Catfish derbies are getting more popular on Clear Lake. In addition to the major crappie derby hosted annually by the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Business Association, there are several other large derbies held every year. One derby that is gaining in popularity is the one sponsored by the Lakeport Yacht Club. This year will mark the 8th year the club has sponsored a derby and the dates are August 25, 26, and 27. The entry fee is $60 per person. Call 707-279-1974 for more information. The local tackle shops also have brochures and entry forms on the derby.
On the fishing scene the bass fishing remains slow. Most of the fishermen are happy to catch three or four bass for a full day effort. The successful fishermen are using their electronics to locate bass. The condition of the lake varies greatly. In some areas the water is relatively clear but in other areas the algae and weeds are thick. Patience is the key to success. Various lures are working. The old standard Senko or drop shotting a plastic worm remain the top fish getters. A few fishermen are having success using shallow running crankbaits. The bass are being caught on a wide variety of lures that range from topwater plastic frogs or swim baits. The success rate has varied from as few fish to more than 15. The bass are widely scattered and stained water has made locating fish difficult. Bass are being caught along the shorelines in water as shallow as two feet to as deep as 15 feet. The trick to success is to keep moving until you locate active fish. There are still very few large bass being caught with most being in the 1-3 pound range. In fact, a five pounder is considered a trophy. I don’t believe there has been more than a few bass weighing more than 10 pounds caught all year.
Most of the bass fishermen are off the lake by 5 p.m. In the old days it was common for fishermen to say out on the lake all night and they caught some huge bass. Nowa days it’s rare for a fisherman to fish after dark. That could be the reason there have been so few double-digit bass being caught. The bigger bass are more active at night. There are no major bas tournaments scheduled for the weekend. There are several club tournaments.
The water temperatures have been rising to more than 80 degrees by late afternoon. Some of the more productive areas have been Henderson Point, Soda Bay, Shag Rock, The Nice-Lucerne shoreline and north of Lakeport.
Catfish action has been very good. Some of the catfish being caught have been huge, weighing more than 20 pounds each. Crappie action is a little slow with most of the fishermen happy to catch four or five crappie. The crappie are holding in the deeper water and red-white crappie jigs rigged under a bobber has been the answer to success.
The recent fish die-off, which was along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline, is apparently over. What caused the die-off is unknown but apparently the fish died from a lack of oxygen. Several fishermen said they saw two individuals spraying a chemical in the water. The die-off consisted of bass, crappie, catfish and carp.
