Clear Lake finally gets a much needed rest this weekend after a wild week of fishing. There were more than 1,000 fishermen on the lake this past weekend who were either fishing for catfish or bass. The good news is that overall the action for both species of fish was rated from good to excellent.
John Fleenor of Middletown won the adult division of the annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby with a 24.74-pounder. The derby produced a lot of catfish and a number of fishermen reported catching 25-30 catfish. In fact, a pair of fishermen in the same boat reported catching more than 100 catfish during the three-day derby. Just about every type of bait, from cut bait, nightcrawlers, live minnows to live crawdads, was successful. The most popular area was in the Clearlake Oaks Arm near Rattlesnake Island and at the entrance to Clearlake Oaks Keys. Horseshoe Bend was another popular area.
The derby produced a total of 241 catfish for an average weight of 14.92 pounds. The good news is that of 969 contestants 69 percent came from out of the county. Fishermen came from Alabama, Oklahoma, Texas, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Washington and from throughout California, which just goes to show Clear Lake is a popular destination spot for fishermen and the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby remains one of the more popular fishing contests in the West.
Bass fishermen were also out in force last weekend. The Future Pro Tournament fielded 110 boats on Saturday and the winning team weighed in 27.31 pounds. The big fish of the tournament weighed 8.73 pounds. There also were several club tournaments last weekend.
The top technique has been drop-shotting a plastic worm at the edges of the tules. The only problem is you will catch a lot of smaller fish. A few fishermen are having success casting plastic frogs to the weed mats. Buzz baits also have been successful. The trick is to work the edges of the weed mats. Fishermen should also keep on the move until they locate fish. In other words, the bass are constantly moving.
Both the north and south ends of the lake have been producing some fish, but the wild weather has slowed the action. Earlier in the week the skies lit up with lighting and thunder. Fishermen report seeing a lot of aquatic weeds on the surface. Most of the weeds are Sago Pond Weed, which is a native weed. The Sago Pond weeds break loose from their roots and the wind pushes them toward the shoreline where they form large mats. The bass hide under these mats.
Fishermen will often drop a jig down in the small holes in the mats and at times it can be very successful.
Crappie action is slowly improving. The docks at Indian Beach Resort are producing some large crappie for those fishing at night. Shag Rock and Kono Tayee are also giving up a few crappie. Bluegill action is still rated very slow but should improve as the silverside minnows start to migrate toward the shoreline. The bluegill feed on them.
Here is a great trivia question. How many species of fish are currently in Clear Lake? Of those, how many are native and how many are introduced? The answer will surprise you. There are 25 species of fish in Clear Lake. Of those, nine are native and 16 are introduced species.
Trout action has been decent at the East Branch of the Russian River. The stream was stocked earlier this week. Power Bait and small crankbaits have been the top fish catchers. Upper Blue Lake was stocked last week. Upper Blue Lake is also producing good bass action.
California is one of the few states where your fishing license runs from January through December regardless when you purchase it. In other words, if you bought your license in November of this year, it would only be valid for two months. In most states the license is good for a year from the date of purchase. A bill in the state legislature would change that and if it passes it would make the fishing license good for a an entire year regardless of when you purchased it.
