Hopefully summer has finally arrived and the bass fishing at Clear Lake should improve considerably.
The water temperature on Wednesday afternoon rose to 68 degrees and bass were moving into the shallows. Within a period of two hours I observed at least a dozen bass in the shallows in the Lakeport area. None were solidly locked on beds and I only managed to catch three, but several followed a Horney Toad lure that I was casting to the weeds. The three fish I caught came on a 6-inch oxblood-blue plastic worm. Other fishermen report having good action on plastic frogs cast back in the tules or on the weed mats. Weed mats are starting to form in some areas and they should increase in the coming weeks. These are favorite havens for bass.
The best action is from the Lakeside County Park to the State Park. Henderson Point is also producing a fair number of bass. Bass are also being caught around the docks in the Lakeport area as well as along the shoreline at Nice-Lucerne. In the south end of the lake, the better areas are Konocti Bay and Jago Bay. The Clearlake Oaks Keys continue to provide decent action.
A few fishermen are having success on topwater lures in the evenings. Skitter Pops or a buzzbait worked in the openings have been producing decent numbers of fish. Here again the trick is to keep on the move and cover a lot of water with your topwater lures. Actually the evenings are the perfect time to be out on the lake. There are fewer fishermen and boaters and the last hour before dark provides perfect conditions.
There are still no threadfin shad showing up or even juvenile bluegill. In fact, even the silverside minnow population appears to be down. Most of the bass are feeding on crawdads.
Angler”s Choice is holding a two-day pro/am tournament Saturday and Sunday, the weigh-ins starting at 3 p.m. both days at Redbud Park in Clearlake.
Crappie action is rated from fair to good. The more successful fishermen are using the smaller live minnows. The trick to success is to keep on the move and hit each dock until you locate fish. Indian Beach Resort is one of the better areas and some of the crappie there are weighing as much as 3 pounds.
Catfish are being caught throughout the lake and some of the better areas are near Cache Creek and Horseshoe Bend. A few catfish are also being caught near the former Konocti Harbor Resort & Spa.
Trout fishermen should have plenty of opportunities this weekend. The East Branch of the Russian was stocked this week and the action should be nothing short of outstanding. The stream has been stocked just about every weekend since the opener in April. Small spinners, nightcrawlers and an assortment of fly tackle is taking trout ranging from 10-14 inches.
Two lakes in the Mendocino National Forest are also slated to be stocked this week and both offer excellent fishing as well as camping opportunities. Howard Lake and Hammerhorn Lake are great getaways. Both lakes are located just northeast of Covelo.
Trout are also being caught at Upper Blue Lake. Local fisherman George Hill of Kelseyville has been catching both bass and trout at the lake. He has been trolling for the trout and using Senkos on bass with excellent results. He also said fishing pressure has been down. The lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout next week.
Bass are biting at Indian Valley Reservoir. The lake is in excellent condition and the bass have been chasing the threadfin shad. The best areas are near the dam and back in the coves at mid-lake. Drop-shotting a plastic worm tight to the flooded trees has been successful for largemouths to 4 pounds. The smallmouth action has been at the face of the dam and off the high banks on the west side of the lake. A few crappie are also being caught.
The lake was stocked with fingerling kokanee last year but they aren”t large enough to bite. However, a few trout that are holdovers from when the lake was stocked two years ago are being caught.
