August 2, 2001 There aren't a lot of fishermen going for catfish but the ones that are giving it a try are doing fairly well. Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 reports decent catfish action at Long Tule Point with live or frozen jumbo minnows. Al was fishing with bass guide Sandy Hager yesterday and they caught and released 3 catfish weighing from 12 to 16 pounds with jumbo minnows while fishing for bass at Dollar Island. Al suggests giving Dollar Island a try for some quality catfish. They are getting a few nice cats near Austin Park also with minnows. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks 707-998-1006 says he hasn't talked to a catfisherman all week. I didn't talk to anyone catfishing in the Nice/Lucerne area but I'm sure there are still a few fish roaming near the mouth of Rodman Slough looking for nightcrawlers or clams.   August 9, 2001 The catfishing is very good in the Clearlake area and slow in the rest of the lake. Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 says they are catching 5 to 10 cats per boat drift fishing with jumbo minnows and mackerel from Luebow Point to Austin Beach. Most of the fish are running from 5 to 15 pounds with an occasional monster going 20 or more pounds. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks 707-998-1006 reports slow fishing, they are catching a few small channel catfish (3 to 4 pounds) from shore at M & M Campground and from the public beach across from the old Oaks Boathouse using clams and chicken livers for bait. I haven't been able to find any serious catfishermen in the north end of the lake but Bruce Ewen of Eureka CA caught a 7 pound 8 ounce cat off my back deck Tuesday afternoon and I caught an 11 pound 14 ouncer yesterday afternoon. Both fish fell for strawberry doughballs.   August 16 , 2001 The catfishing is fair to good all around the lake. Al Freitas of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 reports good catches of channel cats running 10 to 15 pounds with a few up to 18 pounds around No Name Reef and Shag Rock using live jumbo minnows and cut mackerel. Bass fishermen are catching up to 7 cats per trip while using minnows intended for bass. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks 707-998-1006 says they are catching 2 or 3 cats per angler in the 6 to 12 pound range with mackerel off docks in 10 to 15 feet of water in and near Beryl Bay. I still can't locate any serious catfishermen in the north end of the lake but my girlfriend Mary and I are catching a few off our back deck and the public beach just west of the entrance to Holiday Harbor in Nice. Mary caught a 12 pound 14 ouncer on Monday evening off our back deck and I caught a 9 pound 4 ouncer Tuesday morning off the beach as well as losing 2 big ones that broke me off in snags. Andy Rico of Nice CA caught a 12 pounder this morning off the public beach. As usual all the action was with strawberry doughballs.   August 23, 2001 Catfishing is very good in the south end of the lake but there's not much going on in the rest of the lake. Brad Farrin, new owner of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 reports good catches in Cache Creek and near Bass Alley. Jumbo minnows and crawdads are accounting for quite a few cats in the 10 to 15 pound range while clams are the top bait for the pan sized fish running 2 to 3 pounds. Most anglers are bringing in at least 5 or 6 catfish per outing. Brad says bass anglers fishing with jumbo minnows are catching as many catfish as they are bass. Percy Oved of Limit Out Bait & Tackle in Clearlake Oaks 707-998-1006 says the catfishing is very slow, he hadn't had a good report all week. The north end of the lake is also very slow, I haven't landed one since last week although I lost a couple of big ones earlier this week.   August 30, 2001 The south end of the lake is still accounting for most of the action but this is partially due to the fact that there are a lot more catfishermen going there. Brad Farrin of Don's Bait & Tackle in Clearlake 707-995-9668 rates the catfishing as fair. Most anglers are catching from 3 to 5 fish per outing using live jumbo minnows and cut mackerel in Cache Creek and the Bass Alley/Monitor Island area. Most of the fish are running around 10 to 15 pounds although they are catching quite a few smaller pan-size cats in the 2 to 3 pound range with clams and mini-crawlers. The Clearlake Oaks arm of the lake has had so few catfishermen lately that it's hard to get a report. The north end of the lake is giving up a few good fish with nightcrawlers and mackerel fished off docks during the late night and early morning hours. I caught a 12 pound 5 ouncer off the public beach near my house in Nice on Tuesday morning and a 9 pounder this morning both with strawberry doughballs . Back to 2001 Catfish Reports