Despite record-high temperatures, fishermen at Clear Lake continue to enjoy some of the best fishing action in years. The surface water temperature Wednesday afternoon at Library Park in Lakeport was 84 degrees. On Thursday it was 76 degrees. The surface temperatures are normally in the low 70-degree range.
The hot weather has had an impact on the number of fishermen willing to brave the searing temperatures. Normally at this time of the year there are plenty of fishermen out on the lake, but on Wednesday most of the boat ramp parking lots had only two or three boats in them. Just about all the fishermen I spoke with said the extreme heat is keeping them off the lake. There also were reports of a few fishermen suffering from heat exhaustion.
The most successful fishing method has been drop-shotting a plastic worm along the edges of the tules. Another method that has been successful is flipping a Senko in the holes in the weed mats. Early in the mornings and late in the evenings fishermen using a topwater lure such as a plastic frog, Horney Toad or a buzzbait have been extremely successful.
The trick to success is to keep on the move and cover a lot of water. Some of the better areas have been the Nice-Lucerne shoreline, the docks near Rocky Point, Shag Rock and the area around Redbud Park. The shoreline from Lakeside County Park to the State Park also has been holding a lot of bass.
The few fishermen wbo prefer to fish at night are not only beating the hot weather, but the action has also been very good. The best hours are from 9 p.m. until 2 a.m. and plastic worms have been the top lures.
There are no major bass tournaments scheduled for the weekend although there are several club tournaments.
Crappie fishing remains good, especially for fishermen who are fishing off the docks. Library Park in Lakeport is one of the better areas. Lakeside County Park is also producing decent numbers of crappie as well as bass. Some of the crappie being caught have been huge, weighing up to 3 pounds. Bluegill action has been nothing short of phenomenal. The few fishermen who have been targeting bluegill using nightcrawlers report they are catching up to 50 bluegill per day. Most of the bluegill are small but a few have weighed as much as a pound.
Trout action at the East Branch of the Russian River has been good for those using salmon eggs. One of the hot spots has been beneath the bridge. The stream is not on the current stocking list for next week. At Upper Blue Lake, the trout action has slowed. One reason could be the heat is keeping fishermen away.
Gary Hill of Kelseyville reports he has been finding excellent bass action at the Highland Springs Reservoir. He has been fishing from his float tube and catching from 15-20 bass every time out. He said he’s been successful casting a plastic frog to the weed mats.
A number of people have reported they have been hearing a loud screech when they are in Library Park in Lakeport. That screech is coming from a recording played by park personnel to keep the night herons away. For years one of the complaints from those using the park is that the heron droppings were hitting those people sitting at the tables beneath the trees where the herons nest. The screech is an alarm call the herons use to warn each other of danger. As a result the herons have pretty much left the park and are nesting in other areas. The noise doesn’t harm the herons.
My column about black bears on Wednesday mentioned that local bears hibernate during the winter. On reader questioned if they hibernate in Lake County. According to Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) wildlife biologists, bears do hibernate in parts of Lake County although not around Lakeport. They do hibernate in the high country such as Elk Mountain and Snow Mountain. Both areas receive considerable snowfall during the winter months. In the lower elevations where it is warmer, bears will often go into a semi-hibernation.
