Lake County will be a busy place this weekend as the Zone A deer season gets underway on Saturday and the bass fishing at Clear Lake continues at an fast pace. Catfish action has also been good.
As common on the opening weekend of the A zone deer season, the temperatures are expected to be in the 90 degree-plus range and only the hardiest of hunters will be able to hunt all day. Most of the hunters will call it quits by noon. Actually, most of the deer will be bedded down in a deep canyon within a couple of hours after daylight. The deer will be concentrated near the available springs and water holes. For deer hunters, water is the gift of life. Most experienced hunters will carry at least two canteens of water. This is especially helpful if you have to pack out a buck in this heat.
The Mendocino National Forest from Upper Lake to Lake Pillsbury will draw most of the hunters. Hunters are being advised to check with the Mendocino National Forest for possible closures
Typically, the game wardens and forest rangers will validate about 10 deer tags from the national forest on the opening weekend. A successful hunter must fill out the deer tag and have it validated.
There is a high fire danger in the national forest and care must be used throughout the forest. Only campfires in designated campgrounds will be allowed.
Hunters should tell someone where they plan to hunt and when they will return. That should include the description and license number of your vehicle. In fact, I recommend writing the information down on a piece of paper and leave it with your spouse or close friend. This simple little act could save your life. Be sure and carry a cell phone with an auto charger.
As expected, the number of hunters out for the opening weekend will be down considerably. Hunting license and deer tags sales are way down throughout California. In my Wednesday column I wrote that steel bullets were required. Actually, the law says that only nonlead ammunition can be used.
Fishermen will also be out in force this weekend. There are no major tournaments scheduled on Clear Lake but there will be dozens of recreational anglers plus several club tournaments. Overall the bass fishing on Clear Lake remains excellent with most of the fishermen reporting catching from 15 to 40 bass per day. The bass are ranging in size from a pound to 5 pounds with an occasional 8 pounder. The most productive method is drop-shotting a plastic worm. White spinner baits are also catching fish as well as jigs and Senkos. The entire lake is producing decent numbers of fish. A few anglers are having success using topwater lures late in the evening and early in the mornings. The busiest boat ramp will be the Fifth Street Ramp in Lakeport. The Third Street Ramp is closed due to a low lake level.
Crappie action is rated fair to good with some of the better areas being Shag Rock, Henderson Point and the docks at Lakeside County Park and at Library Park in Lakeport. Bluegill action is still rated as excellent with some huge bluegill being caught. Catfish are also starting to bite. The docks and shoreline from Nice to Clearlake Oaks are giving up some huge catfish.
Trout action has slowed to a crawl at Upper Blue Lake. The docks at the Narrow Resort are giving up a few trout. The lake hasn’t been stocked in more than a month. The bass fishing continues to improve. Drop-shotting a plastic worm or working a jig slowly along the bottom has been the most productive technique on the bass.
