Bass tourneys return to Clear Lake

Fishing pressure has greatly increased as bite slows down

Clear Lake will be a busy place this weekend as the bass tournaments return. On Saturday, Best Bass Tournament (BBT) is holding a team tournament with approximately 100 boats expected. On Sunday, American Bass Association (ABA) is holding another team event. BBT goes out of Library Park in Lakeport and ABA goes out of the Skylark Shores Resort, also in Lakeport. Weigh-ins for both tournaments start at 3 p.m.

Overall the bass fishing has slowed considerably and most fisherman are happy to catch five to six fish for a day's work. One problem is that the fishing pressure has been unreal. On any given day the parking lots at the boat ramps are jammed with boat trailers.

Many local fishing guides have switched to live jumbo minnows, the reason being they catch more fish than the artificial lures. The bass still haven't moved into the shallows to spawn. Normally by mid-April the bass are staging for their spawn, but not this year. One reason for the delay is the lake water, which is still too cold although that should all change in the coming weeks.

Way below normal

The low lake level is also impacting the fishing. As of Thursday morning the lake level was .27 on the Rumsey Gauge. This time last year the lake level was 1.02 feet. Normal for this time of year is 6.2 feet, which means the lake is nearly 6 feet below normal. From all indications the drought will be with us for at least another year. Look for many of the public boat ramps to be closed by August. Keeping that in mind, now is the time for the county and cities to consider buying extension ramps to supplement the existing boat ramps. Fishing and boating are huge tourist attractions in the county and losing them would be terrible for the local economy, but that's what is going to happen unless action is taken, and soon.

Good everywhere

The good news is the crappie action remains very good throughout lake. In fact, many lake guides have switched to crappie fishing from bass because their clients can catch up to 50 crappie a day, and some of them are weighing as much as 3 pounds.

Catfish derby

Catfish action has been good as the results of a recent catfish tournament showed. There was a three-fish-a-day limit per team for the two-day tournament and the winning weight was 110 pounds for six fish.

The big fish of the tournament weighed 27 pounds. This is good news for the upcoming Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby, which is scheduled for May 13-15. That derby could easily draw more than 1,000 fishermen from throughout the country. This derby is much more than a fishing contest as there is a great barbecue as well as other events. For many fishermen its an event they won't miss and it has been part of the local fishing scene for more than 30 years.

Turkey season

The wild turkey season still has a week to go and closes May 1. To date most hunters have been successful. The county's wild turkey population is booming and wild turkeys can be found everywhere. Several hunters reported bagging their turkeys in the Mendocino National Forest. The Cache Creek Wildlife Area has been another good area.

Indian Valley closure

Yolo County's plans to close Indian Valley Reservoir for the entire summer haven't been well received by fishermen and tourists. The campgrounds and access to the boat ramp are closing because Yolo officials say they don't have the money to keep them open. The budget shortfall is because the county hasn't been able to sell water from the reservoir to local farmers because of the drought.