Finally a good report! Superb weather and plenty of water have the Clear Lake bass fishery lighting up as we head into a long President's Day weekend. The water temp is in the upper 40's throughout the main body of the lake with shallower coves touching the low 50's on and off this past week. The weather for the holiday weekend is supposed to be great. We've doubled our usual stock of live jumbo minnows because that's what's working.

Many bass anglers have come through this week with reports of good catches. Bass from 2 pounds to over ten pounds have been caught on minnows. One of my local regulars caught a 10# 10oz bass one day this past week and turned around to catch at 10# 8oz. bass the next day. (We've also seen 4's, 5', 6's, & 8's.) The anglers using artificials are still struggling to put a limit together, but the jumbo minnow bite has been pretty darn good. Anglers are experiencing success fishing in as little as six feet of water all the way down to 25 feet of water. Look for bass to be staging (pre-spawn) or feeding. Best bets for artificals this week would have us using the jig-n-pig (that's a jig with a pork trailer) in black/blue, all black, or black/purple. Drop shotting should also move into the swing of things along with soft jerk baits like Zoom's Fluke lures.

Crappie are still pretty much a no show. I have had one fellow reporting in from Lakeport with crappie being taken at the end of his private dock in about 15 feet of water. The report appears to be legit as he also sent along pics from his camera phone. Now, I won't usually report on just one angler's success. However, we're all starving for information about the crappie bite so I share it with you with just that in mind?Ķ It's one report, but it's something.

Catfish are still cooperating all along the shoreline and Cache Creek areas around these parts. Just about any of the popular catfish baits have been working ??? anchovies, nightcrawlers, livers, shrimp and mackerel.

And oh my goodness?Ķ The UPS truck has been pulling in every few days with stuff we bought at our big trade show back in January. The list of new items goes on and on, but I'll spare you the details here. It would suffice to say that we've got new gear for fishing and firearms in just about every department. Come on by and see what's new.

We also have tickets on sale for our annual Lake Friends of the NRA benefit dinner that takes place on April 19th at the Lions Club facility in Middletown. The prime rib dinner will feature games, a silent auction, and a live auction with artwork, custom knives, over two dozen firearms, and lots more. Last year's dinner was a huge success with over 140 people in attendance. This year's dinner will be even bigger and better! Tickets and sponsorships are available here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle. Call or stop in for more information, to buy your table or dinner tickets, or to view the catalog of merchandise that will be at the dinner.