Only five days before Christmas and if you still haven’t finished shopping for that outdoors person in your life, a trip to one of the local tackle shops should provide some ideas. One great gift would be a new 2020 fishing license. You can buy a certificate for a new license and the receiver can take it the tackle shop where he/she will be issued a new license.
Fishing scene
On the fishing scene, the wet and rainy weather has kept all but the most hardy souls off the lake. The good news is the weather is forecast to improve a little for the weekend. Overall the bass fishing is still rated good on the lake. Whereas fishermen aren’t catching 40-50 fish as they were a couple of weeks ago, most of the anglers are having little trouble boating eight to 10 bass per day and the fish being caught have increased in size, including a lot of 3- and 4-pounders.
Rising lake
The lake level is rising at Clear Lake. As of Thursday, the lake level was at 3.63 feet on the Rumsey Gauge and slowly rising. The water temperature Thursday morning was 48 degrees. In the afternoons it has been climbing to as high as 50 degrees, which is the perfect ingredient for fishing. The only problem is the water in the north end of the lake is a little dirty from the storms. However, along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline and the south end of the lake the water clarity is still good.
With the rising water starting to flood the tules, it’s the time to pitch a jig or plastic worm back in the tules. Crawdad-colored crankbaits should also be effective.
In addition to the threadfin shad, the primary food for bass at Clear Lake are crawdads. The best colors for a jig or plastic worm are either a dark brown and orange or dark blue or purple.
According to local fishing guides, the best action is coming on live jumbo minnows. One guide said that earlier this week he guided a pair of anglers and they caught 10 quality bass using jumbo minnows. He also said plastic worms and jigs are working. The trick to success is to work the jig or plastic worm slowly. Another successful technique in stained water is to shake a plastic worm.
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. One of the better areas continue to be Henderson Point where there are massive balls of bait fish. The bass are holding right beneath the bait fish.
Team tourney
The annual Lake County Chamber of Commerce team tournament is scheduled for March 21-22. This is the 33rd annual tournament. Early sign-ups begin Jan. 31 starting 9 a.m. at the chamber office in Lakeport. It’s one of the largest and most popular bass tournaments to be held on Clear Lake.
Catfish action
Catfish action has been excellent and fishermen have been catching from eight to 10 catfish per day. George Hill of Kelseyville said he had nonstop action on large catfish last weekend. He said he used jumbo minnows and fished in the Soda Bay area.
Hiking
Winter is an ideal time to spend some time hiking and bird watching. Recently a hiker spotted two bald eagles at Lakeside County Park. The lake also has a large population of white pelicans as well as egrets and other waterfowl. Clear Lake State Park and Anderson Marsh are both great areas to plan a winter hike. If the weather is nice, then a hike up to the summit of Mount Konocti offers a great view of the lake and surrounding hills.
Seasons closing
Hunters are closing out their seasons. The pheasant season closes Sunday. The turkey season is already closed. The bear season closes Dec. 29. To date, hunters have bagged 1,239 bears.
