The fishermen will find the bass have moved beneath the weed mats and many are still on their spawning beds. Plastic frogs and other topwater lures cast to the weed mats have been catching bass ranging from as small as a pound to a few in the 8-pound-plus class. Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing decent number of fish. The water clarity is good in some areas and stained in others.
Few things in fishing are more exciting than a bass grabbing a plastic frog. The explosion often results in the angler setting the hook too quickly and the fish swimming away unscathed. Experienced fishermen say to count to at least two before setting the hook. That gives the bass time to get the lure in its mouth.
The other lure that continues to catch a good number of bass is a Senko cast to the small open holes in the mats. Allow the Senko to sink to the bottom and watch your line. If is moves, set the hook.
Gary Hill of Kelseyville reports he has been catching spawning bass while wading from the shore at both the State Park and Lakeside County Park. He says he has been casting a Robo plastic worm to the fish and is teasing them into striking.
Crappie action is still rated very good. One of the better areas continues to be the docks at Library Park in Lakeport where some of the fishermen report catching as many as 50 crappie a day. Various types of crappie jigs, including red-white and chartreuse, have been the top lures.
Bluegill are also starting to show up in decent numbers at various locations around the lake. Small chunks of nightcrawlers have been taking most of the fish.
The bass tournament fishermen return to Clear Lake this weekend for the Wild West Tournament Trail team championship. The two-day tournament goes out of Konocti Vista Casino and Marina with the weigh-ins both Saturday and Sunday starting at 3 p.m. The daily limit per team is seven fish.
Trout action continues to be slow in the East Branch of the Russian River. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) website states the river was stocked during the week of May 29 but local fishermen say that isn’t the case and most of the fishermen have been catching only one or two trout for a day’s effort. The few trout being caught also have been very small, averaging less that 10 inches in length.
At Upper Blue Lake, a few fishermen have been catching limits by trolling the center of the lake. The bank fishermen have been doing poorly.
Bass fishermen at Lake Mendocino continue to do very well with both largemouth and smallmouth bass being caught. The fish are ranging from a pound to 3 pounds.
Ocean fishing off Fort Bragg has been good for those after bottom fish such as ling cod. Some of the lings being caught have topped 20 pounds. The salmon fishing is nonexistent. In fact, the party boats have even quit fishing for salmon and have switched to just bottom fishing.
The Lake County Chamber of Commerce “Kiss My Clear Lake Bass” contest is in full swing and there are a number of candidates looking for votes. Each vote costs a dollar and the top three finishers each designate a charity to receive cash prizes. The contest closes June 26. The winner has to kiss a live bass on the lips. A list of the candidates can be obtained from the chamber. I am one of the candidates and my charity is Hospice of Lake County.
