With only a week until Christmas, shoppers are scrambling to buy that last-minute gift. If the person on your list is a fisherman, then a visit to one of the local tackle shops should solve your problem. There are five tackle shops in the county — Tackle It in Lakeport, Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks, Lakeshore Bait and Tackle in Clearlake, Clear Lake Outdoors on Soda Bay Road in Lakeport, and Clear Lake Bait and Tackle in Clearlake. The managers of these shops are experienced fishermen and they can offer expert advice on fishing gifts. They also sell gift certificates. Better yet, ask them to put together a tackle pack of the latest lures and plastic worms.
For those who want to spend a little extra for a unique gift, then a guided bass fishing trip on Clear Lake is an ideal gift. The average cost is about $500 for a full day or $250 for a half day. The names of the local guides can be obtained from the local tackle shops.
A neat gift is a 2010 fishing license. Everyone 16 years and older is required to have one and they only cost $41.50. All the local tackle shops as well as Wal-Mart, Kmart and CVS (formerly Longs Drugs) sell them. You can buy a blank license and fill in the person”s name and address.
On the fishing scene, the unsettled weather kept most of the fishermen off the water this week, but the few brave souls who did venture out reported catching decent numbers of bass, plus an occasional catfish. The recent rains did bring the lake level up by about an inch and a half.
Bass fishing remains decent and the top lure this past week continues to be the lipless crankbait in the shad color. The more successful fishermen have been casting the lure to the docks or above the rockpiles and retrieving the lure yo-yo style. This means they give the lure a hard, short jerk and then pause. The lure will flutter down to the bottom, resembled a dying shad, during the pauses.
The best lure for this style of fishing has been a Lucky Craft LV100 or a LV500. The old standard Rattle Trap also works.
Jigs and plastic worms also have been productive. According to most of the experts, the trick to success is to work the jig or plastic worm slowly. Another technique that is successful is to shake a plastic worm. A 6-inch worm is rigged on a 1/0 wide gap hook and a 1/8-ounce worm weight is pegged tight to the hook with a toothpick. The worm is cast back beneath the docks or above the rockpiles and allowed to sink to the bottom. The tip of the rod is twitched. This allows the worm to dance on the bottom. When a fish grabs the worm all you will feel is slight pressure.
If you want a guarantee to catch bass, live jumbo minnows is the ticket. Most of the fishermen are rigging the minnow either on a slip bobber or allowing it to swim free without a bobber. In addition to live minnows, nightcrawlers also can be very effective on bass and they”re a lot cheaper to buy. A few fishermen have been rigging the nightcrawlers on a drop-shot rig, and it has been deadly.
Most of the action is taking place in the south end of the lake in both the Clearlake Oaks Arm and the Redbud Arm. Henderson Point is also producing fair numbers of fish as is the shoreline along the state park. Bank fishermen working the docks at Library Park in Lakeport and at the Lakeside County Park are catching a few fish. Jumbo minnows have been taking most of the fish.
No local lakes were stocked with trout this week. A few fishermen are finding success at Upper Blue Lake by trolling near the middle of the lake. It”s been slow for bank fishermen.
