The long Memorial Day weekend traditionally kicks off the summer season in Lake County. This year the lake is full to the brim and overall the fishing is rated from fair to good. With a full lake, the best news is that fishermen will be able to get back into the sloughs and also work the shoreline for bass, crappie, catfish and bluegill.
Bass fishing has been a hit-or-miss affair of late. The guides report that some days the action has been nonstop but on others their clients have to work hard to catch their fish. The same applies to the tournament anglers. The BBT tournament held Saturday saw some heavy limits, but a good number of fishermen failed to weigh in a single fish.
The problem continues to be an abundance of bait fish. Threadfin shad are in the lake by the millions and the bass and other fish have an easy meal. Most of the successful fishermen are covering a lot of water to locate their fish. The good news is just about every location on the lake is producing decent fishing.
Many of fishermen are having success drop-shotting a plastic worm back in the flooded tules. One of the better areas continues to be from Corinthian Bay to the State Park.
The north end of the lake is also finally starting to produce decent numbers of bass. The fishermen have been holding tight to the docks and the successful fishermen have been skip-casting a plastic worm or tube bait under these docks.
The bass are ranging in size from 1 pound all the way up to 8 pounds with the occasional 9-pounder.
The Lake County Fishing Club is made up of youngsters from local high schools and they have been competing in FLW bass tournaments in a special category. The club is holding its first open tournament June 5 at Konocti Vista Casino. According club organizer Deanna Goff, the club is looking for boaters to take the youngsters out on the lake. The boaters provide experience and guidance to these youngsters. Tournament hours are 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. and a barbecue and raffle follows the tournament. Those boaters who can provide a boat and assistance should call Goff 245-4833.
Crappie action is still rated as good although some of the hot spots such as the State Park have dried up. Crappie are still being caught off the docks at Lakeside County Park and at Library Park in Lakeport although not in the large numbers of a few weeks ago.
The good news is that some huge bluegill are being caught at various locations around the lake. Small redworms or nightcrawlers are the top bait. Catfish action has been so-so.
Trout action on the East Branch of the Russian River is rated as fair. The stream is scheduled to be stocked next week. At Upper Blue, the trout action has slowed. The lake hasn’t been stocked in nearly a month. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) isn’t stocking the local streams and lakes as often this year as in the past. It’s all part of a cost-saving policy now in effect.
Bass action at Lake Mendocino continues to be very good, especially for smallmouth bass. The lake is in perfect condition and all the ramps are open.
Lake Pillsbury should be worth a try for the weekend. The lake holds trout but the big news is the giant bass in the lake. Many years ago the DFW took Florida-strain largemouth bass and stocked them in the lake. The result is there is an excellent bass fishery, including bass weighing in the 8-pound class. The lake also holds some huge bluegills.
Indian Valley Reservoir is open to fishing but there have been no reports coming out of there. The DFW won’t be stocking the lake with either kokanee or trout this year. The lake does have a good population of bass. It also holds crappie and catfish and some holdover trout.
