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Recreation
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- Written by: Greg Cornish
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – Here’s the latest news from around the county to help anglers get the most out of their time on the lake.
Troy Bellah, Clearlake Outdoors, Lakeport; 707-262-5852
The Fishing at Clear Lake still remains fair with very little changes from the typical summer patterns currently working.
We are starting to see big schools of juvenile bass (3 to 4 inches in length) congregating in the backs of marinas and protected coves.
As the summer goes on and the lake level continues to drop, these juvenile bass will begin to make their way out into deeper, more oxygen rich water, which in turn should improve the topwater and swim bait bite.
The north end of the lake is still heavily weeded over so keep on the move until you locate the fish. If you should get a blow up or catch a fish, chances are there are more fish in that area, so fish it thoroughly.
Your best bet for being successful in the north end is to get on the early morning topwater bite, which happens pretty fast – like 5:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. – and use buzz baits and Super Spooks.
Mid lake and the south arms have been kicking out some decent numbers of fish on deep rock piles and docks adjacent to deep water with crawdad pattern jigs and crank baits.
There have been some fisherman doing well fishing at night at places like Shag Rock and Henderson Point using dark-colored jigs and drop shot worms.
The catfish action is definitely hot right now, with fish ranging from five to 15 pounds. They’re being caught on cut baits and night crawlers in both shallow and deep water all around the lake.
One thing is for certain, there has been very little fishing pressure out there. The lake has been like a ghost town midweek with very few boats on the weekend.
Dave Brabec, Clearlake Outdoors, Lakeport; 707-262-5852
East branch of the Russian River continues to be good for planter trout with bait or lures. no plants scheduled for here or Blue Lakes.
The topwater bite continues to get better and the early fall topwater bite is usually very productive. The jig bite is the best bet right now as you can fish jigs in the weed beds.
There is a pretty good deep crank bait bite on the south end and Norman DD22 is one of the best. Look for cleaner water if you are not catching fish in the slime. As you drive around the lake some areas are matted over and some not.
Bob Higgins, Limit Out Bait and Tackle, Clearlake Oaks; 707-998-1006
Bob said rock piles in the Oaks Arm are still producing bass with jigs, Beavers and Senkos.
A few guys are starting to have luck with deep diving crank baits like Norman DD22s and Lucky Craft 3s and 4s.
The catfish bite is excellent with cats ranging between seven and 15 pounds.
Ted Elliot, E Ticket Tackle, Lakeport; 707-262-1233
Well, the news we hear in our shop is a mixed bag. The first thing is that hydrilla has been found again in the Lakeport area, which means that the weed harvesters won't be working in this area, but instead it will be sprayed with a pesticide.
Unfortunately the weeds are so thick near Lakeport that fishermen can't get near the shoreline. Hopefully the weed problem should really start to get better about the end of August as the weeds complete their life cycles and die off. The algae should also start to disappear about the same time.
Now on with the bite. The best bass bite has been early morning while the water is still relatively clear, topwater, buzz-baits, chatter baits, Rico's and frogs fished along defined tule lines and weed lines before the algae chokes the area off.
Jigs, Senkos and drop shots are still working for the persistent fishermen that are on the move and can find clearer water. Once again crawdads are the top producing live baits for both bass and catfish followed by night crawlers rigged on a drop shot.
The catfish bite has been very good over the last couple of weeks with several reports of fishermen catching as many as a dozen catfish per outing. This is great news considering that the Lakeport Yacht Club is having it second annual Catfish Derby & Fund Raiser beginning at noon on Friday, Aug. 24. Entry forms may be picked up at local bait and tackle shops,or by contacting Mike between the hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. at 707-279-1974.
There hasn't been any one area of the lake that has been more productive then any other area of the lake, with reports of catfish being caught all over the lake.
The top catfish bait has been locally caught crawdads followed by mackerel and then night crawlers.
Crawdads can be caught using traps which can be purchase at local bait and tackle shops baited with canned dog food with holes punched into the can to let the scent out and attracted the crawdads.
Place the baited traps along the shoreline in rocky areas submerged in the water. After a couple of hours soak the traps should contain some crawdads.
Still no news on any bluegill or crappie action to report.
Tip from Greg:
I stopped in at the blast-off for the Wednesday Night Shootout, which is a bunch of fishermen who gather for prizes and cash each Wednesday on Clear Lake.
They are very friendly folks with some friendly competition. If you are interested call Kenny at 707-701-1241.
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- Written by: Editor
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – The Clear Lake State Park will be the site of another interesting nature walk this Saturday, Aug. 4.
Join Brad Barnwell at 7:30 a.m. as he conducts his fall season bird survey at the state park.
Barnwell will be counting all bird species seen and submitting his findings to eBird (Cornell Lab of Ornithology).
The walk will start at the swim beach then proceed to the Bayview Campgrounds, Dorn Nature Trail, Cole Creek Campground, Visitor Center Parking Lot, Kelsey Creek Campground and then return to the swim beach.
The two-hour walk will be at a slow pace and cover about two miles of paved road and established trails.
Participants should bring binoculars, water, mosquito repellant and sun protection.
Park entry fees are waived for those participating in the walk.
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- Written by: Editor
The California Department of Fish and Game’s (DFG) Upland Game Bird Special Hunts Program is offering special dove hunt opportunities this year.
Hunters who wish to hunt on properties with controlled access must apply for reservations by Aug. 8.
Sixteen special dove hunts are scheduled throughout California.
Participants will be determined by lottery. To allow a maximum number of hunters to participate, applicants and their party members may be drawn only once for all lottery dove hunts during the season.
Duplicate applications will be disqualified.
Dove season opens Sept. 1.
Hunters can apply online at http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/DFGSpecialHunts/Default.aspx .
To apply by mail, hunters must fill out the 2012 Upland Game Bird Stamp Special Hunts Dove application, which may be obtained at DFG regional offices.
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- Written by: Editor
The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) is offering a draw for an apprentice deer hunt on the San Antonio Valley Ecological Reserve.
Two hunters holding valid Junior Hunting Licenses will be chosen through a lottery and allowed to hunt for two days on the weekend of Sept. 22 and 23.
To qualify for a Junior Hunting License for the 2012-13 season, applicants must have purchased this year’s license prior to turning 16.
The draw is being held in cooperation with the California Deer Association (CDA).
Applications will be accepted until Aug. 31, and successful applicants will be notified by Sept. 10.
For information on how to apply and more details about the hunt, visit http://www.dfg.ca.gov/delta/hunts/SanAntonio/ .
The hunts are open to current valid Junior Hunting License holders only.
Participants must attend a mandatory orientation scheduled on the first day of the hunt and be in possession of a Junior Hunting License and zone A tag deer hunting tag.
An adult chaperone 18 years or older must accompany each hunter but may not hunt.
Applicants are advised that this hunt is within the designated Condor Range and therefore ammunition must be certified “lead free.”
Located in eastern Santa Clara County, the pristine 3,000-acre San Antonio Valley Ecological Reserve is home to deer, tule elk, wild pigs and a host of other wildlife species.
The area is only open for scheduled events such as this one, and all hunting will be on foot from designated access points.