We’re finally getting some rain – with any luck it’ll stick around a couple of days and we can get some water going into the lake. Bring on the rain!

With the rain, however, we’ve had a pretty significant cool-down. Daytime air temps are in the 60s and the surface temp on the lake (as of yesterday Wednesday) was 68 degrees. Fishing is in that transition period between summer and fall.

For the bass folks, transition means it is anyone’s game out there. Try your summer stuff – drop shot, top water and Senkos. Or, try your fall stuff – jerk baits, crank baits, lipless cranks and spinner baits.

Current reports into the shop here have bass busting minnows all over the surface of the water. The key to that seems to be finding shallow shoreline near deep water. The best bite on the lake – you live bait anglers will love this – is minnows. Several reports have the minnow bite producing very well even with the changes taking place with the weather.

Crappie and bluegill anglers are still trying if only for a few bites here and there. Occasionally there’s a school of bluegills hanging around one of the local docks and folks can whack ‘em with worms (wax, meal, and red). But that hasn’t been the “norm” for most folks fishing for panfish.

The catfish have been lazy this year … For the most part. We’re hoping for a good fall bite to develop. A few recent reports have cats from 8 to 20 pounds coming on mackerel or shad while anchored or drifting in the Bass Alley or Indian Island areas. There hasn’t been much other feedback other than that.

Fishing Guide Dale Robbers reports from the Klamath River that lots of fish are moving through the lower system right now and the fishing is getting better every day. There is a rumor that the Indians at the mouth have met their quota and that means thousands of salmon will be entering the river and making their way upstream. That’s good news to us fishermen.

Dale fished the mouth recently with two clients and they managed a 35-pounder, a 32-pounder and many salmon in the teens. They also bagged two nice hatchery steelhead with one going about 8 pounds and another at 10 pounds. Upriver is now fair game, too.

 

 

Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).

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