This has been one of the coolest springs and early summers on record to date, but that”s all about to change as we move into July. Many fishermen said they will welcome the hot weather because the bass fishing should improve on Clear Lake. The hot weather will drive the bass to the docks and beneath the heavy weed mats. The bass will seek the cool shade of the docks around midday and this in when a grub or 4-inch plastic worm can be deadly.
There is no more exciting and deadly method of bass fishing than skipping grubs beneath docks and Clear Lake is ideal for this technique. During the day when the temperature and sun are at their highest, bass will seek the shade of the docks. There are hundreds of crank-up docks at Clear Lake suspended just a few inches above the surface of the water. These are the type of docks the bass prefer.
The grub is rigged on a 1/16-ounce darthead using a spinning rod with 8-pound test line. The cast is made sidearm and you want the lure to strike the surface of the water at a low angle a few inches in front of the dock. Done properly, the grub will make several skips and come to rest deep beneath the dock. Allow the grub to fall naturally. Most of the time the bass will grab the grub on the fall. When a bass bites, you will see your line move off to one side and that”s the time to set the hook. From that point, the battle is on. Most of the fishermen prefer a salt-pepper colored grub. A Senko also works great for skipping.
Normally only one or two casts per dock are required. If a bass is there it will usually grab the lure on the first cast. Using this technique you can cover a series of docks in a short time and locate active fish. This is an ideal technique to use when the temperature soars above 100 degrees.
Overall the bass fishing remains fair to good depending on where you are fishing. In the north end of the lake, the successful fishermen have been casting either topwater lures or Senkos to the open channels or the holes in the weed mats. In the south end, it”s the docks that have been producing most of the fish. One of the top lures continues to be a 4-inch plastic worm or paddle tail grub rigged split-shot style or on a darthead jig. The bass are very finicky and it takes a small-sized lure to get their attention.
There are two bass tournaments scheduled on the lake this weekend. Angler”s Choice is holding a team tournament Saturday. The tournament operates out of the Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina and the weigh-in starts at noon. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament just prior to the blast-off at the Clearlake Outdoors tackle shop, located at 96 Soda Bay Road in Lakeport. American Bass is holding a team tournament Sunday. The weigh-in is at the Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport starting at noon. Sign-ups take place at the Tackle It tackle shop, located next to the Skylark Motel. There also will be four club tournaments going on, so Clear Lake will be a busy place this weekend.
Catfish action is starting to improve on the lake as the channel catfish go into their spawning mode. Channel catfish spawn when the water temperature reaches 70 degrees. Recently the water temperature hs been ranging from 68 to 75 degrees. The best catfish action has been in the Redbud arm of the lake, with Cache Creek being one of the hot spots. Cut mackerel has been the top bait.
Both the East Branch of the Russian River and Upper Blue Lake were scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. Bass are still grabbing most of the attention at Indian Valley Reservoir. The winds have died down and fishermen have been catching both largemouth and smallmouth bass near the dam. One effective method has been to cast a white spinnerbait where the shad are busting the surface. Catfish are also being caught from the shore.
