Clear Lake is a feast-or-famine affair for the bass fishermen. Those who can locate schools of fish have been doing very well while others are struggling.
Bill Timmer of Lakeport caught a total of 15 bass using live minnows on Tuesday. According to Timmer, several weighed in the 5-pound class and he caught all of them in one small location in the north end of the lake.
Angler”s Choice held a team tournament Saturday and the winners were Kevin Hall of Middletown and Jimmy Ghiorso of Clearlake with a five-fish limit weighing 28.76 pounds. They won $1,780 in prize money. The tournament drew only 14 teams, of which only four weighed in limits. The overall average weight per fish was an impressive 4.3 pounds, but the average number of fish weighed in per team was only 2.5.
There is no question many of the fishermen continue to struggle and most consider themselves lucky to boat three or four bass for a full day on the lake. The most successful anglers are using jumbo minnows and rigging them drop-shot style. The trick to success is to stay on the move until you locate active fish and then work the area thoroughly. A few bass are still being caught using the Lucky Craft LV500 lipless crankbait and retrieving it yo-yo style. Chatterbaits also have been effective. There has been very little topwater action. The north and south ends of the lake have been producing a few fish.
There are no major bass tournaments scheduled for the lake this weekend. Craig Anderson at Ferndale Resort, located in Soda Bay, is starting a Sunday shootout series. The first one is this Sunday and the hours of the tournament are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The entry fee is $20 per person and each fisherman can only weigh in one fish. He also wants to try and get kids 15 years and younger involved. There will be a separate pool for a $10 fee. He has room for 20 boats and trailers at Ferndale Resort but you can launch anywhere and just show up. He said next spring he might start a Thursday night series. For information call (916) 521-7189.
Catfish action remains excellent. In fact, a number of bass fishermen report catching large catfish on jigs and crankbaits. Cut mackerel or jumbo minnows also have been effective. Just about every location is producing decent numbers of catfish. One of the better locations is the State Park where catfish to 20 pounds are being caught. Catfish are also being caught off the docks at the Lakeside County Park. Crappie are not showing up. It looks like we will have to wait another year for the crappie fishing to kick into gear.
All the baitfish in the lake are attracting flocks of water birds. One species that has suddenly showed up are the eared grebes. Earlier this week I counted more than a 100 in one flock near Library Park in Lakeport. These are the small gray-colored grebes. The number of white pelicans is also increasing because of the millions of small fish. An adult pelican will consume up to 4 pounds of baitfish in a day. Recently an out-of-county duck hunter told me that he had never seen so many snow geese on the lake. What he was seeing were the pelicans and I hope he didn”t shoot any as it is against the law and carries a hefty fine if cited. Occasionally a flock of snow geese will visit the lake but they are not common.
Trout action has been good at Upper Blue Lake and a few of the trout caught weighed more than 3 pounds. Trollers are having the best luck although bank fishermen have been catching trout using Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Bass fishing is also good for the few anglers out after them.
