December 31 1999 It doesn't get any better than this especially for big bass. If you want to catch a trophy bass with live minnows, now is the time. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake reports one lucky angler caught a 14 pound 8 ounce, a 9 pound 12 ounce and a 8 pound 8 ounce bass using live jumbo minnows. The angler would only reveal that he caught them in the mid lake area which would be roughly around the Anderson Island area according to Al. He went out again the next day and caught one 9 pounder and two 7 pounders. Al suggests using the minnows 2 to 3 feet under a bobber with a split shot to keep the minnow from swimming to the surface. When you locate a school you can catch a bunch. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) confirms the hot minnow bite and adds that most anglers are catching a lot of fish in the 4 to 6 pound class using minnows. He reports fair to good action on smaller fish from 2 to 4 pounds ripping stickbaits and slow cranking lipless crankbaits such as Rattletraps. Terry Knight, outdoor editor for the Lake County Record Bee says it's feast or famine in the north end of the lake. Some anglers using minnows are catching 20 or more bass per outing while others are having trouble getting bit. There are a lot of good fish being taken in the Nice/Lucerne area, especially at the Aurora RV Park in Nice. Rocky Point near Lakeport has been giving up a lot of fish as well. For the lure tossers, Terry suggests ripping Shad Raps and or working plastic worms and grubs extremely slowly. Attention serious bass fishermen! For detailed "Clear Lake Bass Fishing Reports" Click Here (ncbf.com) Good Fishin.....Happy Holidays....Catfish Ed .The lake level continues to hold steady at 1.40 feet above Rumsey.   December 24 1999 The weather warmed up to the low 70s and the fishing heated up accordingly. Live jumbo minnows and crankbaits continue to produce most of the fish. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake (707-995-9668) says the minnow bite is incredible. Most anglers are catching at least a dozen bass over 5 pounds and a few to 10 pounds per trip using live jumbo minnows. The lure tossers are doing well ripping minnow type crankbaits such as Rapalas. As always, Rattletraps are producing quite a few big fish. Al suggests locating a school of fish using minnows and then tossing crankbaits or Rattletraps. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) reports most of his customers are catching good numbers of bass by ripping suspending crankbaits and Rattletraps. The north end of the lake is giving up lots of nice fish using jerkbaits and Rattletraps. I have seen quite a few good ones taken at the mouth of Holiday Harbor in front of my house. Good Fishin.....Happy Holidays....Catfish Ed The lake level is not going to vary much until we get some heavy rain. It is staying around 1.4 feet above Rumsey.   December 17 1999 Bass fishing remains very good most anywhere on the lake. Jerkbaits, plastic worms and live jumbo minnows are the top producers. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) recommends ripping jerkbaits and crankbaits on rockpiles in 6 to 8 feet of water for fish averaging 2 to 3 pounds and up to 7 pounds. Bob Simmons of Lakeport Tackle (707-263-8862) reports great action in the north end of the lake with jerkbaits, crankbaits and plastic worms. One of Bob's customers caught and released 30 bass from 2 to 5 pounds split-shoting a 4 inch Maverick Black Shad plastic worm. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake says that they are doing fair on jerkbaits and crankbaits but the hot action in the Clearlake area is with live jumbo minnows. Several anglers have been catching dozens of bass over 5 pounds in one outing with the minnows. Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed The lake level as of 8:00PM last night is at 1.45 feet above Rumsey.   December 10 1999 The bass fishing keeps getting better. Crankbaits, jerkbaits and live jumbo minnows are still the top producers. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks recommends throwing crankbaits and jerkbaits around rocks and docks. He reports 2 anglers caught and released 24 fish in a days outing throwing crankbaits and jerkbaits while another pair of anglers caught 14 nice bass to 7.2 pounds also with crankbaits. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake rates live jumbo minnows as the top bait. He recommends drift fishing with the minnows in 18 to 20 feet of water. Al says the crankbait bite in the Clearlake area has slowed down quite a bit. Bob Simmons of Lakeport Tackle (707-263-8862) suggests tossing crankbaits such as Speed Traps and or jerkbaits around rocks and docks. The bass fishing in the Nice/Lucerne area is so good that I caught and released a 9 pound 13 ounce hog (my biggest ever!) on a chrome 1/2 ounce Rattletrap off the beach in front of my house last Saturday evening.(Click for photo) My neighbor, Don Miller caught and released a 5 pounder on a Rattletrap Tuesday afternoon in the same spot. I have seen quite a few bass boats in the area and they have been picking up fish. Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed The lake level still has not changed much and as of 8:00PM last night is at 1.40 feet above Rumsey.   December 3 1999 Bass fishing hasn't changed much in the last week. The top producers are still crankbaits and live minnows. Al Freitas of Don's Bait and Tackle in Clearlake suggests throwing crankbaits such as Rattletraps and Brush Babies in 3 to 6 feet of water for bass to 4 pounds. Anglers using live jumbo minnows are really catching the big ones. One lucky fisherman nailed a 11 pound 8 ounce hog on a jumbo minnow. The minnows seem to work any place that normally holds bass, deep or shallow. Bob Higgins of Limit Out Bait and Tackle in Clearlake Oaks (707-998-1006) says his regulars are averaging 5 or 6 fish in the 2 to 3 pound range using crankbaits and plastic worms in the Rattlesnake Island area. Bob Simmons of Lakeport Tackle (707-263-8862) likes Corinthian Bay for large concentrations of fish falling for crankbaits and jerkbaits. Bob adds that if you have trouble missing fish with the jerkbaits, make a follow up cast with a small grub and the chances are you will hook up. Good Fishin.....Catfish Ed The lake level has not changed much in the past few weeks and as of 9:00PM last night the lake level is 1.48 feet above Rumsey.   Back to Old Bass Reports