Clear Lake Conditions

Water level today is documented at 1.2 feet Rumsey, virtually unchanged from this time last month. Again, as in last month’s report we have experienced some nasty weather including a few shots of snow but it has not translated into any lake rise. We have only received a little over 6 inches of rain in the Kelseyville area and our normal for a season is 35 inches. Dam releases are negligible.

The warm days (afternoon temps in the high 60’s and even a few low 70’s) have brought the surface water temperature to the high 40’s in the am and 50-51 in the late afternoon.

Water clarity right now is excellent (too good?) in the southern portions of the lake. In some areas you can clearly see bottom in 12 feet of water. It does change day to day though. On the North shore one day the bottom is visible at 8 feet and others only 4, it just depends. The only issue is algae. Jago bay right now looks like pea soup on the surface.

The weed beds are gone for the most part. In many of the areas where the weeds were so thick last summer you can now drag a rattle bait or rip bait and not find a stitch of vegetation.

Activity This Month

February will see more tournament activity than last month and the fishing pressure that comes with the prefishing.

According to my review of the DFG’s tournament list, there is a total of three permits current for the month of February. All 3 are sanctioned team tournaments taking place on the 15th, 21st, and 22nd. These events will have fields of 25 to 40, not a big deal. I believe that West Coast Bass (70 to 90 boats?) has a draw set for the last day of Feb and the first day of March. And then following that event is the Stren series (125 to 150 boats?) event the first full weekend of March. Plan your trips during the week and you will avoid most of the potential traffic.

As always, if you are planning a trip to Clear Lake and don’t know if your dates are going to be shared with a competitive event, drop me a line and I will let you know what I see listed on the calendar maintained by DFG. Just another service we offer.

January Fishing Recap

January brought great weather, no trips, and a lot of fish that went unmolested. The live bait bite was by far the best but there were some good days with artificials. We did not log any fish in our weight brackets.
We caught fish on rattle baits, several different swim baits, and shaking a worm. The bite that remains MIA is ripping. Reports of anglers catching some fish on the rip bait are out there but with regard to a consistent bite, I just don’t think there is enough bait around for the bite to develop.

February Fishing

For the “I just want to catch fish” crowd, live bait will remain the hot bite for the month. Year in and year out, winter and live bait just go together. The depth and method of fishing the bait might change from a float in less than 8 feet of water to a split shot or drop shot in 25 to 35 feet of water but bass will remain catchable thoughout the month. The southern end of the lake is experiencing quite a bit of pressure and success as is usual for winter time. Luebow, Frazier, and most of the other major rock points in the Konocti arm are producing bags of fish right now.

Also check out the Rattlesnake area with all of its rock piles, ledges, and little points. The fish might be on top of the structure or on the sides or on the bottom, it just depends on the day and time.

Remember that no matter how nice and comfortable you feel sitting in the sun in your boat, all that lives underwater is cold, very cold. The fish move slower, think slower, and respond to baits slower, give them time.

Right now there is not much of a flip bite in the lake because most of what you might want to flip to is out of the water. Plastics are the most consistent methods this month. Shaking a worm, drop shotting, and a light Carolina rig will at least give you an opportunity to get some bites. Look for areas of rock to concentrate your efforts. Points are good, ledges, and rock piles where you can find them.

Towards the end of the month and weather cooperating, a rip bait or a swim bait put in the right area could produce a new personal best for you, so keep them honest and at least offer them a choice once in a while.

Winter Fishing Tip

The other day I was reminded about the need to change. I was out bombing around, enjoying a beautiful day, but also trying to catch a limit of fish. After spending about an hour fishing through an area I expected to catch fish on I pulled the old directional switch. Instead of sitting in 30 feet of water and casting to 10 feet (and not getting bit), I pulled into 10 feet of water and started throwing out into about 30 feet of water. After making two passes through this area without a bite, the reversed pass produced 3 bass. I have repeated this process on two subsequent trips out with the same success. Each spot I pulled up to fish I fished shallow first then turned around and fired out deep second and that second pass produced all of the fish.

