The millions of threadfin shad in the lake has slowed the bass fishing considerably. A good example were the results of the Best Bass Tournament (BBT) held on Saturday. The tournament fielded 105 boats but 35 failed to weigh in a single fish. In fact, there was only one bass weighing in excess of 8 pounds. Most of the fishermen blamed the abundance of bait fish for the lack of action. The winning weight was only 24 pounds.
The local fishing guides report similar slow action. They say a good day on the lake is when their clients can catch from five to eight fish … and they are using live minnows. Of course, live minnows are normally much more productive than plastic lures.
The bass still haven’t completed spawning. At Clear Lake, the bass often spawn until well into July. One problem is the water color is stained in most areas from algae and the bedded bass can’t be seen.
The best action is still in the area from the State Park to Lakeport. A few bass are also being caught along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline. Many of the fish are being caught on square-billed crankbaits and Senkos. Another lure that has been successful for the tournament fishermen is a 6-inch Keitech swim bait rigged on an underspinner jig. The local tackle shops sell these rigs.
BBT is holding a team tournament Saturday, plus there are five club tournaments going on that day. All will operate out of the Konocti Vista Casino and the weigh-ins start at 3 p.m.
Whereas the bass fishing has slowed a tad the crappie action continues to be excellent. The only problem is many of the crappie have moved. A good example is the State Park. Three weeks ago the park was one of the hottest crappie spots on the lake. Now the fishing has died off. However, the docks at Library Park in Lakeport are still producing good numbers of crappie. The Harbor in Nice is also kicking out a good number of fish. The trick is to keep on the move until you locate a school of fish.
The annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby held last weekend was a huge success. More than 1,000 anglers participated and a good time was had by all. The only problem was that the wind kept many of the anglers off the lake Saturday night. The winning catfish weighed 24.65 pounds. Overall the catfish action has been fair.
Trout action at the East Branch of the Russian River has slowed to a crawl for the simple reason the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has only stocked the stream once since the opener nearly a month ago. In past years the DFW would stock the stream weekly during the first weeks of the season.
A few trout are being caught at Upper Blue Lake but that lake hasn’t been stocked in nearly a month. The best action has been for trollers working the middle of the lake.
Lower Blue Lake is loaded with large bass but the lake receives very little fishing pressure and one reason is because you can’t launch a boat on the lake. A few fishermen use float tubes or kayaks and they catch bass often topping 8 pounds.
Lake Pillsbury is providing fair trout action and good bass fishing. The lake holds some huge bass. Years ago the DFW stocked Lake Pillsbury with bass taken from Clear Lake.
To date, ocean salmon fishing at Fort Bragg has been pretty much of a bust. The party boats are happy to catch one or two salmon. The good news is rock fishing opened Wednesday and prospects are excellent for a good season.
