Local fishermen received some good news this past week. The weather has been cool and the bass are finally biting on Clear Lake. Most fishermen report catching from five to 15 bass per day. The best action continues to be in the south end of the lake in the deeper water.
The fishing pressure has decreased, which is normal for this time of the year. The hot lures continue to be square-billed crankbaits and LV500s. The reason these lures have been so effective is because of the huge number of baitfish in the water. The lures resemble small minnows and that is what the bass are feeding on.
On any given day there are fewer than 20 boat trailers at the Fifth Street ramp parking lot. This is the only public ramp on the lake still open because of the ultra-low lake level. The bass are ranging in size from 1-7 pounds. The trick to success is to stay on the move until you locate fish. This is where the electronic fish finders really come into play. They detect schools of baitfish and even bass hiding nearby. Just about all the successful anglers say they are catching their fish in one or two small areas.
Catfish/crappie
The catfish action remains red-hot, so much so that even bass fishermen are catching large catfish on their bass lures. The best action has been from Shag Rock south in the deeper water.
There is no crappie action to speak of.
Falling lake
The lake level continues to slowly drop and there is no rain in the immediate forecast. The Fifth Street ramp in Lakeport will likely remain open until the mid-November.
Duck season
Duck hunters should be out in force on Clear Lake starting Saturday when the season opens. Hunters need to use extreme care because there will be fishermen out on the lake. Most duck hunters will be concentrated at the entrance to Rodman Slough or near Long Tule Island. Normally on the opening weekend hunters will come from Fort Bragg, Ukiah and Santa Rosa. Of course, there will be local hunters out on the lake as well.
The daily duck limit is seven and can consist of seven mallards, of which only two can be hens. The limit also can have one pintail and two canvasbacks. Hunters are advised that the total ducks allowed in the daily limit is seven, regardless of the species. The possession limit for ducks is three times the daily limit.
The goose daily limit is 20 snow geese and 10 dark geese. The possession limit is three times the daily limit. That means a hunter on a three-day trip can bring home 90 geese and 21 ducks.
While most of the hunting will take place in the rice fields and on the refuges in the Sacramento Valley, there will be duck hunters at Clear Lake for the opener.
A lot of people don’t know that it is legal to hunt ducks and geese on Clear Lake, however there are some restrictions and one of those is you can’t shoot within 150 yards of an occupied building. Hunters are encouraged to stay away from the shorelines where there are homes. Nothing upsets a lakeside homeowner more than having a hunter blasting away at ducks even though he may be the legal 150 yards away.
Hunting is also not allowed within the confines of Clear Lake State Park and Anderson Marsh. Other than that the lake is pretty much open for duck hunting. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) game wardens will be out on the lake checking hunters.
