Hook-Setter: About the Lakes

Clear Lake has been called over and over again "The Bass Capital of the West" because of both its excellent quality and quantity of large mouth bass. An average Clear Lake bass weighs 2-4 lbs. and several fish over 10 lbs. are caught every year. The lake record of 17 1/2 lbs. was caught in 1990. Clear Lake also supports a good catfish, crappie and blue gill fishery.

Clear Lake covers 43,663 surface acres and is the largest natural freshwater lake totally within California borders. The lakes elevation is 1326 feet, it's average depth is 21 feet, and it's maximum known depth is 59 feet. Water levels fluctuate about 5-6 feet per year.

Clear Lake's 100 miles of shoreline contain many docks, rock pilings and retaining walls that the fish love. The lake is also loaded with tules, hydrilla, submerged brush and other vegetation for cover. Clear Lake also has a healthy wildlife population of ducks, pelicans, grebes, blue herons, egrets, osprey, otters and turtles to name a few.

Clear Lake offers much to do for the entire family and is only a 2 hour drive from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Sacramento Valley. Visit http://www.lakecounty.com/things/activity.html for more information about water craft rentals, parasail rides, lakeside concerts, Indian gaming, museums, wine tasting, lakeside restaurants, golfing, festivals and more.

Lake Berryessa is a reservoir located about 70 miles north east of San Francisco and about 50 miles west of Sacramento. It is open for fishing year round and has several different species of fish including smallmouth and largemouth bass, rainbow trout, steelhead, chinook salmon, kokanee, catfish and crappie. The lake is 23 miles long and 3 miles wide at its widest point with 165 miles of shoreline. For more information please visit www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/field_offices/lake_berryessa/index.html.

Lake Mendocino is a reservoir located at the gateway to wine country. The lake is in Mendocino county about 2 1/2 hours north of San Francisco. It has a surface area of 1822 acres and an elevation of 712 ft. The US Army Corps of Engineers maintains the lake and has been working hard at creating new fish habitats for the bass, crappie, catfish and bluegill that reside there. The average largemouth bass from Lake Mendocino is 1-3 lbs. and bass up to 6 lbs. are fairly common. Lake Mendocino is also a great place for camping, picniking, swimming, hiking and water skiing. For more information please visit www.spn.usace.army.mil/mendocino.

Blue Lakes is a beautiful, natural, clear deep water lake. It is a great spot for trout fishing, as well as largemouth bass, catfish and bluegill. Blue Lakes is located on Hwy 20 between Clear Lake and Lake Mendocino. It is made up of Upper Blue Lake and Lower Blue Lake which are connected by a narrows and cover a total of 125 surface acres. Boating is limited to 5mph, which makes it a nice, relaxing spot for swimming, windsurfing and canoeing. For more information about Blue Lakes please visit www.lakecounty.com/lakes.html.