Fishermen at Clear Lake are battling 100-degree-plus temperatures and algae blooms. The result is that there have been some fish die-offs around the lake due to a lack of oxygen in the water. What is strange is that in some areas the water will be relatively clear in the morning but be pea soup by afternoon. The good news is that not all areas have the algae blooms. I checked out the State Park and the Lakeside County Park late Wednesday afternoon and the water color was good with chance a slight tinge of green. However, reports coming out of the Glenhaven and Clearlake Oaks show heavy algae blooms. The north end of the lake from Rocky Point to Rodman Slough has also seen some heavy algae blooms as has Library Park in Lakeport.
Overall the bass fishing is still rated good with bags of 8 fish per day being common. The only problem is that the bass are only ranging from 1 to 3 pounds, with an occasional 5 pounder. There were reports of a 8 pounder being caught on Monday but that's a rarity. The best areas have been along the Highway 20 shoreline around Pepperwood Cove, Henderson Point is also producing decent number of fish as well as off the state park.
Most of the bass continue to be caught by drop-shotting a plastic worm or working a Senko back in the tules. Crankbaits such as the LV500 have also been successful but they have to be retrieved slowly. The topwater action has been limited to early in the mornings or the last hour before dark. A few fishermen are finding success casting a plastic frog to the weed mats.
Crappie and bluegill action has fair been off the docks in the Lakeport area and at the Lakeside County Park.
Trout fishermen received some good news. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) announced that the East Branch of the Russian River was stocked this past week. This is the first stocking of the stream in more than a month. The stream is an excellent choice to try for the tasty trout. It has a number of deep holes where the trout hide out. Power bait, salmon eggs and even small crankbaits can be very effective. To reach the fishing area take Highway 20 towards Ukiah and turn off at the Potter Valley Road. The fishing starts at the bridge. There are also a number of places where you can park and walk down to the stream.
Upper Blue Lake still hasn't been stocked by the DWF and the trout action has slowed to a dribble. A few trout are being caught by trollers working at a depth of 25 feet in the middle of the lake. Bank fishing has been very slow. The only good news is that the bass fishing remains good.
Bass action at Lake Mendocino has been rated good for smallmouth bass. The lake is in perfect condition and most of the fishermen report catching from 10 to even 20 fish per day with a mix of both largemouth and smallmouth.
Indian Valley Reservoir is still kicking out easy limits of bass. The only bad news is that most of the bass are on the small size. The lake is in perfect condition and there have been very few fishermen. The bass have been holding off the points in 15 to 30 feet of water. Plastic worms, jigs and crankbaits have been the top lures.
If you're hiking be sure and carry plenty of water. Daytime temperatures have been topping 100 degrees and you can suffer heat stroke.
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