CatfishED.com

January 3, 2002

     The bass fishing seems to have gotten a bit tougher this week. Most bassers that stick to artificials are lucky to catch 3 fish for a day's effort and the jumbo minnow users are catching anywhere from 4 to 8 fish per day.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 says the few bass that are being caught are real quality fish weighing from 5 to 9 pounds. Frasier and Wheeler Points are a good bet with jumbo minnows fished in 25 to 30 feet of water.

     Brad Stevens of Tackle It Sport Shop in Lakeport reports fair action with Speed Traps around the Buckingham area. One successful angler caught 5 bass weighing from 3 to 5 pounds throwing white Speed Traps. Brad adds that the north end of the lake is very slow due to all the muddy water runoff from our recent heavy rains. Fair to partly cloudy weather is predicted for the next few days which should give the north end a chance to clear up a little and improve the bass fishing.

Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level has risen quite a bit and is at 5.45 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, 7.56 is considered full pool.

January 10, 200

     The bass fishing is still rated tough for anglers using artificials and fair for those using live jumbo minnows.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake says the top baits are live jumbo minnows, pig-n-jigs and crawdad colored crank baits. Most of the fish are holding in 3 to 5 feet of water in the newly flooded tules and brush. The fish are weighing from 3 to 6 pounds with an occasional 8 or 9 pounder. Anglers that are willing to put in a full day of fishing can expect to catch 5 or 6 fish for their efforts.

     Brad Stevens of Tackle It in Lakeport 707-262-1233 say the fish are running a little smaller in the north end of the lake, 2 to 2½ pounds is average but there are quite a few 5 to 6 pounders in the mix with one 8½ pounder taken recently. Brad says minnows are the top bait followed by crawdad colored crankbaits and a few are being caught by drop-shotting as well. Most of the fish in the north end are holding in the flooded brush and tules in 2 to 4 feet of water.

Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level has stabilized and is at 5.87 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, 7.56 is considered full pool.

January 17, 2002

     The bass fishing has improved for some anglers while others are still having a tough time of it.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 says most of his customers are catching 4 to 8 fish per trip both with live jumbo minnows and Brush Hogs in pumpkin and june bug colors. Most of the fish are weighing from 3 to 6 pounds. In the south end of the lake the best action is around rocks and docks in 12 to 18 feet of water while in the north end flooded tules and brush in 3 to 6 feet is the preferred pattern.

     Brad Stevens of Tackle It Sport Shop in Lakeport reports tough fishing for most bass fishermen working the north end of the lake. June bug colored Brush Hogs and red/black pig-n-jigs fished in tules and brush are accounting for most of the fish which are running from 2 to 4 pounds with an occasional larger one up to 8 pounds. Catching 3 or 4 fish for a day's effort is considered a typical outing.

     Brad says that Tackle It Sport Shop now has live jumbo minnows available. This is great news for fishermen in the north end of the lake, now you won't have to drive to the Oaks or Clearlake just to purchase live minnows.

Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is dropping slightly and is at 5.81 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, 7.56 is considered full pool.

January 24, 2002

     The winter bass pattern is still holding, most anglers find tough fishing with artificials but fair to good results with live jumbo minnows.

     Brad Stevens of Tackle It Sport Shop in Lakeport 707-262-1233 says they're scratching out a few nice fish in Rodman Slough with brown or black jigs. Ripbaits and crankbaits are producing a few fish in flooded brush areas in the north end of the lake. Brad adds that fishermen using live jumbo minnows (now available at the shop) are catching 5 to 10 bass per outing up to 6 pounds.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 reports fairly fast action using live jumbo minnows but says it's still tough for most bassers that are throwing artificials. Two anglers caught and released 18 bass for a 6 hour effort with minnows. Most of the bass are in the 2½ to 4 pound range. Brad says they are catching 3 or 4 fish per person around the State and County parks in Kelseyville, flipping Brush Hogs and jigs in the shallows around brushy areas as well as drop-shotting are the productive methods.
Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level is holding steady and is at 5.90 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, 7.56 is considered full pool.

January 31, 2002

     The bass fishing is very good with minnows in the south end of the lake but very tough with artificials. In the north end both minnows and artificials are producing fair catches of bass.

     Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake reports good results with live jumbo minnows but very few fish with artificials. Brad and guide Bob Thein fished Luebow Point on Monday and caught 8 bass from 3 to 5 pounds in 1½ hours by dragging jumbo minnows behind the boat while casting artificials. All the action was with the minnows, they didn't get bit with the artificials. Brad says they are catching lots of 3 to 6 pound bass off the Red Bud Pier with minnows fished in 5 feet of water.

     Brad Stevens of Tackle It Sport Shop in Lakeport 707-262-1233 reports fair action in the north end of the lake both with minnows and artificials. Jumbo minnow users are averaging 4 or 5 fish per person weighing from 3 to 6½ pounds and anglers throwing Lucky Craft Staysee 90's in aurora black, speed traps and brown/orange pig-n-jigs are catching anywhere from 2 to 5 fish per trip. One lucky angler caught and released 8 fish from 3 to 5 pounds using Lucky Craft Staysee 90's. The best areas in the north end have been flooded tules and brush around the State and County parks and rocky areas such as Rocky Point.

Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed

     The lake level has risen slightly and is at 6.01 feet on the Rumsey Gauge, 7.56 is considered full pool.