The bass tournament fishermen return to Clear Lake this weekend for the California Tournament Trail (CTT) two-day pro/am event. The tournament gets underway today and winds up on Saturday. It goes out of Konocti Vista Casino with weigh-ins starting at 3 p.m. both days.
On Sunday, CTT will hold its Tournament of Champions (TOC) at the same location. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. The tournaments feature shared weights between the pro and amateur. This will be the last major bass tournament held on the lake this year.
Overall the tournament anglers should find good action. The American Bass TOC held last week saw plenty of limits as well as some decent-sized fish weighed in. It took 54 pounds to win the tournament. Most of the fishermen said they caught their bass on deep-running crankbaits in the south end of the lake. The other hot lure was a Brush Hog rigged on a splitshot and fished slowly along the bottom. Senkos and square-bill crankbaits also were successful. Jigs pitched in the available weed beds produced a good number of fish.
Soda Bay and Henderson Point along with the State Park are other good areas. The rockpiles near Rattlesnake are another good choice. The fishermen prefishing for the CTT tournament predict it will take at least 50 pounds to win the pro/am.
The lake level is holding at .60 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, which is a foot higher than last year at this time. All this means there is plenty of water beneath the docks and along the tules. In fact, fishermen report catching bass in less than a foot of water.
Fishermen using live jumbo minnows have been very successful in both the north and south ends of the lake. For shore fishermen, the docks and ramps at Library Park and at Lakeside County Park are producing decent numbers of bass with the occasional catfish.
The cooler weather has cleared up the water and in some areas you can see to a depth of a couple of feet. This condition is perfect for using the “A” Rig. Two years ago the “A Rig” was the top lure on the lake. For those who don’t know about the “A” Rig, the official name is Alabama Rig. It is a set of wire rigs that have up to five leaders, with each having a small swimbait attached. The lure is cast and retrieved slowly. It was a killer on bass but fell out of popularity last year. During the ABA TOC held last week, one fisherman said that he hooked two bass at one time, one weighing 8 pounds and the other weighing 7 pounds. He landed both fish.
There is still very little crappie action. A few crappie are being caught from the docks at Indian Beach Resort and at the Boat Works. Some large bluegill are being caught at Shag Rock. The trout action at Upper Blue Lake has been excellent, some of trout measuring 14-15 inches long. Power bait and nightcrawlers have been the hot baits. Most of the trout are being caught by boaters who are drifting. A few fish are being caught by trolling. Bank fishing has been slow but for those who are persistent, limits can be caught. Upper Blue Lake will be stocked with trout during the week of Nov. 8.
Duck hunters enjoyed an excellent opener on the wildlife refuges in the Sacramento Valley last weekend. Most of the refuges had sufficient water and the hunters averaged nearly four birds per hunter Saturday and three birds Sunday. On Clear Lake, a few hunters managed to bag a limit of ducks and a few geese. The problem was the weather and the number of bass boats in the tournament, which slowed the hunting. Apparently for the first time in more than 20 years there won’t be a junior pheasant hunt in Lake County. A check on the Department of Fish and Wildlife website showed no special hunts listed for Lake County this year.
