Weather will be a major factor in the Lake County Chamber of Commerce bass tournament this weekend. The forecast is for rain and possibly snow as well as cold temperatures on Saturday and Sunday. The recent storms have also muddied up the water.
The tournament should draw at least 70-plus boats. There were 53 entered as of Thursday morning and typically 30-40 teams sign up the last day. Last year the tournament fielded 142 boats and it took 60 pounds to win the two-day event. Most of the experts predict it will take at least 60 pounds to win this year”s tournament.
Fishermen can sign up for the tournament as late as 3:30 p.m. today at Clear Lake Outdoors, located at 96 Soda Bay Road in Lakeport. Cash, check or credit cards will be accepted. The entry fee is $150 per team with a $50 big-fish option. The weigh-ins both Saturday and Sunday start at 3 p.m. at Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina. All boats have to be off the water by 3 p.m. today.
The payback is 100 percent of the entry and option fees. Cash prizes go to 20 percent of the field. If there are 100 teams in the tournament, the winning team will receive approximately $5,000 and that doesn”t include option prizes.
Out-of-county fishermen in the tournament are being advised they must have a current quagga mussel sticker on their boat or they won”t be allowed in the tournament.
The top lures have been the Alabama Rig, swimbaits, jerkbaits, jigs and Senkos. Deep-running crankbaits have also been producing. The bass are tightly schooled and the successful fishermen have been constantly on the move until they locate a school of fish. The muddy water will eliminate much of the lake.
Prior to the storms, the flats off Rodman Slough were producing some huge bass although this area is now chocolate brown. The same applies to Adobe Creek and Swimbait Alley. The best water is in the south end and that”s where a lot of the fishermen will be headed.
Angler”s Choice held a team tournament Saturday and it took 33 pounds to win it. The top three teams all had more than 30 pounds. The winning team stuck with casting the Alabama Rig and it paid off. Most fishermen are rigging the rig with Keitech swimbaits. An example of just how popular this lure has become was illustrated earlier this week when Clear Lake Outdoors received a large shipment of the lures. Within two hours more than one-half of the shipment had sold. The big question is how will the Alabama Rig produce in the muddy water? Most of the fishermen say they are prepared to switch to jigs and plastic worms if the rig fails.
A few crappie are being caught near Kono Tayee but it”s hardly worth the effort. Catfish action has improved with the rising lake level. Most of the successful anglers have been casting nightcrawlers in Horseshoe Bend and at Shag Rock.
The best news for trout fishermen is the most recent stocking at Lake Mendocino. Trout were put in at the south ramp near the dam. Plenty of holdover trout remain as well.
The Clear Lake Bassmasters held a club tournament at the lake Saturday and several fishermen reported catching trout on plastic worms. They also had good bass fishing for both smallmouths and largemouths.
At Upper Blue Lake, the trout action was good prior to the storms and should improve with better weather. The problem has been wind, which has made fishing uncomfortable. Indian Valley Reservoir has both trout and bass but the road going into the lake is muddy and should be avoided for at least a week or two. If you get stuck it”s a long walk out and the cell coverage is very poor.
