Bass fishermen will be out in force this weekend as the Holder Ford-Mercury/Konocti Vista Casino bass tournament gets under way on Saturday morning.
The weather should be slightly cloudy with a chance of showers. The good news is the bass are starting to become more active. Fishermen out prefishing for the tournament report catching from 10 to 15 fish per angler.
The tournament should have 130-plus boats. There were 72 teams entered as of Thursday morning and typically 50 to 70 teams sign up the last day. The tournament field was 134 boats a year ago when it took 44 pounds to win the two-day event. Most of the fishermen predict it will take at least 55 pounds to win this year”s tournament.
Fishermen can sign up for the tournament as late as 3:30 p.m. today at Holder Ford, located at 2575 S. Main St., in Lakeport. Cash or check will be accepted. The entry fee is $150 per team with a $50 big-fish option. The weigh-ins both Saturday and Sunday start at 3 p.m. at Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina.
The payback is 100 percent of the entry and option fees. Cash prizes go to 20 percent of the field. If there are 100 teams in the tournament, the winning team will receive at least $3,000, and that doesn”t include option prizes.
Sponsors of the tournament are Holder Ford-Mercury, Konocti Vista Casino, Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Lake County Record-Bee, North Lake Medical Pharmacy, Alexander McGeoch D.D.S., Lakeport Camper and Truck, and Bi-Coastal Media.
Fishermen and their guests are welcome to attend a barbecue Saturday evening at Konocti Vista Casino where there will be a number of door prizes given away. The cost for the barbecue is $10 per person.
Out-of-county fishermen in the tournament are being advised that they must have a current quagga mussel sticker on their boat or they won”t be allowed in the tournament. Tournament director Ed Clarke said he will be inspecting all boats prior to blast-off and those fishermen who don”t have a quagga mussel band will be disqualified. All the local tackle shops can issue the stickers and there will be personnel on hand at Konocti Vista Casino to issue stickers.
Despite the recent weather fronts that have passed through the area, the overall bass fishing picture remains good and most of the fishermen entered in the tournament predict the action could break wide open. The top lures have been chatterbaits, swimbaits, jerkbaits and jigs. The bass are tightly schooled and the successful fishermen have been constantly on the move until they locate a school of fish.
As in most of the recent bass tournaments, the winners will be catching some of their larger bass on swimbaits. One of the hottest lures on the lake has been the chatterbait. Ed Clarke of Tackle It in Lakeport manufactures chatterbaits and his lures have been dynamite on fish ranging from 3-5 pounds. The trick to using a chatterbait is to retrieve it with a slow, steady retrieve. The one downside is the clear water. In many areas you can see the bottom in 6 feet of water and that”s not the ideal conditions for the fishermen. Most of the tournament anglers say they prefer a slight off-color to the water so the bass aren”t so easily spooked.
Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport is hosting a free swimbait fishing seminar this evening starting at 6 p.m. The tackle shop is located on Soda Bay Road. Special guest speakers include renowned trophy bass fisherman Jason Kincannon and local fishing legend Mark Crutcher. The seminar covers every aspect of fishing swimbaits from the basics to some very advanced techniques and applications. Dave Brabec of Clear Lake Outdoors says this should be a fun and informative event. According to Brabec, if you are in town for the Holder Ford tournament, stop by and check it out. There will also be some great raffle prizes.
Crappie action remains very slow. In fact, it”s been downright dead. Catfish action has improved with the rising lake level. Most of the successful anglers have been casting nightcrawlers or cut bait back into the flooded tules.
No local waters were stocked with trout this week. At Upper Blue Lake, the trout action is rated fair with trollers getting most of the fish. Bass fishing continues to improve.
