Cool and windy weather greeted the bass fishermen this week at Clear Lake. In fact, earlier in the week the weather was downright nasty, including whitecaps covering most of the lake. The good news is that by the weekend the winds are forecast to die down and that should improve the fishing.
The water temperature has been as cold as 58 degrees in the mornings and warming up to about 63 degrees by late afternoon. The water color is also changing. Throughout much of the lake the water is turning a coffee-colored brown. That is caused by a brown algae bloom, which is common for this time of the year. The stained water hasn”t affected the fishing.
The best action has been in the deeper water in the south end of the lake where fishermen have been casting jigs to the rockpiles. That”s the technique many of the successful fishermen in last week”s FLW tournament used. The other successful method has been drop-shotting a plastic worm in the deeper water. Crankbaits also have been very effective. Some of the better areas have been in Konocti Bay, Jago Bay, Monitor Point, Anderson Island and the rockpiles around Rattlesnake Island.
There are no bass tournaments scheduled on the lake this weekend but there will be plenty of fishermen prefishing for the upcoming American Bass Tournament of Champions scheduled for Nov. 7-8. That tournament is expected to draw more than 100 boats.
Cold weather signals the start of jumbo minnow use as bait for Clear Lake”s bass. If there is one surefire method of catching double-digit size bass, it”s with a live jumbo minnow. In fact, live minnows are the favorite method of fishing by the local fishing guides. The minnows aren”t cheap, costing $12 a dozen, but when you consider that a standard crankbait costs upward of $20, a dozen minnows becomes more attractive.
Most of the experienced minnow fishermen rig the minnow one of two ways. One method is to use a slip bobber with a stopper attached to the line. Circle hooks are popular because they don”t hurt the fish and they can be safely released. A small splitshot is attached just above the minnow. The hook is run upward through the lips of the minnow. The bobber should be set so that the minnow swims about two feet off the bottom. The minnow is cast to the rockpiles or the docks and allowed to swim freely. Most of the time when a bass grabs the minnow it first mouths it and the bobber dips below the water. Give a little slack in the line and when the bobber goes under again set the hook with a long, sweeping motion.
The other method is called “fly lining.” This is where no bobber is used and the minnow is allowed to swim beneath the docks or down to the submerged rocks. A small splitshot is attached just above the hook, which forces the minnow to swim down.
Live jumbo minnows can be very effectively fished off the docks at Library Park in Lakeport and at the Lakeside County Park. This is ideal opportunity for those who don”t have access to a boat. Jumbo minnows are also deadly on catfish. In fact, the docks at the Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven are one of the hot spots for catfishermen using jumbo minnows.
Jumbo minnows can be purchased at all the local tackle shops. Earlier this week I checked out the jumbo minnows at Clear Lake Outdoors, located on Soda Bay Road just south of Lakeport, and found their supply of minnows was so lively that they were literally jumping out of the tank. The tackle shop is open Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. In addition to live bait the store carries a wide array of fishing tackle.
Upper Blue Lake is worth a try for trout this weekend. The lake was stocked last week and will be stocked again next week. What is surprising is the lack of fishermen. I checked out the lake earlier this week and saw only one boat trolling for trout.
