The unseasonably warm weather has helped the bass fishing at Clear Lake. Earlier this week the water temperature was as warm as 52 degrees in some areas. The action is still a long way from being wide open but it has improved considerably.
American Bass held a team tournament Sunday and the winning weight was 24 pounds. The winners were the father-and-son team of Bill and Chris Dabbs of Ukiah. They won $1,180. In second place was the father-and-son team of Jim and Scott Munk of Middletown with 23.97 pounds. They won $1,292, which included the big-fish money. Their big fish weighed 6.88 pounds.
The good news is that out of the 26 teams, 13 weighed in a five-fish limit. This is the first time this year half of the field in a tournament caught limits. The overall average weight per fish caught in the tournament was an impressive 4.19 pounds and it took 19 pounds to finish in the money.
I took my underwater camera and worked the Rocky Point area out of Lakeport on Thursday. The water was gin clear and I only saw one bass on the rocks.
The south end of the lake has been the best producer and the successful fishermen have been casting swimbaits or working jigs slowly along the bottom. Drop-shotting a plastic worm also has been successful as has yo-yoing a LV500 Lucky Craft lipless crankbait.
As expected the fishermen who are using live jumbo minnows continue to catch most of the fish, with the average being from five to 10 bass per outing. In fact, many of the local tackle shops ran out of minnows early this week. They have since received a new shipment. Starting next week the Tackle It tackle shop in Lakeport will join the other tackle shops around the lake in carrying live minnows.
Anglers Choice will hold a team tournament Saturday. The tournament operates out of Konocti Vista Casino and the weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
The warm weather has also helped the few fishermen chasing catfish. One resident of Lakeport reported catching five catfish off his dock earlier this week. The catfish ranged in size from 6-10 pounds. A few catfish are also being caught in Horseshoe Bend and near Cache Creek.
There are still no reports of any crappie being taken. Fishermen have been hoping that the warming water would result in the crappie schooling near the docks, but it hasn”t happened.
At Upper Blue Lake, the trout action remains good for trollers working the middle of the lake. The lake is scheduled to be stocked this week, which should improve the fishing. A few bass are also being caught along the Highway 20 shoreline on plastic worms rigged on drop-shots.
One report out of Indian Valley Reservoir from a fisherman using a kayak reported catching both largemouth and smallmouth bass as well as a few catfish. He said he was the only fisherman on the lake. A number of fishermen have been wondering if the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) will stock Indian Valley Reservoir with trout or kokanee. The DFG hasn”t stocked the lake with either species of fish for several years and doesn”t plan to in the near future. They claim they don”t have the funding.
The spring wild turkey season opens on March 26 and this year Wilderness Unlimited will once again host a free turkey hunting seminar open to the public. The seminar takes place on March 5 starting at 9 p.m. at the Wilderness Unlimited RV Park, which is located on Highway 20 just outside of Williams. Ryan Mathis, a senior wildlife biologist with expertise in wild turkeys, will be one of the principal speakers and will cover hunting on public land. The seminar lasts about four hours and lunch will be served.
