Finally Clear Lake is having some inflow and the lake level is slowly rising. As of Thursday morning the lake level stood at .89 feet and the creeks are flowing. I checked out Scotts Creek and water is flowing for the first time this year. With another storm on the horizon, the outlook is good for the lake level to rise even more.
The water temperature is also on the rise, which means the fishing should improve. As of Thursday the water temperature was 50 degrees at the docks at Library Park in Lakeport. For most of the bass fishermen, 50 degrees is the magic number during the winter because that”s when the fish start to become active. The problem has been the dense fog in the mornings. It”s usually clear by noon.
Jeff and Kevin Cockriell of Kelseyville won the American Bass team tournament on Sunday with 22.41 pounds. Jeff said they caught their fish using jerkbaits in one small area. He said the fish were tightly schooled and they caught a total of 25 bass. They won $1,500. The other top lure was swimbaits fished slowly so that they bumped the bottom.
There is no question the fish have been lethargic. The guides, who use live jumbo minnows, report the bass are barely mouthing the minnows and you have to be patient to catch the fish. Kelseyville angler George Hill has come up with a unique method of rigging a jumbo minnow. He rigs them drop-shot style with one difference. He attaches a four-inch length of line with a hook above the sinker. This allows the minnow to have more action and it will often swim in a small circle. Most of the guides either use a bobber or allow the minnow to swim freely, with only a small split-shot weight to keep the minnow down. Hill”s method allows you to better control the minnow.
What is noticeable are the lack of birds on the lake. Most of the pelicans and grebes have moved on to other waters where this is more food. One resident of Fort Bragg said he has been seeing a lot of grebes recently. Some of these birds came from Clear Lake.
FLW Outdoors is holding its National Guard Western Series tournament this week at Lake Shasta. The tournament, which drew 140 boats, opened Wednesday and ends Saturday. There are several Lake County fishermen entered in the tournament. Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs was in 19th place by the end of the competition on Thursday with 18 pounds, 3 ounces. In 55th place was Brody Bramlett of Kelseyville with 16 pounds. He was followed by Tommy Cardoza of Lakeport with 14 pounds. Steve Perkins of Lower Lake was in 128th place with 12 pounds, 3 ounces.
Upper Blue Lake continues to kick out limits of trout. According to Art Cerini of the Narrows Lodge Resort, the fishing has been excellent and limits have been common.
Cerini said there are still some very large trout left over from the stocking done a couple of months ago. In fact, a 10-pound rainbow was recently caught. Most of the successful anglers have been trolling in the middle of the lake and varying the depth of their lures until they locate fish. The trout are holding at different depths and that changes from day to day. Bank fishermen also have been successful. This year”s Blue Lakes trout derby is scheduled for April 24-25.
For those who don”t care to fish, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will start its annual guided hiking trips on Saturday at Cache Creek to view eagles and other wildlife. Hikers should meet at 9 a.m. at the Redbud Trailhead, located on Highway 20 where the North Fork of Cache Creek crosses Highway 20.
This is a great opportunity to not only see bald eagles but tule elk as well. Elk are also being seen at the junction of highways 20 and 53. The Cache Creek tule elk herd numbers more than a 300 animals.
