Cooling water temperatures will greet the bass pros competing in the Triton Bass Owners Team Tournament this weekend. The tournament is expected to draw about 120 boats and will operate out of the Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina. The weigh-in starts Saturday at 3 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Fishermen from Washing-ton, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona and throughout California are entered in the tournament. Last year the winning team of Mike Rothstein of Kelseyville and Joe Pool of Lower Lake weighed in 40.38 pounds for the two-day event.
The tournament is unique in that every team is eligible to win a new Triton bass boat powered by a 225-hp outboard. The boat is valued at more than $40,000. All the boat owners” names will be placed in a hat and one name will be drawn for the boat. There will be other raffle prizes as well. The winning team also pockets about $5,000. Other top finishers also receive cash prizes.
Fisheremen are being asked by lakeside homeowners to keep their speed down when traveling in the channels to a no-wake speed to prevent damage to the docks and shoreline.
Overall the fishing is still a little on the slow side although it should improve by the weekend. A few fishermen have been successful by casting plastic frogs to the weed mats, while others have been casting a Senko in the shallow water along the tules. Other fishermen are having success drop-shotting a plastic worm and casting crankbaits such as the Speed Trap. One fisherman reported doing very well using a shaky head jig with a Fluke attached. He said it resembled a shad fluttering in the water and the bass were grabbing it.
Dave Brabec of Clear Lake Outdoors said he caught some bass on plastic frogs earlier this week near Anderson Island. Some of the local fishing guides have switched to live jumbo minnows and are doing fair. Richard Pounds guided a party earlier this week and caught 11 bass using minnows.
The fishing pressure will increase starting this weekend. In addition to the Triton tournament, the Angler”s Choice Tournament of Champions (TOC) is Oct. 16-17 followed by the American Bass TOC on Oct. 23-24. Both tournaments are expected to draw more than 150 boats.
Catfish action is rated very good. Gary Hill of Kelseyville reports he is catching from five to 10 catfish per evening while fishing near the State Park. He is using nightcrawlers fished beneath a bobber. He is also picking a few bass on the nightcrawlers.
A few fishermen have been catching some decent-sized catfish off the docks at Lakeside County Park and at Library Park in Lakeport. Most of the action has been taking place in the evenings. There also have been reports of huge bluegill being caught at various locations around the lake, with some weighing more than a pound.
The good news is some huge crappie are being caught. Ken Taddie of Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven said his guests have been averaging from six to eight crappie each evening while fishing from the resort”s docks. Some of the crappie have been huge, weighing up to 2 pounds. Catfish action also has been good.
Upper Blue Lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. There have been very few fishermen out on the lake and the cooling water means the bass action should improve. The fishing should be good for trout fishermen trolling a red-gold Kast-master.
Deer hunters are hoping for rain to improve the hunting in the B zones. Many of the deer are still at the higher elevations and it will take some bad weather to get them moving.
Quail hunters in the Mendocino National Forest report quail are everywhere and that includes both valley and mountain quail. One area that has been producing good numbers of mountain quail has been the Bear Creek area. The Lake Pillsbury area also has been providing good quail hunting.
