The Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament kicks off Saturday at daylight and if last week’s WWBT tournament is any indication the contestants should catch some huge bass. The WWBT tournament produced three bass that topped 11 pounds and five that topped 10 pounds. In addition, there were plenty of fish caught ranging between 8-9 pounds. No other lake in the country can produce trophy bass the way Clear Lake is doing this year.
The tournament is celebrating 30 years and will go out of Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport. The tournament sponsors are hoping for a field of at last 100 boats. Last year the tournament drew 134 boats. The weigh-ins Saturday and Sunday begin at 3 p.m. at the casino. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament as late as 4:30 p.m. today at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce office, located at 875 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport. The chamber office is located at Vista Point. Only credit cards or cash will be accepted. Many fishermen wait until the last minute to sign up because they want to be out in the first flight on Sunday.
Fishermen will enjoy a steak dinner Saturday evening in the casino banquet room following the weigh-in. The dinner is free for the contestants and $15 for guests. Redwood Ford is sponsoring the dinner.
The sponsors of the tournament are the Lake County Chamber of Commerce, Konocti Vista Casino, Redwood Ford, Northlake Pharmacy, Bruno’s Property Management, G&G Printing, Mary Heare Amodio, River2Sea, Fish Sniffer, Dobyns Rods, Marine Unlimited, Fin Junkie and Tim Goldberg Reelex Lubricants.
The tournament should produce some massive bags of fish. Fishermen prefishing for the tournament reported catching a number of bass topping 8 pounds and most said they had little trouble boating 10-15 fish. Most of the fishermen predict it will take at least 50 pounds or better to win the tournament. In fact, some fishermen are predicting the winning team could need 60 pounds. The prediction is also that several bass in the 10-pound-plus range will be weighed in. One fisherman prefishing for the tournament said he caught and released an 11-pounder.
The north end of the lake is producing the larger bass while the south end is producing the numbers. Massive numbers of threadfin shad can be found throughout the lake. A good example is the Fifth Street ramp at Library Park in Lakeport. The waters are literally alive with shad and the bass are chasing them. On Tuesday the docks at Library Park were loaded with fishermen and they were all catching bass. The fishermen were using live jumbo minnows, plastic worms and swimbaits. The bass ranged in size from 3-8 pounds. Other areas that have been producing large numbers of bass are the mouth of Adobe Creek, Rocky Point, Corinthian Bay, the State Park and the mouth of Rodman Slough. The Nice-Lucerne shoreline is another good area. In fact, just about every location around the lake has been productive. The top lures have been the under spinner rigged with a small swimbait, A Rigs, LV500 lipless crankbaits, white spinnerbaits and jerkbaits. The only downside could be the weather. Rain is forecast for Saturday with showers Sunday. These conditions normally produce wind, which would limit the areas that fishermen could access.
For those not in the tournament, the crappie and bluegill fishing has been excellent. Henderson Point is producing some huge bluegill for those using nightcrawlers. Crappie are being caught in good numbers at the State Park. The State Park is now open to day use but the boat ramp and the campgrounds remain closed while park attendants clean up the area.
