Fishermen who plan on entering the 28th annual Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament scheduled for March 28-Feb. 1 can sign up today starting 9 a.m. at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce office, located at 875 Lakeport Blvd., in Lakeport. The blast-off numbers for the first day of the tournament will be issued in the order fishermen sign up. Some fishermen will wait in line all night to get a low blast-off number.
The tournament is sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and Konocti Vista Resort and Casino. The tournament goes out of Konocti Vista Casino. The entry fee is $200 and includes the big-fish option. As in past years, the tournament pays back 100 percent of the paid entry fees. Entry forms can be obtained online from the chamber’s website at www.lakecochamber.com and fishermen can also sign up online. Local tackle shops also have entry forms. For more information call 263-5092.
The tournament began in 1987 and was known as the Record-Bee/Bruno’s Team Bass Tournament. At one time it was one of the largest bass tournaments in the nation and the 225-team limit was normally filled by early September. In those days the winning team took home $20,000. Last year’s event drew 131 teams and the winning team of Gary Collins and Tory Mihalenko weighed in 58.78 pounds for the two-day tourney and collected $6,000. The tournament remains as one of the largest and most popular bass tournaments held on Clear Lake.
On the fishing scene, fishermen claim the bass still have lockjaw for the most part. As the American Bass (ABA) tournament held on Sunday illustrated, the bass fishing remains slow despite perfect weather. Gary Hill of Kelseyville fished from his float tube near Henderson Point on Tuesday and did manage to catch two bass, but he said those were the only bites he had. He also said the fish he caught barely mouthed the lure.
Most of the successful fishermen in the ABA tournament found their fish in the south end of the lake and deep-running crankbaits were the top lures. Several fishermen reported they caught bass on “A” rigs. What was surprising was the lack of success using swimbaits. A number of fishermen said they cast the swimbaits most of the day and didn’t get a bite. Normally this is the time of the year when swimbaits are effective.
Troy Bellah of the Clear Lake Outdoors tackle shop fished the tournament and didn’t weigh in a fish. He said he did snag several large threadfin shad and that he graphed large schools of baitfish he believes were shad.
Catfish action remains very good for the few anglers after them. A number of fishermen in the bass tournament reported catching catfish on bass lures. Jumbo minnows also have been successful for catfish weighing from 5-15 pounds. One fishermen reported catching several large crappie near Kono Tayee. The water is perfect for the crappie and I am surprised at the lack of fishermen going after these tasty fish.
Trout action at Upper Blue Lake continues to be very slow. A few trout are being caught by trollers but more fishermen have been coming away empty rather than successful. The lake still hasn’t been stocked this month.
One lake producing good numbers of bass is nearby Lake Berryessa. The fishermen report catching from 10-15 bass per day. Some of the them are weighing up to 8 pounds.
Duck hunters go into their final week of the season and the hunting has improved in the Sacramento Valley. The refuges have been averaging from two to three birds per hunter and there is finally plenty of flooded fields. The duck hunting at Clear Lake remains slow. Most hunters are happy to bag one or two birds.
