One would never know we are in the middle of major drought with the way the fishing has been going on at Clear Lake. On any given day the parking lots at the ramps located around the county are jammed with boats. In addition, there is a major bass tournament scheduled just about every weekend.
Bass action on Clear Lake is rated good for fish between 1-3 pounds. The good news is some larger bass are starting to come in. Most guides report their clients are catching from 10-20 fish per day. The best action continues to be in the north end of the lake where the water color is perfect. The water temperature has been as high as the mid 60s. There are also reports that the bass are moving into the shallows to spawn. Water temperature is the key to the spawning cycle. When the water temperature rises to 65 degrees, the bass start spawning.
The other good news is jerk or rip lures have been very successful. There is nothing more exciting than casting a jerk bait and having a bass explode on it. The trick to success is to make a sharp jerk and then allow the lure to be still for about five seconds. Often the bass grabs the lure when it is motionless.
Fishermen using jumbo minnows and even live crawdads are also doing well. There is no place in the county where you can purchase live crawdads, but you can trap them yourself. All the tackle shops sell traps and will show you how to use them. In the old days just about every tackle shop and even some of the convenience stores sold live crawdads, but no more.
Bass tourney
Wild West Bass Trail is holding a team tournament Saturday with the weigh-in at Library Park in Lakeport. The tournament is expected to draw 50 or more teams.
Crappie biting
Crappie action continues to be wide open and most fishermen are catching from 20-40 fish per day, some weighing as much as 3 pounds. Crappie are being caught at just about every location around the lake. The better action has been taking place in the south end of the lake neat Clearlake Oaks.
Other spots with decent crappie action are Clear Lake State Park, Redbud Park and the county park at Lucerne. Silver-colored crappie jigs have been the top crappie catcher.
Fishermen are reminded that the daily crappie limit is 25 fish per person, and that includes any combination of bluegill and crappie.
One of the more successful crappie fisherman on the lake is Ed Legan of Clear Lake Crappie Guide Service. He guides from a large pontoon boat and his clients have been averaging from 50-75 crappie a day,
Catfish action
Catfish action remains very good throughout Clear Lake. The only problem is a lack of fishermen. Shrimp and hot dogs have been the top baits
Trout fishing
Trout action is rated as good at Upper Blue Lake. The lake was stocked with trout last week and both bank fishermen and trollers are catching trout.
Turkey season
The spring wild turkey season is off to a good start for several local hunters. One hunter reported bagging a nice tom Sunday in the Cache Wildlife Area. He said he saw several toms but no other hunters.
Other hunters report the warm weather has the toms breeding with the hens earlier than in past years. In fact, some of the hens are already sitting on eggs.
