The bass fishing is holding steady at Clear Lake where most of the fishermen are catching from 15-25 bass per day. Dave Brabec of Clear Lake Outdoors said he and a companion caught 19 bass on Wednesday, the largest weighing 5 pounds. They caught their fish on plastic frogs and Senkos.
The results of last weekend’s American Bass (ABA) saw the winning team with a five-fish limit weighing 28.3 pounds. Most of the contestants brought in limits but the weights were down.
Most of the bass are being caught by split-shotting a plastic worm back in the flooded tules. Buzzbaits also have been very effective. Both the north and south ends of the lake have been producing fish. Many of the bass still haven’t completed spawning. Normally this is the time of the year when the fishermen sight fish for the spawning bass, but this year the water has been too cloudy for successful sight fishing. There have been a few fishermen fishing at night and jigs and plastic worms are taking most of the fish.
There are no major tournaments scheduled for the weekend but there will be a lot of recreational fishermen out on the lake. The Clear Lake Bassmasters bass club is holding a tournament Saturday out of Lakeside County Park. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m.
Crappie action continues to improve and is rated good off the docks at Library Park in Lakeport and Lakeside County Park. It also has started to improve at Clear Lake State Park. The docks at Nice and Lucerne are also producing decent numbers of crappie
Bluegill continue to be caught just about everywhere. This has been a phenomenal year for bluegill. The only problem is most of them are small, however, it’s a great fish for the youngsters to catch.
Highland Springs Reservoir is kicking out a good number of bass for those fishing frm a float tube or kayak. A Senko skipped above the tops of the weed mats is catching most of the fish.
The East Branch of the Russian River was scheduled to be stocked with trout this week and the fishing should be good for the weekend. The only problem with this small stream is that it receives a lot of fishing pressure. The more successful fishermen get on the water early during the weekends.
Lake Pillsbury is supplying good bass fishing with an occasional trout. This is a great lake to visit. The road going into the lake is gravel but in decent shape.
A pair of anglers who visited Indian Valley Reservoir earlier this week reported catching more than 20 bass. They said they found the bass holding tight to the flooded trees at mid-lake. They caught their fish by drop-shotting a plastic worm.
A perfect weekend getaway is tiny Letts Lake. Located in the Mendocino National Forest, the lake is about an hour’s drive from Lake County. This gem of a lake offers solitude and beauty along with good trout fishing. The lake was stocked with trout this week.
Only small boats or rafts with no motors are allowed on the 35-acre lake and there is good access for shore fishing, including wheelchair access. The U.S. Forest Service operates two campgrounds at the lake but they are rarely filled. The road going into the lake is well-maintained and can handle travel trailers up to 19 feet in length.
The easiest way to reach the lake is to take I-5 north to Maxwell and turn west toward Stonyford. From Stonyford, take U.S. Forest Service Road M-10 to Forest Service Road 17N02, which takes you to the lake. The lake is approximately 15 miles west of Stonyford.
