With no major bass tournaments scheduled for November the fishermen are staying away, Normally, most of the fishermen would be pre-fishing for upcoming tournaments, but not this year. A typical day is seeing fewer than 15 bass boats being launched at the Fifth Street ramp in Lakeport. In fact, on Wednesday there was only one bass boat that went out of the Lakeside County Park. In fact, on most days there have been fewer than a dozen boats being launched. The good news on the fishing scene is the outstanding catfish action. The few anglers fishing for catfish have been catching up to 20 catfish a day. The larger catfish have been weighing more than 20 pounds with 10 pounders being common. Shrimp, nightcrawlers and even hotdogs have been the top baits.
It’s amazing how fast lures become popular among fishermen and then fade. Ten years ago the Alabama Rig was the hottest lure on the lake and even throughout California and now only a few anglers use them. The lure is basically a wire spreader where up to five lures, such as small swimbaits are attached to a wire harness. California law allows for a maximum of three lures to be used on an individual line although each lure can have a maximum of three hooks. Fishermen normally rig three lures with hooks and two others as dummy lures without hooks. These are called “teasers.” The lure is deadly during the winter months when the water is cold and clear. Actually, there are a number of setups that can be used. Instead of swimbaits, you can use small crankbaits or spinnerbaits.
The entire rig is cast and then retrieved slowly. To a bass, the five lures probably represent a school of minnows. The lure is deadly during the winter months when the water is cold and clear. Years ago just about every tournament fisherman would use the Alabama Rig exclusively. But after a couple of years the popularity of the lure dropped sharply. Why? No one knows. Perhaps, because the lure is heavy and casting one all day would leave the fisherman exhausted. This is especially true for the recreational angler. It will be interesting to see if the Alabama Rig makes a comeback this winter.
The other hot bait during the winter for large bass is jumbo live minnows. The primary food sources for adult bass during the winter months are either minnows, such as the juvenile bass, hitch and young crappie or crawdads. Most of the bass feed on the minnows and because of the thousands of juvenile bass, hitch and crappie and even threadfin shad this year, there is an abundance of food.
Several years ago fishermen discovered jumbo minnows would readily catch very large bass during the winter months. Actually, the minnow fishing improves as the water gets colder. In fact, most of the local fishing guides almost exclusively use jumbo minnows during the winter months.
The minnow can be rigged several ways. One is to run a size 2 hook through the lips of the minnow and then attach a small split shot about 10 inches up the line from the hook. The minnow is allowed to swim above the rocks or under the docks. The other technique is to use a slip bobber and drift with the live minnow suspended about 4-6 feet beneath the bobber. A bobber stopper is attached to the line, which allows the fisherman to make an easy cast. The stopper controls the depth of the minnow. Commercial bobber stoppers are available at the local tackle shops.
The wild fall wild turkey season opens on Saturday. It runs through Dec. 10. Both males and females can be taken during the fall season. Lake County has a large population of wild turkeys, The daily limit is one bird with a season limit of two.
A hunter safety class will be held on Dec. 2-3 at Highland Spring rife range. The class is limited to 15 students. The class is a day and a half long and includes safety handling of a firearm as well as the latest hunting regulations. Call 707-263-5187 to sign up.
