Weather should play a major role in the fishing at Clear Lake this weekend. If there’s a break between storms the bass fishing could break wide open.
The action has slowed the past few days but that is more because of the weather than the fish refusing to bite. Local fishing guide Richard Pounds hasn’t let the bad weather hamper his fishing as his clients caught 15 bass topped by a 7-pounder on Tuesday. On Wednesday, his clients caught 26 bass topped by an 8-pounder. Pounds said they caught their fish using live jumbo minnows and they fished the north end of the lake. He said that water temperature was 58 degrees.
The top lures this past week have been silver-colored jerk baits and plastic worms. Jigs flipped back in the tules also have been effective. The bass haven’t started to spawn although that could change if the water temperature rises to the 60-plus degree mark.
Best Bass Tournament (BBT) is holding a team tournament Saturday that goes out of Redbud Park in Clearlake and should draw at least 100 boats. The weigh-in begins at 3 p.m. After that, the Wild West Bass Tournament (WWBT) is scheduled to host a three-day pro/am tournament at Clear Lake beginning April 21.
Crappie action continues to be wide open and most fishermen are catching between 20-40 fish per day. Crappie are being caught at just about every location around the lake and some of the fish have been huge, up to 3 pounds. The docks at Library Park in Lakeport are providing good fishing as is the area around Lakeside County Park. Clear Lake State Park, Redbud Park and the county park at Lucerne are also loaded with crappie. Silver-colored crappie jigs have been the top crappie catcher. The only problem is the tackle shops are running out of the jigs because of the abundance of crappie fishermen.
The lake level is steady and holding at 7.78 feet on the Rumsey Gauge. The water depth back in the tules is ranging from 4-7 feet, creating perfect conditions for the bass and crappie about to spawn. In fact, from all indications this summer the crappie population should be the highest in recent history.
Trout fishermen are anxiously waiting the opening of the trout season April 29. The East Brach of the Russian River will be stocked the week of April 23 in preparation for the opener. Upper Blue Lake will be stocked the same week. Trout are presently being caught at Upper Blue Lake by both shore anglers and boaters. Some of the trout are ranging between 14-16 inches. The fishing pressure is still very low.
Lake Mendocino continues to provide excellent smallmouth bass fishing. Some of the bass are weighing as much as 4 pounds.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) has announced that the trout that will be stocked in Lake Pillsbury this summer will be larger than in the past. The larger trout should survive predation by the pike minnow, which are in the lake by the thousands and have been decimating the smaller trout.
Wild turkey hunters are heading into the final two weeks of the season, which ends April 30. Overall the hunting has been rated good, even with the bad weather factored in. The toms are still actively chasing the hens and are vulnerable to being called.
Coyotes can be heard howling just about every night throughout the county. One resident reported he recently heard a shriek in his backyard. He turned on the yard light and saw his dog had its head stuck through the wire fence. A coyote on the other side of the fence had the dog by the nose. He yelled at the coyote and it ran off. The dog was a bit shaken but OK.
