The weather has been more like winter than spring and it’s had an impact on the fishing at Clear Lake. Rain and wind have hammered the lake all week and few fishermen have been out. Between breaks in the weather fishing has been good, the only problem is that most of the bass being caught weigh only 3 pounds or less.
A good example were the results of the 31st annual Clear Lake Team Tournament held last weekend. Only two bass caught during the entire tournament weighed more than 8 pounds. The overall average size for all the bass caught was 2.6 pounds, which is down from most major tournaments at the lake where an average of 3 pounds isthe norm.
The odd thing happening on the lake is that the south end is producing few fish. Just about all the action is in the north end. Areas such as the flats outside of the Clear Lake State Park have been loaded with bass. In fact, boats were stacked along the state park and at one time I counted 12 bass boats all fishing within a few yards of one another. Another good area has been the Nice-Lucerne shoreline. Just about all the docks have good numbers of bass holding beneath them. The docks north of Lakeport also have been productive. In fact, one of the better areas has been the docks at Library Park in Lakeport.
The best action has been occurring in the afternoons when the water warms up by a few degrees. During the early morning hours it takes a super slow retrieve to entice a bite.
Plastic worms in the oxblood-blue color and purple worms have been the top lures. The worms are either rigged drop-shot style or on a split shot. Long pauses should be used during the retrieve as the bass are just barely mouthing the lure before swimming away with it. Jigs also have been effective when slowly retrieved. An occasional bass is being caught on deep-running crankbaits. White spinner baits are also a good choice.
The new owner of Clear Lake Outdoors in Lakeport is David Burruss and the store’s hours are 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. seven days a a week. Burruss carries a complete stock of fishing equipment, including live bait, such a minnows and nightcrawlers. He welcomes visitors. He also sells quagga mussel stickers, which are required on all boats that are launched. The tackle shop is located at 96 Soda Bay Road in Lakeport. His telephone number is 262-5852.
The crappie fishing is about as good as it can get. Just about every dock ha been holding schools of crappie and some have been huge, weighing up to 2 pounds. Red-white crappie jugs fished beneath a bobber has been the trick to success.
Blue Lakes
Upper Blue Lake has been good for trout. The lake was stocked last week and many of the anglers have been catching limits. Both boaters and shore anglers have been successful. A few bass are also being caught.
Indian Valley
The campground and boat launch at Indian Valley Reservoir are open to the public starting March 30. Camping fees are $16 per night, which includes boat launching. The day use fee is $6, which also includes boat launching. This is another area that requires a current quagga mussel boat sticker.
The youth wild turkey hunt is Saturday and Sunday. Only junior hunters are allowed to hunt. The regular spring wild turkey season opens March 31.
