Clear Lake bass fishermen were hoping the warm weather would turn on the bass bite but it didn”t happen. Despite water temperatures hitting 51 degrees, the bass are still playing hard to get. The results of two tournaments held last weekend were a good example.
On Saturday, WON BASS held a team tournament that drew only seven boats. A grand total of seven bass were weighed in. The winning team had only three fish for 14 pounds. On Sunday, American Bass also held a team tournament, which drew 26 boats. Only 26 bass were brought to the scales. The winning weight was 25 pounds for five bass. Only 11 teams caught a fish.
The poor fishing has the fishermen completely confused. A few fishermen are catching a bass here and there using live minnows, however, those using artificial lures are coming up empty for the most part. The good news is a few bass are being caught in the deeper water in the south end of the lake.
The water clarity has been very good throughout most of the lake and with the lake level at 5.6 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, the tules are flooded and the bass should start to stage for the spring spawn.
Holder-Ford held the opening sign-ups for its tournament on Saturday. The tournament is scheduled for March 12-13 and 12 fishermen stood in line to get the early blast-off numbers. The first team out on March 12 will be George and Kevin Cockriell of Kelseyville. George got in line at 1:30 a.m. on Saturday morning to secure his spot. That tournament goes out of Konocti Vista Casino and features a 100-percent payback of entry fees. It is expected to draw approximately 150 teams. Twenty-eight teams had entered as of Thursday.
Konocti Vista Casino also opened sign-ups for its tournament on Saturday and 10 teams signed up. That tournament is scheduled for April 16-17. According to Konocti Vista Casino spokesman Dave Majestic, those fishermen who want to enter the tournament can get an entry form off the Konocti Vista website at www.kvcasino.com. The entry form must be mailed to ABA, 8616 Green Valley Road, Sebas-tapol, CA 95472. No entries will be accepted at the casino. For more information call (707) 823-3252. The tournament is limited to 100 teams.
There has been very little catfish action and no crappie action. A few catfish are being caught off the docks in the deeper water in the south end.
Several people responded to my Wednesday column on using an underwater video camera to see fish in Clear Lake. Most wanted to know where they could purchase the same camera that I bought for $100. Whereas I won”t give the actual source, the camera can be found in the bass fishing catalogs.
It takes a little practice to use the camera and it”s not guaranteed to find fish. A lot depends on the water clarity. I have been out just about every day for the past week and on some days I have been seeing bass. On others, nothing. It depends on where you are viewing. The south end of the lake has been the clearest. At best in Clear Lake you can see for a distance of about seven feet horizontally, but that covers most of the docks. What I find fascinating are the rocks, weeds and other stuff on the bottom. Some of the rockpiles are awesome and I can see why the bass have so much cover. It also tells me that for every bass that bites at your lure, dozens of others completely ignore it.
Trout fishermen are still waiting for the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) to stock Upper Blue Lake. The fishing has slowed to a crawl and most fishermen have just given up on the lake. When it will be stocked is unknown.
Waterfowl hunters go into the final week of their season and the hunting in the Sacramento Valley is still rated only fair. What was thought to be a banner year for hunters turned out to be far less.
