Bass fishermen will be sharing the lake with catfishermen this weekend as the annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby gets underway at noon today. There are two bass tournaments scheduled for the weekend as well. Best Bass Tournament (BBT) will hold a team tournament Saturday and American Bass has a team event Sunday. Both bass tournaments go out of Konocti Vista Casino with the weigh-ins starting at 3 p.m.
The catfish derby will draw most of the attention. The three-day event runs through noon Sunday and it goes out of the Firehouse in Clearlake Oaks. Fishermen are allowed to weigh-in one catfish. If they catch a larger catfish, it replaces the one they earlier caught. You can fish 24 hours a day and many will spend the night out on the lake.
The award ceremonies start at 1 p.m. on Sunday and the winner in the adult division receives $4,000. Payouts go down to 20 places. Fishermen can sign up for the derby as late as 11 p.m. today.
Weather will be a major factor in the success of the fishermen. If the winds stay mild, the success rate goes up because the fishermen will be able to anchor and fish. Most of the fishermen will use either live minnows, nightcrawlers or cutbait. Years ago when crawdads were available it was considered the top bait but few fishermen have access to crawdads, so most have switched to live minnows.
The two bass tournaments should attract a good number of fishermen and the bass fishing has been good. Local fishing guide Bob Myskey said his clients have been averaging from 15-30 fish per day and there have been a good number of 8-pounders caught. In fact, Myskey said his clients have caught more bass weighing 8 pounds or more this year than in any other year during the past five. The best success has been by fishermen using live jumbo minnows and fishing around the docks in the north end of the lake. The Future Pro Bass Tournament held last weekend drew 107 boats and the winning team weighing in 24.74 pounds.
Fishermen using artificial lures are finding success either by drop-shotting a plastic worm, Brush Hog or a Keitech swimbait rigged with an under-spinner. That is a spinner attached to the hook that is positioned beneath the swimbait. The lure is cast to the edges of the weeds and retrieved slowly. It has been deadly on large bass. One problem has been the abundance of threadfin shad. There are literally millions of shad in the lake and the bass are actively feeding on them.
Crappie action continues to be very good but the prime fishing areas have changed. The State Park is producing a few crappie but nothing like two weeks ago. The fishing pressure is also down considerably. One of the better areas has been the docks at Library Park in Lakeport. The Harbor at Nice is still kicking out good numbers of crappie. At times Lakeside County Park has been good for crappie. A few catfish are also being caught there.
Trout action at the East Branch of the Russian River is still rated as only fair and the best action is in the mornings. The river has been stocked only once since the season opened April 30. Upper Blue Lake is offering limits for those trolling various types of lures. Lake Pillsbury is rated as fair for trout fishermen and good for the bass anglers. Lake Mendocino has been providing excellent action for the bass fishermen. Letts Lake is a good bet but it’s a bit of a drive. The lake holds both trout and bass.
