January 5, 2001 Bass anglers using live jumbo minnows are not doing quite as well as in the past few weeks but those that find active fish are still catching quite a few. Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake (707-995-9668) says 20 feet seems to be the magic depth in the south end of the lake especially in rocky areas. If you see a slight change in depth on your graph, concentrate on that area as the active fish seem to hang around these breaks You have to cover a lot of water to find active fish but when you do you can expect to catch bass ranging from 3 or 4 pounds to at least 8 or 9 pounds. In the north end of the lake most anglers are throwing minnow type ripbaits and pig-n-jigs at the ends of docks in 3 to 6 feet of water. They are getting 3 or 4 fish per outing ranging from 3 to 6 pounds for their efforts. Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed The lake level is 1.14 feet on the rumsey gauge Attention serious bass fishermen! For detailed "Clear Lake Bass Fishing Reports" Click Here (ncbf.com)   January 12, 2001 The bass fishing hasn't changed much in the past week, live jumbo minnows are accounting for most of the fish. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle says the minnow fishermen are getting anywhere from 10 to 20 fish per outing ranging from 3 to 9 pounds with the average around 4 or 5 pounds. Rocky areas in 10 to 20 feet of water are producing most of the fish. Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle says it's a little tougher in the Clearlake area, some anglers are catching upwards of a dozen fish while others are struggling to catch 4 or 5. The few bassers that are sticking to artificials are lucky to catch 2 or 3 fish for a day's effort. The few that they are catching are on pig-n-jigs and minnow type rip baits. Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed The lake level has come up a couple of inches and is 1.36 feet on the rumsey gauge. Attention serious bass fishermen! For detailed "Clear Lake Bass Fishing Reports" Click Here (ncbf.com)   January 19, 2001 Bass fishing is rated fair to good for those using live jumbo minnows and very tough for lure fishermen. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) says anglers are averaging around 10 fish per outing running between 3 and 6 pounds using jumbo minnows but the lure tossers are lucky to catch 1 or 2 fish. Most of the fish are coming in rocky areas from 10 to 20 feet. Al Freitas of Dons Bait & Tackle in Clearlake (707-995-9668) reports some fishermen using jumbo minnows are catching up to 15 fish while others are blanking. The trick is to find active fish and stay with them. If you catch one you will probably get more if you stick with it. Al says the majority of active fish in the Clearlake area are hanging in 20 to 25 feet of water and suggests working your bait or lure extremely slow due to the cold water. Some of the better spots have been near Monitor Island and Wheeler Point. Brush Hogs and pig-n-jigs are accounting for a few fish for those that stick to artificials. Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed The lake level is holding at 1.36 feet on the rumsey gauge. Attention serious bass fishermen! For detailed "Clear Lake Bass Fishing Reports" Click Here (ncbf.com)   January 26, 2001 Bass fishing remains very good for anglers using live jumbo minnows and fairly tough for those that stick to artificials. This pattern will remain until spring when the fish move into the shallows in preparation of the spawn. Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake has a very similar report to last week's. The live minnow fishermen are taking 10 to 20 fish for a day's outing. The fish are averaging 3 to 5 pounds with quite a few in the 6 to 8 pound range as well. Most of the action is in 15 to 20 feet of water and some of the better areas are Frazer Point, Monitor Island and Wheeler Point. Anglers using artificials are having their best luck with pig-n-jigs in brown and black combinations and minnow type jerk baits such as the new Lucky Craft lures from Japan. The jig action is in 10 to 15 feet of water while the jerkbaits are producing in 6 to 12 feet. Most lure tossers are lucky to catch 3 or 4 fish for a day's effort. Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed The lake level is rising and is at 1.58 feet on the rumsey gauge as of 8:00PM last night. Attention serious bass fishermen! For detailed "Clear Lake Bass Fishing Reports" Click Here (ncbf.com)