Bass fishing at Clear Lake is shifting into high gear as most anglers report catching from 15-25 fish per outing. The topwater action has been very good in the mornings and the evenings. Actually topwater action can be found throughout the day.
The trick is to cast a topwater lure such as a Lucky Craft Sammy or a Skitter Pop back into the open holes or slots in the surface weeds. Often you have 10 yards or less of open water but it can produce a blowup. In fact, one fisherman reported catching a number of bass on a fly rod casting small poppers into the openings.
The other hot lure on the lake continues to be a Senko rigged wacky style. A 3/0 wide gap hook is used and it is pushed through the Senko in its middle. The worm is cast beneath the docks or into a hole in the weeds and allowed to settle to the bottom. The tip of the rod is twitched to make the worm dance. This has been a deadly combination. The best action continues to be in the north end of the lake from the State Park to Lakeport. The Nice-Lucerne shoreline is also providing good action.
The Wednesday night shootout went out of the Lakeside County Park and fielded 16 boats and 29 anglers. Each fisherman was allowed to weigh in only one fish. The winner was Jimmy Ghiorso of Clearlake with a 7.57-pounder. He collected $505. In second place was James Kendall of Clearlake with a 5.31-pound bass. He won $260. Next week the Wednesday night shootout will go out of Redbud Park in Clearlake. The hours are 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The entry fee is $20 for the first big fish and $10 for the second biggest fish. National Bass West will hold a team event out of Redbud Park in Clearlake on Sunday. The weigh-in starts at noon.
Catfish action is also very good as most of the fishermen are catching five to 10 fish per outing. Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing decent numbers of both channel and white catfish. The way you can identify the two species is by counting the rays on the anal fin. A white catfish has 19-23 rays and a channel catfish has 24-29 rays.
Ken Taddie of Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven reports that his guests have been catching a few crappie off the resort”s docks in the evenings. A few crappie are also being caught at Shag Rock.
Both Upper Blue Lake and the East Branch of the Russian River were scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. At Upper Blue Lake both trollers and bank fishermen have been catching trout ranging in size from 10-14 inches. For those who are fishing the East Branch of the Russian River, both fly fishermen and those casting small Mepps spinners should have good luck over the weekend.
The few anglers driving into Indian Valley Reservoir are still catching Bass. The road going into the lake is a little rough and dusty but the fishing has been very good for bass and catfish. Even a few crappie are being caught.
The Zone A deer archery season opens Saturday. Most of the southern portion of Lake County is in the A zone. The Mendocino National Forest will draw most of the bowmen and they can expect excellent conditions because of the wet spring. Just don”t expect to see many deer. The deer herd continues to shrink throughout the state for various reasons, including a shrinking habitat and predation of fawns by coyotes. Archers bagged 20 bucks in Lake County last season. The regular Zone A deer season opens Aug. 14. Hunters are urged to be extra careful with campfires.
Sightings of mountain lions continue around the county. Jim Jonas of Clearlake Oaks reported spotting a mountain lion on Clark”s Island in Clearlake Oaks Tuesday. He said the adult lion was sitting on a small knoll and stayed there for nearly 20 minutes before wandering off.
