The bass fishing on Clear Lake has been nothing short of excellent all week although that is about to change because of the forecast for cold weather and rain this weekend. The temperatures are forecast to dip down to the freezing mark and there is even the possibility of snow in the hills around Lake County. To say this has been a crazy year for weather is an understatement.
There will be a number of fishermen out prefishing this weekend for the upcoming Clear Lake Team Tournament March 21-22. The event is sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and Konocti Vista Casino, Resort and Marina. According to chamber officials, the tournament will not be canceled or rescheduled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. To date 55 teams have signed up and that should increase to at least 90 by March 21.
The tournament features a 100-percent payback of entry fees. In addition, Phil Smoley of Country Air Properties will be awarding $1,000 to the team that brings in the heaviest bag during the two-day tournament. Ken Porter of Valley Oaks is donating $500 to the Clear Lake Bass Club for the use of its release boat.
Fishermen can sign up for the tournament as late as 4:30 p.m. March 20 at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce office located at 875 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport.
While it may not affect the Clear Lake Team Tournament, one stumbling block for all the tournament organizations that visit Clear Lake is the COVID-19 pandemic. Several fishermen have been using caution about participating in tournaments. To date there are no plans to cancel tournaments but that could change depending on the severity of the outbreak. Most of the larger tournaments attract fishermen from throughout the western United States. Some of these fishermen will be coming from areas where the virus has taken hold.
Fishing conditions
On the fishing scene, most fishermen who were out on the lake this week reported catching anywhere from 10-30 bass. The successful fishermen have been using live minnows, swimbaits, spinnerbaits, crankbaits and plastic worms. The bass aren’t on their spawning beds yet, but they are starting to stage. Normally bass move into the shallows to start their spawning cycle by late March. They generally spawn until mid-July.
There are a couple of kayak tournaments scheduled for March 28 – one is a bass tournament and the other a crappie tournament. The tournaments go out of Lakeport and fishermen can sign up at Lakeport Bait and Tackle.
Crappie-bluegill-catfish
Crappie and bluegill action continues to be good in many locations around the lake. The crappie being caught have ranged in size from as big as your hand to 2 pounds, They are being caught on various colored crappie jigs. Two of the better areas have been Shag Rock and Kono Tayee. Crappie are also being caught at Lakeside County Park and the State Park.
Catfish action also has been good. In fact, several bass fishermen said they recently caught some large catfish on swim baits while fishing for bass. The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby is scheduled for May 15-17. The derby normally draws somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 anglers.
Trout
Some huge trout are being caught at Upper Blue Lake. Both bank fishermen and boaters have been taking trout ranging in size from 8-14 inches. Bass are also being caught but few fishermen have been after them.
Hiking
Spring is a good time to take a hike at Clear Lake State Park. The osprey have returned to the park and are nesting. There are also blue herons, bald eagles and a wide variety of other birds. The spring months are also a good time to take a hike to the summit of Mount Konocti. The view from the summit is nothing short of spectacular.
