The public boat ramps around Clear Lake are once again open and fishermen are enjoying some excellent action. The best action has been back in the flooded trees, where fishermen flipping jigs have been taking some nice-sized bass. Drop-shotting as well as Senkos also have been successful.
The cool weather has slowed the spawn a bit and some of the bass have moved back out of the shallows.
The results of the WONBASS team tournament held on Saturday show just how healthy the bass in Clear Lake are. The tournament only drew nine boats but the winning team had 26.98 pounds for a five-fish limit. Second place was 26.97 pounds and it took more than 25 pounds to get in the top five. The average overall weight per fish was an unbelievable 4.5 pounds. The top finishers said they caught their fish on spinnerbaits and swimbaits.
Most of the guides report their clients are catching from 10-15 bass per day and jumbo minnows are the top bait. The guides have been mostly staying in the north end of the lake.
One of the hot spots has been the mouth of Adobe Creek, where fishermen have been loading up on large bass. One reason could be the abundance of hitch in the creek. The hitch are on their spawning run and range in size from 6-12 inches, which is perfect eating size for the larger bass. This is a perfect area to cast a jerkbait or work a swimbait slowly along the bottom. The most popular swimbait on Clear Lake continues to be the Trash Fish in the hitch pattern. The lure is made by Little Creeper Baits and is sold at Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport. A package of two costs $16.
With the lake level at more than 8 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, Yolo County is happy because it means more water for the farmers. This year Yolo County will receive its full allotment of water. The Solano Decree of 1978 outlines the operation of Clear Lake for Yolo County irrigation purposes. If the lake is full (7.56 feet) on May 1, Yolo County can withdraw 150,000 acre-feet of water. When Clear Lake is full it has a surface area of 43,790 acres and contains 1,155,000 acre-feet of water.
What all this means is that summer fishing should be excellent. The tules have plenty of water for the bass to be protected during the spawning season. The warm weather on the horizon should also move the bass onto their spawning beds. The problem so far this spring has been the cold weather. Earlier this week the water temperature was about 54 degrees and very few bass were seen in the shallow water. That could all change by the weekend.
Anglers Choice will hold a team tournament on Saturday and American bass will hold a team event Sunday. The weigh-ins for both tournaments take place at Konocti Vista Casino starting at 3 p.m.
There is some catfish action but it”s been spotty. Actually, there have been very few catfishermen out on the lake. The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven annual catfish derby is scheduled for May 13-15 and that should increase the number of catfishermen.
Upper Blue Lake is still kicking out a few trout for trollers. The lake is scheduled to be stocked next week. The annual trout derby is scheduled for April 16-17. The entry fee is $8 for adults and $4 for children. The headquarters for the derby is the Narrows Lodge Resort.
Indian Valley Reservoir is worth a try this weekend. The road going into the lake is in fair condition and the bass are biting. The lake is nearly full so launching a boat is no problem. The lake offers excellent bass fishing and holds both largemouth and smallmouth bass.
Turkeys hunters report fair-to-good action. The Cache Creek area has been very good so far and most of the hunters report seeing good numbers of gobblers. To date, the cold weather has had the toms still bunched up but that should change this week. The spring season runs through May 1 and the limit is one tom per day and three for the season.