The lesson is when you are not getting bit in an area you know fish are using, don’t just pick another lure or color of lure, change the direction or your presentation with the lure you already selected.

February Dates

Anyone interested in fishing this month just give me a call and let’s get you on the water. Thank you to those who have already booked, you are going to have fun!

Gift Certificates

Just a reminder that we do offer gift certificates that can be for a complete trip or can be used against the price of a complete trip. If you are interested, just drop us a line or give me a call.

New for 2009

Again, I am pleased to announce the creation of our first special event. The creation of a class that provides some basic information has been a thought for quite some time. The first offering is designed to deliver a ton of basic information about bass, the equipment, and the chase. The delivery will be a combination of stand up presentation, hands on practice on the dock, and a short session on the water. The class size will be small, a maximum of 8 and the two instructors will be myself and my partner Jim Dowdy.

All attendees will come away with a better understanding of how to set up and use your equipment, the secret of finding bass, and tips that most tournament fishermen don’t want you to know. I promise that you will be a better bass angler after attending this event.

The first events have been scheduled for the following four weekends: March 28 & 29, 2009, May 16 & 17, 2009, September 26 & 27, 2009, and November 7 & 8, 2009. All of these events will take place at the Ferndale Resort, on the lake in Kelseyville. The events are delivered over the course of two days between the hours of 8 and 5. We will have lots of surprises for those who attend. Price of the March and November events per person is $500 class only, or $650 including two nights lodging. Price of the May and September events per person is $500 class only, or $800 including two nights lodging.

The folks who own and operate the Ferndale Resort have been very helpful and are a very fisherman friendly bunch. As we explained to them what we wanted to do, they were excited and willing to let us use all of their facility.

I am excited to offer these events and looking forward to setting up more in the future. Remember, you will go away from this event a better angler and we have kept the class small to accommodate all of the questions that will come up. Sign up quickly as you are getting the first opportunity for being a newsletter subscriber. Don’t be afraid to share this new with anyone you know who may want to learn more about our favorite sport. I anticipate these dates filling quickly as dads and sons and fishing partners will be taking spaces two at a time. The deadline for sign ups with a room is 30 days prior to the event. For more information, email me. Thanks to those of you who have already signed up!

Check out the classes on the Website.

Web Page Changes

I believe we finally have all the bugs worked out for the introduction of our new booking calendar on our web site. Click here to see calendar. Here are a couple of neat things we incorporated into the introduction.

You can see if the date you want is available before you even contact me, in fact, you can actually book the date without sending me an email or calling me. You also will now be able to pay not only your deposit via PayPal, you can pay for the trip via PayPal too.

We will be coding the dates on the calendar with key presentation times such as swim bait time, big fish, rip baits, top water, etc. so that when you look at the calendar you will have an idea when to book a trip to learn a specific technique or fish a specific presentation.

You will also see that a date may be booked once but still available. That means that I have already been booked for a trip that date but my partner Jim Dowdy is available to handle your trip. He is one heck of an angler and really good with people so I am comfortable that you will enjoy the trip.

We are still playing with this new tool and it may take us a couple of months to really figure out how to best present it to you so feel free to send us your comments as we always appreciate feedback.

Closing

Thank you for your continued interest and support of Clear Lake Guide Service! Our business continues to grow with the help of you and your spreading the word and my wife Deb and I both thank you. This month, look for some changes and updates of our web site as well as some new services that will be available the first of the year. Good fishing and keep a tight line.

Miss 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! Go to our Clear Lake Fishing Report Index!

There is a lot of useful information available on the Clear Lake Website. Even insights into the best times to fish the lake and other fishing tips. Local lodging, weather, and even lake level reporting is available through the links we have set up.

Good fishing, and I look forward to seeing you soon!