Trout grab the spotlight this weekend as the season opens Saturday. The East Branch of the Russian River in Potter Valley should be a busy place as dozens of anglers go after the rainbow trout. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) stocked the stream earlier this week. The DFW will also stock Upper Blue Lake and Lake Pillsbury.
The East Branch of the Russian River is a popular fishing spot and the area will be crowded for the opener. To reach the fishing area, take the Lake Pillsbury Road to Potter Valley. There are a number of places where you can park and walk down to the river.
Most of the fishermen will be using salmon eggs or Power Bait. Small crankbaits can also be very effective. Fish the deeper holes for trout that range in size from 8-10 inches. The daily limit is five fish.
Lake Pillsbury should also be busy with fishermen. The ramps are all open and the lake offers excellent trout and bass fishing. The road from Potter Valley going into the lake is in good shape.
The bass action slowed a bit at Clear Lake because of the midweek storm and high winds but should improve over the weekend when temperatures are expected to hit the 90-degree mark. The bass will be moving onto their spawning beds. One problem has been the tremendous number of threadfin shad in the lake. There are so many shad and small crappie that all a bass has to do is open its mouth to get a meal.
The more successful fishermen are casting the smaller swimbaits, such as the Keitech, and making a steady retrieve. Drop-shotting a plastic worm or Brush Hog is another successful method. A few fishermen are finding success casting a plastic frog to the small weed mats that are lining the shore. The good news is both the north and south ends of the lake are producing decent numbers of bass. Some of the more productive areas have been Rocky Point and the shoreline from Long Tule Point to the State Park.
With the exception of a couple of small club tournaments there are no major bass tournaments scheduled for the weekend.
The annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby is scheduled for May 13-15. This is one of the largest catfish derbies in the West and annually draws close to 1,000 fishermen.
Crappie action at Clear Lake continues nonstop. The action slowed a bit during the week because of the bad weather but should be excellent for the weekend. Just about every location is producing limits. Some of the better areas have been the Clear Lake State Park and Lakeside County Park. The docks at Library Park in Lakeport also have been very productive. Some of the crappie being caught are huge. There have been a number of reports of 3-pound-plus crappie caught. Either an all-white or red-white crappie jig is the top lure. Small minnows also have been very effective. Fishermen are reminded that the daily and possession limit for crappie is 25 per person. The game wardens have been out on the lake daily checking fishermen for over-limits.
The spring wild turkey season closes Sunday. There is a special archery-only season until May 20 and a junior hunter season until May 15.
Overall the season has been rated as fair. The turkey population is down slightly in some areas, and this is especially true in the Mendocino National Forest. As always the best hunting is on private land.
A good outing would be a hike up Mount Konocti. The weather is cool and on a clear day the view is spectacular. Take Konocti Road out of Kelseyville and go to parking lot. The hike from the parking lot is about three miles.
