CatfishED.com

July 5, 2001

     The catfish action has slowed down but knowledgeable anglers are still doing fairly well in the south end of the lake.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 says they are catching a few decent fish in Cache Creek especially where Seigler Creek runs into it using live jumbo minnows and fresh clams.

     My friend Catmanw from San Jose fished Cache Creek last weekend and caught 5 channel catfish from 7 pounds to over 19 pounds and a 4 pound brown bullhead all with cut mackerel. For a complete account of his trip click here which will take you to his post on my message board.

     Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks 707-998-1006 reports slow fishing except for a few nice cats in the 6 to 10 pound range being taken with minnows and liver at the public beach across from the old Oaks Boat House in Clearlake Oaks.

     There are still a few catfish spawning around submerged tires and rock ledges in the north end of the lake but the water is no longer clear enough for sight fishing.

July 12, 2001

     The catfish action is about the same as last week with most of the action in the south end of the lake.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 says knowlegeable catfishermen are catching 2 or 3 nice fish per evening using live jumbo minnows, clams and mackerel anchoring in Cache Creek and on the sheltered side of Monitor Island. Heavy winds have kept most anglers from fishing some of the other hot spots.

     Anchoring in the back of Rattlesnake Island to avoid the wind is producing 2 to 4 catfish running from 6 to 12 pounds using live jumbo minnows and clams. Fishing from shore at the public beach across from the old Oaks Boathouse and all along the lakeside shore of M & M Campground is producing a few channel cats in the 10 pound range as well as quite a few white catfish running around 4 pounds each. The top baits are minnows, live crawdads and clams.

     There are very few catfish anglers trying the north end of the lake and the fishing is slow at best.

July 19, 2001

     The catfish action is fairly slow all around the lake. There aren't very many anglers specifically targeting catfish which makes it difficult to really rate the fishing.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 says the only reports he's getting are lots of very small cats (8 to 10 inches) in Cache Creek being taken with clams and nightcrawlers.

     There are still a few decent cats running from 5 to 12 pounds being taken from shore at the public beach across from the Oaks Boathouse and at M & M Campground in Clearlake Oaks with chicken liver, crawdads and clams.

     In the north end of the lake there are a few nice cats being taken off docks at night with clams and nightcrawlers.

     We fished from the shore under the Rodman Slough bridge in Nice last weekend and managed 3 channel catfish weighing 10, 14 and 16 pounds using strawberry flavored doughballs.

July 26, 2001

     The catfish action has improved, especially in the south end of the lake.

     Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 reports good action for cats from 5 to 14 pounds at Monitor Island and the mouth of Cache Creek. The top baits are live jumbo minnows, live crawdads and cutbait. Al adds that most rocky areas in 20 to 30 feet of water are producing a few fish.

     RC Stephens from Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks 707-998-1006 says they are getting a few cats from 8 to 10 pounds anchoring behind Rattlesnake Island in 10 to 20 feet of water with live crawdads and mackerel.

     Terry Knight, outdoor columnist for the Lake County Record Bee says they're catching a few nice channel catfish anchoring outside the tules in 6 to 8 feet of water near the State Park with cut bait.

     There are still a few fish being taken off docks at night with nightcrawlers and clams in the Nice/Lucerne area but it's usually a long wait between bites.