Clear Lake Conditions

Lake level is at 1.2 feet, down almost a foot since September 1st. Water releases are pretty much over and we have received a little rain but not enough to make a difference. Water temperature is between 61 and 65 depending on the area of the lake and time of day. Water clarity remains much better than last year at this same time. I have not seen any of the "coffee” colored water as in the past several years.

There are still minor algae blooms that are evident turning the water surface to the typical pea soup look, but these have been really minor and short lived.

It is also the time of the magical, vanishing weed act. Surface weeds are disappearing quickly and literally by the acre. This isn’t due to the spraying as much as environmental conditions.

Anyone spending time on the lake until it begins to rise needs to pay particular attention to rocks, the water is low so don’t take any chances.

National Guard is Coming!

What will be the largest tournament of the year on Clear Lake, will take place later this month. FLW’s National Guard Series will boast a full field of 200 boats. Official practice begins October 20 and the actual tournament covers 4 days starting the 24th. A smaller lake due to low water, 400 anglers who know how to catch fish, and 50th place paying out $10,000 will bring new meaning to the words "fishing pressure”.

Our role in this event is to be one of the camera boats. I will be cruising the lake with an official of FLW and a camera man helping them get on the water interviews and film for tv. I hope the weather is good for the competitors and for the camera boat driver!

I know there are recipients of this newsletter who will be competing in this prestigious event, either as anglers or coanglers so the flavor of this issue will be tilted towards sharing information with them.

The Bite This Month

Average weights have been down for the month. That isn’t to say that you can’t have a 25 pound bag, I did on Wednesday. But it is going to be virtually impossible to find that size bag either in practice or on game day(s). The reality of this fall has been 17 pounds a day looks good and 18 pounds a day looks great.

This Wednesday fishing for middle of the week fish I had fish to seven pounds and a 26 pound limit. About half the fish came on a jig and the other half came on a deep diving crankbait. Total fish count for the day was 22.

I concentrated on the middle portion of the lake including the narrows, Horeshoe Bay, and Henderson point. Although I kept the boat in 14 to 25 feet of water, most of the fish came from 5 to 12 feet. Bass Alley is also holding quite a few fish and quite a few boats too.

The jig bite is really good and consistent. ½ ounce brown jigs with a little orange on sunny days and black jigs with a little blue on overcast days have been getting fish. And these fish are hammering the baits, often hanging on to them long enough for you to let them swim off for 10 to 20 feet for demonstration purposes. Trailers that have been effective for me are Super Pork senior frogs in brown, Paca chunks in okechobee craw and watermelon candy, as well as Sweet Beavers in sprayed grass and main vein.

My old favorite Poe 400 in red/black and the Rapala DT16 in dark craw produced fish for me on the days that I did crank. The majority of the fish I caught on cranbaits were pretty shallow on steeper rock banks.

One other item of note is that the jig fish are generally fatter than the crank bait fish.

Other bites going on include wake baits, swim baits, and of course, drop shotting.

Speaking of Jig Fishing

One of the things I really preach is work on your weaknesses when it is the best time to experience success. Fishing a jig has never been my strength, as Quigley said, "…never said I didn’t know how to use one, just never had much use for one." The jig bite over the past month or so has been so fun that I have spent a lot of time using them and improving my jig fishing skills. I personally hate the iffy bite, the pressure bite, etc., I want that thunk that leaves no doubt, that is what is happening.

Here is what I have learned from some of the best local jig anglers I have interviewed.

Look for the hook, the extra wide gap type is preferred
Football or a modified stand up head, reduces hang ups
Silicone or rubber skirts, personal choice
½ ounce is a good all around choice
If the weedguard is thick, thin it out
Use a scent, smelly jelly or mega strike
Use 12 to 15 pound mono or fluorocarbon
Sensitive tip stout rod for hook setting (my rod is a Powell 705c)

Three of the better jigs on the market come from Peppers, Dandy, and Skinny Bear, check them out and you will see they have most of the favorable features. Be advised…they are not cheap!

Dates in October

October is booked out completely, thank you all.

New Product Review

I have not had anything new brought to my attention or offered for review. One item I am reviewing and will preview next issue is soft bait glue that appears to actually work. I have only been tinkering with it for a week.

Closing

I ran into Doc today as we stood under the trees of the Skylark Shores in Lakeport watching the wind and rain. He said, "Thanks for the emails(newsletters)." Heck Doc, thank you! I am continually trying to improve this for your use and as a service of my guide service. If you have any questions or want me to address something for you, drop me a line and I will add it to a future newsletter. And most importantly, thanks for your continued interest and support.

By the way, it is late this month because I gave my web guy Ashton a break so he could get married and have a honeymoon. He would have done it sooner but I didn’t have the heart. Congrats Ash, have a great life!

What is the heaviest fish you have weighed in competition? Here is mine. Caught during the Bob’s Marine Champion/Stratos owner’s tournament last month and ultimately big fish of the tourney. If you are ever about to give up because you are having an off day, don’t, this fish came on the last cast of the first day of competition on a spook, all 11.16 pounds of her. And to think I was ticked because a 4 pounder came up at the boat and missed on the cast before this one...

Ross England

If you have missed an issue of the Clear Lake Report, we have archived all of our past Clear Lake Report issues on our Clear Lake Fishing Guide Service website! Enjoy our Clear Lake Fishing Report Index!

Good fishing and I look forward to seeing you soon!