The FLW-Outdoors pro/am bass tournament that got underway Thursday at Clear Lake drew 88 boats with fishermen from around the West competing. The leading pro after the first day was Mark Crutcher of Lakeport with 29 pounds, 9 ounces. Jimmy Reese of Witter Springs is in seventh place with 21 pounds 13 ounces. The leading amateur is Rick Grover with 21 pounds.
The big fish of the first day weighed 8 pounds, 14 ounces and was caught by Ricky Shabazz. A grand total of 72 limits were weighed in. The field will be cut to 10 pros and 10 amateurs after today’s competition. The winners of the tournament are determined by the heaviest accumulated weight for all three days. The tournament wraps up Saturday. The weigh-in today and Saturday begins at 3 p.m. at Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina.
Overall the tournament fishermen are finding the bass are still widely scattered. One reason is because the lake has been hammered by tournament fishermen the past month and it doesn’t stop this weekend. Next week is the American Bass Tournament of Champions, which should draw in excess of 125 boats. That tournament will be followed by the CTT pro/am on Oct. 30-31.
The successful fishermen have been constantly on the move until they locate active fish. One problem has been the tremendous amount of bait fish in the lake. Threadfin shad, juvenile crappie and bluegill as well as small bass are everywhere. This smorgasbord of food has kept the stomachs of the bass full, which makes them harder to catch. The more successful fishermen are working the available weed mats with jigs and Senkos, Topwater action has been fair for those casting Buzz Frogs.
A few bass are being caught on buzz baits. For those anglers, but not the tournament fishermen, who prefer to use live bait, a jumbo minnow has been very effective. A few bass are being caught on a nightcrawler rigged drop-shot style. The water clarity also has improved and several fishermen report seeing schools of large bass cruising along the shorelines. Some of the better areas have been Rocky Point, Lakeside County Park, Konocti Bay, Henderson Point, the rockpiles near Rattlesnake Island and Jago Bay.
For those who fish from shore, a few bass are being caught off the docks at Library Park in Lakeport. The dock at Redbud Park in Clearlake is also giving up an occasional bass as is Lakeside County Park.
Catfish action has been very good and one of the hotspots is Shag Rock. Rattlesnake Island is another productive area. A few large catfish are being caught off the docks at Library Park in Lakeport for those using either live minnows or nightcrawlers.
Both Upper Blue Lake and the East Branch of the Russian River are scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. It is unknown if the Russian River will actually be stocked. The Department of Fish and Wildlife won’t stock a stream if the water is too warm. Upper Blue Lake is certainly worth a try. The conditions are perfect for trout fishing and the best bet is to trolling the middle of the lake.
The B-zone deer hunters are about to enter the final week of their season, which closes Oct. 25, and a storm would help the hunting. Overall this has been a decent season. Hunters report seeing a fair number of bucks, but the weather has been just too warm with daytime temperature reaching into the 90s in many areas. The bucks still haven’t gone into rut. The deer hunters report seeing a good number of both California and mountain quail.
