After a wild weekend with high winds and stormy weather, Clear Lake has finally settled down a bit. That”s the good news. The bad news is the bass fishing has slowed considerably. One problem has been the water temperature, which is holding at 50-51 degrees throughout the day.
While Clear Lake is typically tough to fish just after a storm hits, it should improve by the weekend as the bass prepare to stage for their annual spawn. When the spawn begins depends on the water temperature. The magic number for the bass to move onto the spawning beds is 60 degrees and it could hit that by Sunday or early next week.
The best areas to fish have been between Lakeport and the State Park, Henderson Point, Horseshoe Bend, the Clearlake Oaks Keys and the rockpiles near Rattlesnake Island. The docks along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline are also producing a few fish. The water at the mouth of Rodman Slough is still pretty dirty although a few fishermen have been catching an occasional bass by working a jig slowly along the bottom.
In addition to swimbaits, Alabama Rigs and chatterbaits, drop-shotting a plastic worm has been very effective. One lure that has been effective is the S-Waver made by RiverSea. It”s a hard swimbait and runs just beneath the surface. The only downside is it costs about $20. The trick is to keep moving until you locate fish as they are tightly schooled.
Prior to the recent storms the water was crystal clear in many areas and it should clear up again within a week if there is no more rain. This means there could be an explosion of weeds early this summer. The clear water allows the sunlight to penetrate to the bottom, which allows the aquatic weeds to bloom.
For the recreational fisherman who wants to load up the boat with bass, then jumbo minnows remain the No. 1 fish-catcher on the lake. Local fishing guide Richard Pounds says his clients are averaging from 15-20 bass a day using jumbo minnows.
WONBASS will hold a team tournament Saturday. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. at Konocti Vista Casino. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament at Clear Lake Outdoors, located on Soda Bay Road in Lakeport, from 3-5 p.m. Call 262-5852 for more information.
There has been some limited catfish action in Horseshoe Bend and at Cache Creek, but the overall fishing has been a little slow. Crappie continue to be a no-show. From all indications the crappie in the lake are practically nonexistent. Bluegills are also absent but should start to show up when the water warms up.
Trout fishermen have several choices. Upper Blue Lake still has a lot of trout from previous stockings and Lake Mendocino was stocked earlier this week. At Upper Blue Lake, trollers are having the most success. The trout have been holding at a depth of 15-20 feet and the top lure has been either a Cripplure or a nightcrawler rigged behind a flasher. Bank fishermen have been scoring with Power Bait or nightcrawlers. Bass fishing has been good for those drop-shotting a plastic worm along the highway.
Lake Mendocino should draw most of the trout fishermen this weekend. The lake was stocked with trout at the south ramp and both bank and boat fishing should result in easy limits.
Lake Pillsbury also was on the Department of Fish and Game”s (DFG) planting schedule for this week but it is unknown if it will really be stocked. The lake is at 75-percent carry capacity and the big question is if the DFG”s truck can reach the water.
Junior hunters get a chance to open the spring turkey hunting season Saturday. The Department of Fish and Game has authorized a youth hunt only for Saturday and Sunday. Any holder of a junior hunting license can hunt but adults who accompany them can”t. The general spring turkey season opens March 31.
