The bass fishing on Clear Lake is still rated very good despite the hot weather and recent fish die-offs. Just about every location around the lake is producing decent numbers of fish. The good news is a lot of bass are being caught in shallow water. The top lures have been a Senko rigged wacky style, jigs, and crankbaits. Drop-shotting a plastic worm also has been effective.
Gary Hill of Kelseyville has been catching good numbers of bass while fishing from his float tube at Clear Lake State Park and off Henderson Point. He fished along Highway 20 south of Lucerne on Wednesday and managed to catch at least a dozen bass. Most of his fish are being caught on a Senko worked slowly along the bottom. He also has been casting jigs and crankbaits.
Another area producing bass is along the shoreline on Highway 20 between Clearlake Oaks and Glenhaven. The bass have been holding in about 20 feet of water. Rocky Point is also giving up decent numbers of bass as are the flats off Rodman Slough. Bass are also being caught in the Redbud Arm as well as off Rattlesnake Island.
Best Bass Tournament (BBT) is holding a tournament Saturday out of Redbud Park in Clearlake. The weigh-in starts at noon. Bob’s Marine of Modesto is holding its annual team bass tournament Sept. 9-10 at Clear Lake. The tournament goes out of Konocti Vista Casino and Resort and is a six-hour event.
Fishermen are being cautioned that most of Library Park in Lakeport will be closed to boating and fishing Saturday because of the Lakeside Car & Boat Show. The Fifth Street ramp will be open for brief periods of time.
What is surprising is the lack of fishermen on the lake. The fishing is the best it has been in a number of years and the lake is full of water. One would think it would be crowded with anglers, but that’s not the case. On any given day the parking lots at the boat ramps are half empty. A good example was the the parking lot at the boat ramp at the state park on Wednesday. It held only one trailer and there were only two trailers at Lakeside County Park. Even the docks at the Fifth Street ramp in Lakeport have seen only a couple of fishermen.
Crappie action has been a hit-or-miss affair. Some anglers are doing very well while others are struggling. Two of the better areas have been Kono Tayee and Shag Rock.
Trout action at Upper Blue Lake and the East Branch of the Russian River has basically come to a standstill. These bodies of water haven’t received a trout stocking by the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) in more than a month. Lake Pillsbury hasn’t been stocked in three months. It’s all part of a plan by the DFW to save money. I wouldn’t be surprised if the DFW didn’t stop all trout stocking altogether.
Bass fishing has been very good at Lake Mendocino, especially for smallmouth bass. White spinnerbaits and drop-shotting a plastic worm have been the top methods.
Indian Valley Reservoir should be worth a try this weekend. The lake is in perfect condition and the bass are biting.
Deer hunters in Zone A are experiencing mixed results. Larry Poff of Kelseyville processes deer and as of Tuesday he had received 27 bucks. Most came off private land. Poff processes wild pigs as well as elk and deer. His telephone number is 349-6800.
Dove seasoned opens Sept. 1 and hunters should find good hunting in the Sacramento Valley. There are few doves in Lake County, however at times the dove hunting can be good on the Cache Creek Wildlife Area located off Highway 20 in the eastern part of the county.
