New Email Address

In my continuing effort to improve communication with you all please notice that this newsletter came from a new email address. The new address is ross_england@sbcglobal.net. Adding this new email address has allowed me to access all business email from either my laptop or telephone to hopefully improve response time to your inquiries and requests. I will no longer be using the clgsfishn@mchsi.com or rndengland@sbcglobal.net for the business of communicating for Clear Lake Guide Service. Shortly after converting to the new address my laptop went down for a week and I was happy to still be able to run the business by using the phone, what a world we live in!

Clear Lake Conditions

Currently we are going through a bit of a storm again and the lake continues to rise! Lake level stands today at 5.52 Rumsey, just two feet from full. Last year on this date the lake was measured at 2.83 and the historical average for the date is 5.20. Dam releases have been pretty steady over the past week at just a little over 6 CFS (Cubic Feet per Second). As a reminder, you can check out current lake level and dam releases shown on an hourly graph with the links available on our web site (clearlakeguideservice.com).

I remain very optimistic that the lake will hit full pool this year. Since I am also in a predictive frame of mind I am going to guess that with full pool and clear water it will return to a banner year of weed growth…hopefully the nutrients required to fuel the weed growth will slow down the algae growth of last year.

Due to all of the questions I receive about Rumsey, we have added to our web site an article recently published in the Record Bee, written by our local fountainhead of all knowledge, Terry Knight, that explains the historical beginnings of the Rumsey gauge.

Water clarity is typical for a period of storms, stained muddy around the major in flows such as Rodman, Lakeport, Nice, Kelsey Creek, and the area around Redbud. Clarity is pretty good in the mid lake area. I have actually seen some areas of water where bottom can be seen at 6 feet, very clear.

The water temperature was running in the mid 50’s for about a week but has slipped back into the 50 to 52 degree range.

While Clear Lake does not have the debris volume as most or our reservoirs, boaters should still be aware because I can assure you that I have seen stuff floating past the house here on Kelsey Creek that I would not want to hit with the boat.

Activity This Month

Weekend tournament activity is at the max in March. One of the largest team tournaments on the lake will take place during the weekend of the 13th & 14th. It is the Holder Ford open team tournament and should have a field of about 145 teams. Since it is an open event there will be quite a bit of action on the lake during the week leading up to the event. On March 15th, the BASS Elite series comes to town with 95 of the world’s best tournament anglers vying for a prize of $100,000 and their competition will wrap up on the 21st of March. All events are taking place in Lakeport with the exception of the press day that takes place at the Robinson Rancheria in Upper Lake.

Other dates of lesser consequence include the 6th, 7th, 27th, and 28th. All are scheduled for team tournaments of one level or another. Overall, March is a smoking month on Clear Lake so expect heavy fishing pressure even during the week, it is just the way it is.

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.

February Fishing Recap

We got out on the water quite a bit during last month. Had some anglers take advantage of our Wednesday special and also we personally took advantage of some really nice weather days.

Setting aside the live bait bite, we caught most of our fish shaking a worm. The first part of the month we fished the deeper portions of the lake, catching fish as deep as 40 feet. The latter part of the month as the water temperature started creeping up we moved to the shallower upper end of the lake and caught the bulk of our fish in 2 to 9 feet of water around docks and piers.

The quality of the fish seemed to depend on the area of the lake where they were caught. Down below in the deeper portions of the lake most of the fish ran in the 2.5 pound range and up to 5 pounds. On the shallower upper end of the lake the average fish was much closer to 3 pounds, a pretty significant difference. On an average day we were catching 8 to 12 fish per angler.

Regarding our fish count, we caught 6 four pounders, 4 five pounders, 2 six pounders, and 1 seven pounder. About half came on live bait and the others came on either a swimbait, shakey head, or drop shot. Most of the month we heard a tale of two stories. One story was that the fishing was extremely tough and it resulted in either a blank, or 1 to 3 fish. The other story was that the fishing was pretty good and that the result was up to 20 to 30 fish per day. In fairness, it was only a handful of tournament competitors we know who reported the really good days, the average angler on the lake was having a tough time unless he was using live bait.

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

This picture illustrates just how fun and challenging my days on the water can be. During a trip with unnamed clients, their names are withheld to protect the guilty, I snapped this picture of one of their combined fish. We had just talked about an incident where one fish had taken two separate shiners during a trip and both anglers had in fact, caught the same fish at the same time. Sounded unbelievable until this happened. Here is the picture of one fish with two drop shot worms and hooks in its mouth. Angler A (we will call him) had just lost a worm to a fish, reloaded, fired back in and several minutes later realized his line was moving towards the front of the boat, towards the fish his buddy (angler B) was fighting. Upon landing the fish we noted that the fish had both worms and hooks inside its mouth. Good thing we were not fishing three in the boat! Thanks Jim and Dom for the lesson in how unattentive I can be at times…you know it was my fault, right Dom?

two worms one fish

March Fishing

This year March should be a blast. A near or hopefully full lake will open up a lot of my favorite water on the north end of the lake. This is the month of big fish. Traditionally, looking at our double digit fish, at least half of them have come in the month of March.

