“Stay on the move.” That”s the advice from the successful fishermen who are catching bass at Clear Lake. Most of the successful fishermen are putting their trolling motors on high and covering as much water as possible.
The results obtained by guide Dave Majestic on Tuesday morning were a good example of this. He said he fished near the State Park and caught 15 bass using a chatterbait. Majestic said the bass were tightly schooled and you had to make a lot of casts before connecting, but once you found the fish the action was nonstop.
Mike Rothstein and Steve Kelly reported similar action on Tuesday evening. The good news is the weeds and algae continue to disappear and small bait fish are staring to emerge. In other words, the conditions for fishing are improving daily. The hot lures have been a chatterbait, LV500 lipless crankbait retrieved yo-yo style, jigs and buzzbaits. Live crawdads are also producing good numbers of bass for the local fishing guides.
The best action has been from the Lakeside County Park south to Konocti Bay where the water is in perfect condition. The area around Lakeport is producing very few bass. I fished the docks north of Lakeport Wednesday evening and didn”t get a single strike. I did notice the weed beds are starting to break up and there is a lot of open water, which means the fishing should start to improve.
Bluegill action has been very good and some huge fish are being caught. Cory Vivian of Gilroy caught a monster bluegill off the docks at WorldMark in Nice last week. The bluegill measured 14 1/4 inches long with a girth of 15 inches. Although the fish was released before it could be weighed, it was likely more than 3 pounds. Fred Williams of Kelseyville also has been catching some monster bluegill while fishing at mid-lake.
Catfish are also biting all around the lake. In fact, some huge catfish are being caught off the docks at the Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport. Cut mackerel or nightcrawlers have been the top baits.
The Lakeport Yacht Club”s annual catfish derby is scheduled for August 24-26 out of the Lakeport Yacht Club in Lakeport. The entry fee is $50 for adults and $15 for children. Entry forms can be obtained at all the local tackle shops or by calling 279-1974.
The lake level at Clear Lake continues to drop as Yolo County draws out water for irrigation. Yolo County can draw water out until either the lake level drops to 1 foot on the Rumsey Gauge or Oct. 1. The lake level as of Thursday was 2.72 feet. Hotter-than-normal weather also has resulted in water evaporation. The combination of the two could drop the lake level to the 1 foot on the Rumsey Gauge sooner than Oct. 1.
Highland Springs Reservoir is located just outside of Lakeport on Highland Springs Road. The small lake is a county park and offers excellent bass and bluegill fishing. Only small boats or float tubes are allowed with no motors. Lately the bass fishing has been very good with fish ranging from 1-5 pounds. The top lure is a buzzbait worked tight to the weed mats.
Trout fishing has been wide open at the East Branch of the Russian River. The stream was stocked last week and limits have been common. Dave Brabec of Clear Lake Outdoors fished the stream on Saturday and limited out in less than an hour. Upper Blue Lake also was stocked last week and the trout action has been very good for both trollers and bank fishermen.
The Zone A deer season opened last weekend and as expected the hunting was poor. I heard of only one buck being taken in the Mendocino National Forest out of Upper Lake. Most of the hunters reported seeing very few deer and practically no bucks. The number of hunters also was way down. The hot weather is to blame for the poor success but the dwindling deer herd is also to blame. At the University of California Hopland Field Station, no bucks were taken for 40 hunters on Saturday and only two for 40 hunters on Sunday. Normally the Field Station produces 10-15 bucks on opening weekend.
