Bass, catfish, trout or bluegill ? fishermen can take their pick this weekend. The bass fishing at Clear Lake is rated from fair to good depending on where you are and what you use. For those using jumbo minnows, catches of 15-25 fish per day are not uncommon. In fact, the minnow fishing has been so good that most of the local tackle shops ran out of minnows this week. The good news is that there is a minnow delivery scheduled for today. The jumbo minnows cost $12 per dozen.
The results of the two-day American Bass Tournament of Champions held last weekend at Clear Lake showed the winning team with 47 pounds and it took 35 pounds to finish in the money. The winning team won a new bass boat and $5,000. The fishermen in the tournament said they caught their fish in a variety of ways, which included swimbaits, jigs, spinnerbaits and drop-shotting a plastic worm. Most of the fishermen said they had to constantly move to find the bass. One problem has been the massive amount of bait fish in the lake. There are so many bait fish all a bass has to do is open its mouth to feed.
Big-fish honors of the week go to Kelseyville”s Fred Williams, who hauled in a 13.1-pound bass. He caught his trophy fish on a jumbo minnow near the Narrows at a depth of 40 feet. Gary Hill of Kelseyville weighed the fish before releasing it. Earlier this year Williams caught a 15-pounder. Hill said they caught a number of bass on minnows rigged drop-shot style. According to Hill, the trick is to let the fish grab the minnow and then run with it before setting the hook. In addition to the bass, they also caught five large catfish. Most of the local guides have now switched exclusively to jumbo minnows, which is typical for late fall and winter bass fishing.
With the exception of the Konocti Vista Casino Fall Bass Classic scheduled for Nov. 12, there are no other major tournaments scheduled on the lake this year. There are several smaller team events scheduled but they will have only 20-30 boats. The Konocti Vista Casino tournament is a team event with a $160 entry fee, which includes big fish. The tournament is limited to 100 teams. All the local tackle shops have entry forms or you can call 823-3252.
Catfish action has been about as good as it can get and just about everyone is catching from five to 10 catfish per day. Ross England of Kelseyville teamed up with Tom Jolin of Lakeport on Monday and they caught and released 22 catfish. England said all the catfish were caught on live jumbo minnows and several weighed between 15 and 20 pounds. Catfish are also being caught off the docks at Redbud Park in Clearlake, Lakeside County Park and the docks at Library Park in Lakeport. Along with the catfish there have been a good number of bluegills caught. The bluegills are about the size of your hand and are taking red worms. Crappie action is still very slow and hardly worth the effort. The good news is there are thousands of juvenile crappie between 2-3 inches long. These fish should be mature within a couple of years and the population should return to normal.
Trout take the spotlight this weekend at Upper Blue Lake. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) stocked the lake earlier this week and the fishing should be excellent for both boaters and bank fishermen. The cooling water has the trout holding near the surface and trollers using either a Kastmaster or Cripplure should have no trouble bagging a limit. Bank fishermen can also cash in on the action. The local resorts offer fishing from their docks for a small fee and you can also fish from the shore along Highway 20.
