Recreation
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
Solid bass fishing continues on Clear Lake! You know, there’s a lot of talk about the lack of rain, the shortcomings of the crappie bite and the low water level. But for all that it must be said that the bass bite is simply off the hook for this time of year on live minnows. The catfish action has been decent too.
With the lake temperature in the upper 40s and clear sunny days anglers are getting a rare opportunity to fish bass right on through the toughest season of the year. And, while we’re all hoping for rain, we’re also enjoying the fishing. On with the details …
On the bass front, things look great. Catch reports are in the 20s and 30s for a day’s efforts. Live bait rules the roost, but artificials are starting to have some play. As one angler put it to me Friday morning, “About an hour before sunset, things went wild. We could have caught them on almost anything.” Not exactly your typical winter report, but certainly welcome.
One of our popular guides was musing Friday morning that there were boats on all the wholes he went to fish this week. The lake is far from crowded, but folks are catching on …the bass bite is ON AT CLEAR LAKE.
For the crappie, I’m convinced that only with rain will we see any improved action on the crappie bite. The folks I sent out last week worked diligently to bring you a positive report, but to no avail. There just isn’t any action to write about. Keep calling, and keep checking our report, because the moment things change I’ll let you know.
Catfish fans are having a decent go of it with live jumbo minnows. Fish ‘em in all the same places we’re catching bass – deep water, drop offs and transitional areas. Rig them on a 4-foot leader attached to a three way swivel with a half to three-quarter ounce weight on the drop leg (about 14” long). Drift them slowly and pay attention to your rod tip. The bite may be subtle.
In our event news this week, the Clear Lake Ducks Unlimited chapter is hosting a dinner banquet on Feb. 21. The dinner will be held at the Lions Hall in Middletown on Central Park Drive. We’ve got tickets on sale here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle as well as a preview of many of the firearms that will be available at the dinner. Please call 707.994.FISH (3474) or stop by our store for event information.
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.
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- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
The crappie anglers aren’t finding huge success. Our catfish anglers are doing well fishing a variety of traditional techniques including live bait. There’s light rain in the forecast for the next few days, so bring your duck suits and enjoy a solid bite on bass.
The bass report is very much the same as last week – with jumbo minnows ruling the roost for attracting bass. Transitions to deep water and deep water rock piles and reefs are the name of the game. Just as a reference, we plowed through nearly 2,000 jumbo minnows last week. That’s a strong indicator that folks are catching bass.
The reports this week continue to boast of 20-, 30- or 40-fish days. That’s pretty unusual for this time of year. I’d look for the bite to continue unless we have a dramatic weather change. The artificials bite is still considered to be tough.
For the tournament folks and those working artificials, small swim baits and lipless cranks have been top producers. Jigs and finesse worms on drop shot rigs are also a go-to for this time of year.
Crappie anglers are still looking for the bite to improve. I had “researchers” out Friday morning with some of our best trained minnows checking some key areas. We’ll see how they do and I’ll report in with any substantial information.
Catfish are fond of our jumbo minnows this time of year. They’ve livened up a bit with the warmer water, too. Look for cats in water 8 to 18 feet, perhaps deeper too. If you get into some nice fish, we’d love to get our 2009 picture board started, so come on by for a photo op.
If you’re a regular reader of our report, you have probably read about the Ducks Unlimited banquet coming up. In a nut shell, the dinner is on Feb. 21 at the Lion’s Hall in Middletown. That’s just a little over three weeks away now. Don’t delay! I’ve got dinner tickets on sale NOW here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. You can call 707.994.FISH (3474) for more information. There are some great sponsorship opportunities available also.
This is a catered event therefore no tickets will be sold at the door. Don’t let this great event pass you by. DU is the greatest wetlands conservation group in the world and we can do our part right here at home. Come, have a good time, eat a great meal, and perhaps win a gun or other great merchandise.
Bob Rider is the owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, telephone 707.994.FISH (3474) or visit them on the Web at www.994Fish.com.
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- Details
- Written by: Editor
CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK – A nature walk is planned this coming weekend at Clear Lake State Park.
Meet docent Glenn Smith at 8:30 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, at the visitor center ramp for the walk.
Nature has marvelous ways of revealing itself at this time of year.
The park's nature walks will continue on the second and fourth Sundays of each month this year.
There is no entrance fee to the park for participating in walks. Rain cancels the walk.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.
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- Details
- Written by: Editor
Bass anglers have been enjoying a lively bite on jumbo minnows. Transition areas to deep water have been the name of the game for most. Successful anglers are willing to try different depths and presentations of the live bait for best effect.
The flip side of this enthusiastic report is that the folks working artificials are finding an overall tough bite. Simply stated we’re in a typical winter bass pattern where the fish prefer (almost exclusively) live bait. Some areas that are producing this week are No Name Reef, Wheeler Point, Frazier Point, Glenhaven Reef and Henderson Point. Look to other areas with similar features to be doing well also.
We’ve got high hopes for the crappie bite to swing back into gear. A few of our crappie hunters have hit the water this past week to find crappie tightly schooled but not so willing to bite. Those that did catch the slabs were meticulous about their presentations.
What I believe is necessary is an ultra-finesse presentation of live bait. Two or four pound fluorocarbon or copolymer line coupled with a light wire Aberdeen hook and BB-sized split shot – add a live minnow and fish slowly. Most importantly… Come by the shop and let us take some pictures of your catch!
The catfishing has sprung back to life with the warmer weather. We’ve had our regulars get back at it and they are doing pretty well fishing deeper water with live minnows or night crawlers. This bite will probably hold as long as the weather does.
Now that we’re into the new year, I want to take a minute and highlight the Clearlake Ducks Unlimited Banquet coming up in February. But first, let me say this – for every $250 we raise, DU gains an acre of habitat. What a phenomenal statistic!
So on with this. We have many fine firearms on display that will be featured at the event. Some will be auction items, others will be on drawings, others yet will be on games that you play for chances to win. We also have dinner tickets on sale here in our store.
The event will be held at the Lion’s Hall in Middletown on Feb. 21. Come on down to the shop for an early preview of the guns, pick up some drawing tickets for the Browning Silver 70th Anniversary shotgun, and get in on the dinner too. Join us for this fabulous event that benefits our wildlife habitat.
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.
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