The warm weather of last week got everything going; bass fishing is wide open. Berryessa is giving up lots of small and large mouth bass. Some fishermen are even site fishing. The water is clear enough in many cases to spot the bass. Clear Lake is turning out lots of 3- to 4-pound fish.

The best bet is “anything” in your box in this early spring, but drop shotting or pulling small 6- to 8-inch worms will bring top results. These are pre-spawn bass, and the best is yet to come all in the next three weeks.

Small area ponds are ripe for bass culling. Taking some fish out now is good, so spawning bass will have a chance to spawn, and their offspring can grow.

Many of our small ponds have stunted bass. It doesn’t take long for these ponds to be underfished. Then the populations double, triple, and soon outpace the food supply. Remember, a bass can have over 20,000 eggs under the right conditions — and 5,000 can hatch. That’s 5,000 small fish, which provide food for birds and other fish.

Under perfect conditions, one female should have 50 bass that make it through the first year. Then they will be 1-pounders.

In a stunted pond, maybe 500 fish survive, and they will never make it past one pound, but the pond will be full of them.

If you own a small lake or pond, make sure it is fished regularly. We have well over 300 private lakes and ponds in Napa County, many of which have stunted bass because of underfishing.

 

Law enforcement officer of the year

The National Wild Turkey Federation honored warden Sean Pirtle of the Department of Fish and Game for his efforts in conservation.

Warden Pirtle worked on many capture-and-release turkey programs as well as teaching at the DFG Academy. He also takes many youngsters on hunting trips. He is part of the Yuba County team. He has written many citations for poaching and has helped the fine pool with money to help wildlife projects in Yuba County.

 

Trout action

All of California is coming alive with trout. Berryessa trollers are catching them in water 3 to 40 feet deep.

Bait fishermen are catching fish. Shore fishermen at Hennessey and Berryessa are scoring on trout.

All area lakes are doing well, from Camanche to Parde, and Collins to Almanor. All local lakes with trout are active and producing. The best bet for shore fishermen is still using salmon eggs or power baits rolled into small balls.

 

Local hikes

It is a great time to go for a hike. Spring flowers are coming out and waiting for you. Try the easier trek at Skyline Regional Park.

Another fine hike is to Robert Louis Stevenson Park on Mt. St. Helena. The Knoxville Wilderness Area is full of wildflowers now.

Try the Napa Marsh area as well.

Spring is beautiful in the Napa Valley. The tall, green grass, yellow mustard, and all of the other flowers make your time outdoors worthwhile.

Outdoors columnist George Carl can be reached at gcarl@sbcglobal.net.