Bass fishing on Clear Lake continues to be wide open. Just about everyone is catching from 15-40 fish per day. The good news is the action has spread all around the lake and the bite has been good all day. In other words, you don’t have to be on the lake at daylight to get in on the action.
One of the better areas has been along the Highway 20 shoreline from Clearlake Oaks to Lucerne, with Pepperwood Cove being the hot area. The bass are holding above the rocky bottom in 8-15 feet of water. Another good area is off Clear Lake State Park where Gary Hill of Kelseyville has been hammering the bass. Earlier this week he caught a 10-pounder while fishing from his float tube. He said he has been averaging from 10-30 fish per day.
Just about every type of lure has been catching fish and they range from square-billed crankbaits to spinnerbaits, jigs and Senkos. One of the latest lures to come on the market – and it has been deadly on bass – is the Ned Rig. The lure is a soft plastic and is only 3 inches long. It resembles a Senko, but it does float. The lure is rigged on a small standup jig and worked slowly along the bottom. Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport sells the Ned Rig and the jigs.
There are no major bass tournaments scheduled for the weekend but there will be plenty of fishermen on the water prefishing for the Oct. 1 Triton Boat Owners tournament.
Crappie action has slowed but a few fishermen are still catching a few. Bluegill action is still rated good in areas such as Shag Rock. The docks at Library Park in Lakeport are also giving up a few bluegill and crappie.
Mike and Marilyn Williamson are the new owners at ETicket Tackle in Lakeport. The tackle shop has been renamed Lakeport Bait and Tackle. The shop carries a wide variety of bass, crappie, catfish and trout lures as well as live nightcrawlers. The shop is open Wednesday through Sunday and store hours are 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. The telephone number is 900-5101.
There has been some vandalism at Lakeside County Park. Earlier this week a fisherman came back from fishing and found the windows of his truck had been broken and his battery and other items were stolen. What is needed at all the public ramps around the lake are surveillance cameras. They are inexpensive and can prevent vandalism.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife still hasn’t stocked either the East Branch of the Russian River or Upper Blue Lake. As a result, the trout action has come to a standstill. The only action at Upper Blue Lake is for bass.
The Zone A deer season ends Sunday and hunting has been poor to date. The bucks are going into rut but there are so few deer that most hunters have been unsuccessful. The B-zone deer season is in full swing and some nice bucks are being taken out of the Mendocino National Forest near Covelo. Earlier this week the high country received some rain, which should help the hunting.
Mountain lions are common in Lake County and are often seen in residential areas. A Lakeport resident who lives just off 11th Street reported seeing a mountain lion in his backyard. He said it was a young lion and weighed about 70 pounds. One reason the lions are drawn to residential areas is because they prey on domestic cats and dogs. Ten years ago a lion was spotted walking across the parking lot at Kmart in Lakeport. Two weeks ago a dead mountain lion was seen on Highway 53 at the edge of the city of Clearlake. It had apparently been struck by a car.
Bears are also common throughout the county. Deer hunters who have been hunting the ranches in Scotts Valley report seeing bears just about every time. The bear season is currently open but only 82 bears have been taken statewide to date. The season runs until Dec. 25 or until hunters take 1,700 bears.
