CatfishED.com

October 4, 2001

     The warmer weather has livened up the topwater bite considerably and live jumbo minnows are accounting for lots of bass.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks says most bassers are managing 5 or 6 fish running around 2½ to 4 pounds for a day's effort throwing Brush Hogs and Senkos in deeper tule areas of 3 or 4 feet.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake went fishing with bass guide Bob Thein on Tuesday and they caught over 15 bass with Chug Bugs and Ricos working the open shoreline between docks in 4 to 8 feet of water. Anglers drifting live jumbo minnows over rocky areas in 8 to 15 feet of water are catching easy limits of bass weighing 4 to 6 pounds with an occasional 8 or 9 pounder.

     Persistent bassers fishing the north end of the lake are scratching out 4 or 5 fish per day tossing crankbaits, grubs and worms at the ends of docks in 3 to 5 feet of water.

     Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is dropping very slowly and is at 1.11 feet on the rumsey gauge, 7.56 is considered "full pool".

October 11, 2001

     The fishing has slowed down a bit but the topwater bite is still decent.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks reports some good catches with black and red buzzbaits in the   Clearlake Arm in 1 to 2 feet of water. Throwing Senkos and Brush Hogs around docks and rocky areas in 4 to 15 feet of water is accounting for some good fish. Bob says they are still taking some bass with frogs in the north end of the lake in the few remaining weed beds. Most of the bass are going from 3 to 4 pounds with a few to 8 pounds.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake reports tough fishing for most bassers. Live jumbo minnows are producing 4 or 5 fish per angler running 2 to 5 pounds apiece.

     Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is dropping very slowly and is at 1.01 feet on the rumsey gauge, 7.56 is considered "full pool".

October 18, 2001

     Most bass anglers are having a tough time of it. There have been major tournaments held on Clear Lake every weekend for the past month which really puts a lot of pressure on the fishing.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks said he fished hard Monday and Tuesday and didn't even catch a fish. He added that live jumbo minnows and live crawdads are accounting for a few good fish.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake reports that a few anglers are catching fish but the rest are lucky to catch one or two. Two fishermen caught 10 bass weighing from 2½ to 6 pounds in 6 hours with live jumbo minnows and Senkos. Brad suggests throwing crankbaits and pig-n-jigs in rocky areas in 5 to 8 feet of water. Most of the fish are running from 2½ to 5 pounds.

     Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is has stabilized and is at 1.05 feet on the rumsey gauge, 7.56 is considered "full pool".

October 25, 2001

     The bass fishing has really slowed down in the past week. The WON BASS Tri-States Team Championships were held last weekend and most participants were lucky to catch one fish per day.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake rates the bass fishing as real tough, most lure fishermen are either blanking or catching one or two fish for a day's effort. Anglers using live jumbo minnows are managing 3 to 4 fish per day running from 2 to 5 pounds each.

     Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level has stabilized and is at 1.08 feet on the rumsey gauge, 7.56 is considered "full pool".