Clear Lake Conditions

Water level today is documented at 3.97 feet Rumsey. Last year on this date it was 6.7 feet and normal is around 7.5. Dam releases are low.

Water clarity has been anywhere from holey cow (9 feet of visibility) to what the heck happened at one and a half feet of visibility. The changing wind direction of the past week and a half has really altered the clarity on the north end of the lake. It is still pretty stable on the deeper ends of the lake on the few days we have actually been able to fight through the waves to get down there.

As a reminder, you can check out lake level and dam releases shown on an hourly graph with the links available on our web site (clearlakeguideservice.com).

At the beginning of the week we had two days of 90+ air temperatures. After those two days we saw 70 degrees for the first time this year. 7 days later the morning temperature check revealed 57 degrees, a drop of 13 degrees in just one week. I did find some low 60 degree water yesterday afternoon but the nights are still getting down in the high 30’s so I don’t think we will see significant improvement until the second week of May.

What will be the big story of the summer of 2009 has begun, the growth of weeds. We are seeing the first signs of the weed beds setting up. In a few areas of the lake, weeds are within a foot of the surface already.

Activity This Month

Tournament activity is normal during May. Team tournaments continue to draw bigger turnouts, up to the 40+ range and the corresponding prefishing is a bigger factor.

There is a total of seven permits current for the month of May. Anglers Choice, 100%, WON, and ABA will host tournaments on the 2nd, 3rd, 16th, 17th, 23rd, 30th, and 31st. These events may see fields of 40 to 50.

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.

April Fishing Recap

April presented a month of fishing that continued to challenge the best of anglers with some days that were outstanding and days that were extremely tough. Tournament activity picked up, prefishing picked up, and recreational anglers were out in force. Low water level and fluctuating temperatures kept the bass in a state of confusion and wind dictated many choices of fishing locations.

The new norm for a day of live bait fishing is between 15 and 25 fish and 10 to 16 fish on artificials. On the days when the conditions were good and water clarity remained high, we produced our better results. A big part of those improved results came from being able to concentrate on areas where we could see fish. On the days of heavy wind and cold, we struggled, regardless of using live bait or not. The good news is that the average fish size is running right at 3 pounds.

One day a client had nearly 30 bites on a Senko. The next day of fishing a Senko produced three fish. Overall, the conditions have set up for the Senko to be the bait of choice over the next month or so. Fish are spawning or at least moved into spawning areas. When this happens, the weightless worm really shines.

Swim bait fishing was just so-so. Most days that we fished them we caught at least some fish, but not in the numbers we have come to expect. The jig bite bailed us out on a couple of really bad wind days where we tucked away in Rodman Slough and just pitched to everything that was in the water. Those fish that hit the jig were still aggressive and swimming off with the bait as I saw a couple of hooksets that wound up under the boat.

April’s numbers reflect the number of days we fought the wind and the number of areas that have been changed negatively by the low water conditions. The numbers for April include 7-four pounders, 5-five pounders, 1-seven pounder, and 1-eight pounder.

May Fishing

The way things are going weatherwise, spawning is going to be the key to success this month. Bass on Clear Lake will begin spawning towards the end of March and will continue well into July. The majority of the better fish spawn early. Whether you sight fish for spawning fish or not, you will need to be fishing in areas of spawning fish.

First of all, I love to sight fish. It is second only to top water baits, or swim baits, or frogs…oh well, you know what I mean! Sight fishing is generally a process of fishing for bass that are protecting their spawning nests. To do this well, you need to find where the bass are spawning and a really good set of polarized glasses. Once you locate nesting bass, you can either back off and fish conventionally without seeing the fish or you can fish for individual fish that you see. By far, under normal circumstances, fishing for individual fish you see is more productive.

Secondly, remember that a bass protecting a bedding area is not going to bite because it is hungry. It is like a junk yard dog protecting its space. Challenge the bass for its territory to get it ticked off enough to attack. Accurate casts are a must and often times you may have to switch baits and or colors of the bait you are using to get the job done. Believe it or not, most of the bites you see, not feel. When you are sight fishing you are watching the bass and its mouth in relation to your bait.

Good baits for this style of fishing include a drop shot worm, a tube, a lizard, a jig, and even a small swim bait. Most anglers prefer a white or chartreuse bait so they can easily watch the bait. Resist the temptation to mix the colors, usually a fish will react to either chartreuse or white, but not both in combination.

When successful, take a picture if you want but release the bass immediately so it will return to its defensive position at its bed.

The other way of fishing around the spawning areas is with the Senko. Once you locate fish, back off and pitch a weightless Senko into the area. Let it sink slowly and just drag it around. The slower you fish this bait the better the results you will see.

Finally, a swim bait fished out a little deeper than the fish you see may produce a strike from one of the big females that is just lazing around out a little deeper, waiting for the party to start.

How do you find spawning areas you might be thinking? Check out banks, coves, or bays that are protected first, and then also shores that are protected from the north winds. Look for bottoms that are hard with rock, cement, wood, or mixed gravel.

Even when you don’t see fish clearly or can’t really quite make out the bottom, look for dark spots on a light bottom or light spots on a dark bottom and cast to them, you might be surprised with what happens.

One Senko Trick

This time of year I really have confidence in using a red hook on the Senko. In the clearer water I have seen a number of times when the red hook outproduced a standard hook. It doesn’t mean that you won’t catch fish on a standard hook…I just believe you will catch more by using the red one.

May Dates

At the time of this writing, the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st are the only remaining dates available in May. Those dates are during the week leading into Memorial Day weekend.

Quagga Reminder

Just a friendly reminder that when you make your first trip to the lake this year with your own boat, make the time to get it inspected and put your 2009 sticker on your hull. During the past month citations were issued by officials patrolling the lake and the fine runs a little over $400. All of the tackle shops around the lake will take care of the inspection and the sticker is $10.

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.

boy with fish

man with fish

Closing

I have grown tired of listening to the media and its predictions, declarations, and reporting on the economy. I have moved forward and am focusing on what is under my direct control. My position is that if you take care of your customers, they will take care of you. If there is something we can do, a service we can add, or a way to make it easier for you this year, drop us a line and let us know.

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. 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!