The Rider Report: Chilly weather doesn't deter bass
Written by Bob Rider
Friday, 07 December 2007
A chilling wind has followed the wet weather this week. The wet weather we need. The wind I could do without.
A quick peek at the lake this morning explains the lack of trailers at the launch ramp. White caps! Lots of ‘em. While that makes the fishing a no-go for today, previous days have been pretty good if you don’t mind the rain. The weekend is supposed to clear up, but the wind is supposed to stick with us until Sunday.
Here’s what I’m hearing about the fishing action …
A good bass bite continues on live bait. Some nice big fish have been reported from 6 to 9 pounds this week. Anglers are finding the fish in deeper water (20 to 30 feet) along primary points. Deep rocks have been productive for anglers fishing jigs and drop shotting worms. Patient anglers are throwing swim baits like the Bait Smith in Blue Ghost or Black Hitch and the Ospreys. You’ll fish hard for a few fish with these, but the payoff can be BIG when it comes time to meet the scale.
If you can tolerate to cold (and sometimes wet), night fishermen are simply killing the big bass. An angler in our store this week brought pictures of last night’s catch – three bass over 10 pounds – caught while fishing in the rain and dark. His secret … Jigs. Oh my …
Crappie anglers are fishing a few key spots. Kono Tayee is getting the most attention. Shag Rock and shoreline locations along Highway 20 north of Clearlake Oaks are too. Word has it that a person could walk from boat to boat without touching the water at the more popular fishing holes.
So a little reminder here … If you’re planning to fish the hot spots, bring your manners and your patience. And plan on fishing in close quarters to other anglers trying to do the same thing you are.
This is also a good time of year to consider cruising to some of the other well-known spots to find your own hot action. Jago Bay, Jones Bay and Konocti have all had on-again, off-again bites. We’ve been checking the popular Four Poles location every couple of days and aren’t seeing any sign yet of a return of the crappie there.
Several of you have been asking for more of the Fin-S Shad lures … We’ve got a fresh supply of them in straight from the folks at Lunker City in Connecticut. We’ve added a new color this year that looks wonderful – Piranha is what they’re calling it, but most of you call it Fourth of July - it is a mostly clear lure with tiny red, blue and silver flakes. You asked for ‘em. We got ‘em!
For catfish, we’re still looking to deeper water (15 to 25 feet) for the best bite. One fellow was telling me Thursday that he’s been doing well fishing near Rattlesnake Island and M&M Campground over in the Oaks. He said that the bite turned off when the weather took a big change on Wednesday. He also noted that the big schools of baitfish – that had been present while he was catching fish – were absent when he wasn’t. So look to this tried and true pattern for cats - look for the birds, find the baitfish, find the whiskerfish. Minnows, mackerel and shrimp were top reported baits this week.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
KELSEYVILLE – This Saturday, Dec. 8, join Brad Barnwell on a bird walk at Clear Lake State Park and check out our winter residents and vagrant feathered friends.
This will prepare you for the Winter Bird Count coming up and give a little refresher from one of the volunteer park naturalists. Recent sightings include a peregrine falcon and pileated woodpeckers.
Wear good walking shoes, warm clothes and meet at the park Visitor Center. Bring binoculars if you have them. No fee is required.
Crappie craziness! The crappie season on Clear Lake is one of my very favorite times of year. The energy that surrounds the Clear Lake Crappie Craze is simply contagious. The question today isn’t IF the crappie are biting, but rather can you squeeze your boat in alongside the others that are taking advantage of current conditions. Live bait reigns supreme with the bass bite and the whiskerfish are cooperating, too.
Limits of crappie are being taken at a few key spots around the lake. Kono Tayee, Shag Rock, Clearlake Oaks and Glenhaven are the top spots this week.
The best bite is on during the first few hours of daylight. The crappie bite continues throughout the day at a more moderate pace.
There are a couple of key things I’m hearing about the bite. First, you’ve got to be “in the school” to do well. What this means to you is boat placement. If you’re not right in the mix (politely, of course) with the other boats on the school, you’re not going to catch the fish. Second, look for clouds of bait fish. Where there’s bait, there are crappie (and bass) feeding. As for what baits to use, minnows – of course – are a hot ticket. For artificial baits, try the Panfish Assassin or Fin-S Shad lures.
