Clear Lake Conditions

Lake level is at 5.3 feet, down from 7.4 same time last year, primarily due to the fact the area received half the rain of a normal year. Water temperature is running in the high 60’s to mid 70’s depending on the area of the lake and time of day. Water clarity is excellent in most areas of the lake with as much as 8 feet of visibility, the norm being 4 feet.

Weed growth will be the big story here this summer. I am already seeing weeds to the surface in areas where I saw no weeds last year. The primrose has not really spread out yet but other varieties of vegetation are going great guns. The combination of lower and clearer water during the early spring got the weeds going quickly this year. Look for a summer of spraying activity as residents do their best to keep their little areas of the lake open.

News About Clear Lake

A memorable catch from Memorial Day weekend. Our young friend Dean Eichelmann who lives on the shore of Clear Lake is often seen on the lake in his aluminum john boat with his faithful dog. He emailed us this great picture of his new personal best a 9 pounder caught on a jig. Beautiful fish and good job Dean!

One of the biggest changes this summer’s fishing will offer is the abundance of threadfin shad no longer exists. We heard of and witnessed what we thought was the typical winter die off of shad in the Clearlake Oakes arm of the lake. And honestly, it sounded like the normal story of the past several winters…all the shad were dying. There had been no die offs in the Redbud arm or the upper lake the past several winters and huge populations of the fragile little baitfish were in these areas so all was well…apparently not.

It appears that this winter the majority of shad were in the Oakes arm of the lake so when the die off occurred, the population was decimated. I began to notice late winter and early spring that there were no shad running the banks as in the past several years. The real key was the fact that the majority of Clark’s and Western Grebes had left the lake. By this time last year there were literally tens of thousands of these water running birds on the lake nesting and many of them in behind long tule point. The sound was distracting if not annoying. This year…silence. The lake no longer could provide the plentiful food source of shad so they left.

Now that we are fishing some of the off shore structure the first thing that is obvious is how hard it is to locate even a small ball of bait. In two years the shad have gone from being so thick it was hard to avoid them to so few it is hard to locate any of them. It does not mean the doom and destruction of the fishery. It is though, very typical of a food chain based on shad. They are a boom and bust bait source. They thrive and multiply and all is well until they deplete their food source, then they become weak, and die…by the millions. Professionals in fishery management will be the first to tell you, the short term of shad is positive but be prepared for the ups and downs they will bring. Shad, by the way, were not stocked in Clear Lake by the department of Fish and Game, they were brought here by fishermen to help.

This does not signal the end of the awesome fishery we enjoy. There is no question we enjoy a huge population of bass and that population is above the average in size. The lake still supports a large population of crawdads, panfish, and sculpins. From a casual observer’s point of view it is reasonable to assume that this year’s hatch of juvenile bass will take a big hit and one could draw the conclusion that even up to the entire year class may disappear. With the number of fish in the lake right now it would be hard to tell. We will just have to wait and see.

The other news of presenting a serious concern is the possible introduction of what is commonly known as the zebra mussel. During recent local meetings and presentations, the possibility and probability of this non native species showing up in Clear Lake was discussed. Local officials are currently in the process of deciding how to procede to prevent the introduction as that is the only know way to control the population.

Zebra mussels or (quagga) are a very small shelled plankton feeder that are so prolific they have not found an effective way to prevent them from spreading. Introduced through the water ballast of seagoing ships into the Great Lakes, the pest was largely responsible for cleaning up the great lakes. The problem is, they do it too well. All small warm water fish begin their lives feeding on forms of plankton, so do the mussels.

We will keep you posted on this serious issue as the story develops. The chance of them coming here to Clear Lake? Hydrilla was introduced here probably from a boat or trailer from out of the region. Mussel eggs/larva can be transported on a trailer, lower unit, bilge, or hull. They have already been discovered on Lakes Mohave and Havasu, two popular tournament and vacation destinations. The biggest concern locally is that they are already here.

More information on zebra mussels and the local meetings that have taken place can be found on the Lake County Record Bee’s website (record-bee.com) under Terry Knight’s outdoors column.

June Fishing on Clear Lake

Frog fishing is fun but…it works for Jimmy Houston doesn’t it! Mike from the Folsom Bass Team hamming it up for posterity sake.

