The bass fishing on Clear Lake is still rated as good but few fishermen have been out on the lake. You can blame it on the fires or because the kids are back in school. To date, this has been one of the slowest years in recent memory in regard to the number of fishermen on the lake.
The good news is that just about every location around the lake is producing a good number of fish. The bass have been holding above the rockpiles and also beneath the docks and back in the tules. The top lures have been a Senko rigged wacky style, jigs and crankbaits. Drop-shotting a plastic worm also works. In fact, drop-shotting is by far the most productive technique. Some of the better areas have been south of Lakeside County Park, Shag Rock, Henderson Point and Rocky Point. Another area that is producing bass is the shoreline along Highway 20 between Clearlake Oaks and Glenhaven. The fish have been holding in about 20 feet of water.
Lots of shad
Fishermen report seeing a lot of threadfin shad and other baitfish and the bass are feeding on them. In fact, one of the more exciting sights is to watch the white pelicans feeding on the baitfish. Just about every day there is a flock of pelicans assembled off Library Park in Lakeport and they can be seen driving the baitfish toward each other.
Bass tourney
Bob’s Marine of Modesto will be holding its annual team bass tournament Sept. 8-9 at Clear Lake. The tournament goes out of Konocti Vista Casino and Resort and is a six-hour event. The tournament is open to all amateurs. No professional fishermen are allowed.
There are no major bass tournaments scheduled for the upcoming weekend, but there are several club tournaments.
Other lakes
The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) stocked the East Branch of the Russian River with trout this week. It is the first stocking in nearly two months. A few trout are being caught out of Upper Blue Lake, but it hasn’t been stocked in at least six weeks.
Indian Valley Reservoir is still closed. The ramp and campground at the south end of the lake is closed indefinitely. Bartlett Springs Road going into the north end is also closed but could re-open at any time.
Saturday is a free fishing day with no fishing license being required. The DFW designates two days a year as a free fishing days.
Dove season
The first half of the dove hunting season opens Saturday and runs through Sept. 15. The second half opens on Nov. 10 and runs through Dec. 24. Most of the dove hunting takes place in the Sacramento Valley, however, a few hunters go after doves at the Cache Creek Wildlife Area in eastern Lake County. This year the limit is 15 birds per day with a possession limit of 45 birds.
There is also a breed of dove in California, the Eurasian Collared, a native of the Bahamas. The dove looks very similar to the morning dove but has a black band on its neck and is larger. There is no limit on the Eurasian Dove.
Deer season
Deer hunters in the A zone have three weeks remaining in their season. It closes on Sept. 23 and the hunting should improve slightly. The bucks are starting to go into rut and will be chasing the does, which makes them more exposed to the hunters. So far the A zone season has been rated as poor. Larry Poff, who processes deer for hunters, said the buck count is 108.
The B zones open on Sept.15 and the hunting should be rated as fair. Even in the B zones the deer population continues to shrink.
Much of the Mendocino National Forest is still closed due to the Ranch Fire but that could change any day as containment of the fire increases. The Cow Mountain Recreation Area is also closed.
