Bass fishing tournaments grab the spotlight this weekend at Clear Lake. The big difference is that instead of high-powered bass boats roaring around the lake, the two scheduled tournaments are strictly for kayaks.
Starting Friday and continuing through Saturday is the Kayak Bass Fishing (KBF) regional final. The tournament is expected to draw approximately 125 kayaks.
The KBF tournament is different from traditional bass tournaments. As each fisherman catches a bass, he/she places it on a special measuring board and takes a photo of it with an i phone or equivalent device. The photo, showing the length of the fish, is automatically transmitted to a judge who registers the fish to that individual. The winner is the fisherman who has the longest total length for five bass. After taking the photo of the fish, it is released and not weighed. There are no livewells on the kayaks.
For the two-day tournament a total of 10 bass (five each day) will count. All bass must be at least 12 inches long. A contestant can catch as many bass as he/she can but only the top five count.
A look at the modern tournament-rigged kayak is like looking at a modern bass boat without the big outboard motor. The kayaks have foot peddles, a remote-controlled electric motor, comfortable seats and the most modern electronic fish finders. They are so stable you can stand up in them without capsizing. The cost of one of these modern fishing machines can be as high as $5,000.
Another kayak bass tournament takes center stage Sunday. It is the first Lakeport Bait and Tackle Kayak and Belly tournament. Fishermen can sign up for the tournament at Lakeport Bait and Tackle (located on Main Street in Lakeport) as late as 5 p.m. Saturday. The rules for the tournament are the same as those in the KBF tournament. That tournament will go out of Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport. There will be a large raffle following the tournament. Call 900-5101 for more information.
Bass fishing
On the bass fishing scene Clear Lake continues to be good for small to medium-sized bass. Best Bass Tournament (BBT) held a tournament last weekend and the winning weight was 19.11 pounds. The big fish weighed only 7.4 pounds. Just about every team brought in a five-fish limit although most of the limits weighed less than 12 pounds.
Plenty of fishermen are complaining about the lack of trophy bass in the lake. Clear Lake often goes though periods when few big bass show up. In 2003 there were few big fish caught. The same thing has occurred down through the years but the lake always recovers. This year there is an abundance of small bass that are in excellent condition. Within two years there should be an abundance of trophy bass.
The water color in the south end of the lake is good but it’s starting to get dark in the north end as the algae dies. The topwater action has been good early in the morning and late in the evening. Fishermen have been casting plastic frogs and other topwater lures to the weed mats midday and having good success.
Crappie/catfish
Crappie action is still rated fair for those who can locate fish. A few crappie are being caught near the docks in the north end of the lake. The good news is the catfish action is improving daily. Fishermen using cutbait or nightcrawlers are catching some huge catfish.
Trout fishing
Trout action has come to a standstill at Upper Blue Lake. The lake hasn’t been stocked in more than a month and no stocking is scheduled by the Department of Fish and Wildlife for the next month.
Deer hunting
Deer hunter hunters are having mixed results. Those who have access to private land are doing well but those who hunt on public land are struggling. Deer processor Larry Poff of Kelseyville reports that as of Wednesday he had processed 67 deer and four bear. Most of the deer came off private lands.
