Fishermen will have a wide choice of opportunities this weekend. Bass fishing at Clear Lake is in full swing, trout are being caught at Upper Blue Lake and Lake Mendocino and for the first time in two years, Lake Pillsbury was stocked with trout.
Bass action at Clear Lake is rated from fair to good with most of the fishermen having success casting the Alabama Rig with small swimbaits. The results from a pair of bass tournaments held last weekend show that Clear Lake remains the No. 1 bass lake in the state if not the nation.
On Saturday it took 33 pounds to win the WONBASS team event, and the overall average weight per fish caught in the tournament exceeded 4 pounds.
On Sunday during an American Bass team tournament, the action broke wide open when the winning team checked in with 36 pounds of fish. Its winning weight included a pair of 10 and 11 pounders. Additionally, another team weighed in a 10-pounder. The average overall weight per fish for that tournament was an incredible 4.66 pounds. The tournament drew 41 boats and it took more than 27 pounds to get a check.
Even the Florida lakes don”t produce those kinds of numbers.
Most of the fishermen in both tournaments said they caught all their fish casting an Alabama Rig with some of the teams boating as many as 40 bass.
One of the hot spots were the flats just outside of Rodman Slough in the north end of the lake. At one time on Sunday, there a dozen boats working the flats. Normally late in the winter and early in the spring, large numbers of bass stage on these flats. Another popular area was just outside of Adobe Creek. Horseshoe Bend also produced a lot of fish as did Shag Rock.
In addition to the Alabama Rig, fishermen are having success with live jumbo minnows and casting swimbaits such as the Trash Fish. Jerkbaits have also been catching fish.
The warm weather has raised the water temperature to as high as 54 degrees in some areas, and the bass are starting to move into the shallows. A number of fishermen have reported catching bass in water as shallow as three feet.
Local fishing guide Ross England keeps a yearly record of all the bass his clients catch. For December 2010, and January and February 2011, his clients caught a total of 18 bass that weighed 4 pounds or more.
In December 2011 and this past January and February, they caught a grand total of 106 bass that weighed 4 pounds or more. He said that this year, 75 percent of the bass his clients have caught have been on the Alabama Rig.
There are no bass tournaments scheduled on the lake for this weekend. The Lake County Chamber of Commerce contest that is scheduled for March 17-18 has 32 teams entered so far. Fishermen can sign up at the chamber office located on Lakeport Boulevard in Lakeport. Call 263-5092 for information.
Catfish action has been slow with very few fishermen out after them. A few catfish are being caught off Shag Rock and near Anderson Island. Crappie action continues to be just about nonexistent.
Trout fishermen will have several choices. Upper Blue Lake has plenty of trout but few are being caught. The lake was last stocked three weeks ago and not many trout have been caught so there are plenty of holdovers. The lake is scheduled to be stocked next week.
At Lake Mendocino, trout are still being caught near the dam by trollers and those drifting power bait or nightcrawlers. The best news is that the bass fishing has been good for both largemouths and smallmouths.
For the first time in two years Lake Pillsbury was scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. The lake is only 48 percent full but there should be enough water for the fishermen. The lake is also known for its giant bass and bluegill. Every year several bass in the 10-pound class are caught in the lake and 5-pounders are common.
The best route to get into Lake Pillsbury is via Potter Valley. Much of the road is gravel but in good shape. The other route is by the Elk Mountain Road out of Upper Lake. That road is not recommended this early in the year.
