Clear Lake is known worldwide for big bass and this past week a pair of anglers set an unofficial Clear Lake record for a five-bass limit. John Pearl of Lakeport and Jason Kincannon of Woodland caught five bass that tipped the scales at an unbelievable 49.8 pounds – nearly a 10-pound average per fish.
Although the fish weren’t weighed on a certified scale, there were a number of witnesses and the fish were photographed. A check online for the best five-fish limit in Clear Lake tournaments revealed that during a BassMasters tournament in 2001 Dean Rojas had a five-fish limit weighing 45 pounds. That’s the heaviest five-fish weight in BassMasters history. The record for WON BASS is 32.83 pounds. A few years ago a team in a tournament at Clear Lake weighed in a five-fish limit of 41 pounds.
Pearl said he and Kincannon caught three bass weighing more than 10 pounds each and two others that topped 9 pounds. According to Pearl, he and Kincannon caught their fish in the south end of the lake in less than 5 feet of water on crankbaits and swimbaits. Pearl said he and Kincannon had just pulled up to a spot and on his second cast Kincannon caught a 10-pounder. A few minutes later he caught another 10-pound-plus bass. The two then proceeded to catch another 10-pounder plus the two 9-pound-plus fish. Pearl and Kincannon have won a number of tournaments at Clear Lake and are considered two of the better fishermen in the area. In October, they teamed up to win the American Bass Association (ABA) Tournament of Champions held at Clear Lake.
Whereas the bite isn’t wide open, there have been some good-sized bass caught. The local guides report a typical day on the lake is producing from six to eight bass, with 6-pounders being common. Bill Timmer of Lakeport caught five bass Wednesday using jumbo minnows while fishing in the north end of the lake near Rocky Point. His largest fish weighed 8 pounds. Swimbaits, crankbaits and live minnows have been the top lures and bait. The fishing pressure is just about nil. With the exception of a couple of bass club tournaments there are no tournaments scheduled for January.
.