resembled a shad fluttering in the water and the bass were grabbing it.
Some of the local fishing guides have switched to live jumbo minnows and are doing very well. Ross England reports that two of his clients caught more than 50 bass using the minnows on Monday. He said he fished the deep-water docks in the south end of the lake.
100 Percent Bass held its Tournament of Champions (TOC) last weekend and it took 40 pounds to win. The tournament went out of Redbud Park in Clearlake and drew 106 boats. It took 33 pounds to finish in the money.
A few fishermen have been catching some decent-sized catfish off the docks at Lakeside County Park and at Library Park in Lakeport. Most of the action has been taking place in the evenings. Ken Taddie of Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven caught a 24-pound, 12-ounce catfish off the resort”s docks early this week. The big catfish was caught on a live jumbo minnow.
Upper Blue Lake was scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. There have been very few fishermen out on the lake and with the cooling water, the fishing should be good for trollers and bank fishermen.
Mountain lion sightings continue around Lake County. A pair of bass fishermen reported seeing a young mountain lion walking along the shoreline at Jago Bay on Wednesday. The lion had a squirrel in it mouth.
Deer hunters are hoping for rain to improve the hunting in the B-zones. The deer are still at the higher elevations and it will take some inclement weather to get them on the move.
Bear Creek, located at the edge of Snow Mountain in the Mendocino National Forest, has long been popular with local deer hunters. However, a number of hunters (included myself) were surprised to find that the U.S. Forest Service has blocked off the only road into the Potato Hill area, located just above the campground. I hunted the area on Monday and found a locked gate across the road about two miles up from the campground. The reason given for the closure is because it”s now part of the Snow Mountain Wilderness Area. Only hikers and horses are allowed in the area, with the exception of private property owners who have been allowed access with their vehicles.
As a result of the road closure, several thousand acres are now basically off limits unless you own a horse or are a friend of the property owners, in which case you can drive into the area.
