Frosty nights and cool days are greeting fishermen at Clear Lake. This past week saw the water temperatures drop significantly. The good news is overall fishing success on the lake continues to be rated from good to excellent, depending on your location.
The best action continues to be in the deeper water in the south end of the lake. Crankbaits such as the LV500 and the deeper runners are catching decent numbers of bass. A few fishermen are having success using the “A” rig with 6-inch swim baits. Drop-shotting a plastic worm is also effective. There is still very little action in the north end of the lake although bass are being caught along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline. Live jumbo minnows have been very effective. The trick is to keep moving as baitfish are everywhere. Typically the fishermen report working a long stretch of shoreline and catching nothing and then catching fish after fish in a very small area. American Bass is holding a team tournament Sunday on Clear Lake. The tournament goes out of Redbud Park in Clearlake and the weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
Catfish action remains very good for the few anglers after them. Jumbo minnows as well as cut mackerel and nightcrawlers are the top baits. The most successful fishermen have been fishing at night. The best action has been in the Clearlake Oaks Arm and at Henderson Point.
Trout action has been good at Upper Blue Lake. A few have weighed as much as 3 pounds. Trollers are having the best luck although bank fishermen are also catching trout using Power Bait or nightcrawlers. The lake was scheduled to be stocked this week. Bass fishing slowed to a crawl as illustrated by the results of the Clear Lake Bassmasters tournament held Saturday. Only eight bass were caught by the entire field of seven boats (14 anglers). The East Branch of the Russian River will close to trout fishing for the year Saturday.
A reminder that the Konocti Rod and Gun Club and Lake County 4-H are presenting a free family fun shoot Saturday. The event takes place between 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the club’s gun range on Highland Springs Road. The shoot is free and open to the public.
There will be one-on-one coach/shooter instruction with a variety of rifles, .22, centerfire, shotguns and black powder rifles. All firearms, ammunition, hearing and eye protection are provided free. Do not bring personal firearms. Free gun locks and literature on safe firearm handling and safe home storage of firearms is available. There also will be free lunch for everyone with hot dogs, chips and bottled water served.
For more information visit www.krgc.org or call Rick and Jill Walker at 995-1965.
With the cool weather arriving it would be an ideal time to take a hike up to the summit of Mount Konocti. To reach the trailhead, take Konocti Road out of Kelseyville and go to the parking lot. The hike is on a gravel road and it’s about three miles to Wright’s Peak. It’s a moderate grade and if you take your time you can complete the hike in about two hours. The good news is that it’s all downhill coming back. The view from the summit is spectacular. Take along a lunch, water and a camera. I have been to the summit several times and I’m always in awe of the view.
Turkey hunters open their fall season Saturday and bagging a bird should be no problem as there are turkeys everywhere. In fact, the Mendocino National Forest is loaded with turkeys. The season runs until Dec. 13 and the limit is one bird of either sex per day and a total of two for the for the entire season. You can hunt turkeys with a shotgun, bow and arrow or even a pellet gun that is .177 caliber or larger. A number of people hunt turkeys with a pellet gun because they can legally shoot nearer to buildings as compared to a shotgun. Only steel shot is allowed in state wildlife areas, which includes Cache Creek and the Knoxville Wildlife Area.
