What a difference a year makes. Last year at this time the lake level at Clear Lake was only 4.76 feet on the Rumsey Gauge. This week it”s within an inch of the full mark of 7.56 feet.
Not only are the local residents happy with a full lake, but so is Yolo County because it means more water for the farmers. If the lake level stays at 7.56 feet or higher through May 1, Yolo County will receive its full allotment of water.
The Solano Decree of 1978 outlines the operation of Clear Lake for Yolo County irrigation purposes. If the lake is full at 7.56 feet on May 1, Yolo County can withdraw 150,000 acre-feet of water. When Clear Lake is full, it has a surface area of 43,790 acres and contains 1,155,000 acre-feet of water.
What all this means is that the fishing should be excellent this summer. The tules have plenty of water for the bass to be protected during the spawning season. The warm weather on the horizon should also move the bass onto their spawning beds.
The problem so far this spring has been the cold weather. Earlier this week the water temperature was only about 54 degrees and very few bass were seen in the shallow water. That could all change by the weekend.
The other problem facing the fishermen is the ultra-clear water, especially in the north end of the lake. In many areas around Lakeport you can see down clearly to depths of 5-6 feet. This means the bass are spooky and the successful fishermen are making long casts. Drop-shotting a plastic worm has been effective on the spooky fish. Another effective technique is to work back in the pockets in the tules with a shaky head jig.
The state and county parks have been giving up a fair number of bass as has Rocky Point and the docks in Lakeport. Bass are also being caught in the Clearlake Oaks Keys. Green algae is also starting bloom in the south end near Redbud Park, but it hasn”t hurt the fishing.
As the water warms up the swimbait action should take off on the flats just south of Lakeport and near Adobe Creek.
WON BASS will hold a team tournament on Saturday. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. at Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament prior to the blast-off at the Tackle It tackle shop, located next to the Skylark Shores Motel.
There is some catfish action but it”s been spotty. Actually, there have been very few catfishermen out on the lake. The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven annual catfish derby is scheduled for May 14-16 and that should increase the number of catfishermen.
Mike Stevenson is doing a study on whether hitch will spawn in the lake and is asking fishermen to be on the lookout for any schools of hitch. Call him at 263-7078 if you see any schools of hitch and give him the location(s).
Upper Blue Lake is still kicking out a few trout for trollers. The lake hasn”t been stocked for several weeks. The annual trout derby is scheduled for April 24-25.
Indian Valley Reservoir is worth a try this weekend. The road going into the lake is in fair-to-good condition and the bass are biting. The lake level is up well over the boat ramp at the dam, so launching a boat should be no problem.
The warm weather is certain to bring out the turkey hunters. To date the cold weather has had the toms bunched up, but that should change this week. So far the hunters have rated the season as very good and a number of toms have been taken in the surrounding woods. The spring season runs through May 2 and the limit is one tom per day and three for the season.
