A carp bowfishing contest will grab the spotlight at Clear Lake this weekend. It’s the annual Waterpig bowfishing tournament and it will go out of the Willow Point Campground in Lakeport. Those fishermen entered can fish both day and night with exception of a barbecue on Saturday evening. There is a giant raffle which is open to the public. The fishermen weigh in their catch on Sunday starting at 1 p.m.
Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport now carries bowfishing equipment, including special arrows and bowstrings.
Bass fishing on Clear Lake is rated from good to excellent. Local fishing guide Bob Myskey took out two clients Tuesday and they caught a total of 37 fish, several between 4-5 pounds. Myskey said he fished the south end of the lake and caught most of the fish using plastic worms.
Ed Smith of Gridley also fished the lake Tuesday and he and his partner caught 28 bass, the largest weighing 9 pounds. Their fish came on tube baits and jigs.
Both the north and south ends of the lake are providing good fishing. One of the better areas has been around Anderson Island where fishermen casting Senkos rigged “wacky” style have been catching a lot of bass, several in the 8-pound-plus class.
Crappie action continues to be excellent and a lot of shore anglers are cashing in on the action. The state and county parks have been very good and some of the crappie are weighing up to 2 pounds. The docks at Library Park in Lakeport also have been providing good crappie action as well as bass. The shoreline along Lakeside County Park is providing good bluegill action. This is the perfect fish for youngsters. All that is needed is a light-action spinning rod and some worms or nightcrawlers.
Fishermen are reminded that the combined daily limit on crappie and bluegill is 25. The game wardens have been closely checking fishermen for over-limits.
Catfish action should be kicking into high gear with the warmer weather. The catfish are spawning in the old sunken tires scattered along the bottom of the lake. Other excellent areas for catfish are Soda Bay and Horseshoe Bend. Shag Rock is another excellent area. A few catfish are being caught off the docks at Library Park in Lakeport.
Lake Mendocino is still kicking out limits of bass for the few anglers after them. The lake has been receiving very little fishing pressure. The most successful technique has been casting Brush Hogs or tube baits. Both largemouth and smallmouth bass are being caught.
Bass are also being caught at Lake Pillsbury where the trout action is slow. The lake has been stocked only once this year. The good news is the lake is a perfect spot for a camping trip. There are several excellent campgrounds and the scenery is second to none.
Trout fishermen have been crying the blues over the poor fishing at the East Branch of the Russian River. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) hasn’t stocked the stream in nearly a month and the fishing has been poor.
For those who like to hike, a trip up to the summit of Mount Konocti is well worth the effort. This is the perfect outing for relatives and visitors and the scenery is nothing short of spectacular. It’s best to make your hike early in the morning to beat the heat. Be sure and take plenty of water.
To date, ocean salmon fishing at Fort Bragg is still been pretty much of a bust. The party boats are happy to catch one or two salmon. The good news is there has been some excellent rock cod fishing and ome large lingcod are being caught. The only downside is the ocean has been rough for the past two weeks.
