The bass tournaments return to Clear Lake this weekend as American Bass (ABA) holds a team event Saturday out of the Skylark Shores Resort in Lakeport where the weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. The tournament is expected to draw approximately 60 boats.
A huge bass tournament is also scheduled for next month when the WON BASS Open, a three-day pro/am event, takes place. That tournament is expected to draw between 150-200 boats from throughout California
Overall the fishing has slowed after being wide open earlier this month. The water temperature has been ranging from 45 degrees in the morning to 60 degrees or more by late afternoon. The bass fishing is still rated fair to good. It all depends where you plan on fishing.
The deeper water in the south end of the lake has been the most productive area. The bass have been holding in 10-20 feet of water. The trick to success is to barely move your lure along the bottom and give the bass plenty of time to pick up the lure. There has been some success using an Alabama Rig. Swimbaits also have been effective. The most successful anglers are rigging the swimbaits with an underspin, which gives the lure the appearance of a minnow.
One area that has been producing for kayak fishermen is Rodman Slough. The kayaks can get into the slough and they say the area is full of bait fish.
Dropping lake
The lake level continues to drop slowly and was .38 feet on the Rumsey Gauge as of Thursday. Expect to see several ramps close because of low water by July.
Good action
The crappie action continues to be good and some fishermen are catching as many as 30 fish a day. A few fishermen have been scoring on crappie weighing up to 2 pounds.
Catfish action has been excellent for the few fishermen after them. Shrimp is the top bait for catfish weighing up to 20 pounds. Live minnows are also effective.
Carp study
A group of Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) scientists have been out on Clear Lake the past two weeks and they have been studying carp to determine the carp population. There is a theory that Clear Lake has too many carp and they are interfering with native fish in the lake.
During this process the carp will be weighed before being released. Not all the carp will have a radio transmitter inserted into them. Carp spawn in late March or early April. Clear Lake has held carp for at least 100 years. At one time the fish was popular with bowhunters who held contests, sometimes drawing more than 500 fishermen.
Turkey season
Turkey hunters continues to be very successful throughout the county. The Mendocino Nation Forest and Cache Creek Wildlife Area have been offering excellent hunting opportunities. One party of hunters from Lakeport reported bagging five toms while hunting near Elk Mountain in the national forest.
Blue Lakes
Trout action at Upper Blue Lake has been decent for the few anglers out after them. The lake was stocked a month ago. Fishermen are catching trout ranging from 10-16 inches long.
Hiking
A hike at Clear Lake State Park is a good way to spend the day. The park is teeming with wildlife and there is a vast array of birds as well as raccoons, deer and even bear.
