Fishing Report for California

[wgbassgirl]

After wild weekend, bass fishing still pretty good
By Terry Knight -- Record-Bee outdoors columnist
Article Last Updated: 02/21/2008 10:53:19 PM PST
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After a wild weekend where limits were common for bass fishermen at Clear Lake, the action has slowed a tad but is still rated very good.

Even the cool weather hasn't slowed the bite. Local fishing guide Bob Myskey was on the lake Tuesday and said his clients caught 17 bass. He also said that another guide, Richard Pounds, was fishing near him and his clients caught more than 40 fish, several of them weighing more than 4 pounds each. They were fishing in the north end of the lake between the Lakeside County Park and state park.

Myskey said he saw a couple of fishermen in float tubes near the county park and they were crushing the bass using minnows.

According to Myskey, the bass are now staging near and in the tules. Plastic worms, jigs and live minnows all have been productive. He said the fish can be found in water as shallow as 2 feet.

There are no major bass tournaments scheduled this weekend.

Credit the improvement in the fishing to the rising water temperature, which hit 52 degrees on Wednesday afternoon at Library Park in Lakeport. The lake level has finally topped 6 feet on the Rumsey Gauge. Whereas it's still about 18 inches from a full lake, the good news is that we're only a storm or two away from
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that figure. The highest lake level a year ago was 6.5 feet.

Not every fisherman owns a $40,000 bass boat and the most often asked question at the local tackle shops is where a person can fish from the shore and have a reasonable chance of success?

Whereas bank fishing is never as good as from a boat, there are places around the lake open to the public and where you have a good chance of catching a bass, crappie, bluegill or catfish.

Redbud Park in Clearlake offers public access and provides decent fishing for bass, crappie and bluegill. The wooden breakwater at the county park at Lucerne can provide excellent bass fishing. Just walk along the wall and drop a plastic worm tight to the pilings.

The entrance to Holiday Harbor in Nice is normally good for a bass or two, plus the occasional crappie. The bridge at Rodman Slough can provide excellent bass and crappie fishing as well as the occasional catfish.

Library Park in Lakeport has several docks that offer excellent fishing. The same is true from the docks at the Fifth Street boat ramp.

At times the bass and crappie fishing at Lakeside County Park can be very good. The bluegill fishing is outstanding throughout most of the year. The state park is another excellent choice for bass, crappie and bluegill.

All of the above areas are open to the public and, with the exception of the state park, are free.

Trout action at Upper Blue Lake has been rated only fair. The more successful fishermen are trolling in the middle of the lake. A few trout are being caught off the docks at the resorts and there has been decent bass action for fishermen drop-shotting a plastic worm in 15-20 feet of water.

The south launch ramp at Indian Valley Reservoir is still closed while repairs are being made to the campgrounds. The lake level remains down about 60 feet. Fishermen have been wondering if the lake was stocked with trout and kokanee last year. There were 32,000 juvenile kokanee put in the lake in 2007 and they will mature in two to three years. I have received no information about the Department of Fish and Game stocking the lake with trout.

As expected, the Saturday opening of the ocean salmon season off Fort Bragg was very slow. In fact, there were no salmon reported caught by the more than 20 boats on the water. Normally the salmon action doesn't take off until mid-March.

[George Cawthorn]

Thanks for the report. It's good to hear that the bass bite is beginning to turn on.

Good fishing to ya, later........... geobass