One of the most common questions local tackle shop owners receive is, “Where can I take a kid fishing for bluegill or crappie?” A few years ago that answer was easy. Just bait your hook with a glob of red worms and fish off the nearest dock. In those days, bluegill were abundant in Clear Lake. No longer.
Nowadays it”s rare to catch a bluegill. However, there is a spot where you can load up on small bluegill. It”s Highland Springs Reservoir, located just outside of Lakeport.
Recently a caller asked where he could take his 6-year-old son and be guaranteed to catch fish. He didn”t care if they were small since he was going to release them anyway. I directed him to Highland Springs Reservoir and he reported back that his son caught more than 50 bluegill and was as happy as a clam.
Highland Springs is located just outside of Lakeport on Highland Springs Road. Take Highway 29 south from Lakeport and turn right on Highland Springs Road at the stoplight. Follow the road until it makes a Y and keep to the left. The county has a beautiful park at the small lake where you can hold a picnic, fish and even swim. The lake has a good population of bass, crappie, catfish and bluegill. The lake also has huge bass, some weighing as much as 10 pounds. In fact, it”s a popular place for float tubers. All that is needed is a rod and reel, bobber and a can of worms. Boats without motors are allowed on the lake. The park is open are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m.
On the local bass fishing scene at Clear Lake, most of the fishermen are still struggling to put a limit of fish into the boat. The best action has been in the deeper water in the south end where jigs and wacky rigged Senkos worked over the rockpiles are producing a few fish. The topwater action is still slow although a few fishermen report having success working a buzzbait along the weed patches.
In the Lakeport area, the thick weeds are still a problem although a few fish are being caught at Rocky Point on Senkos or jigs. Several bass clubs held tournaments last weekend and one club had six boats and no one caught a fish. However, another club held a night tournament and 11 out of the 13 boats brought in limits.
Nine-year-old Nathan Phillips of Lakeport reeled in a 5-pound-plus bass while fishing with his dad, Steve. Young Phillips caught his bass on a crankbait near the Narrows. He also caught another bass weighing about 4 pounds. Steve reported seeing a forked-horn buck standing on Shag Rock. He said the deer watched him and his son fish and never moved.
The Northshore Lions Club will sponsor a team bass tournament Sept. 19. The tournament goes out of the Lucerne Harbor and headquarters is Lucerne Bait and Tackle Shop, located at 6134 E. Highway 20, Lucerne. The entry fee is $120 per team with a $20 big-fish option and a $10 second big-fish option. There is a barbecue after the tournament. Call (707) 274-2544 for more information.
Catfish action continues to be very good around the lake. Gary Hill of Kelseyville caught six catfish Monday evening and seven Tuesday evening. All were caught on live crawdads near the State Park.
Once again no local waters were stocked with trout this week. For some reason the Department of Fish and Game DFG hasn”t stocked Upper Blue Lake in more than a month and fishing has been dismal. The good news is that some nice bass ? between 3-4 pounds ? are being caught by fishermen drop-shotting a plastic worm along the Highway 20 shoreline.
Local deer hunters continue to struggle. Most report seeing few deer of any kind. Local DFG game wardens have been told by the hunters they are afraid to walk very far from the roads in the Mendocino National Forest because of the marijuana growers. The growers are armed and several hunters say they have been threatened and told to leave the area and not come back.
