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WON STAFF ON THE SPORT:Crappie, catfish and bass provide lots of action
Crappie, catfish and bass provide lots of action for young anglers at Clear Lake
BY VINCE CRUDELE/WON Field ReporterPublished: Jul 22, 2010
WON ON THE SPOTVINCE CRUDELE REPORT
GLENHAVEN — The calm and tranquil coves of the east shore of Clear Lake proved to be the place to be this past week for a lucky group of young anglers from the Bay Area. Kendall MacLean, Natalie Chapman, Maxx Green, Dominic MacLean, Joe Legnitto, Stephanie Chapman, and Connor Green joined this reporter for some fantastic live bait fishing success.
With an arsenal of fishing rods and tackle, I gathered these young sportsmen and sportswomen on the dock of the Sea Breeze Resort for their introduction to crappie fishing. Each angler was instructed on hook selection, knot tying, weight placement and finally, bait choice. The students rigged up, some choosing spincast outfits while others preferred spinning rods. With their lines ready, nightcrawlers, wax worms, crickets and live minnows were cast out and the anticipation level was high! 
• NATALIE CHAPMAN had net help from Maxx Green with her big catfish, that took line off the reel and had her running up and down the dock.
WON PHOTO BY VINCE CRUDELE
• KENDALL AND Doug Chapman with one of the many crappie caught during the kids Clear Lake trip, where they fished for eight hours and caught dozens of crappie, bass and catfish. WON PHOTO BY VINCE CRUDELE
The depth finder on my boat said it was 28 feet deep under the dock we were moored to. Maxx sent his minnow to the bottom and cranked up a few turns. The little spin cast rod arched over and the Zebco was singing as line zipped out! Shouts for the net carried across the dock! Maxx’s 3-pound largemouth was landed! Nine-year-old Dom MacLean was next, his nightcrawler tempting his first bass ever, a 2-plus pounder that Dom finessed to the dock just like the pros in the WON tournaments do, playing the fish until it rolled over and I was able to lip it from the water. Nice job, Dom!
Suddenly things were heating up for the girl’s team. Kendall had selected a lively minnow and was rewarded with a monster crappie! The dinner-plate-sized slab was darting and spinning, trying to escape Kendall’s hook and line. Natalie was lightning fast with the net and the girls were on the board with the first of many fish.
Stephanie was now fighting a large crappie from the bend in her spinning rod! The 4-pound-test line was zinging off the reel and Stephanie was chasing the fish down the dock with an excited giggle. Connor had the net and swung the fish out of the water. I hadn’t put my camera away when Natalie hooked up. This was not the bouncing zip of a panfish darting to throw the hook, but a powerful and deliberate run that was taking line. Mr. Whiskers showed up to the party and he was hungry! Natalie shrieked, her girlfriends rushing to her aid to assist in powering the rod to bring the big cat in! Natalie held her prize up for the camera as all of us applauded her triumphant effort.
Joe was out on the end of the floating dock patiently targeting the crappie just below. Joe announced “Fish on!” and now all the anglers were ready to net Joe’s crappie. The 15-inch fish weighed just over 2 pounds on the scale. Connor had a crappie hooked up, his mother Julie was fighting a catfish, Kendall was landing her fifth crappie of the hour and Stephanie and Natalie were calling for Maxx, Dom or Joe to net their fish!
I was busy shooting photos and tying on hooks, and Kendall, we all agree that the big catfish that broke your line at the net was well over 15 pounds! We’re all still scared to get in the water with that fish out there! I was inflating nightcrawlers, getting crickets hooked, grabbing minnows and putting fish in the ice chest. Eight hours came and went. Four dozen minnows, two dozen crickets, 20 nightcrawlers and 50 wax worms gave their lives in the name of angling excitement and fun! We caught and released several 5-pound-plus catfish, at least a dozen largemouth bass over 2 pounds and so many crappie I lost count.
My fillet knife got to work as the kids helped set up for our lakeside barbecue dinner. To Doug, Karen and Johnny, Mark and Mary, Julie and our host Steve Nash, I say thank you!
Of all my summer adventures so far, this has been the most rewarding. If you haven’t yet, gather up your friends and family, especially the kids and head to Clear Lake now. I’ve been fishing here since 1976 and the water conditions this year are perfect for an exceptional fishing vacation.
Many resorts line the lake to make your trip easy. My favorite is the Sea Breeze Resort. It offers seven cottages with full kitchens. The Sea Breeze has a private boat launch and secure parking for your truck or SUV. Your boat will be moored just feet away from your cottage so loading gear is easy. No boat? Just fish from the wonderful pier or floating dock! The swimming is great too! Contact Steve Nash, proprietor, at (707) 998-3327 or at seabreeze@jps.net for reservations.