Tactics for the better fish believe it or not are all over the board, which just goes to show that the only common denominator is being on the lake and fishing. As I look back at our list of big March fish they have come on swim baits, plastic worms, rattle baits, and live shiners. While ripping and jig fishing are well known methods for catching above average fish, they have not been methods that have produced the oversized fish that most anglers dream of for me personally. Another bait that has been a disappointment for me for big fish in March is the spinnerbait. It has been good for numbers of fish that consistently run 3 to 4 pounds but for the amount of time I have thrown it over the past twenty some odd years, it just has not gotten the big bites that I look for this month.

Over the past several years, most of our truly giant fish have come on a swim bait or a shakey head worm. The swim bait story is a long one so we will keep it short, big fish this month will eat a swim bait that can be any where from 4 inches long to 12 inches long. For the most part stick with baits in the 6 to 9 inch range and when you throw one in front of the right fish, hang on! These fish are mostly females that have moved into the vicinity of a spawning area and are just waiting their turn and grabbing a big meal here and there to carry them over through the spawning rigors. The majority of these fish will be in less than 6 feet of water. Good baits include the Osprey top hook and bottom hook versions in light hitch, chartreuse shad, and baby bass, and don’t overlook the 9” version. Others that rank towards the top include the Huddleston Deluxe in hitch, kokanee, or light rainbow, the Baitsmith in blue shad or hitch, and the River2Sea Live Eye Bottom Walker 150 in golden shiner or pearl. Of course, a lot of 6” basstrix, fish traps, and others will be used, but those are my go to baits.

The shakey head is a much simpler deal, 3/16th ounce heads with Zoom Trick worms. The Picasso brand jig head features a titanium wire to which you screw the worm onto that holds up extremely well although the down side is that the worm falls off more easily. The original called the Screwed Up Jig head by Reaction Innovations is still my favorite as I think it is easier to attach the worm although the down side with it is there is inconsistency in the wire. With it, you might be able to catch 10 fish or just 1 before the wire breaks. Fish it every where that looks good, you know what those spots look like. Docks, tule points, submerged willows, you name it, if there is a fish around they will probably eat this consistent producer.

Look for areas with the warmest water. Also remember that the hitch move into the creeks to spawn so big fish that concentrate on this native species will congregate around the mouths of these creeks.

Finally, remember that we have vast areas of tules that extend out into the lake. All of these areas are spawning areas. Sometimes some of the best days are those that you just put the trolling motor in the water and start fishing down the bank.

My goal for this year is to net the 30th double digit fish. We are 4 fish short going into this year so let’s get on the water so I can net one for you.

BASS Elite Ride Alongs

The Saturday and Sunday ride alongs for the Elites series Clear Lake event in March are already taken. I still have two seats for the Thursday (March 18) and one seat for the Friday (March 19) ride alongs available. The good news about the Thursday and Friday dates is that they are full field days. Reese, Van Dam, Klein, Biffle, Ike, Monroe, Swindle, you know the names, they are going to be here pounding it out. We still have space available for a day of following the stars of the sport with me as your boat driver. Lunch will be provided for up to two riders per day so hurry up and call me or email me to get the rest of the details and to secure your spot.

Neat New Item

We have been given a sample of a neat new item that we are currently testing. Believe it or not, someone has figured out how to make a swivel that is absolutely unique. It is called the Invisa Swivel and is sold by a company out of Florida called aquateko. The key talking points about the swivel are that it is neutrally buoyant, fluoro-clear/invisible in the water, virtually indestructible, and a green product.

The swivel comes in 12 lb, 25 lb, 35 lb, and 55 lb sizes which all come 5 in a pack.

Too early to tell about performance but we are using the 12 lb size on light Carolina rigs right now and like what we see so far. This product could really make a guy feel better about fishing a C-Rig in some of our ultra clear reservoirs as it will be one piece of the hardware that fish will find hard to see.

At this time I am not sure who is carrying the product but I bet if you visit their website they can help you get ahold of some to try for yourself. aquateko.com

Spring Booking Dates

Last year we booked almost all of the dates in March and April that we wanted. A number of you have called or emailed me asking for dates in March or April. As of today, there is only one weekend date in March that is not booked. Any one interested in fishing in March and/or April should firm up plans soon. I can tell you that I have at least a dozen people researching and attempting to firm up dates on their end who have not yet confirmed with me. The easiest way to see if a date is available is via the booking calendar on the web site. Thanks to all of you who have already set up your trips, I appreciate it.

Quagga Reminder

The newly revised inspection program is now in place. The changes only impact boaters who have a boat registered outside of Lake County. Out of county boaters now must have their boat inspected monthly. Each month upon a successful inspection, the boat owner will be issued a set of colored ribbons, one goes on the boat and the other on the trailer. The paperwork is the same and the same places are handling the process. The fee is $10. What this means is those of you bringing a boat here on a regular basis from outside the area are now required to follow through with the inspection process on your first trip of each new month, and pay the $10 fee, each inspection. Each month the color of the ribbons will change.

A lot has been said about the inspection process but here it is in a nutshell. Show up for inspection with the bilge plug out, the bilge dry, the live wells dry, the ice chest dry and the inspection is a breeze. It is not meant to be difficult because you are signing a declaration that says you have not had your boat in an infected body of water. One angler told me that he keeps a towel in each inspection area so the inspector can tell by the dry towel that the area is good to go.

If you want to make sure you are not “carrying” in your boat, keep a gallon of bleach around and dump a cup full into your bilge and live wells. Also put a light solution of bleach in a standard garden sprayer and spray the parts of your boat trailer that get wet when launching your boat.

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.

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. 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!