Clear Lake continues to kick out bass for the few anglers on the lake. With no bass tournaments scheduled for more than a week the fishing pressure has dropped considerably. A good example was on Thursday morning. There were only couple of boat trailers in the parking lot at the Fifth Street ramp in Lakeport. The two-day Bob’s Marine tournament held over the weekend drew only 19 boats. In the past this tournament always drew at least 60 boats and often more than 100.
The absence of big bass is another factor fishermen are having to put up with. Whereas there are plenty of bass in the 1-2 pound class what is surprising are nd is famous the lack of big fish weighing more than 5 pounds.
The lack of trophy size bass shows the lake is going through a transition period. Whereas there are hundreds of small bass, fish weighing more than 8 pounds have been extremely rare. Normally on any given day there will be several bass caught that weigh in the 8-10 pound class, but not this year.
What has happened to the traditional trophy bass that Clear Lake has kicked out in previous years? The answer is simple, most have probably died of old age.
The life span of Florida-strain largemouth bass is about 12-14 years (all the bass in Clear Lake are either Floridas or Florida-northern mix). Of course, only a small portion of the bass live that long. Most die from disease or other causes before they are five-years-old. Ten to 15 years ago, the lake had a large population of mega-size bass. Actually, during that period there was a concern that the lake held too many big bass and not enough small bass. That has all changed and now the lake has plenty of juvenile bass but fewer trophy fish. It’s all part of the normal change that takes place in a lake over the years.
The other reason that larger bass aren’t being caught in any numbers is that the small bass are more aggressive feeders than the trophy fish. When a lure is cast in an area that has a dozen fish, the smaller bass will grab the lure away from the larger bass.
The more successful fishermen have been constantly moving until they locate active fish. One day a given area will be producing bass and the next day not a fish can be caught. Most of the fishermen have been concentrating in the south end of the lake. Henderson Point is a good choice as are the rock piles near Rattlesnake Island. The shoreline from Clearlake Oaks to Lucerne has also been productive. A few bass are being caught in the north end.
Catfish continue to be caught in good numbers all around the lake. The best bait has been liver and roasted chicken. In fact, a number of bass fishermen report catching large catfish on swimbaits and other crankbaits. A good number of the catfish being caught will weigh in the 20-pound class.
The other fish being caught in good numbers are the bluegill. This is a great fish for the youngsters. All that is needed is a lightweight spinning rod, a bobber and some redworms. When the bobber goes down just set the hook. Highland Springs Reservoir is a great place to take the youngster bluegill fishing.
