The Rayovac/FLW Series tournament on Clear Lake opened its three-day run with 212 fishermen (106 pros and 106 amateurs) on Thursday morning. Overall the pros found the fishing tough.
The leading weight on the pro side after the first day was Aaron Britt of Yuba City with 29 pounds. Lakeport bass pro Mark Crutcher was in third place with 25 pounds, 11 ounces. Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs is in eighth place with 22 pounds, 14 ounces and Paul Bailey of Nice is in 12th place with 21 pounds, 6 ounces.
While a few of the pros found easy limits most struggled. Of the 106 pros in the tournament, 55 weighed in limits. Gary Collins of Upper Lake caught the big fish of the day (8 pounds, 1 ounce). The leading amateur, Jeffrey Tyler Ramey SimpleJ, weighed in 19 pounds, 5 ounces. Following today”s second round, the field will be cut to 10 pros and 10 amateurs for Saturday”s final round. The weigh-in today and Saturday takes place beginning at 3:30 p.m. at Library Park in Lakeport .
The fishermen are finding the bass widely scattered and the fishing has been slow. One reason is because the lake has been hammered by tournament fishermen for the past month. It won”t get any better next week when the American Bass Tournament of Champions takes place. It will draw in the neighborhood of 125 boats.
The successful fishermen have been constantly on the move until they locate active fish. One problem has been the tremendous amount of bait fish in the lake. Silverside minnows, juvenile crappie and bluegill as well as small bass are everywhere. This smorgasbord has kept the stomachs of the bass full, which makes them harder to catch. The more successful fishermen are working the available weed mats with jigs and Senkos. Topwater action has been slow although a few bass are being caught on buzz baits.
For those recreational anglers who prefer to use live bait, a jumbo minnow has been very effective. A few bass are also being caught on nightcrawlers rigged drop-shot style. The water clarity is improving and several fishermen report seeing schools of large bass cruising the shoreline. Some of the better areas have been Rocky Point, Lakeside County Park, Konocti Bay, Henderson Point, the rock piles near Rattlesnake Island and Jago Bay. For those who fish from shore, a few bass are being caught off the docks at Library Park. The dock at Redbud Park in Clearlake is also giving up an occasional bass as is Lakeside County Park.
Catfish action is still rated very good. Gary Hill of Kelseyville reports he is catching from five to 10 catfish per evening while fishing from his float tube near Henderson Point. He is using nightcrawlers fished under a bobber. He is also picking off a few bass on the nightcrawlers. A few fishermen have been catching some decent-sized catfish from the docks at Lakeside County Park and at Library Park. Most of the action has been taking place in the evenings. There are even reports of huge bluegill being caught at various locations around the lake, some weighing more than a pound.
Trout action has been good at the East branch of the Russian River in Potter Valley. Powerbait or small crankbaits have been the top fish-catchers. At Upper Blue Lake, the bass fishing has been excellent and trout action is fair. Neither body of water has been stocked this week.
Despite the warm weather, the deer hunting in the B zones has been good. The hunters are finding most of the deer are still in the high country where there are springs and food. Hunters report the bucks still haven”t gone into rut but that could change at any time. The hunting pressure has been down.
