Early sign-ups for the Lake County Chamber of Commerce (formally Holder Ford) bass tournament scheduled for March 17-18 open at 9 a.m. on Monday at the Lake County Chamber office in Lakeport, 875 Lakeport Blvd. The blast-off numbers for the first day of the tournament are issued in the order fishermen sign up.
Entry forms are available at all local tackle shops as well as at the chamber office. The entry fee for the tournament is $150 and there is a $50 big-fish option. For more information call the chamber office at 263-5092 or the Tackle It tackle shop at 262-1233.
The fishing forecast for Clear Lake is beginning to sound like a broken record. “Keep moving and use either an Alabama Rig with swimbaits or jumbo minnows.” Actually the past week has seen so few fishermen out on the lake that it”s hard to get an accurate report. In fact, so far this winter the number of fishermen on the lake is at a record low. Even the fishing guides have been booking few trips. That should all change this weekend as two bass tournaments are scheduled.
What is considered a successful day on the lake? Most fishermen say if you”re lucky enough to catch five or six bass it has been a very good day, however, a few fishermen have had 25-fish days. The trick is to keep moving until you locate a school of bass. That means dozens of casts before you get a strike.
What is surprising is that despite the low lake level in the north end of the lake a few of the fishermen have been successful and that means catching bass in less than 3 feet of water. The official lake level is 2.32 feet Rumsey. The normal for this time of the year is 3.67 feet, which means the lake level is 15 inches below normal. Bass are also being caught near Shag Rock, Anderson Island and Monitor Island. The Clear Lake Bassmasters held a club tournament on Saturday and out of seven boats only two bass were caught. Most of the fishermen said they didn”t get a single bite.
Cold water has been a factor in the slow fishing. The water temperatures have been starting out at 42 degrees in the mornings and only rising a couple of degrees by late afternoon. It”s a well-known fact that bass, such as other fish, adapt to their surroundings. When the water temperature decreases, the metabolism of a fish slows down. Whereas fish won”t feed as much or as often when the water is warm, they still eat. This is illustrated by the condition of the bass that are being caught. They have been fat and healthy.
Angler”s Choice will hold a team tournament Saturday and American Bass will hold one Sunday. The weigh-ins for both tournaments are at Konocti Vista Casino starting at 3 p.m.
Lake County residents will be happy to know that the written test required to obtain a quagga mussel sticker for your watercraft has been suspended until further notice.
Catfish action is rated fair for the few fishermen out after them. A few catfish are being caught off the docks at Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven. One angler reported catching three catfish near Shag Rock. Cut bait has been the top producer. There are still no crappie and very few bluegill. A bass fisherman did report catching a 2-pound-plus crappie on a drop-shot near Henderson Point.
Trout are being caught at Upper Blue Lake. Trollers rigging a nightcrawler behind a set of flashers are having most of the success. Fishermen report getting a lot of bites for the few fish they actually catch. A few bank anglers are scoring using salmon eggs or bait balls. Bass action has been slow.
A sleeper could be a trip to Indian Valley Reservoir. The lake has seen few fishermen the past few weeks and the lake level has been holding steady. This would be a good time to target smallmouth bass along the rip-rap at the dam. The only problem is that it has been bitterly cold at the lake.
Waterfowl hunters go into their final two weeks of the season (it closes Jan. 28) and the hunting has improved slightly at the refuges in the Sacramento Valley. Most of the public shoot areas are averaging about two birds per hunter. Teal and gadwalls are making up most of the bag. Hunting at Clear Lake remains very slow.
