Recreational fishermen will have a lot of company on Clear Lake this weekend as Angler”s Choice holds its Tournament of Champions (TOC) on Saturday and Sunday. The tournament is expected to field approximately 160 teams (320 fishermen) as it operates out of Redbud Park in Clearlake. The winning team will win a new, fully-rigged bass boat valued at more than $40,000. The weigh-in both days start at 3 p.m.
As last week”s Triton tournament showed, the bass fishing was very good on the lake and limits were common. The winning weight for 10 fish was 45 pounds and most of the fishermen said they caught between 10-30 fish per day.
The major problem for the fishermen is fishing pressure. With major tournaments scheduled every weekend throughout the month, just about every location has a boat parked in it. Another factor is the extremely clear water. In some areas in the north end you can see down to a depth of 6-8 feet. That clear water has made the larger bass very cautious and the successful fishermen are working a wacky rigged Senko or drop-shotting a plastic worm very slowly along the bottom. Live jumbo minnows also have been very successful. In fact, most of the fishing guides have switched to minnows.
Years ago one of the more popular lures for bass was an inline spinner such as a Mepps or Panther Martin. Down through the years those lures became extinct in bass fishing. Early this week I was fishing north of Lakeport and saw numerous bass cruising the ultra-clear water, but they wouldn”t hit any of the more popular lures. I looked in my tackle box and found a large Mepps inline spinner. I cast the spinner across the submerged weeds and caught a nice 3-pound bass on my first cast. In an hour”s time I caught and released at least 15 bass and all were quality fish. Rigged on a light-action rod with 6-pound test line, this is the ideal setup for the recreational fisherman and it”s even better for a youngster.
Good numbers of bass are also being caught from the docks, especially at Library Park in Lakeport. One reason is because there are so many small bass and other bait fish and the adult bass are going into a feeding frenzy. Lakeside County Park and the public ramp at Lucerne are also providing good action for the bank fishermen.
The good news is the catfish action remains excellent. In fact, many of the bass fishermen have been complaining that they are catching too many catfish instead of bass. Earlier this week one fisherman told me he had caught only two bass but eight catfish using a spinnerbait. Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven had its fall catfish derby last week and it took an 18-pounder to win the event. Just about everyone caught catfish. The docks at Library Park in Lakeport are also giving up some large catfish. Nightcrawlers, chicken liver and cut bait have been taking most of the catfish.
The bluegill fishing at Shag Rock and Kono Tayee has been good. A few bluegill are also being caught off the docks at the County Park although they have been small.
Trout are still being caught at Upper Blue Lake. The lake will be stocked again during the week of Oct. 23. Bass fishing remains very good.
The B-zone deer hunters are going into the final week of their season (it ends on Oct. 23) and from all indications the season will end on a slow note. The warm weather still has the bucks holding tight, but the main problem has been a lack of deer. Statewide the deer population remains very low. In fact, a number of hunters are calling for the Department of Fish and Game to reduce the tags from the present two per season to one in the B zones.
