Bass fishing-my happy place

Many times I get asked,” So, how many bass did you catch?” It is a fair question. Sometimes my answer is; “Oh just a couple or boy, we really hooked in to them or shoot, It just did happen for me today. “The truth being told, for me, catch bass is the icing on the cake of a beautiful day in nature. When I am on the water there is a transformation of my mind. There is nothing like it. It’s my escape, my exhale from all the garbage in life. It’s my happy place you might say. Being outside listening to sounds of turkeys off in the distance, birds happily churping, geese hoonking, ducks quacking and the best sound of all, bass feeding on the surface of the water. You never now what you will hear or see. I know that I have said this before. But, sometimes it is like Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Show I watched Sunday nights as a kid. Yup, for me, catch bass a bonus.

Lake Mendocino: Go to the “Run-n-Gun” style of fishin’. ( Cover a lot of water ) Fish lures like a crankbait or a white spinner bait. Boom! Just like that you’ll be catching bass. The bass are starting to get in the spawn mode. Mostly males are within the first eight feet of the shore. Go get ‘em! Did you-all know that the trout fishin’ is really good right now. That’s right… Trout fishing! Back in 2012 the California Department of Fish & Wildlife stocked our hometown lake with a bazillion trout. And now they are BIG. The successful trout fishermen have been hooking them trolling the deep water pulling a action disc with a woolybugger.

Russian River: It is still worth going for “steelies” even-though the season is almost done. The recent rains has kicked up the flow rates enough to allow another push of steelhead to come up. Kings Sport and Tackle said that some are catching steelhead here, and they’re all up and down the river, top to bottom. Plugs have been working the best with the colored water. Kwikfish and Brad’s Wiggle Wart are bringing in fish from 4 to 10 pounds. Good luck!

Lake Pillsbury — There isn’t much going on up on the mountain. The word is that the pot-holes have been filled, making the trip easier on your boat? So give beautiful Lake Pillsbury a try. FYI, The Lake County road and the Old Logging Road are closed. Come in from Potter Valley. Take it slow and easy and you will be just fine.

Lake Sonoma — It has been quiet on Lake Sonoma. Like Lake Mendocino, there has been some smallmouth bass being hooked. Try fishin’ along the dam, and any other south facing rocky shoreline and points. Keep your boat moving and cover a lot of water. Unlike Lake Mendocino, the water clarity is much better. So a white spinner bait or a chrome lipless crankbait should produce for you. Good Luck…

Don’t forget that a good day winter fishin’ could be two or three fish. A good day in the summer could be six to twenty. It’s all perspective, and always good being on the water. Remember to practice catch and release so that futher generations can also enjoy fishing.

Thanks for reading and remember to Keep it Reel! — Don = 4REEL Fishin’

CONTRIBUTED Pictured are Cedar Waxwings. These birds are hanging out at Lake Mendocino right now. See, you never know what you will see while you are on the water bass fishing. The Cedar Waxwing is a medium-sized, sleek bird with a large head, short neck, and short, wide bill. Waxwings have a crest that often lies flat and droops over the back of the head. The wings are broad and pointed, like a starling’s. The tail is fairly short and square-tipped. Cedar Waxwings are social birds that you’re likely to see in flocks yearround. They sit in fruiting trees swallowing berries whole, or pluck them in mid-air with a brief fluttering hover. They also course over water for insects, flying like tubby, slightly clumsy swallows.