How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Recreation
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
For the bass, some of the usual tricks are working … dark-colored jigs, Senkos, Texas or Carolina rigged worms, or a slow moving spinner bait.
Anglers are finding fish in 6 to 15 feet of water. “Deeper water close to the shore line” is a phrase that’s been repeated often this week. Until the fair weather returns, slow down and fish methodically. Minnow anglers, like I mentioned above, are finding 2- to 4-pound fish plentiful. Bigger fish are coming from deeper water.
Paul Turmaine, one of my favorite local fisherman, blew the double digit ceiling out of the water this week with a stunning 12-pound, 4-ounce cow of a fish. This girl was so full of eggs she was spilling them during the brief (but required for a fish this size) photo opportunity. She was quickly released to swim on and spawn. Paul’s bait of choice was a Bob’s Lucky Jumbo J.
The catfish bite slowed way down this week with several anglers reporting in that they blanked. We’ll keep you posted of changes …
The crappie are biting again. Not in such ridiculous numbers as we’ve seen the past couple of years, but in respectable numbers worthy of a floating basket. Live minnows are the key as the bite hasn’t been happening on jigs. The two locations getting discussed this week are the Keys in Clearlake Oaks and the very south end of the Redbud Arm. Both locations are best accessed by boat.
That’s the report for this week. I hope you’ll come by and visit us as we head into April – our anniversary month – and take advantage of specials throughout the store as we celebrate our third anniversary with a month-long sale.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
Bass anglers fishing live jumbo minnows are catching plenty of fish. One angler reported on Friday morning that he caught nearly 30 fish yesterday (Thursday) on minnows. He said that while the fishing was good it was difficult to position his boat precisely where he wanted it due to the wind.
We’re selling between 1,500 and 2,000 jumbo minnows each week as this bite has simply been great. The weather change has set the artificial bite back a bit. This will probably last for a few days as conditions are not supposed to improve until Monday. It may take a few days back in the warm, sunny weather to get the artificial bite back on the move again.
We’ve had no change in the crappie report now for a few weeks. Nothing new to report here … A tough bite with a few fish being reported over in the Clearlake Keys. Lousy as it is, that’s the crappie report. Keep me in the loop if you get onto some fish …
We have had a noticeable change in the catfish bite. Cats are now being taken by fishing live baits suspended in 8 to 10 feet of water. This signals that the cats have started their spring feeding pattern. We’re also getting word that they are taking live and cut baits fished right on the bottom at similar depths. The cats have been the most consistently cooperative fish species this year and conditions are improving. Bring on the Catfish Derby!
We’re just a few weeks away from our annual NRA Dinner and Auction. This is a fundraising event that brings money back into our community for youth and women’s shooting education, grants for our local ranges and public safety agencies, and firearms safety programs. The guns, custom knives, and exclusive artwork available at the dinner are simply stunning.
We’ll be enjoying a prime rib dinner with all the trimmings, too. Dinner tickets are available here at Lakeshore Bait and Tackle. The firearms for the dinner are arriving every few days and some will be on display here at the shop to be previewed before the April 19 dinner. Dinner tickets are $50. Sponsorship opportunities also are available.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
The bass are biting well on minnows in the morning hours while it is still rather chilly out. Once the sun has made its appearance, the bass are taking a variety of artificials. The noon hour seems to be about the time the bite picks up for jigs, plastics, spinner baits, jerk baits and swim baits. By mid-afternoon anglers are catching bass readily.
One key rig this week – the mighty Senko rigged weightless either whacky or Texas. Position your boat in 10 to 15 feet of water and cast to the bank. Be thorough! We’re not talking so much about a strong reaction bite so you need to move slower than you would other times of the year.
Spend the day on the lake and you’ll likely be in the 20- to 30-fish range with some fish to 7 or 8 pounds and many, many clones in the 2- to 3-pound class. And, good news for shore anglers, the bass are in at Redbud and Highlands Parks here in town.
The crappie … That report hasn’t changed since last week. Still hearing of a few honorable mentions, but we have seen evidence of a strong bite anywhere on the lake. Perhaps we’ll see them for a warm water bite this year …
The cats are still doing their thing … Mackerel, nightcrawlers and most of the other good stinky stuff should work. Shoreline anglers have been doing pretty well here along the City of Clearlake this week. Nothing tricky here. Just soak some good bait and wait for a bite.
Wow, the response for our first Hunter Safety class here in Clearlake was great. (Actually, it was a little overwhelming!) With nearly 40 people in the class, we had to cut it off for this go around. We’ve set dates for another class to be held May 5, 7, and 10 at the Clearlake Fire Headquarters on Olympic Drive. Come to the store to sign up. Fee is just $10. We’ll be limiting the seats in this next class to a more manageable 25 to 30 people so sign up early. Dads or moms who are licensed hunters may accompany a youth through the class. Look for more details, including times, on our “Events and Classes” page at www.994Fish.com.
Seats and sponsorships are still available for the Lake Friends of the NRA Dinner and Auction being held on April 19. Dinner tickets are $50. Sponsorship opportunities start at $375. The guns for this event have started to come in to the store now. WOW! They’ve got some beautiful stuff this year. Stop by the shop and see for yourself as we have some of them on display.
And while you’re here, get your prime rib dinner tickets while we still have seats available. This year’s event is being held at the Middletown Lions Club. I hope you’ll come out to support this great cause.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
{mos_sb_discuss:2}
- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
Bass and crappie are both picking up, catfish are still biting and the weather looks like it’ll hold for the weekend. The water temp is right at 50 degrees throughout much of the lake with daytime air temps rising slowly.
The bass report reads a lot like it did last week. Good fishing with minnows from 2 feet to 20 feet. Jigs, spinner baits, rip baits and drop shotting are all getting a fair amount of attention this week. Early signs of a swim bait bite are developing as well.
The north end of the lake is reported to be doing better than the south for shallow water anglers fishing tules. The overall bite is soft with many hookups being “skin” hookups rather than an engulfed full-mouth hookup. We’re hearing lots of reports of guys catching a lot of fish, but missing many more. I think that part of the key is paying close attention to what your lure is doing and slow down a bit.
We’ve seen some awesome fish this week so be sure to visit our Fish Braggin’ page at www.994Fish.com to see some great pics.
Now the word on crappie is rather interesting … We’re getting veiled reports of fish being caught in Jago Bay and in the Clearlake Oaks Keys. What do I mean by veiled? Nobody will be all that specific about exactly where. It could be that these guys have seen how mobbed the popular spots get and are just being cautious to protect a good hole. Or, well, we haven’t seen fish here in the store. Just a few guys with reports. I haven’t been able to corroborate them with live, slimy, finned specimens. So there’s the grain of salt theory, too.
What is different, is that we’re hearing reports from a few guys, not one or two guys, and that may lend some credibility to this scenario. So for now, I’ll rest on this: It looks like we may have an increase in crappie activity. What we need is for some folks to get out and check things out over the weekend and report back in.
Cats are still bending a few rods. Most folks going out specifically for cats are catching some. Bass Alley and Indian Island have been in the reports this week. Most guys seem to prefer mackerel as their main offering.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
{mos_sb_discuss:2}