Gangbusters!?? I can't think of any other one-word that could describe the fishing last weekend. Simply stated, we haven't seen the bass fishing this extremely good at this time of year. But it is?Ķ Here's the report.

Bass fisherman reported catching 60, 70, and 80 or more fish a day over the last weekend. I know, you're thinking "dinks" right??? Wrong. Our tale of big bass from the previous weeks continues with anglers catching 4's and 5's with regularity. Double digit fish, too. Daytime temps here soared into the 80's and water temps rose into the low 60's. The bass went nuts!?? It seems that whatever lure or bait an angler hit the water with was "the ticket".?? So that made soft plastics, spinner baits, crank baits, jigs, swim baits and minnows the hot bite. (That's about all the major categories, isn't it?) Okay, so now let's temper this a bit and say that we then experienced a cold front ??mid week that we're still climbing out of. Today's morning temp was 15 degrees higher than yesterday's. The cool down slowed the bite and brought it back into a more typical range for this time of year. The good news for the next few days is that our temps are warming and should settle that way. The bite is good and is likely to just get better.?? So, come and fish Clear Lake for bass. Fish your confidence bait or try something new. Try water from 2 feet to 20 feet and see what's working. Most anglers are reporting their top catches coming from 6 feet or less of water.

There's good news for the crappie anglers, too. This week we started to see good numbers of crappie coming in to shoreline locations. My barometer for this is the pier fisherman at Redbud Park. When they start tying into crappie consistently, we can reliably state that the crappie have come in to the docks all along the Clearlake shoreline. That's great news for shore anglers. (Especially in the wake of the closure of the coveted Four Poles location to shore fisherman.) Anglers visiting the city of Clearlake should be able to find decent crappie fishing at any of the city's parks (Redbud, Highlands, & Austin) as well as many of the other resort locations such as Linger Longer & Sunset Resort and the docks of some of the business on the water (Lakeshore Liquors comes to mind).?? You MUST keep in mind, however, that private property access to the lake is governed by the land owner or tenant. Seek permission before wetting your line! Also of note is that the crappie are on a minnow bite more than a jig bite. So load up on live minnows, Aberdeenhooks, some small split shot, and bobbers and you're ready to fish.

The catfishing is picking up along with everything else. This early in the season it is difficult to rest on any one or two baits. So rather than that, let's just take a look at what's available.?? For starters, we use frozen ocean fishes like sardines, mackerel, and anchovies. Then there's your shrimp, clams, and chicken livers. Shad are popular. Live jumbo minnows are great (and one of my personal favorites). It can also be hard to beat a good ol' nightcrawler, too.?? The garlic marshmallow and nightcrawler combination can be really good.?? Drift your bait while fishing from a boat if the wind is light. Anchor up on your favorite honey hole. Or try wetting your line from the shoreline or docks. We've seen catfish from 2 pounds to 20 this week.

And that brings us right to event news. The Clearlake Oaks ??? Glenhaven Catfish Derby is coming up in May. This is the biggest catfishing event in the west. We'll have more on that next month. In the mean time, if you would like more information, give us a call here at the shop 707.994.3474 or drop me an emailBob@994Fish.com

ESPN will have their Bassmaster Elite series here the last weekend of March. Lots of go-fast bass boats, cameras, helicopters, and world class fisherman will be here for this big event being held up in Lakeport. This is sure to be a fun event to visit. Bring your kids and see the spectacle right here on ClearLake!

-Bob Rider, Owner
Lakeshore Bait & Tackle
14913-D Lakeshore Drive
Clearlake, CA 95422
707.994.FISH
707.994.4961 fax
??www.994Fish.com