The rain has let up and the sun is shining brightly as we head on into our Friday morning. This weekend looks to have nice weather and plenty of action on the water. The bass bite is good, some crappie are being had, and there’s a buzz in the air about next week’s annual Catfish Derby.

Bass anglers aplenty have been rolling into town for an early start to the weekend … Perhaps they’ve heard that the bassin’ in good right now on Clear Lake. They’ve heard right!

Lots of anglers are reporting catches from 4 to 8 feet of water with larger fish coming from water just deeper than that. Top “stuff” this week is the Baby Brush Hog, Senko, Maverick worms and Flukes.

Word is that slow movement is the key to getting bit. Live jumbo minnows, always in abundance here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, are also a hot ticket for catching bass. The water will be warming through the weekend and things should break open pretty well …

Crappie folks are reporting better catches in the wee hours of the night. Some slabs are being caught during the day as well, but the more plentiful catches are coming under cover of darkness. Try docks and walls with depth to about 12 feet. The fish will be suspended, use a slip bobber and light jig or a live minnow to reach your desired depth. Most of the crappie we’ve seen have been 1.5 to 2.5 pounders and very darkly colored.

Catfish action surged to life following several days of rain and now some nice bright sunshine. Shad, mackerel, live minnows and night crawlers are the hot ticket. No particular areas to zone in on … they’ve been caught all over.

Next week (May 15-17) brings us the annual Catfish Derby. As I mentioned last week, we’re extending our store hours and boosting store inventory to keep you supplied with bait, hooks, drinks, ice and more. Be sure to stop in with your big fish for a quick photo opp!

I’ve got great news for our early bird anglers. We’ve changed our store hours to help you get your boats inspected, pick up bait and ice, and a free cup of coffee – all before daybreak. Our new hours from now through Labor Day are 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. DAILY. We’ll see you bright and early!

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