The tournament bass fishermen return to Clear Lake on Saturday for a Best Bass Tournament (BBT) team event. The tournament is expected to draw about 80 boats and will operate out of Redbud Park in Clearlake. The weigh-in starts at approximately noon.
Overall the bass fishing on Clear Lake is nothing to brag about. Most of the fishermen are struggling to catch four or five bass for a full day’s effort. There are plenty of small bait fish but few adult bass are chasing them. Most of the fishermen also report catching dozens of small bass between 8-10 inches.
The trick to success is to keep on the move and cover a lot of water until you locate active fish. The top lures have been chatter baits, buzz baits, small and square billed crank baits. Drop-shotting a plastic worm is another successful method. A few fishermen are having success casting a plastic frogs to the small weed patches. Some of the more productive areas have been in the Clearlake Oaks Arm along Highway 20 and off Redbud Park. Henderson Point, Horseshoe Bend, Konocti Bay and Jago Bay are giving up a few fish. The action in the north end has been slow although a few fishermen have been successful fishing around Rocky Point. Overall the water clarity ranges from cloudy to a slightly green color. There have been some algae blooms in the south end of the lake.
Whereas the bass fishing leaves a lot to be desired, the catfish action continues to be excellent. Catfish are being caught at just about every location around the lake. One of the better areas is Henderson Point and Shag Rock. Live nightcrawlers or crawdads have been the top baits. Many of the successful fishermen are rigging the nightcrawlers drop-shot style and slowly drifting. Crappie and bluegill fishing remains very slow. One pair of fishermen caught several large catfish on swimbaits while fishing for bass.
No local waters were stocked with trout this week. Upper Blue Lake was stocked two weeks ago and will be stocked again next week. A few trout are being caught by trollers working at a depth of 20-30 feet. An occasional trout is being caught by bank fishermen but overall the action has been slow. Bass fishing continues to be excellent along the Highway 20 shoreline and near the Narrows Resort. The East Branch of the Russian River hasn’t been stocked in two weeks. A few trout are being caught in some of the deeper pools on Power Bait, but overall the action has slowed considerably.
Smallmouth bass action is rated as good at Lake Mendocino and the best news is that fishing pressure has been very light.
Salmon fishing off Fort Bragg is still very slow. The ocean water temperatures has been running as high as 57 degrees, which is just too warm for the salmon. On the other hand the bottom fishing has been excellent and some huge lingcod are being caught.
The early Zone A deer season opens in a few weeks and for those who need their rifles checked out, Ted Elliot of E Ticket Tackle in Lakeport is an experienced gunsmith and can do all types of gun repairs. He can be reached at 262-1233.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has issued a warning for residents across the state to be on the alert for bears. The DFW says a dry spring and summer has diminished the food supply for the bears and they have been showing up in residential areas where they feed on garbage and pet food. They advise residents not to leave garbage out and should wait to put trash cans out until the morning of collection. Lake County has a healthy population of bears.
