Fishermen entered in the WONBASS team event on Saturday battled cold and wind but a few hardy souls still managed to catch some fish.
Even though the tournament drew only nine boats, the winning team checked in with 25.85 pounds. Only three five-fish limits were weighed in but the overall weight per fish was 4.23 pounds. Just about every tournament held on Clear Lake in the past three months has produced a better-than-4-pound average per fish. No other lake in the West has produced those type of numbers.
The good news is that warm weather is forecast to return to the area and bass fishing should continue to improve. The lake level is also slowly rising and is now approaching 3 feet on the Rumsey Gauge. The top fish catcher remains the Alabama Rig and one of the more popular setups is the one manufactured by Maverick Lures, which is owned by Ed Clarke of the Tackle It tackle shop at 1050 N. Main St. in Lakeport.
According to Clarke, a 5-inch swimbait called the “Kick Tail” attached to the Maverick rig has been very effective. You can buy the entire rig, which consists of the Maverick Rig, five swimbaits and hooks, for a total $22. The entire setup comes ready to cast.
Drop-shotting a plastic worm and jigs are also catching fish for the tournament anglers. The recreational fishermen and the fishing guides continue to do well with jumbo minnows.
The recent rains dirtied up the water a little in the north end around Rodman Slough and the docks at Nice but the water should clear up by the weekend. The clearer water in the south end has also been producing decent numbers of fish. One of the better areas has been from Shag Rock south to Monitor Island.
The entry forms for the Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament (sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce) have been mailed out to last year”s contestants. The tournament is scheduled for March 17-18. The entry fee for the tournament is $150 per team and the big-fish option is an additional $50. That means the maximum a team will pay is $200. The tournament features a 100-percent payback of entry fees. The big-fish option pays down to three places each day. Call the chamber at 263-5092 for entry forms or more information.
The good news is that catfish action continues to improve for the few anglers after them. The best action has been in the Rattlesnake Arm and in Horseshoe Bend. The annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby is scheduled for May 18-20.
There is still very little crappie action and it looks like a repeat of last winter. From all indications the crappie fishery is still declining and it could be from a lack of threadfin shad and other bait fish.
Upper Blue Lake is scheduled to be stocked with trout next week. The fishing pressure has been extremely light because of the unsettled weather. The few anglers out are catching trout. Trolling in the middle of the lake has been the ticket to success. Bank fishermen are picking up a few trout and the action should improve next week after the lake is stocked.
This an excellent lake to take a youngster fishing. You can fish from the docks at the Pine Acres Resort or the Narrows Resort for a small fee. Boats can be launched at these resorts. A sleeper for fishermen is the excellent bass fishing. Few people fish for bass during the winter months but it”s well worth a try.
The lake level at Indian Valley Reservoir is slowly rising but there have been no reports on the trout fishing. The lake was stocked last week and it”s well worth a try. Typically the lake is stocked once a year with trout, some weighing more than 3 pounds.
Duck hunters wrap up their season on Sunday. Overall the season has been rated as only fair in the Sacramento Valley and terrible at Clear Lake. Many of the duck hunters in the valley who belong to the private duck clubs say that with a few exceptions there just weren”t that many ducks in the Sacramento Valley this year.
