Weather change poses challenges
Rainy, cold conditions will make tourney fishermen work harder
Clear Lake will be a busy place this weekend as Wild
West Bass Trail ( WWBT) holds a three- day pro/ am bass tournament starting Friday and running through Sunday. The weigh-in begins at 3:30 p.m. each day at the Skylark Shores Motel in Lakeport. The fishermen look to face cold and rainy conditions, which makes a tough bite for the bass pros. The pros and amateurs fish separately and each is allowed to weigh in five bass. The winning pro takes home a new BassCat bass boat worth about $60,000. There are also cash prizes.
The forecast is for rain Friday and continuing into Saturday. The weather should begin to clear Sunday with possible scattered showers. Throw in freezing temperatures and the fishermen will be working hard for their fish. Earlier this week the water temperature early in the morning was as low as 44 degrees.
Fishermen out on the lake this past week had mixed results. While some were catching up to 15 bass a day, others were struggling to put a fish in the boat. Most of the anglers reported the bass were holding out in the deeper water. In fact, bass boats could be seen up to a mile out into the lake.
The top lures continue to be a LV500 crankbait or a small swimbait rigged with an underspin. Jigs and plastic worms also have been working. Live jumbo minnows have been very successful. While tournament fishermen aren’t allowed to use any live bait, that doesn’t apply to recreational anglers. In fact, right now just about all the local fishing guides have switched to live minnows and have been fishing the deeper water. Areas such as Henderson Point, off the swim beach at the State Park, and Shag Rock all have been producing fish. The docks along the shoreline from Lucerne to Clearlake Oaks have been a good area. Shore anglers are catching small bass at Lakeside County Park, Library Park in Lakeport and Redbud Park in Clearlake.
Lake level
As the lake level drops the popular spots in the north end of the of the lake near Rocky Point have very little water. In fact, several fishermen report they ran aground while fishing the shoreline from Rocky Point to Rodman Slough.
Catfish
The few fishermen looking for catfish have been finding good
success and have landed some big catfish. There is a new type of catfish derby coming on Dec. 5- 6. The tournament is hosted by Fish Hard Industries and consists of threeman teams. The entry fee is $150 per team and the tournament goes out of Redbud Park in Clearlake. The organization can be contacted by going online at www.fishhardindustries.com
Trout
The trout season for stream fishing closes Sunday. This rules applies to the East Branch of the Russian River. Trout are being caught at Upper Blue Lake and the lake is scheduled to be stocked next week.
Duck hunting
The change in weather should help the duck hunters. To date, the hunting in the Sacramento Valley has been slow. The good news is the goose hunting has been very good as has duck hunting on Clear Lake.
Skunk removal
In my Wednesday column on skunks a number of people wanted to know what to do with a skunk if they trap it. That is a good question. According to Department of Fish and Wildlife regulations, it is unlawful to release any wild animal in an area outside of where it was trapped. The best solution is to hire a professional trapper who will dispose of the animal. The trapper can be contracted through the Lake County Agriculture office at 263- 0217.