What a difference a few days make when it comes to fishing at Clear Lake. Last weekend it was wet and miserable, but by midweek the temperatures were up in the high 70s. The other good news is the lake level is slowing starting to recede and the water temperatures are on the rise.
The current lake level is 9.2 feet on the Rumsey Gauge and receding. The forecast is for the lake level to drop below the 9-foot flood stage by the end of the weekend. As of Thursday morning, the water temperature at Library Park in Lakeport was 54 degrees and it should rise to at least 60 degrees by the afternoons. The rising water temperatures will definitely start the bass spawning.
The ideal water temperature for a bass to start spawning is 62 degrees. The bass will also be back in the flooded trees and deep in the tules. In the north end of the lake the water is between 6-8 feet deep at the edges of the tules, which is ideal for the bass.
Gary Hill of Kelseyville has been loading up on bass while fishing from his float tube near the State Park. He caught and released 10 bass within a space of two hours on Tuesday by casting jumbo minnows to the flooded trees near the State Park. He said the bass would grab the minnow as soon as it hit the water.
Jigs also have been very effective as has drop-shotting a plastic worm. Spinnerbaits and chatterbaits have been catching a lot of fish, too. Of course, live jumbo minnows remain the No. 1 bass-catcher on the lake. Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing fish. The good news is the hitch are starting to run up the creeks flowing into the lake. When the hitch are on the move the bass will follow and feed on them at the mouths of the creeks. Swimbaits and crankbaits can be especially effective at this time as they resemble a hitch.
The current problem is that most of the public launching facilities remain closed. All the county parks are closed. The Fifth Street ramp at Lakeport is open and boats can be launched with no problems. Redbud Park in Clearlake is open but it takes two people to launch a boat because you have to wade through water to get to the docks. Boats can also be launched for free at Konocti Vista Casino. WONBASS will hold a team tournament out of Konocti Vista Casino on Saturday and the weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
There are no reports of any catfish being caught although the conditions are perfect with the high water. The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby is scheduled for May 13-15. The entry fee is $40. This year the winner of the derby takes home $4,000.
Upper Blue Lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. The lake is clearing and should be in decent shape by Saturday. Lake Pillsbury is scheduled to be stocked next week. If it is stocked it will be the first time. In two years the fishing should be excellent there. According to the Department of Fish and Game”s website, the East Branch of the Russian River is scheduled to be stocked this week but that must be an error as the trout season doesn”t open in the river until the last Saturday in April.
Bad weather played havoc with the turkey hunters during their opener. Most of the hunters reported the hens were still bunched up and the toms were difficult to call in. A few hunters did score. Ron Sneed of Lakeport took a gobbler Saturday and then bagged another one Monday while hunting on private land. His largest bird had a 10-inch beard. He bagged both birds using a bow. Overall the hunting pressure was down considerably compared to previous years. The good news is that just about all the hunters saw and heard plenty of birds. Normally the toms become active by the middle of April, so the best is yet to come.
