Trout grab the fishing spotlight this weekend as the annual Upper Blue Lakes Trout Derby gets under way Saturday morning and the general trout season opens at the East Branch of the Russian River. Both events are expected to draw dozens of fishermen.
Upper Blue Lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week so there should be plenty of fish for the contestants. The Blue Lakes Association and local merchants sponsor the derby and businesses donate prizes. The fishing contest has been in existence for 22 years and proceeds from the event support volunteer firefighters, emergency medical personnel and other Blue Lakes community projects. The hours of the derby are from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday and 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday with weigh-ins each day at the Narrows Resort. Entry fees are $8 per person and $4 for those under 16.
The top prize is $150, second place is $75 and third place is $50. Every child wins a prize. The derby is open to the public and is hosted by the Narrows Lodge Resort, located on 5690 Blue Lakes Road. For more information call 275-2718.
For those trout fishermen who aren”t fishing in the derby, the East Branch of the Russian River opens for trout action Saturday morning. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is scheduled to stock the stream this week. The stream is extremely popular among fishermen and there is expected to be a large crowd on hand for the opener.
Bass fishermen on Clear Lake are looking for warm weather to turn on the bass fishing. This has been one of the coldest springs on record to date and the fish are very late spawning. In fact, the bass are completely confused. One day it will be warm and the bass move into the shallows in preparation for spawning and the next three days the temperature drops and the bass move back out.
A good example was Sunday when American Bass held a team tournament. The water warmed up and a number of fishermen reported sight fishing the bass on the beds. The winning team of Roger Hudson and Bill Sackett said they caught all their fish by casting plastic frogs in the shallows near the Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina. They ended up with 21.39 pounds and took home $1,676. They said the bass were staging in the shallow water. However, by Monday the cold front hit and the bass fishing slowed to a crawl.
There are a few crappie starting to show up. At the Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven, fishermen have been catching a few large crappie off the docks. Most of the action has been occurring at night. Catfish action has been slow.
Indian Valley reservoir is in great shape and producing some excellent bass action. One pair of anglers visited the lake last week and caught more than 20 bass using swimbaits and spinnerbaits. One fisherman even reported catching two large trout, plus the catfish action has been excellent.
Turkey hunters are going into their final week of the spring season, which ends May 2. Hunters are also looking for some warm weather to improve the hunting. So far this year the hunting has been rated only fair. It”s not a lack of birds but because the cold weather has shut down the gobblers. There are some hens already sitting on nests. Cold and wet weather takes a toll on the young chicks. Their feathers get wet and they die of exposure.
For those who don”t plan on fishing or hunting, then a trip to the Heron Festival at the Clear Lake State Park is an excellent choice. There will a wide array of activities, including pontoon boat bird sighting trips and nature walks, plus presentations by some of the top bird and wildlife experts in the state. The best part is that with the exception of the pontoon boat rides the rest is all free, including admission to the park. The festival is on Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
