Finally we get some rain! The lake level has come up over one and a quarter feet and the water has warmed to the upper 40's. We have seen a definite improvement in the crappie bite and the bass bite has picked up some as well. Here's what we're hearing from our customers:

For the crappie, fishing with live minnows or mini jigs in white or chartreuse has been doing the trick. Some folks have had best success fishing under a bobber with the offering suspended 8 to 10 feet from the surface. Others have stuck to the fly line technique for minnows ??? weighting your line enough to cause the minnow to swim at depth ??? and causing the minnow to work against the weight. Both techniques have proven successful in the past couple of days. Kono Tayee Point and The Four Poles are the two spots we're getting the most feedback on. Anglers at those locations have been able to catch daily bag limits (25 crappie) for an all day effort.

I want to take just a moment to mention that the Four Poles location is an excellent spot to bank fish for crappie. However, we all need to keep in mind that this location can be closed to shore anglers if the land owner gets too fed up with trash and bad behavior. So here's my tip of the day?Ķ If you're going to fish from the bank at the Four Poles, bring a sack with you and clean up a little before you start fishing. Pack it out with you when you're done. It'll only take a few "bad apples" among us to lose this spot altogether. Let's each do what we can to ensure the location remains open.

Okay, I'm off my soap box. Let's talk bass. One of my customers, whom I know as Steve from Las Vegas, called me after a day fishing with Fishing Guide Richard Pounds. They had fished within a couple of miles of the State Park in Kelseyville. He reported that they caught bass all day long on live jumbo minnows, fished under a bobber at about seven feet, in eight feet of water or less. With only a handful of bass under five pounds, this guy had the time of his life catching big bass all day long. Way to go! Gaylon Phillips of Fresno brought in a stout and fat 8 pound 3 ounce bass that he caught on a mini jig at the Four Poles last Sunday. And, local lure manufacturer Darrell Cecil ??? maker of the TweekR Jig ??? caught a stunning 12 pound 1 ounce bass on one of his own lures. Other folks reported having a harder time catching bass here in the south end but were doing well in the north end of the lake. Rip baits and "shaky heads" (fishing a finesse worm on a jig head) were the two most talked about artificials this week.

Attached Photo: Gaylon Phillips of Fresno was fishing with his family from shore at the Four Poles when he caught this stout 8 pound 3 ounce bass on a mini jig.

Bob Rider, Owner
Lakeshore Bait & Tackle
14913-D Lakeshore Drive
Clearlake, CA 95422
707.994.FISH
707.994.4961 fax