Fishermen at Clear Lake have been facing winter conditions. The water temperature has dropped and there is frost on the boats in the mornings.
For example, the surface water temperature Tuesday morning was a chilly 44 degrees. What is surprising is that despite the cold weather the fishing is still rated from fair to good. Whereas the fishermen aren’t catching the 25-30 bass like a couple of weeks ago, most of the anglers are having little trouble boating eight to 10 bass a day. The fish being caught have increased in size with a lot of 3- and 4-pounders.
Crankbaits such as the LV500 are still rated the top lure, with drop-shotting a plastic worm and slowly working a jig being a close second. The trick to success is a slow retrieve, which is typical during the winter months. As expected during the cool winter months one of the best baits is a live minnow. All the local tackle shops have live jumbo minnows in stock. One of the better areas continues to be Henderson Point where there are massive balls of bait fish. In fact, the entire lake is literally alive with millions of bait fish and they range from small crappie and bluegill to threadfin shad. The bass are holding right beneath the bait fish.
The other good news is catfish, crappie and bluegill have been biting, with some huge crappie and bluegill being caught. Most of the fish are being caught on nightcrawlers. All this bodes well for the upcoming crappie tournament scheduled for Jan. 26. From all indications the tournament should reach its 50-team limit. The entry fee is $60 per team. The tournament goes out of the Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks. Call 998-1006 or 497-8938 for more information.
Other lakes
Upper Blue Lake is worth a try for trout. The fishing has slowed a little but a good number of trout are still being caught. Bank fishermen have been scoring using Power Bait
Bird count
For those looking for a fun-filled weekend, you are encouraged to participate in the annual Redbud Audubon Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Saturday. This year’s event is sponsored by the Redbud Audubon Society and is a chance for people to not only see a lot of different species of birds in Lake County but to also gain some knowledge of the wildlife the county offers.
Participants should meet at 8 a.m. Saturday either at Anderson State Marsh or at Clear Lake State Park. The count continues through mid-afternoon. On Saturday evening the participants are invited to a pizza dinner at Kelseyville Pizza.
According to the Redbud Audubon Society, birders will gather to record every individual bird and species encountered on the day of the count. Each count group is responsible for a designated circle 15 miles in diameter and tries to cover as much ground as possible.
The data collected by each count group is then sent to the National Audubon Headquarters in New York and is available online.
The Christmas Bird Count began more than a century ago when 27 conservationists in 25 localities, led by scientist and writer Frank Chapman, changed the course of ornithological history.
On Christmas Day in 1900, the small group posed an alternative to the “side hunt,” a Christmas day activity during which teams competed to see who could shoot the most birds and small mammals. Instead, Chapman proposed to identify, count and record all the birds they saw, founding what is now considered to be the world’s most significant citizen-based conservation effort and century-old institution.
Redbud Audubon invites all birders and nature enthusiasts to join in the upcoming Christmas Bird Count. Birders of all skill levels are encouraged to participate. This is Audubon’s longest-running wintertime tradition and it’s he 44th year the count has taken place in Lake County.
