Catfish have grabbed the spotlight at Clear Lake and the action has been nothing short of outstanding for several weeks. Local catfish guide Tom Wheeler of Gutbucket”s Catfish Guiding Service reports that earlier this week he guided Jacob and Jim Thomas of Arbuckle and they caught seven catfish that weighed between 8-13 pounds. They caught the catfish from Shag Rock to Monitor Island. Wheeler said he also caught several huge catfish at Rodman Slough.
Wheeler can be reached at 530-300-3336.
Other fishermen also report catching good numbers of catfish. Gary Hill and Fred Williams of Kelseyville have been catching from five to eight catfish while fishing for bass with jumbo minnows. They have been fishing at the State Park, Shag Rock and Henderson Point.
The successful catfishermen have been using nightcrawlers, jumbo minnows and cut bait. Some are allowing their boats to slowly drift above the rocks in the deeper water and others have been anchoring. The best part is that the catfish are in excellent condition, which means they have no sores and are heavy bodied.
Just about all the catfish being caught are channel cats. A few fishermen claim they are catching blue catfish but, according to the Department of Fish and Game (DFG), there are no blue catfish in Clear Lake. There is a definite way to tell the difference. Just count the rays or spines on the annual fin. That”s the long fin on the belly of the catfish just in front of its tail. A channel catfish has 24-29 rays and a blue catfish has 30-35 rays. Some of the channel catfish have a grayish-blue color on the sides, which fools many fishermen into thinking they have caught a blue catfish. There is no limit on catfish.
Bass fishing has settled into its typical winter pattern and the more successful fishermen are slowly working jigs or plastic worms along the bottom. Another very effective method is yo-yoing a Lucky Craft LV500 lipless crankbait. The advantage of using this lure is that you can cover a lot of water in a very short time. The bass are tightly schooled and you have to be constantly on the move until you locate fish. A good example was the winning team in the Konocti Vista Classic on Saturday. Paul Bailey and Jackson Juarez of Kelseyville said they caught just about all their bass beneath one dock.
Lake guides have switched almost exclusively to live jumbo minnows and they have been averaging from 10-15 bass per day for their clients. The water temperature has been a chilly 53 degrees in the morning and only rising to 58 degrees by late afternoon.
No one can dispute that bluegill are some of the tastiest fish in Clear Lake. In fact, they are even better than crappie. The good news is that the few fishermen who are concentrating on bluegill are taking home some tasty fillets. Bluegill are being caught all around the lake and the top bait has been red worms or mealworms. The limit is 25 per day.
Bass are also being caught at Highland Spring Reservoir and at Adobe Reservoir. Most of the fishermen use either float tubes or kayaks. To get to Highland Springs Reservoir take Highland Springs Road off Highway 29 south of Lakeport. Adobe Reservoir can also be reached by taking Highland Springs Road and turning left on Bell Hill Road and then proceeding to Adobe Road.
Upper Blue Lake was scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. Several people have asked where the trout are actually put into the lake. It can vary. One time the DFG will stock at Pine Acres Resort, then it will be at the Narrows Resort or even at the far north end of the lake at the Le Trianon Resort. After being stocked, the trout generally disperse around the lake within three days to a week. The more successful fishermen troll for trout because they can cover a lot of water and find feeding fish. However, at times the bank fishermen do well.
