$10,000 for catching big fish
NewJen Tournament of Champions takes place this weekend on Clear Lake
The bass tournament fishermen return to Clear Lake this weekend for a NewJen two-day Tournament of Champions (TOC). The tournament goes out of Library Park in Lakeport on Saturday and Sunday and the fisherman who catches the big fish of the tourney wins $10,000. There will other cash prizes as well. The weighin both days starts at approximately 3 p.m.
Overall the tournament anglers should find plenty of fish.
The problem is catching big fish as most of the fish being caught are running from 1-3 pounds, including a few between 5-7 pounds. The winning weight for the two-day event should be between 35 and 40 pounds for 10 fish.
One problem has been a falling lake level. As of Wednesday, the lake level was 1.34 feet on the Rumsey Gauge. Yolo County has to stop drawing water from the lake when the level hit a 1. The receding lake level has made much of the shoreline very shallow and the bass have moved out into the deeper water. Some of the more successful fishermen have been working the floating weed mats with plastic frogs or by casting Senkos into the small holes in the mats. Crankbaits have been successful when cast between the mats. Fishermen report seeing tons of baitfish everywhere.
Some of the better areas have been the shoreline at Lakeside County Park, the state Park and Henderson Point. The shoreline near Redbud Park in Clearlake is another good choice. The Nice-Lucerne docks also have been productive. The docks near Rocky Point in the north end of the lake are another good bet.
Crappie, bluegill
Crappie and bluegill continue to provide action for shore anglers.
The docks at Library
Park are producing a fair number of crappie, bluegill and even some large catfish. The shoreline at Lakeside County Park has been a good area as well.
Big catfish
Hyden Brown of Kelseyville may be only 11 years old, but he can catch some huge fish. Last week he was fishing near the Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport when he hooked into a huge catfish. After a good fight he landed the catfish and it weighed an incredible 37 pounds. The current lake of 33.57 pounds, which was weighed on a certified scale, was caught by Frank Gentry of Kelseyville in May of 2019. Brown released the catfish after weighing it but before weighing it on a certified scale. Hyden is the grandson of Lake County Supervisor Rob Brown.
Trout
Trout action is still
slow at Upper Blue Lake. The lake hasn’t been stocked in more than a month. Bass action is fair at Upper Blue Lake but good in Lower Blue Lake.
Other lakes
Indian Valley Reservoir is open to the public despite the wildfires in the Mendocino National Forest. The lake is full of bass and success is just about guaranteed.
Highland Springs County Park has been reopened and the lake should provide some decent fishing. This is a great park for having a picnic. Mount Konocti County Park is still closed because of fire danger.
Deer season
Zone A deer hunters wrap up their season Sunday. Overall the season was rated as poor, mostly because the wildfires closed off a large portion of the available hunting area. The Bzone season opens Saturday and all the national forests in the state are closed although that could change at any time. Hunters are urged to go on the Mendocino National Forest webpage to get the latest updates.