The great bass fishing at Clear Lake continues at a torrid pace. The spring-like weather has the bass moving into the shallow water and they are actively feeding on crawfish as well as minnows. Many of the fishermen report catching anywhere from five to 30 fish per day. Bass are even being caught off the banks at Library Park in Lakeport and at Lakeside County Park.
Tony Benevento of Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven says his resort has been full and the guests have been catching good numbers of catfish, bass and crappie off his docks the last two weekends. The north end of the lake near Rocky Point has been a productive area and the bass have moved into the tules and are holding in 2-4 feet of water. The Nice-Lucerne shoreline has been another good area and the best action is off the ends of the docks. The Clearlake Oaks Arm has been productive as well, especially the rockpiles near Rattlesnake Island. Here it’s the deep-running crankbaits that are catching a lot of the bass.
Plastic worms and deep-running crankbaits have been the top lures. A few fishermen are having success using jerk baits. Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing decent numbers of fish. The trick to success is to keep on the move until you locate active fish and then work the area thoroughly.
There are no major bass tournaments scheduled on the lake this weekend but there will a good number of fishermen out prefishing for the upcoming Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament scheduled for Feb. 28 and March 1. That tournament should draw at least 70 boats. Fishermen can sign-up as late as 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 27 at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce Office. The entry fee is $200 per team and includes the daily big-fish option.
Catfish action remains very good and the area around Shag Rock in the Narrows continues to kick out large numbers of catfish. Live jumbo minnows or nightcrawlers are the top baits and some of the catfish being caught are weighing more than 20 pounds. The reason the catfish are stacked in this area is because of the massive schools of threadfin shad, which the catfish are feeding on. The annual Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Catfish Derby is scheduled for May 15-17. The derby is expected draw more than 800 fishermen, which makes it the largest catfish derby in the West.
Lake Mendocino is still putting out a decent number of smallmouth bass. The lake is nearly full and fishing conditions are improving daily.
Even though Upper Blue Lake hasn’t been stocked with trout in more than a month, there are some trout being caught. Earlier this week George Hill of Kelseyville and a friend limited out on trout and also caught five bass. The trout were caught by trolling a small crankbait.
Noted bird expert and wildlife photographer Brad Barnwell will lead a bird walk at the Clear Lake State Park on Saturday morning. The two-hour walk starts at the parking lot at 8:30 a.m. and just about anyone can participate. Barnwell is an expert on wild bird identification and the walks are very popular. Entry into the park is free for those attending the walk.
The spring wild turkey season opens March 28. Wilderness Unlimited will once again host a free turkey hunting seminar open to the public. The seminar takes place Feb. 28 starting at 9 a.m. at the Wilderness Unlimited RV Park, located on Highway 20 just outside of Williams. Well-known turkey hunter and speaker Ed Migale will be one of the principal speakers and will cover all aspects of turkey hunting. The seminar lasts about four hours and lunch will be served.
