NewJen tourney takes place Saturday

Clear Lake Team Tournament sign-ups open Friday morning

The bass tournaments return to Clear Lake this weekend when NewJen holds a team event Saturday out of Library Park in Lakeport where the weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. The tournament is expected to draw approximately 50 boats. There is a tournament scheduled on the lake just about every weekend in the coming weeks.

The bass action has slowed for some and been very good for others. The best action has been in the deeper water in the south end of the lake where the fish remain schooled. It takes a slow retrieve to get a bass to bite right now. There haven’t been very many large bass caught, which is unusual for the wintertime. The lake record of 17.52 pounds was caught on a bitterly cold day in February of 1990. The top lures have been square-billed crankbaits or plastic worms. Jigs also have been effective. Patience is the key to success.

The water color is good in many areas and fishermen report being able to see down to depths of 6-8 feet. The water temperature has been as low as 40 degrees early in the mornings and rising to 50 degrees by late afternoon. Most of the fishermen are happy to catch four or five fish for a day’s effort

Team tourney

Fishermen who plan on entering the 34th annual Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament scheduled for March 12-13 can sign up beginning Friday starting at 9 a.m. at the Lake County Chamber of Commerce office, located at 875 Lakeport Blvd. in Lakeport. Blast-off numbers for the first day of the tournament will be issued in the order fishermen sign up. Some fishermen will wait in line all night to get a low blast-off number for the opening morning of the tournament. The reason they want to be first out is because they want to be the first to arrive at their secret fishing spot. The starting order is reversed on the second day.

The tournament is sponsored by the Lake County Chamber of Commerce and goes out of Library Park in Lakeport. The entry fee is $200, which includes the big-fish option. As in past years the tournament will pay back 100 percent of entry fees. Entry forms can be obtained online through the chamber’s website at www.lakecochamber.com. Local tackle shops also have the entry forms. For more

information call (707) 263-5092.

Crappie/catfish

Crappie and catfish continue to provide action for the few anglers out after them. Several fishermen report catching up to 20 crappie a day. The best action has been in the deeper water near Rattlesnake Island and off the shoreline from Lucerne to Clearlake Oaks. Catfish action has been good. Some fishermen are catching as many as 20 catfish per day.

Trout

Trout fishermen should see decent action at Upper Blue Lake. The lake was stocked with trout this week and should pro

vide excellent fishing. The best part of fishing right after a lake is stocked is that you can fish from shore and still catch a decent number of fish.

Duck hunters are struggling this year. The duck hunting on Clear Lake has been northing short of terrible and even on the waterfowl refuges and private duck clubs in the Sacramento Valley the duck hunting has been slow.

The snow goose hunting in the Sacramento Valley has been excellent. The waterfowl season runs until Jan. 31.

Big cat

The recent mountain lion sightings in Lakeport has everyone talking. The lion has been spotted near

homes at least four times and there are reports it killed a dog. It is a large lion and people are being warned not to approach it. The lion has been seen in the Bevins Court area. Lions are most active at night, so don’t go for a walk near Bevins Court after dark.