First-day results of the Costa FLW Series bass tournament at Clear Lake weren’t available for the Record-Bee’s print deadline, but overall the fishing was reported as only fair. Most of the fishermen prefishing for the tournament were catching small bass weighing less than 2 pounds. From all indications it looks as though a total winning weight for the three-day tournament probably will be around 50 pounds instead of 60. Of course, that could all change. The one thing about the bass fishing at Clear Lake is that it’s nearly impossible to predict and it often changes dramatically from day to day.
The FLW field will be cut to the top 10 pros and top 10 amateurs (also known as co-anglers) at the end of round two on Friday. The tournament concludes Saturday with the weigh-in starting at 3 p.m. at the Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina in Lakeport.
In other fishing news, the only action at Upper Blue Lake is for bass. The lake hasn’t been stocked with trout for months and there is no stocking scheduled in the near future. Lower Blue Lake is worth a try for bass. Gary Hill of Kelseyville fished the lake from his float tube Tuesday and caught a good number of bass topped by a 6-pounder.
The Zone A deer season is closed but the B zones are open and hunters report they are seeing the bucks going into rut in the high country. The hunting pressure is down considerably this year.
The California quail season opens Saturday and prospects are good for local hunters. California has three species of native quail — the California quail, mountain quail and Gambel’s quail. Every county in the state is home to at least one of the species. California and mountain quail are found throughout the state, while the Gambel’s quail is found only in the southeastern portion of the state.
California quail are the most numerous. The male can be identified by a black throat circled with a white line. The top of his head is a dark brown with a plume of short black and curved feathers. The average weight is about seven ounces. This is the quail most commonly seen on the local roads and in backyards.
The females lay their eggs between May and June. Their nests are made in shallow scrapes in the ground and are lined with grass. California quail lay from five to 20 eggs, with 10-15 eggs being the average. Both the male and female tend the eggs, which incubate in about 22 days. The young leave the nest immediately after hatching.
If the female is killed, the male will raise the young. Like all birds in the wild, only a small percentage of the young ever reach maturity as disease, starvation and predators take a heavy toll on the young chicks. If a quail doesn’t successfully nest on her first attempt, she will make a second or even a third nesting attempt later in the summer.
Most hunters are aware quail can fly fast when flushed and can reach speeds of up to 50 mph. However, their flight is usually short and after landing they will call out to reassemble the flock.
Lake County also has mountain quail. They tend to live in the higher elevations of the Mendocino National Forest but also can be found in lower areas such as the Cow Mountain Recreation Area. They are the largest of America’s quail, with the males weighing up to 10 ounces. Unlike the other quail species, the male and female mountain quail look nearly identical. They have a long and slender plumes that stick straight out of the top of their heads. Their throat is chestnut gray bordered with white.
Mountain quail are migratory. They spend the summers in the high country but when the snow hits they flee to the lower elevations, often traveling 30 miles or more. They will fly part of the way but also walk long distances. Mountain quail have been known to walk as far as 40 miles to migrate to the lower elevations in winter.
The hunting season runs until Jan.28 with a daily limit of 10 birds and 30 in possession.
