The hazy and smoky skies are finally started to dissipate and a few bass fishermen are venturing back out onto the lake. The good news is they are finding the fishing to be good. The trick to success is to keep moving until you locate active fish.
It’s amazing how bass fishing has changed during the past 20 years. Years ago most fishermen had a maximum of two or three fishing rods and a handful of fishing lures. The electronic fishing finders consisted of a flasher that only gave you the depth. The modern bass boat is now equipped with electronic fish finders that can read an object as small as a pebble on the bottom of the lake. Most of the fishermen also have at least a dozen rods and reels and dozens of fishing lures. I got a good taste of the modern technology earlier this week when I spent a day fishing with Ron Sneed of Lakeport.
Sneed has just installed some new fish finders on his bass boat and as we cruised along the shoreline, Sneed would point out bass holding on the bottom. At one point, Sneed stopped the boat and lowered a plastic worm down to the bottom, right beneath the boat. Immediately his rod bowed and he was fighting a fish. In a matter of a few minutes he boated a nice 4-pound bass. During a period of the next two hours, we caught and released a dozen bass. All the fish were caught by watching the fish finder and dropping a plastic worm practically on their heads. The fish finder was so accurate we could actually see the bass swimming.
Just about all the tournament fishermen have similar fish finders and some are so sophisticated that structures such sunken trees and other objects can be seen clearly. In addition, a number of bass boats are now equipped with trolling motors that are controlled by GPS. The fisherman controls the direction of the boat by using a remote devise. The trolling motor keeps the boat on the desired position despite winds or current.
All these electronic devises don’t come cheap. A fish finder can cost as much as $4,000 and the trolling motor costs nearly $3,000.
Two tourneys
There are two bass tournaments scheduled for the weekend. Best Bass Tournament (BBT) is holding a tournament Saturday at Redbud Park in Clearlake, and the Lake County High School Bass Club tournament takes place Sunday out of Lakeside County Park. The weigh-ins for both tournaments begin at noon.
A few fishermen have been targeting crappie and bluegill. The docks at Library Park are giving up a few crappie and a lot of bluegill. The same goes for the shoreline at Lakeside County Park.
Upper Blue Lake is kicking out a few trout for those trolling in the middle of the lake. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) hasn’t stocked the lake in two months and there isn’t any stocking scheduled for the next month.
Deer season
Deer hunters found challenging conditions for their opener last weekend. Most of the local public land was closed because of the wildfires and remains closed. The Cow Mountain Recreation Area is still closed as is much of the Mendocino National Forest. Deer processer Larry Poff of Kelseyville said hunters brought in 33 deer on opening weekend and all the deer came off private land. Poff can be reached at (707) 349-6800.
