It”s official. The former Holder-Ford team bass tournament will go on as scheduled. On Tuesday, Lake County Chamber of Commerce executive director Melissa Fulton held a meeting of concerned local businesses and fishermen and the decision was made to continue the tournament in its present format.
While the tournament will have a new name and a new host sponsor, everything else will be the same. The dates for the tournament are March 17-18 and June and Ed Clarke of Tackle It in Lakeport will continue as the tournament directors. It will be the 25th year of the tournament”s existence. The entry fee is $150 per team with a $50 big-fish option. As in the past, the tournament will pay back 100 percent of the entry fees. Fulton said the entry forms will be printed and mailed out in January.
Without question it is the most popular bass tournament held at Clear Lake. A year ago the tournament drew 155 teams from throughout the Western United States. In fact, there are a number of fishermen who have participated in every tournament beginning with the first one in 1987. They look forward to the event every year.
Bass fishermen at Clear Lake are finding typical winter conditions. The water temperatures have been as low as 52 degrees in the morning and only rising to the 56-58 degrees by late afternoon. Most of the fishermen are finding success using live jumbo minnows. The experts are rigging them several ways. One method is to rig the minnow on a drop-shot rig with a 4-inch tag line. This allows the minnow to swim freely. Another method is to run a small hook through the lips of the minnow and attach a small split shot about eight inches up the line and then free line the rig. The split shot keeps the minnow from swimming to the surface. A third method is to use slip bobber. All three methods are very effective. Typically two fishermen will use about two to three dozen minnows in a day”s fishing. The minnows cost $12 per dozen, but it can mean the difference between success and failure.
For those who prefer to use artificial lures, the lipless crankbait such as the LV500 made by Lucky Craft remains the top lure. It”s also an easy lure to fish. Just cast the lure out and once the lure hits the water, give a short, hard jerk and then allow the lure to sink to the bottom. Repeat this action as you slowly reel in the lure. Many times a bass will grab the lure when it is resting motionless on the bottom. Other times the bass grabs the lure on the fall. On the fall the lure resembles a dying shad as it flutters down. The LV500 has rattles which are so noisy it can be heard buzzing all the way back to the boat.
With the exception of a couple of small team tournaments most of the bass tournaments won”t be occurring until January. In other words, the lake will get a much-needed rest.
Catfish action has remained steady and the more successful anglers are fishing in the deeper water using either nightcrawlers or live jumbo minnows. The catfish are in excellent condition with bright and shiny skin and no sores. Bluegill action has been good for those who can locate the schools of fish. One area that is still producing a good number of bluegill is Shag Rock. Very few crappie ae being caught. From all indications the crappie population is bottoming out.
Trout action at Upper Blue Lake has been good for some and terrible for others. Dave Brabec of Kelseyville fished the lake earlier this week and caught an easy limit of trout using nightcrawlers. However, he said that other fishermen were struggling. The lake isn”t scheduled to be stocked for another two weeks. Trout action remains strong at Lake Berryessa. In fact, a number of fishermen that were competing in a recent bass tournament reported catching trout on their bass lures.
