Despite the unsettled weather the bass action is rated from fair to good on Clear Lake. The wind earlier this week kept most of the fishermen off the lake but the forecast is for the winds to calm by the weekend and the action should improve although the air temperature will remain below freezing in the mornings.
This is the time of the year when many fishermen switch to live jumbo minnows. A lot of bass fishermen scorn the use of live minnows even though these same fishermen do use them. Minnows aren’t cheap, costing $12 a dozen, or a buck a minnow, and on a good day you will go through at least two dozen minnows. ETicket Tackle, Fastop Food Store and Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport, Limit out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks and Clearlake Bait and Tackle in Clearlake all sell minnows.
The minnows sold as bait are golden shiners and come from Arkansas. They are flown by FedEx to a distributor in Northern California, then delivered to the various bait shops. During peak times in the winter months the local tackle shops sell hundreds of minnows. Considering how many minnows are used in Clear Lake each week one can’t help wonder why they haven’t reproduced and established a viable population here. Actually, a few of the minnows that have been released and survived are capable of reproducing. However, the survival rate is very low because of predation by larger fish, birds and other factors.
For those who prefer to use artificial lures, the lipless crankbait, such as the LV500 made by Lucky Craft, remains the top lure. It’s also an easy lure to fish. Just cast the lure out and once it hits the water give a short, hard jerk and allow the lure to sink to the bottom. Repeat this action as you slowly reel in the lure. Many times a bass grabs the lure when it’s resting motionless on the bottom. Other times the bass grabs the lure on the fall. On the fall, the lure resembles a dying shad as it flutters down. The LV500 has rattles so noisy they can be heard buzzing all the way back to the boat. The beauty of fishing this way is you cover a lot of water and can find active fish. Moving along the shoreline fast is the top technique in locating bass during the winter months. The fish are schooled and it’s not unusual to travel up to one-half mile along the shoreline before you get a strike. However, once you catch a fish, you should stay put and work the area thoroughly because there are sure to be other bass in the area.
Lately the best colors for the LV500 have been the chartreuse-shad or ghost minnow. Of course, the downside of using this lure is the cost, which is about $20. The other problem is when you allow it to sink to the bottom you will pick up a lot of debris. Every fisherman should also carry what is called a “lure knocker.” It’s a device with a weight on the end and short length of chain attached to a long rope. The device hooks onto your snagged lure and retrieves it for you. At $20 per lure you can’t afford to lose many.
Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing bass. Two of the more productive areas the past two weeks have been Henderson Point and Horseshoe Bend. The successful fishermen are starting out shallow and slowly working to the deeper water. One day the bass are in shallow and the next out deep.
Catfish action remains good at just about any location on the lake. The top bait has been a live minnow followed by nightcrawlers.
Trout action remains very good at Upper Blue Lake. Boaters are having the most success by dunking Power Bait or nightcrawlers. The lake is scheduled to be stocked the week of Dec. 6.
