Warm weather and bass moving onto their spawning beds will greet fishermen this weekend at Clear Lake. By all accounts the fishing should improve considerably. This past week saw water temperatures dip down to 60 degrees but that should change by Saturday.
It will be a busy weekend for the outdoor enthusiasts. There is a two-day bass tournament on Clear Lake, plus the bass are biting for the recreational fishermen. The spring wild turkey season also winds up.
Topping the list of activities is the fifth annual Konocti Vista Classic team tournament. The two-day tournament starts Saturday morning and fiinishes up Sunday. The weigh-in is at Konocti Vista Casino Marina and starts at 3 p.m. each day. The tournament is expected to draw about 50 boats. The entry fee is $175 per team and fishermen can sign up from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. today at Konocti Vista Casino. Most of the fishermen predict it will take at least 55 pounds to win the two-day event.
The changing weather has the bass moving onto their spawning beds one day and off the next. The big problem is the water color. In some areas the algae blooms have colored up the water so much that the spawning bass can’t be seen. However, in other areas the water is clear. The successful fishermen who are locating bedded bass are wacky rigging a Senko and casting it to the bass. Since bass are very protective of their nests and guard their fry, the trick is to tease the bass into striking the lure.
The water in the north end of the lake is mostly colored but in many parts of the south end the water is very clear. The fishermen also are having to contend with hundreds of juvenile bass between 8-10 inches long. These smaller fish will strike at any lure that comes near them. Typically a fisherman can expect to catch four to eight legal-sized fish and a dozen of the juveniles.
Catfish action is also improving and with the annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby only two weeks away, a lot of fishermen will be out scouting for catfish. Horseshoe Bend has been producing some good-sized catfish as well as Shag Rock. The docks along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline have been holding some huge catfish. Rattlesnake Island is another excellent area as is the State Park.
A few dedicated crappie fishermen have been scoring on palm-sized crappie at Lakeside County Park and at Library Park in Lakeport. Crappie also are being caught at Shag Rock and Kono Tayee as well as off the docks at the Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven.
Fishermen report seeing a lot of hitch at various locations around the lake but many of these fish are blackfish, which are common in the lake. Experts say it’s nearly impossible to tell the two species apart when seen swimming in the water.
The opening weekend of the stream trout season on the East Branch of the Russian River was either a bust or boom to fishermen. The stream was loaded with fishermen Saturday and whereas a few did bag limits, others came away with only a few fish. The game wardens also were out in force and a number of people were cited for having over-limits. Trout action at Upper Blue Lake is rated fair for bank fishermen and good for boaters. Bass are being caught as well.
The spring wild turkey season wraps up Sunday. There is a two-week extended season for junior hunters and bow hunters. This year the hunter success rate was only fair. Hunters reported that the overall number of birds appeared to be down and that the warm weather caused the hens to leave the flocks and sit on their eggs earlier than normal. The hunters also report that the toms shut down early. Hunter success in the Mendocino National Forest was rated as poor.
