Clear Lake will be a busy place this weekend as a major pro-am bass tournament sponsored by WWBT opens its three-day run Friday. The Tournament of Champions is expected to draw about 75 boats and is set to go out of Redbud Park in Clearlake. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. each day. There also should be at least 100 recreational fishermen on the lake this weekend.
The fishermen should find plenty of bass. Just about everyone is reporting catches of 10-50 bass per day. The fish are weighing from 1-3 pounds with the occasional 5-pounder. The conditions are excellent for the bass fishermen at Clear Lake. The water temperature is ranging from 65-72 degrees and the lake level is high enough to flood the tules. The bass are also moving back into the tules and feeding on crawdads as well as bait fish.
Most of the bass are still being caught by drop-shotting a plastic worm back in the flooded tules. Jigs also have been very effective. If you can find crawdads, that is a sure way to catch bass. The best bet is to buy a crawdad trap and trap your own. You can use a can of dog food for bait and place the trap back in the tules in about 4 feet of water.
Both the north and south ends of the lake are producing fish. Many of the bass still haven’t completed spawning. Fishermen do report seeing spawning bass back in the tules although a lot of bass have completed their spawn. Actually, bass will spawn well into July during some years.
Crappie
Crappie action is still wide open with fishermen having little trouble catching 15-25 a day. Various types of crappie jigs have been successful. Some of the crappie have been weighing up to 2 pounds. Library Park in Lakeport, Lakeside County Park and the State Park are all producing fish. The wall at the Lucerne public boat ramp is also producing crappie.
Catfish/bluegill
Catfish as well as bluegill are also being caught in good numbers. Just about every dock has bluegill schooling around it. A n ightcrawler rigged beneath a bobber has been the most successful technique.
Carp shoot
June is the top month for bowmen to shoot carp and this year there are huge schools of carp everywhere. The bow fishermen are being advised not to leave dead carp along the shoreline. Their bodies wash up on the beaches in front of lakeside homes and the stink can be terrible. One lakeside resident told me last week there were about a dozen dead carp on his beach and the stench was so bad he couldn’t go outside.
Other lakes
Upper Blue Lake is kicking out decent numbers of trout and the bass fishing has been good. Tom Engstrom is the new owner of the popular Narrows Resort on Upper Blue Lake. He welcomes everyone to come by the resort and say hello and see the changes that have been made.
The East Branch of the Russian River was scheduled to be stocked with trout this week and the fishing should be good for the weekend. Try Power Bait or salmon eggs. Lake Pillsbury also was scheduled to be stocked with trout. The bass fishing at Lake Pillsbury continues to be outstanding. Fishermen are catching up to 25 bass a day. The road going into the lake via Potter Valley is in fair shape, just drive slow.
Highland Springs Reservoir, located just outside of Lakeport on Highland Springs Road, continues to be red-hot for bluegill. Rigging a nightcrawler beneath a bobber and casting along the shoreline is just about guaranteed to catch a fish. The best part is you don’t need a boat to get in on the action.
