The bass at Clear Lake are settling down for the winter and fishermen will have to work hard to be successful. The water temperatures have been as low as 42 degrees in the mornings and only rising to 50 degrees by late afternoons. The more successful fishermen have been using Shaky Head jigs rigged with a four or six inch worm and the retrieve is super slow. A pair of fishermen from the Bay Area fished on Tuesday and said they found their bass holding in 30 feet of water. They said they were lucky and caught and released 10 bass with the largest weighing only 5 pounds. The majority of the bass were caught on plastic worms rigged on a Shaky Head jig. They said they had their best luck along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline in 20 to 30 feet of water. According to the anglers, the water temperatures when they started was a chilly 43 degrees and it only warmed up to 45 degrees by late in the day. The best action has been from noon until 4 p.m. A few of the larger bass are being caught on “A” rigs or swimbaits. Other fishermen have been having success using live jumbo minnows. A few anglers having success using nightcrawlers.
The best action has been off Henderson Point, The Clear Lake State park and the Nice-Lucerne shoreline. The north end of the lake at Rocky Point has been slow, even though there are tons of baitfish.
Bluegill are still being caught at several locations around the lake. The State Park, Henderson Point and Shag Rock are loaded with large bluegill. The State Park offers excellent bluegill action for shore fishermen with one of the better areas being off the bridge near the swim beach. The best bait has been either red worms or chunks of a nightcrawler. A few crappie are being caught off the docks at Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven. The lake is still loaded with threadfin shad and fishing have been feeding heavily on them.
As of Wednesday, the lake level was at plus 2.79 feet on the Rumsey Gauge. The clarity of the water is good in the south end of the lake and along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline. The water clarity in the north end has a slight brown tinge to it.
For those that like to watch birds, large groups of white pelicans can be seen feeding on bait fish at Clear State Park located on Soda Bay Road. The pelicans show up about 1 p.m. and will stay until just before dark. The birds have been drawing large crowds of sightseers.
Trout fishermen have been doing fair at Upper Blue Lake. The more successful fishermen have been trolling off Pine Acres Resort. The lake will be stocked with trout this coming week. A few bass are being caught by fishermen using a drop-shot ring with plastic worms. The overall fishing pressure has been very light.
Duck hunters are struggling to bag a bird. The refuges in the Sacramento are loaded with geese but many ducks. A few ducks are being bagged on Clear Lake.
