After several days of heavy rain the weather has turned around and fishing should be good for the weekend. The good news is fishermen continue to catch plenty of bass although most are small.
The Soldier’s Wish tournament held last weekend fielded 26 boats and 20 weighed in a five-fish limit. Most of the bass were on the small side as the winning team weighed in 18.9 pounds. The big fish weighed an impressive 8.15 pounds. The overall average weight per fish was 2.26 pounds and the average weight per team was 9 pounds.
The recreational fishermen out on the lake this week reported similar action. In other words, the big fish are hard to come by but smaller fish are readily available.
American Bass (ABA) is holding a team event Saturday out of Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. There are also a couple of club tournaments scheduled.
It’s amazing how fast lures become popular among fishermen and then fade. Five years ago the Alabama Rig was the hottest lure on the lake and throughout California. Now only a few anglers use it. The lure is basically a wire spreader where up to five lures, such as small swimbaits, are attached to a wire harness. California law allows for a maximum of three lures to be used on an individual line although each lure can have a maximum of three hooks. Fishermen normally rig three lures with hooks and two others as dummy lures without hooks. These are called “teasers.” The lure is deadly during the winter months when the water is cold and clear. Actually, there are a number of setups that can be used. Instead of swimbaits, you can use small crankbaits or even spinnerbaits.
The entire rig is cast and then retrieved slowly. To a bass, the five lures probably represent a school of minnows. Years ago just about every tournament fisherman would use the Alabama Rig exclusively, but after a couple of years the popularity of the lure dropped sharply. Why? No one knows. Perhaps, because the lure is heavy and casting one all day leaves the fisherman exhausted. This is especially true for the recreational angler. It will be interesting to see if the Alabama Rig makes a comeback this winter.
The other hot bait during the winter for large bass is a jumbo live minnow. The primary food sources for adult bass during the winter months are either minnows, such as the juvenile bass, hitch and young crappie or crawdads. Most of the bass feed on the minnows and because of the thousands of juvenile bass, hitch, crappie and even threadfin shad this year, there is an abundance of food.
Several years ago fishermen discovered jumbo minnows would readily catch large bass during the winter months. Actually, the minnow fishing improves as the water gets colder. In fact, most of the local fishing guides use almost nothing but jumbo minnows during the winter months.
The minnow can be rigged several ways. One way is to run a size 2 hook through the lips of the minnow and then attach a small split shot about 10 inches up the line from the hook. The minnow is allowed to swim above the rocks or beneath the docks. The other technique is to use a slip bobber and drift with the live minnow suspended about 4-6 feet beneath the bobber. A bobber stopper is attached to the line, which allows the fisherman to make an easy cast. The stopper controls the depth of the minnow. Commercial bobber stoppers are available at the local tackle shops. Jumbo minnows cost about a dollar each.
Trout action is now limited to Upper Blue Lake. The East Branch of the Russian River is now closed to all fishing. Upper Blue Lake was stocked two weeks ago and will be stocked again next week. The trout fishing has been fair for those trolling. The bank fishing has been slow.
