A peak in warm weather at the beginning of the week got things moving pretty good. The bass, crappie and catfish all lit right up. However, a 30-degree temperature drop on Friday means we’re back on a cooling trend for the time being. Was the bite affected? Probably. We’re going to need a couple of days to see what happens. Here’s what has been going on …

The bass have moved up into shallow water, or at least into staging areas near shallow water. Some fish are on beds. Others … Not yet. Everything from swim baits and brush hogs to finesse worms on drop shots have been good this week. Live minnows are still a hot ticket. We’ve got plenty of plump juicy minnows on hand for the weekend.

The biggest news on the lake this week has been the crappie bite. We saw a pretty sharp jump in the numbers of slabs caught along the west side docks (point Lakeview, Jago Bay) as well as the Clearlake and Clearlake Oaks shorelines.

The peak, as mentioned above, seemed to hit during the near 100-degree temps we experienced earlier in the week. However, we know where they are now and they seem to like live minnows. We’ve boosted the amount of bait on hand in hopes of seeing this bite continue. It’s crappie time!

Catfish anglers are gearing up for the Catfish Derby coming in May. Already, folks are fishing Cache Creek, Indian Island, and Rattlesnake Island to scout out where the big fish are. All the usual players are here – mackerel, anchovies, livers, shrimp, crawlers, minnows ... and more.

Bob Rider is owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, telephone 707-994-FISH (3474). Visit the store online at www.994Fish.com.