Bitter cold greeted bass fishermen on Clear Lake this past week. There was snow and ice on all the boats and the few fishermen who braved the cold temperature reported it was some of the toughest weather they had experienced in recent years.
For example, the water surface temperature at the Fifth Street ramp in Lakeport on Wednesday morning was a chilly 40 degrees. The result is there very few bass caught. Mike Rothstein of Lakeport is considered as one of the better fishermen in the county and has won a number of bass tournaments down through the year, but he fished a solid eight hours Wednesday and didn’t even get a bite. He said the water was clear in many areas and the conditions were good for fishing with the exception of the cold, but the fish weren’t active.
Tournaments
NewJen Bass held a team tournament Saturday and the air temperature was in the 70-degree range. The result was that of the 79 teams entered, nearly all weighed in five-fish limits and it took 25 pounds to win the event. The big fish in the tournament weighed 9.53 pounds. The overall average weight per fish was an impressive 3.4 pounds. In most lakes in California the average weight per fish is around 2 pounds.
American Bass Association (ABA) is holding two team tournaments this weekend. One is Saturday and the other Sunday. The weigh-ins start both days at 3 p.m. at the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport.
The Lake County Chamber of Commerce team tournament is scheduled for March 12-13 and 50 teams are signed up so far. The entry fee per team is $200 and the tournament is expected draw approximately 100 teams. The tournament pays back 100 percent entry fees. Entry forms can be obtained by calling the chamber at (707) 263-5092 or you can go online at the chamber website and download an entry form.
There are a number of bass tournaments scheduled for March and April. Typically the spring months are popular with the tournaments as the bass will be on the their spawning beds and some huge bass will be caught.
Catfish bite
Catfish continue to be caught in good numbers by the few fishermen out after them. The fishermen report catching up to 20 fish a day, including some in the 20-pound class. Nightcrawlers and shrimp have been the top bait and most of the catfish are being caught in the deeper water in the south end of the lake.
Catfish derby
The annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven catfish derby is scheduled for May 13-15. It’s one of the largest catfish derbies in the nation and draws up to 1,000 fishermen. Call (707) 596-0248 for information. Another catfish derby is scheduled for April 9-10 and is sponsored by Lakeport Bait and Tackle in Lakeport. The entry fee is $150. The Lakeport Bait and Tackle Shop is located on North Main Street in Lakeport.
Crappie
Crappie action should improve in the coming weeks. As the weather warms up the crappie will move into the shallow water to spawn. Some of the better areas are Kono Tayee, Shag Rock, Clear Lake State Park and the deeper water near Rattlesnake Island. Live minnows or crappie jigs are the hot baits. Some of the crappie being caught will weigh up to 3 pounds.