Now for a few words on the bass bite … We’ve got a wide open bite on jumbo minnows all around the south end of the lake. The surface temperature is hovering in the upper 50s and should remain there until we start to see more wet weather. The net effect of this is that bass are feeding heavily in preparation for the winter cold water slow-down. Those folks offering only artificials are working a bit harder to put a limit together. Deep cranks, swim baits, and drop shotting have been the choice of many working the bass
Our CatFest event from the 24th was a real hit. We had five boats and ten anglers. Our biggest cat went 15 pounds, 2 ounces. We had an 11-3, a 9-6, and several under seven pounds. Gary Moore’s 11-3 was the biggest fish in the pool and he took home a cool 50 bucks cash. We fished the 30-foot waters off of Rocky Point between Jago and Jones bays. We couldn’t have asked for better weather, either. I hope you’ll consider joining us for our next CatFest event – the more the merrier!
The catfish bite is pretty good. We’ve heard that there is a great bite a little cove just north of the Clearlake Oaks launch ramp. Other areas around the south end are producing well too. Stick to the basics – minnows, mackerel, anchovies or shad. Fish that water from 15 to 30 feet for best results.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
UKIAH – In his first season at the helm of the Mendocino College’s Women’s Volleyball program, Ori Polkinghorne feels a sense of satisfaction with how his team performed.
“Our players worked extremely hard all season and we were competitive in nearly every conference match – I was very pleased with that,” Polkinghorne said. “We ended up in the middle of the pack, but we let a few matches slip away that I think we should have won.”
An example of that was Mendocino’s final match versus Los Medanos College last week. The Eagles lost in three sets to the fourth place Mustangs: 30-27, 30-18 and 30-27.
Mendocino finished with a Bay Valley Conference record of 6-8, which landed them in fifth place out of eight teams. The Eagles finished with an overall record of 9-14.
Top performers for Mendocino against Los Medanos College were Freshmen Shana Hiatt (Clearlake) who scored 14 points on 11 kills, had two aces and a block.
Freshman Passion Allen-LeNard (Lower Lake) contributed five kills, three blocks and two aces.
According to Polkinghorne, the elevated play of the Eagles’ Freshmen struck a positive note for next year's team.
Polkinghorne said he and Assistant Coach Jeff Whitby agree that they have a good foundation to build on for next year. “We hope that our Freshmen will return and that we’ll be able to recruit some strong players to join them.”
When asked about recruiting needs, Polkinghorne replied, “A setter and some height would be a great start!”
Mendocino College sophomore middle hitter Jamie Brown (Potter Valley) was selected to the All-Conference Team for her standout season. Brown was ranked in three of the six Bay Valley Conference statistical categories: seventh in blocks per game, 10th in kills per game and 12th in hitting average (.246).
“Jamie was our co-captain and our go-to hitter. She did a great job for us this year and deserves this recognition,” Polkinghorne added.
Other Eagles making the Bay Valley Conference stats list were sophomore Sarah Luetke (Yreka), who finished second in the conference in digs per game with 4.17. Sophomore Jenny Stark (Clearlake) finished sixth in setting assists per game. Hiatt finished in seventh place in aces per game.
“We had solid contributions from all 10 of our players this year. We were fortunate to be able to work with such a great group,” Polkinghorne said.
Northern Shovelers on Borax Lake Thursday. Photo by Leona Butts.
LAKE COUNTY – While birdwatching at Borax Lake on Country Club Drive near Clearlake Thursday afternoon I saw American Coots in great numbers, some Mallards, a few Buffleheads, maybe some grebes mixed in, but predominantly Northern Shovelers.
Shown above is a photo of Northern Shovelers. I couldn't get very close as the birds would then fly.
We We hadn't taken our scope with us so it was hard to make sure of what was in the large groups. The lake is low so the shoreline was not close to the road.
This is the first time we had seen so many Northern Shovelers. Many hundreds of shovelers were feeding and displaying their unusual feeding habits as explained in tidbit below.
If you have not seen this, you may want to drive out to Borax Lake. The road is rough, but it is worth the drive. There were several much larger groups than what are shown in the photo feeding in the pinwheel fashion. The rotation was very apparent and you could watch birds from a distance swim to the pin-wheel and join in.
NORTHERN SHOVELER PROFILE
Wing spread: 31 inches
Body length: 19 inches
Weight: 1.5 pounds
Description: Shovelers are a medium-sized duck with a distinctive large bill. From late fall through spring,males have a glossy green head, white chest and chestnut sides. Females are a drab brownish gray. Both sexes have a blue wing patch, and glossy green speculum with white bars. Its wings are identical to blue-winged teal, except larger.
Nesting habitat: Typically nests in tall undisturbed grass cover.
Clutch size: 10 eggs
Incubation period: 24 days
Status in North Dakota: The northern shoveler is common during migration and nesting seasons in North Dakota.
Food habits: Shovelers feed on plankton, fingernail clams and aquatic insects.
Tidbit: Shovelers have the most unusual feeding habits of any duck. At times, tight groups of several dozen birds will rotate in a pinwheel fashion, stirring up the surface water.