• DOM MACLEAN and Maxx Green scored well on the boys team, catching some nice slab crappie at Clear Lake, a species that has been kind of a “no show” so far this year. WON PHOTO BY VINCE CRUDELE
• WON FIELD reporter Vince Crudele spent far more time baiting hooks and filleting fish than actually fishing, but he did get time for a little action himself now and then. WON PHOTO
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WON ON THE SPOTVINCE CRUDELE REPORT GLENHAVEN — The calm and tranquil coves of the east shore of Clear Lake proved to be the place to be this past week for a lucky group of young anglers from the Bay Area. Kendall MacLean, Natalie Chapman, Maxx Green, Dominic MacLean, Joe Legnitto, Stephanie Chapman, and Connor Green joined this reporter for some fantastic live bait fishing success. With an arsenal of fishing rods and tackle, I gathered these young sportsmen and sportswomen on the dock of the Sea Breeze Resort for their introduction to crappie fishing. Each angler was instructed on hook selection, knot tying, weight placement and finally, bait choice. The students rigged up, some choosing spincast outfits while others preferred spinning rods. With their lines ready, nightcrawlers, wax worms, crickets and live minnows were cast out and the anticipation level was high! • NATALIE CHAPMAN had net help from Maxx Green with her big catfish, that took line off the reel and had her running up and down the dock. WON PHOTO BY VINCE CRUDELE • KENDALL AND Doug Chapman with one of the many crappie caught during the kids Clear Lake trip, where they fished for eight hours and caught dozens of crappie, bass and catfish. WON PHOTO BY VINCE CRUDELE The depth finder on my boat said it was 28 feet deep under the dock we were moored to. Maxx sent his minnow to the bottom and cranked up a few turns. The little spin cast rod arched over and the Zebco was singing as line zipped out! Shouts for the net carried across the dock! Maxx’s 3-pound largemouth was landed! Nine-year-old Dom MacLean was next, his nightcrawler tempting his first bass ever, a 2-plus pounder that Dom finessed to the dock just like the pros in the WON tournaments do, playing the fish until it rolled over and I was able to lip it from the water. Nice job, Dom! Suddenly things were heating up for the girl’s team. Kendall had selected a lively minnow and was rewarded with a monster crappie! The dinner-plate-sized slab was darting and spinning, trying to escape Kendall’s hook and line. Natalie was lightning fast with the net and the girls were on the board with the first of many fish. Stephanie was now fighting a large crappie from the bend in her spinning rod! The 4-pound-test line was zinging off the reel and Stephanie was chasing the fish down the dock with an excited giggle. Connor had the net and swung the fish out of the water. I hadn’t put my camera away when Natalie hooked up. This was not the bouncing zip of a panfish darting to throw the hook, but a powerful and deliberate run that was taking line. Mr. Whiskers showed up to the party and he was hungry! Natalie shrieked, her girlfriends rushing to her aid to assist in powering the rod to bring the big cat in! Natalie held her prize up for the camera as all of us applauded her triumphant effort. Joe was out on the end of the floating dock patiently targeting the crappie just below. Joe announced “Fish on!” and now all the anglers were ready to net Joe’s crappie. The 15-inch fish weighed just over 2 pounds on the scale. Connor had a crappie hooked up, his mother Julie was fighting a catfish, Kendall was landing her fifth crappie of the hour and Stephanie and Natalie were calling for Maxx, Dom or Joe to net their fish! I was busy shooting photos and tying on hooks, and Kendall, we all agree that the big catfish that broke your line at the net was well over 15 pounds! We’re all still scared to get in the water with that fish out there! I was inflating nightcrawlers, getting crickets hooked, grabbing minnows and putting fish in the ice chest. Eight hours came and went. Four dozen minnows, two dozen crickets, 20 nightcrawlers and 50 wax worms gave their lives in the name of angling excitement and fun! We caught and released several 5-pound-plus catfish, at least a dozen largemouth bass over 2 pounds and so many crappie I lost count. My fillet knife got to work as the kids helped set up for our lakeside barbecue dinner. To Doug, Karen and Johnny, Mark and Mary, Julie and our host Steve Nash, I say thank you! Of all my summer adventures so far, this has been the most rewarding. If you haven’t yet, gather up your friends and family, especially the kids and head to Clear Lake now. I’ve been fishing here since 1976 and the water conditions this year are perfect for an exceptional fishing vacation. Many resorts line the lake to make your trip easy. My favorite is the Sea Breeze Resort. It offers seven cottages with full kitchens. The Sea Breeze has a private boat launch and secure parking for your truck or SUV. Your boat will be moored just feet away from your cottage so loading gear is easy. No boat? Just fish from the wonderful pier or floating dock! The swimming is great too! Contact Steve Nash, proprietor, at (707) 998-3327 or at seabreeze@jps.net for reservations. • DOM MACLEAN and Maxx Green scored well on the boys team, catching some nice slab crappie at Clear Lake, a species that has been kind of a “no show” so far this year. WON PHOTO BY VINCE CRUDELE • WON FIELD reporter Vince Crudele spent far more time baiting hooks and filleting fish than actually fishing, but he did get time for a little action himself now and then. WON PHOTO |
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