Bass fishing at Clear Lake is still rated as only fair but is slowly improving. The Diana Wilson Memorial two-day team tournament last weekend drew 20 teams and two teams tied for first with 44.74 pounds. The big fish of the tournament weighed 7.32 pounds and was caught by Lake County fishermen Mike Rothstein and Steve Kelly.
Only six teams weighed in limits both days. A total of 104 fish were caught for an overall average weight of 3.2 pounds per fish.
The tournament anglers reported mixed results. A couple of teams reported catching from 10-15 fish per day while others struggled to boat a few fish. A wide variety of lures and methods were used to catch the fish and they ranged from topwater action to slowly retrieving a jig along the bottom. The deeper water in the south end of the lake was the most productive area.
The algae blooms have impacted the visiting fishermen but not the locals. The water has been clear in the mornings but greening up by noon. The lake level also continues to drop and was minus-.34 feet on the Rumsey Gauge as of Thursday morning.
The Sonoma County Belly Boat Club will hold its State Classic this weekend. Weigh-ins take place at Lakeside County Park starting at 3 p.m. on Saturday and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Whereas the park is closed to boat launching, the float tubers can carry their float tubes and kayaks down to the shore and launch.
Catfish action remains very good throughout the lake. Nightcrawlers have been the top bait and some of the better areas have been Horseshoe Bend, Anderson Island, Shag Rock and the area around Rattlesnake Island.
Overall the fishing pressure on the lake has been light but that should change by this weekend. There are several large bass tournaments coming up within a month and the fishermen will be out prefishing for these tournaments. Angler”s Choice will hold its championship tournament on Sept. 27 and there is also the annual seaplane fly-in, so the lake should be a busy place.
Trout action remains strong at both Upper Blue Lake and the East Branch of the Russian River. Upper Blue Lake was scheduled to be stocked this week and the East Branch of the Russian River is scheduled to be stocked next week. The river was also stocked last week.
The early quail season in Lake and Mendocino counties opens Sept. 27. The daily limit is 10 birds with 30 in possession. Both mountain and valley quail can be taken. In addition to a basic hunting license an upland game stamp is required.
Reports indicate there was a good quail hatch last spring in the Mendocino National Forest and the surrounding forests.
The A-zone deer season winds up Sunday. To date it has been a decent season. Kelseyville”s Larry Poff, who processes deer, has had 120 bucks brought into his shop to date, which is above average. Some of the deer have been big, including one buck that was a four-pointer. The carcass (without head or hide) had a hanging weight of 110 pounds. The hunting has improved slightly the past two weeks because the bucks are starting to go into rut.
The team of Norval Pimentel and Gary Wiki got a surprise when they were prefishing Friday for the Diana Wilson tournament. They were fishing along the shoreline at Shag Rock where they saw a bear running down the hill. The bear reached the water”s edge and made a giant splash as it dove in. Pimentel said the bear rolled over on its back and just laid in the water for about 10 minutes to cool off. It then swam ashore and walked back up the hill. Bears are common in the county but rarely seen along the lake. Experts say the drought is bringing wild animals down to residences. Other people report seeing a lot of skunks, possums and raccoons in their backyards.
