Cold weather with overcast skies have greeted fishermen all week at Clear Lake. The recent fires have caused hazy clouds, which have blocked out the sun. The air temperature in the early morning has dipped down to the freezing mark. These conditions have kept most of the fishermen off the lake.
The Soldiers Wish benefit bass tournament held last weekend drew 34 boats and the winners were the local team of RC Stephens and Bobby Anderson with 23.65 pounds. They also caught the big fish of the tourney, an 8.73-pounder.
The few fishermen out on the lake this past week have been catching bass. One angler reported catching eight bass in two areas and said he lost several others. The Highway 20 shoreline from Lucerne to Clearlake Oaks has been one of the better areas. The area around Rocky Point in the north end is also producing fish. The more successful fishermen have been casting jigs or rigging a plastic worm on a splitshot and retrieving it super slow. The bass are just barely grabbing the worm and swimming away with it. LV500 lipless crankbaits also have been working. Local anglers Gary Hill and Fred Williams of Kelseyville fished the lake Tuesday and caught plenty of bass along with bluegill and catfish. They used nightcrawlers suspended beneath a bobber and fished the Shag Rock and Henderson Pont areas. Chris Hurt of San Rafael teamed up with Chuck Shea of Lakeport for some recreational bass fishing Wednesday and they caught and released 14 bass. They caught their fish on crankbaits in the north end of the lake.
Five years ago the Alabama Rig was the hottest lure on the lake and throughout California. So far there have been only a few fishermen casting the Alabama Rig. 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. What fishermen have been doing is rigging the 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 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 used the Alabama Rig exclusively. After a couple of years the popularity of the lure sharply dropped. Why? No one knows, but perhaps it’s because the lure is heavy and casting one all day would leave 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 conditions are perfect for the lure because there are massive schools of baitfish everywhere.
Bluegill/catfish
Bluegill and catfish action continues to be very good for fishermen using nightcrawlers. For some reason the crappie action slowed considerably.
Trout action
Trout action has been good at Upper Blue Lake. Some of the trout being caught are huge, weighing more than a pound. The lake was last stocked two weeks ago. Fishermen are reminded the East Branch of the Russian River is now closed to all fishing.
Turkey season
The wild fall turkey season opened Saturday and the few hunters out reported seeing plenty of birds. Most of the hunting took place on private land and several hunters reported success.
