October 6, 2000 Bass fishing is still tough for most fishermen but those using jumbo minnows are taking some big fish. Night fishing in the Clearlake Oaks arm is a good bet. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake reports most anglers are taking 2 to 5 fish per outing throwing Senkos, Dead Ringers and Brush Hogs in 3 to 5 feet of water around tules and docks. One lucky fisherman caught 4 bass from 5 pounds 4 ounces to 7 pounds 6 ounces using live jumbo minnows but was unwilling to divulge his hot spot. There are still a few fish being taken in the early morning and late evening with buzzbaits and topwater plugs. There is a good night bite at Rattlesnake Island in Clearlake Oaks using plastic worms, spinnerbaits and crankbaits around rockpiles in 8 to 12 feet of water. A lot of the fish are in the 5 to 7 pound class. Professional bass guide Richard Pounds of Kelseyville (707-279-4739) was fishing the Nice/Lucerne area Thursday morning and caught 6 fish from 2 to 6 1/2 pounds by 10:00AM throwing buzzbaits and Senkos. The lake level is down to 1.54 feet on the Rumsey gauge. Good Fishin.......Catfish Ed Attention serious bass fishermen! For detailed "Clear Lake Bass Fishing Reports" Click Here (ncbf.com)   October 13, 2000 The bass fishing has picked up considerably since the weather cooled down. Topwaters and plastics are the rule in the north end of the lake, crankbaits, plastics and topwaters are working in the south end. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) reports crankbaits, Senkos and grubs are taking a lot of fish from 3 to 9 pounds on rockpiles in 8 to 15 feet of water. One angler caught 7 fish to 6 1/2 pounds throwing crankbaits near Rattlesnake Island in 6 to 15 feet of water. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake (707-998-1006) says anglers throwing Senkos and topwater baits are taking around 6 or 7 fish per outing weighing from 3 to 6 pounds. For a lot of action and big fish, Al recommends using live jumbo minnows. The north end is giving up a lot of good fish with topwater lures, Senkos and Brush Hogs. Fish the topwaters early morning around shallow structure and then try Senkos and Brush Hogs on weed edges during the day. The lake level is down to 1.34 feet on the Rumsey gauge. Good Fishin.......Catfish Ed   October 20, 2000 The bass fishing is getting tougher due to the pressure from all the tournaments that have been held here recently. The majority of lure caught fish are being taken with plastics and crankbaits. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) suggests throwing plastics and crankbaits in 10 to 20 feet of water around rockpiles in the Clearlake Oaks arm for fish from 2 to 4 pounds. Bob reports lots of action and good sized fish for anglers willing to use jumbo minnows instead of artificials. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake has a similar report except for the depth. Throwing plastics such as Senkos and Dead Ringers as well as crankbaits are taking fair numbers of fish around docks and breaks in 5 to 6 feet of water. According to Al the larger bass are in shallow feeding on the fingerling bass. The jumbo minnow bite is very good. One of Al's customers caught and released 10 bass from 2 to 5 pounds yesterday morning using minnows. The north end of the lake is rated very tough. Anglers throwing topwater baits such as Pop-Rs and buzzbaits are raising an occasional fish. Throwing plastic worms and grubs under docks that have 3 or 4 feet of water still left under them is accounting for a few ( very few ) fish. The lake level is down to 1.27 feet on the Rumsey gauge. Good Fishin.......Catfish Ed   October 27, 2000 Lure fishermen are having a fairly tough time while those using live jumbo minnows are doing quite well. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) says crankbaits are the top lure with plastic worms also catching their share. Most anglers are catching 3 or 4 fish running 3 to 5 or more pounds fishing rockpiles in 6 to 12 feet of water. Live minnow fishermen are catching 8 to 12 fish per outing in the same areas. Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake also rates crankbaits and plastic worms as the best artificial baits. He recommends fishing rocks in 4 to 10 feet of water and docks with at least 5 or 6 feet of water under them. The fish are running around 2 to 3 pounds with a few 4's and 5's. Anglers using jumbo minnows are catching anywhere from 8 to 15 fish per outing with quite a few 4 to 6 pounders in their catches. In the north end of the lake, jigs, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are producing most of the fish. Pitching jigs around docks has been producing quite a few 3 to 5 pounders. Throwing cranks and blades has been productive but there are a lot of dinks attacking them as well. The lake level is down to 1.24 feet on the Rumsey gauge as of 10/22/2000 11:00hrs. (last available lake level report) Good Fishin.......Catfish Ed Attention serious bass fishermen! For detailed "Clear Lake Bass Fishing Reports" Click Here (ncbf.com)   Back to Year 2000 Bass Reports