Bass fishermen on Clear Lake have been facing some of the worst conditions in history this past week. It has been raining hard just about every day and the wind has been howling. Whereas there haven’t been many bass tournaments held recently on Clear Lake, January signals the start of the bass tournament season. There aren’t as many tournaments as 20 years ago, however Clear Lake remains one of the more popular tournament lakes in California and still ranks at the top as far as many fishermen are concerned.
While Clear Lake may not produce as many bass as other lakes, it’s still No. 1 when it comes to the quality of the fish. To date, the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has issued 35 permits for tournaments for 2023 and that doesn’t include the dozens of smaller club tournaments. The DFW requires all tournament organizations obtain an event permit for each of their tournaments. Bass clubs are required to get an annual permit.
On Clear Lake, the DFW issues only one event permit for any single day. There is no limit on club tournaments. At one time the DFW issued 60 or more event permits per year, but in recent years that number has dropped considerably. Where once a typical team tournament would draw more than 100 boats, now it’s more like 60 or fewer boats. One reason for the decline is the high cost of fishing tackle and bass boats. A new bass boat costs upward of $90,000 and lures can be as high as $100 or more each. Even meals at a restaurant can be expensive, to say nothing of gasoline for the bass boats.
One fishing tournament that continues to increase in popularity is the annual Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament. The tournament draws more than 200 fishermen and is scheduled for March 25-26. It is sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce
Just about all the lake’s tournaments operate nowadays out of Library Park or the Skylark Motel in Lakeport, or Redbud Park in Clearlake.
The Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament, which begin its existence as the Record-Bee/Bruno’s Tournament back in the mid-1980s when it drew hundreds of fishermen, has undergone a few name and sponsor changes since then. The Greater Lakeport Chamber of Commerce took over the tournament a number of years ago. At one time the tournament was the largest in the nation — drawing 225 teams from across the country. The top prize in those years was $20,000.
While the tournament no longer has that kind of drawing power, it is still rated as one of the top bass tournaments in Northern California. This year the entry fee is $200 per team and it includes a big-fish prize of $1,000 each day. The tournament features a 100-percent of the entry fees. Early sign-ups start Jan. 27 at 9 a.m. at the Chamber office, located on 875 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport. Entry forms can be obtained by calling (707) 263-5092. The tournament is expected to draw about 150 boats.
Storm effects
From all indications, the ramps around the lake should be open to launch boats. As of Thursday morning the lake level had risen to nearly minus-1 foot on the Rumsey Gauge and it continues to rise at a pretty good pace.
Results
Results from the Wednesday night Shoot Out held over the weekend had David Burruss of Lakeport and Nino Spella of Nice winning with 24 pounds of bass. They also had the big fish of the tournament, a 6.2-pounder. They said they caught more than 15 bass.
Second place went to John Pearl and Gary Collins with 22 pounds. The tournamen drew 16 boats.
