Bass fishing at Clear Lake continues to be a feast-or-famine affair. One day the bite is wide open and the next it”s nearly impossible to catch a fish. Mike Rothstein of Kelseyville fished with Jim Craig of Upper Lake on Saturday and they caught 19 bass, including a 7-pounder and several between 4-6 pounds. All their fish were caught on lipless crankbaits in the north end of the lake.
Not all fishermen have been that successful. I fished on Wednesday and didn”t get a bite. Several other fishermen I met on the lake also reported catching no bass or only one or two.
Without a doubt the most consistent action has been on jumbo minnows and that”s what most of the guides are using. In fact, many of the recreational fishermen have switched to live minnows for the simple reason you”re almost guaranteed to catch fish. Minnows aren”t cheap ? costing $12 a dozen or a buck a minnow ? and on a good day you will go through at least two dozen minnows. The stores that sell the minnows are the Fastop Conveniance Store and Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport, Limit out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks, Clearlake Bait and Tackle and Lakeshore Bait and Tackle in Clearlake. The minnows have been so popular that all the tackle shops in the county were sold out by Tuesday. The good news is there was a fresh delivery of minnows on Wednesday. Several of the tackle shops have told me they are now selling from 500-1,000 minnows per week. A lot of bass fishermen scorn the use of live minnows but many of these same fishermen do use them. In fact, one fisherman told me last week he was fishing near Henderson Point and saw five bass boats in the area and all were using live minnows.
For those who prefer artificial lures, the lipless crankbait such as the LV500 made by Lucky Craft remains the top lure. It”s also an easy lure to fish. Just cast the lure out and once it hits the water give it a short, hard jerk and allow it to sink to the bottom. Repeat this action as you slowly reel in the lure. Many times a bass will grab the lure when it”s resting motionless on the bottom. Other times the bass grabs the lure on the fall. While falling the lure resembles a dying shad as it flutters down. The LV500 has rattles, which are so noisy it can be heard buzzing all the way back to the boat.
The beauty of fishing this way is you cover a lot of water and can find active fish. Moving along the shoreline fast is the top technique in locating bass during the winter months. The fish are schooled and it”s not unusual to travel up to one-half mile along the shoreline before you get a strike. However, once you catch a fish you should stay put and work the area thoroughly because there are sure to be other bass in the area. Lately the best color for the LV500 has been the chartreuse-shad.
Of course the downside of using this lure is the cost, which is $18. The other problem is when you allow it to sink to the bottom you will pick up a lot of debris. Every fisherman should also carry what is called a “lure knocker.” That”s a device with a weight on the end and short length of chain attached to a long rope. The device will hook onto your snagged lure and retrieve it. At $18 per lure you can”t afford to lose many.
Bass are still biting at night for those fishermen who don”t mind braving the chilly weather. Guide Marty Paradzinski of MP Night Fishing Guide Service in Clearlake continues to hammer the bass at night. On Wednesday evening he caught a total of 15 bass topped by a 10.2-pounder. Paradzinski said that he caught most of his fish at 6 p.m. He said that he fished a jig in the deeper water in the south end of the lake.
Minnesota resident Leon Wilson of Baudette is living proof that one is never too old to hunt. As reported in the Grand Forks Herald newspaper, Wilson who is 101, purchased a deer hunting license in Minnesota this past fall. Last year he shot two deer and had a chance this year. Wilson said that during World War II he tried to enlist in the U.S. Army but was rejected because he was too old. I know of several hunters in Lake County who are in their 80s, but never one who was older than 100.
