It will be a busy week for the outdoors crowd in Lake County. The bass fishing on Clear Lake is moving into high gear, a few crappie are being caught and the catfish fishermen are gearing up for the annual catfish derby.
In addition, the Heron Festival goes out of Redbud Park on Saturday and will provide a rare chance to view all types of wildlife up close. It is also the final week of the wild turkey hunting season.
The bass have definitely moved into the shallows and are spawning. As the results of the two tournaments held over the weekend showed, the bass are hitting plastic worms rigged drop-shot style, swimbaits, jigs and crankbaits. Senkos were also very successful.
One successful fisherman in the FLW tournament said that he caught most of his bass on buzz baits worked at the edges of the tules. The LV500 lipless crankbait has also been catching a lot of fish. Those casting the Alabama Rig have only been mildly successful as that bite has slowed considerably.
One of the hottest areas during the tournament was Rodman Slough. Boats were stacked from the entrance of the slough all the way to the back and all were catching fish.
Actually both the north and south ends of the lake have been kicking out good numbers of fish. BBT will hold a team bass on Saturday out of Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
Crappie are starting to show up under the docks around the lake. Several dock owners report catching 5 to 10 crappie per day. Ken Taddie of the Indian Beach Resort said his clients have been catching crappie from the resort”s docks every evening with some weighing as much as 3 pounds. A few crappie are also being caught off the docks at Library Park in Lakeport, and the docks are the Lucerne County Park. No bluegill yet but that should change as the water warms up.
The annual Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Catfish Derby is scheduled for May 18 to 20. The derby is expected to draw more than 500 fishermen and is the largest catfish derby in the West. Last year, it took a 23-pound catfish to win the event.
The grand prize is $4,000 and there will other prizes as well. The entry fee is $40 per person and $10 for children. Call 998-1006 or visit www.clearlakeoaks.org for more information. The catfish action is still slow although a few are being caught at the Lakeside County Park and Redbud Park.
Trout fishermen should enjoy decent action at the local lakes. Upper Blue Lakes should still have plenty of trout, and the conditions are perfect. Lake Mendocino and the East Branch of the Russian River were scheduled to be stocked this week. Both waters have produced excellent fishing.
Lake Pillsbury is also worth a try for trout and bass. The lake is in excellent condition and the road to the lake has been recently graded. One of the best places to launch a boat is Fuller Grove, which is down the road about a mile from the Soda Creek Store.
Indian Valley Reservoir is ready to break wide open. The lake is nearly full, and trout and bass are available. The road to the lake has also been recently graded.
Turkey hunters wrap up their season on Sunday, however there is a two-week special archery season that runs until May 20. Overall, the season has been rated as very good, with most of the hunters being successful.
There is a new tackle shop in Lakeport. Ed Clarke, former owner of Tackle It, has sold his shop to Ted Elliott. The shop will also have a name change and is now called E Ticket Tackle. The shop is located next to the Skylark Shores Motel at 1050 N. Main St. in Lakeport.
Elliott is a former wildlife biologist and federal trapper, so he knows a great deal about the outdoors. His tackle shop will stock all the latest in bass fishing tackle as well as catfish bait and live minnows plus trout equipment.
He also does boat inspections for the quagga mussel. The shop”s hours are Monday to Saturday, 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sunday 7 a.m. to noon. The phone number is 262-1233.
