The bass pros return to Clear Lake this weekend when Best Bass Tournament (BBT)holds a team tournament on Saturday. That tournament is expected to draw 80-100 boats and go out of Library Park in Lakeport. The weigh-in will start at noon. The reason for the early weigh-in is to protect the bass during the hot weather. During the hot summer months all bass tournaments are limited to a 6-hour duration.
Most of the bass being caught will weigh between one and three pounds with an occasional five pounder. These are the perfect-sized fish for the recreational angler, especially the youngsters. One especially productive method for the youngsters is to drop-shot a live nightcrawler. Not only will they catch plenty of bass but an occasional catfish and bluegill as well.
The water clarity is a dark green in many areas around the lake. This is a type of cyanobacteria and includes Microcystis and Aphanizomenon. While most blue-green algal blooms are not harmful, some can be. Some are capable of producing algal toxins that can be harmful to humans, pets and wildlife.
Because it is impossible to tell from a visual inspection whether an algal bloom is toxic, the safest approach is to avoid all blooms. Although toxins can sometimes be present even when a bloom is not obvious, it is generally the case that the worse it looks, the greater likelihood that there could be cyanotoxins. The blue-green algae will start to disappear in September and be pretty much gone by November.
Catfish and crappie are also being caught in good numbers. These are fish that can be caught by bank fishermen. Some of the catfish will weigh 20 pounds. Library Park in Lakeport is a popular fishing place for shore fishermen.
Other local lakes are also producing good numbers of bass. Bob Bridges and Gary Hill have made several trips to Indian Valley Reservoir and loaded up on small bass. They reported that the lake is in perfect condition. Lake Pillsbury is also producing a good number of fish. The same applies to Highland Springs Reservoir.
A good local location to go camping is the Clear Lake State Park. Which is located on Soda Bay Road. The park is kept super clean and teems with wildlife. It has a number of hiking trails.
If you go camping in the Mendocino National Forest, be super careful of wildfires. The forest is extremely dry and it doesn’t take much to start a fire.