Bass fishing on Clear Lake is a hunt…the hunt for a bigger fish. Numbers of fish are not a problem. Fifty fish days are more the norm than the exception. We have had several hundred fish days during June and keep in mind these are fish that average two pounds plus. Finding a big fish, a 5+ becomes a challenge. Last year that size fish came most often on a topwater bait, and a few on crankbaits.

A typical June fishing day will include an early reaction bite which could be a crank bait, spinnerbait, or topwater. Fish will be up shallow early and then move out a little deeper by midmorning. After the sun hits the water, if we are going after numbers-we switch to plastics, if we are looking for some size, we will keep pounding the topwater. Shade is always a key in June as well as the remainder of the summer.

The spawn is mostly over and concentrations of fish will move off to the rock ledges, rock piles, and deeper points. It is more likely that you can sit on one spot and continue to catch fish throughout the day. This is the beginning of the time of year when I will spend more time in the deeper southern portion of the lake than on the shallower upper portion.

When we fish docks, we will concentrate on the deeper ends of them. Most of the south has docks that will stretch out into ten to twenty, even thirty feet of water. You have two choices with plastics, go heavier to get to the bottom faster and hold the bait there or go lighter to create a slow fall and watch your line for a hit before the bait hits the bottom.

June is still a fairly quiet month here. There is a major Pro Am tournament taking place during the second weekend, but beyond that, fishing pressure is relatively light and boating activity still has not kicked into high gear yet for the summer. It is a perfect month for the occasional angler and a great time to bring the younger angler out for some great weather and fast fishing.

New Product

The new High-Definition Clear Lake fishing map from Navionics.

I just picked up a new map of Clear Lake that the make calls a High-Definition Fishing Map. It is distributed by the Navionics company, one of the makers of electronic map cards for our depthfinders. The map is categorized under their HotMaps Premium edition.

The lake survey was undertaken in 2005 at a lake level of 1320’. What makes this map unique is that the information is gathered by an on the water survey team using modern mapping equipment. While I did notice this team at work here, I never got a chance to talk with any of them. This particular edition is number one and was finalized in 2006. My understanding is that the actual map has only been available for a short time.

First impressions are good. The map is printed on waterproof, tear resistant material and is claimed to float…sorry, have not tested that feature yet. The upper end of the lake is on one side and the two lower arms of the lake are on the other side. One of the things I liked about the layout immediately is the entire shoreline area and surrounding land is from an actual satellite photo. You can see a contour line on the map, and then look over to the shore and see the road, buildings, or whatever that is closest to you. This should be a neat feature for the float tubers of the world or people who might be bank bound as you can follow the road to the shoreline.

There is a 3D type display of the lake that did not do much for me but effectively shows the bottom contour difference between the upper end and lower ends of the lake. By the way, that is when I noticed Rodman Slough and Cache Creek were not a part of the survey, probably for obvious reasons. There is a neat inset with tight detail on the Shag Rock area.

Different shades of blue indicate overall depth changes in 10 foot intervals making it easy to locate depth changes. Most of the local names for areas are noted and in the right place. What is missing is GPS coordinates for some of the features found underwater…guess they had to leave something for us to do.

Overall, I like the look of this map and think it is a good addition to the travel bag of anyone who fishes here. Check it out. The MSRP is $19.99 but Tackle It in Lakeport (707.262.1233) where I bought mine, sells it for $14.99. Navionics toll-free number is 800.848.5896, hotmaps@navionics.com.

Dates in June

The following weekend dates are still available: 16th, 17th, & 24th. The 9th is also available but there is a 150 boat Pro Am going on that weekend so I would try to talk you out of fishing that weekend anyway.

The 5th, 6th, 12th, 19th, 25th, & 26th are all weekdays that remain open at this time. Based on last year most of these dates will fill, so check your calendar and nail down a date for yourself, you know you deserve it!

June Offer

Book one of the dates listed above by June 6th for you and a youngster and they fish for free! To encourage you to bring a son or daughter, niece or nephew, granddaughter or grandson, or just a good kid you know, I will discount your trip by a hundred bucks. I enjoy working with kids so give me a chance to do that this month. I will work with them and make sure they catch fish while you are catching fish from the back of the boat and watching along. Pick a kid, pick a date, and pick up the phone to pick up the savings!

Our Web Page...

If you have not yet been on clearlakeguideservice.com, check it out. There is a lot of useful information available. 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.

We have also made changes to our rate page effective January 2007.

Good fishing and I look forward to seeing you soon!