CatfishED.com

December 1, 2000

     Since the winter pattern has really taken hold we probably won't see much change in these reports for awhile. Anglers using live jumbo minnows are having a field day while the lure fishermen are lucky to catch 2 or 3 fish for a day's effort.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) reports anglers using minnows are catching and releasing up to 15 fish per outing from 2 to 8 pounds while those using crankbaits and ripbaits are catching 2 or 3 fish. Bob recommends fishing rocky areas in 6 to 20 feet.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake says minnow fishermen are catching as many fish as they have minnows. Most are catching at least 20 and one pair of anglers caught and released over 60 fish in one outing. They are averaging 3 pounds with a lot of 7's and 8's. Throwing minnow type crank and rip baits is accounting for 2 or 3 fish per trip. Most of the fish are being taken fishing breaks in 6 to 12 feet.

     The north end of the lake is producing a few fish cranking and ripping with minnow type lures but there are very few anglers up here due to the better fishing in the south end.

     The lake level is 1.14 feet on the rumsey gauge

December 8, 2000

     Fishing with live jumbo minnows is still producing big catches of bass but knowledgeable lure fishermen are catching their share as well. There was a tournament held on Tuesday and Wednesday with 50 boats participating and the winning weight was 46 pounds for 10 fish.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks reports good catches with minnow type ripbaits and crankbaits fishing rockpiles and breaks from 4 to 10 feet. Bob says the fish are averaging around 4 pounds with quite a few 5's and 6's.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake says the live minnow fishermen are still catching 15 to 20 bass per outing averaging 4 pounds with a lot of 6's and 7's. Bass Guide Sandie Hager caught a 12 pound 13 ounce bass on a minnow earlier this week. Al says a decent number of fish are being taken ripping and cranking with minnow type lures and drop shotting with small plastic worms and grubs. Al suggests fishing breaks in 4 to 12 feet of water.

     The north end of the lake is producing a few fish ripping and cranking in 2 to 6 feet of water on the ends of docks and in shallow breaks.

     Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is 1.12 feet on the rumsey gauge

December 15, 2000

     The bass fishing remains red hot for anglers using jumbo minnows while lure fishermen are doing fairly well especially in the north end of the lake.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) says the minnow bite is incredible as evidenced by 3 anglers that went out with 5 dozen minnows and returned in 4 hours having caught and released over 50 bass ranging from 3 or 4 pounds to over 9 pounds. They actually caught 3 bass that weighed a little over 9 pounds each. They had to return in 4 hours as they had already ran out of minnows! Fishermen that stick to artificials are catching 3 to 5 fish per outing mostly with ripbaits but they are catching some real hogs including a 12 pounder on a Berkely Frenzy deep diving crankbait.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake echoes Bob's report on the bass fishing especially on the jumbo minnow bite. Al suggests fishing breaks in 6 to 12 feet of water both with minnows and artificials.

     Terry Knight, outdoor columnist for the Lake County Record Bee and several fishing publications reports very good results in the north end of the lake ripping minnow type baits at the end of docks in 2 to 3 feet of water and over breaks in 4 to 8 feet. The fish are running 3 to 5 pounds with a fair amount of 8's to 10's and one monster weighing 13 pounds.

     Chuck Roof of the Skylark Motel in Lakeport reports fantastic action at Rocky Point using live jumbo minnows for bass to 8 pounds.

     Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is 1.16 feet on the rumsey gauge

December 22, 2000

     It's a carbon copy of last week's report, jumbo minnows are producing fantastic results while artificials are accounting for a fair number of fish.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake rates the minnow bite as "fantastic". Anglers are catching anywhere from 17 to 25 bass per trip ranging from 4 to 10 pounds fishing breaks in anywhere from 7 to 20 feet of water. Al suggests using a split-shot that's just heavy enough to keep the minnow on bottom and if your fishing shallower than 8 feet use a bobber. Anglers using plastic baits like Dead Ringers and Zipper worms are getting 2 or 3 good fish per outing.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in the Oaks confirms the excellent fishing with jumbo minnows. He adds that knowledgeable bassers are getting 4 to 8 fish running 4 to 9 pounds ripping and cranking minnow type lures around rocky areas in 8 to 20 feet of water.

     The north end of the lake is giving up it's fair share of good fish with minnows and rip baits. Minnows are accounting for big numbers of bass while ripping is producing anywhere from 5 to 7 fish per angler.

     Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is 1.18 feet on the rumsey gauge