The bass fishermen return to Clear Lake this weekend with a Best Bass Tournament (BBT) being held Saturday as well as several club tournaments Sunday. The BBT tournament should draw at least 60 boats. The weigh-in starts at noon in Library Park at Lakeport.
The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) is now enforcing a regulation that went into effect Thursday and runs through Sept. 15. All bass tournaments can only be six hours in duration. In other words, fishermen must weigh in their fish no later than six hours after blasting off. The purpose of the regulation is to protect the fish during hot weather. When the air temperature reaches 95 degrees the water in the livewells can get so hot the bass die. Even with the regulation a lot of bass will die after being released. In fact, it may take three or four days for the fish to die, something that’s called delayed mortality.
This is also the time of the year when tournament fishermen need to keep the pumps in the livewells on when they are holding fish. Many fishermen don’t turn on their livewell pumps because they don’t want to run down their batteries.
Weed growth
A full lake and growing aquatic weeds have greeted fishermen and lake users at Clear Lake. The weeds are sprouting up along the shoreline. The lake is home to an estimated 35 species of aquatic weeds and two-thirds of them are non-native or what are also called invasive weeds. These weeds plug up the entrances to boat ramps and make using the lake a nearly impossible task.
The county has instituted a program of killing the weeds that has been very effective. A private company is used to apply a herbicide that kills the weeds. The company must follow rules to protect the fish in the lake. The water temperature must be below 85 degrees and dissolved oxygen (DO) readings must be taken. If the DO drops too low spraying must stop.
Lakeside residents can hire a local weed remover but must first get a permit from the Water Resources Department. Call Water Resources at (707) 263-2344 for more information.
Fishing outlook
On the fishing scene, the bass fishing is rated from poor to fair. Most of the fishermen are averaging three to five bass for a full day’s effort. The best fishing has been where there are surface weeds. A plastic frog cast to the opening in the weed mats has proven to be successful. Other lures that have been working are the Senko rigged on a dropshot, jigs and various other lures such a spinnerbait, Fluke and other small crankbaits.
There are still some bass on their spawning beds and sight fishermen have been scoring. The trick to success is to keep on the move until you locate active fish.
Crappie/catfish
Crappie and catfish are being caught in decent numbers. The crappie are all around the lake and there isn’t one hot spot. The same applies to catfish.
Trout
Trout action is rated good in Upper Blue Lake and in the East Branch of the Russian River. No local bodies of water were stocked this week.
Park trip
A trip to Lakeside County Park, located just off Soda Bay Road, offers an excellent opportunity to view a pair of ospreys with their small chicks. The adults can be seen bringing fish to their chicks.
