COVID-19 likely to blame for dearth of anglers
COVID-19 likely to blame for dearth of anglers
Where are all the fishermen? That’s the question just about everyone is asking at Clear Lake. All week the parking lots at the boat ramps have been just about empty. The weather h as be e n sunny and not too cold and the fish are biting.
Most of the locals are blaming the COVID-19 outbreak for the lack of people visiting the county. There are several reasons tourists aren’t coming. One is that just about all the restaurants are following official guidelines and only allowing outdoor dining or takeout. When it’s cold, it’s tough to sit outside and eat. The other reason is that a lot of people are out of work and can’t afford to make the trip to Lake County.
The silver lining is the locals are enjoying the peace and quiet of the lake and they are catching bass and catfish along with the occasional crappie. The lake level is down to .47 feet on the Rumsey Gauge and falling at a slow rate. Much of the lake is too shallow to fish, especially in the Lakeport area where there is less than 2 feet of water around the docks. The water temperatures have been holding as cold as 45 degrees in the morning to a high of 54 degrees in the afternoons. The good news is there hasn’t been a lot of wind.
Most of the successful fishermen are moving around a lot looking for active fish. They are also moving their lures very slow along the bottom. A few anglers are having success using a Keitech swimbait. Others are having success casting a LV500 lipless crankbait and yo-yoing it along the bottom. White spinnerbaits also been effective. As always during the winter months, the top fish-catcher is a jumbo minnow rigged either beneath a bobber or splitshot style.
Most of the action has been taking place in the deeper water in the south end of the lake. Henderson Point and Shag Rock are also producing fish as is the shoreline along Clearlake Oaks.
Catfish/crappie
The other good news is that huge catfish are being caught all along the lake’s shoreline. Large nightcrawlers have been catching most of the catfish, some weighing as much as 15 pounds.
A lot of fishermen are wondering where the crappie have gone. Normally during the winter months the crappie action improves and catching a dozen crappie is an easy task, but not this year. One reason could be the low lake level, which has the small baitfish widely scattered.
Use care
Fishermen need to use care when launching a boat in Clear Lake. The water depth at some of the ramps is getting shallow. The Lucerne ramp is closed and there isn’t a lot of water at Redbud Park in Clearlake although boats can still be launched.
Other lakes
Upper Blue Lakes is scheduled to be stocked with trout next week. When the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) stocks lakes in the winter they normally put in larger trout. This will be a good opportunity to either fish from shore or on a boat.
Turkey season
Turkey hunters wrap up their fall season Sunday. Overall this was an excellent season with plenty of wild turkeys. Most hunters had little trouble bagging a bird. Lake County is literally awash in wild turkeys.
Pheasant season
Most of the pheasant hunters haven’t been as lucky as the turkey hunters. Just about every pheasant hunter said this was one of the poorest seasons in memory. For example, the Gray Lodge Wildlife Refuge in the Sacramento Valley only produced three pheasants on opening weekend.