By Terry Knight —
Water conditions on Clear Lake are definitely improving daily. Many of the weeds are dying off and even the algae is starting to disappear. This is especially true in the Lakeport area. Aquatic weeds have a life cycle and this year the weeds started growing at least a month earlier than normal which means they will also bloom and die earlier.
The waters in the south end of the lake are in excellent condition with good clarity. This has been a strange year at Clear Lake. In past years the south end of the lake experienced the worst conditions during the hot summer months but this year the water conditions is the south end have been decent. It”s been the north end where the algae and the weeds have become a problem.
On the bass fishing scene the action remains good on Clear Lake with most of the activity happening in the south end of the lake. Guide Bob Myskey had three clients out on Thursday and they caught a total of 17 bass. He said the best area was from the Lakeside County Park to the State Park.
Most of the successful fishermen report catching their fish in 18 to 25 feet of water and the top lure remains a Baby Brush Hog in the watermelon pattern fished drop-shot style. Six-inch plastic worms in the reddish colors have also been effective. The deep red color is working because it resembles the color of the crawdads which are also red. Jigs cast to the holes in the weed mats have also been working. Chatterbaits in the dark colors have also been effective. There is some top water action early in the mornings and late in the evenings but overall the top water fishing still has materialized yet. Silverside minnows are starting to appear throughout the lake which means the juvenile bass will be feeding on the minnows and the adult bass will be chasing the young bass. There have still no reports of threadfin shad being seen. Last year there were a few schools of shad but overall the shad fishery has appeared to have crashed.
Several people have reported seeing large numbers of pollywogs at the boat ramp at the Lakeside County Park. This occurs every year at this time. The pollywogs (also called tadpoles) are offspring of the bullfrogs that are common in the area. In a few weeks they will shed their tails and grow legs and develop lungs and look like a frog. Pollywogs are an important food source for water birds such as the white egret and blue heron.
The big news on the fishing scene is the outstanding catfish action. Catfish are being caught all around the lake. For example, one fisherman has been catching up to five catfish per evening while fishing from the docks in Library Park in Lakeport. The docks at Lakeside County Park have also been good for catfish. The top bait has been either cut mackerel or nightcrawlers.
The other good news is that after weeks of poor crappie fishing the action has been improving. Crappie are being caught off the many docks that are around the lake. At the Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven, the fishermen report catching from four-t0-eight crappie per evening with some weighing as much as 3 pounds.
Several fishermen have wanted to know if trout are ever caught in Clear Lake. Every once in a while a report of trout being caught surfaces but it is extremely rare. These trout migrate down to the lake from the feeder streams but the warm water during the summer months makes survival questionable.
Trout action has improved at the East Branch of the Russian River. Gary Hill of Kelseyville fished the river on Wednesday and caught a limit of trout within two hours.
The stream was stocked last week. Upper Blue Lake was also stocked last week and the fishing has been rated from fair to good for those trolling at a depth of 25 feet. Bass fishing at the lake remains very good for the few anglers after them.
