Clear Lake will be full of boaters starting today and continuing through Saturday as the American Bass Association (ABA) holds its Tournament of Champions (TOC). After today”s early morning blast-off, the tournament winds up Saturday. It operates out of Library Park in Lakeport.
Last year it took 62 pounds to win the TOC and there were 142 boats. This year”s tournament is expected to draw at least 120 boats. The weigh-in both today and Saturday starts at approximately 2:30 p.m.
The waterfowl season also opens Saturday and there will be duck hunters out on the lake during the weekend. There are also several bass club tournaments scheduled this weekend.
Bass fishermen should find the fishing rated fair to good although the fish are widely scattered. It took 70 pounds to win the three-day FLW tournament last week. Most of the fishermen in the ABA tournament predict it will take at least 55 pounds to win the two-day competition. The winning team will take home a new bass boat.
A deep-running crankbait proved to be the hot lure during the FLW tournament and it is also expected to be the No. 1 lure in this tournament. The local tackle shops report selling out of all their brands of deep-running crankbaits. Many of the fishermen will also be punching, which is the practice of flipping jigs or plastic worms into the weed mats.
Catfish action continues to be good for the few fishermen after them. The best action has been in Horseshoe Bend and off the State Park. Crappie continue to be a no-show for the fishermen. A few keeper-sized bluegill are being caught near Shag Rock.
Trout action has slowed considerably at both Upper Blue Lake and the East Branch of the Russian River. Boaters are having the best luck at Upper Blue Lake using Power Bait. Bass fishing has been good for 1- and 2-pounders. At the East Branch of the Russian River, fishermen are working hard to catch a limit. I fished the river Thursday and had very few bites. Both Upper Blue Lake and the East Branch of the Russian River haven”t been stocked in nearly a month. The season on the river closes Nov. 15 and it is unknown if the river will be stocked again this year.
Duck hunters open their season Saturday. With low water levels at the refuges in the Sacramento Valley, hunters may struggle. Most of the refuges will have a reduced quota of hunters and the Sutter Refuge will be closed. Most of the duck clubs in the Valley have little or no water for the opener. There should also be a good number of duck hunters on Clear Lake. Clear Lake always draws hunters from Fort Bragg and Ukiah along with local residents. The forecast is for possible rain, which should help the duck hunters.
While the entire lake is open for hunting, you can”t shoot within 150 yards of an occupied building and there is no hunting within the confines of Clear Lake State Park and Anderson Marsh. Most of the hunters will be concentrated near Rodman Slough and off Long Tule Point.
The daily limit this year is seven ducks of which two can be hen mallards. This year two pintails and one canvasback are also allowed as part of the daily bag limit. Regardless of the species, the daily limit of all ducks combined can”t exceed seven. The daily goose limit is 25 birds but only 10 can be the dark geese. The possession limit is three times the daily limit. Hunters are reminded that in addition to their hunting license they also must have both the federal and state duck stamps.
B-zone deer hunters go into their final week of the season and a storm would help the hunting. Overall this has been a good season as hunters report seeing a good number of bucks.
