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Clear Lake ConditionsLake level is at 4.1 feet, down a little over a foot from June 1st. Predictions for the remainder of the year point towards the possibility of 0 Rumsey water level for this fall. Water temperature is running in the high 70’s to low 80’s depending on the area of the lake and time of day. Water clarity remains amazing in some areas of the lake with as much as 8 feet of visibility, the norm being 3 to 4 feet. The southern portions of the lake are beginning to see algae blooms that are staining the water color. This condition moves around based on the wind speeds and directions.
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July Fishing on Clear LakeOne of the most interesting aspects of fishing this month is the water clarity. I have never seen the water as clear as it currently is at this point in the year. It is so clear in some areas that the depth finder is less important than a great pair of sunglasses! Case in point was dropping by hazard reef to fish the rockpile and actually not only being able to the see the rocks but seeing the bass hanging around it. There are some interesting opportunities this situation presents. We are able to observe bass behavior that we have not been able to witness before at this time of year. Quite often during the span of a day on the water a hooked bass comes to the boat with anywhere from 2 to 10 other fish following closely and apparently curiously. While moving down a bank you can look down and sometimes see a school of bass moving through the area apparently on the hunt. As mentioned previously, on a dock or shallow rock you might see up to 25 fish just sitting there waiting for a feeding opportunity. Let’s think about this for a moment. When you have additional fish following a hooked fish to the boat an opportunity is presented. A second angler obviously has the best chance to hook a second fish by dropping a plastic bait such as a drop shot or senko into the activity. We have done this several times during the past weeks turning a single hook up to a double. It also tells you how many active fish are on a given spot. The trick is to figure out if they are stationed on the spot or moving through. Gotta leave something for you to think about. The second opportunity presented is seeing a school of fish moving by the boat. Since these fish are moving in a search for food, intersecting their movement will often result in one or two hook ups. It is as simple as casting your bait(s) far enough in front of the moving school for the bait to be on the bottom in front of the approaching gang. This is a high percentage move this time of year because the fish are on the move looking for something to eat. In the process of landing one of these fish, the entire group will most likely stop its forward movement giving an opportunity for another catch before they move on. The third revelation of seeing fish is you can watch their behavior. You might see a fish sitting on the bottom, next to a patch of weeds, or under a dock. The water is warm enough and their metabolism is cranked up so high right now that they almost have to go after a feeding chance. When you pitch a bait to a fish under these circumstances pay close attention to the reaction of the fish. Obviously, if the fish immediately reacts and attacks your bait, good job! If the result is less favorable, the bass has shown through its lack of reaction, that something is wrong with your presentation. Could be poor placement, wrong size, wrong color, too big of line, boat too close, etc. Learning how to catch more of these fish will help you a lot when fishing and you cannot see the fish. The mental picture will remain. Regarding placement, this is an excellent time to see how fish relate to weeds, rocks, and docks. Pay close attention to where they are located and how. A great example of this is most areas of the lake have at least some current. How this impacts weeds is that they will be bent in the direction of the current flow. Most bass will sit under the canopy of the bent vegetation to have a roof over their heads and a shady spot from which to launch an ambush. The best cast for this fish is one that is from the downcurrent side to the upcurrent side. This brings the bait by the ambush location in a manner that is less likely to foul in the vegetation and also from the direction the bass is already facing. |
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July Choices & TacticsThis is the time of reaction baits. Fish are generally aggressive and looking for food. Keep moving and looking for concentrations of fish. A typical trip right now for me is a matter of choices. Either going for the chance to catch a better fish on reaction baits and foregoing the number of bites, going for the numbers with plastics and the hope that you drop one in front of a good fish, or a combination of reaction baits early and then switching to plastics. The client makes that decision for their trip. If left to me, for the next several months, topwater, topwater, then topwater! Most anglers look at topwater fishing as a morning deal until the sun hits the water. While that is somewhat true, a) the sun does not hit the water in all places at the same time and b) the bites may go down in number but the size of the bites may increase. Last summer, I worked hard at taking my clients in a different direction than the previous summer. The summer of 2005 resulted in a ton of fish caught, though very few over 5 pounds. Concentrating on a numbers goal, we had many 50, 60, even 70 plus fish days by using the drop shot method and fishing plastic worms. Great fishing and even more fun on the lighter tackle I like to use. In an effort to put more 5 pound and over fish in the boat and with more time to practice and prospect, I worked on reaction baits more last summer. The results were extremely gratifying to me. Using crankbaits and topwater, those 5 pound plus sized fish started making their way to the Boga Grip and a posing before the camera. In a nutshell, I found the crankbait was a good method but often required extremely precise placement to get the better bites. I could not just go down the bank and crank and do well…the baits had to be pitched under docks, around pilings, and hit individual rocks before triggering the better sized bites. The topwater though, called fish from greater distances, did not require quite as precise lure placement, and on the average produced more consistently better fish size. Those of you who experienced July and August with me during the summer of 2006 know what I mean, I expected to get a hold on several good fish each day. So far, the summer of 2007 has gotten off to an even better start! My most consistent big fish catcher this summer has been the Rio Rico by Lobina Lures. This bait is heavy enough to cast long distances and has a series of rattles to make additional triggering effects. It is durable, high quality, and unfortunately…a little pricey ($26). I can tell you that I would rather have one of these baits than six $5 baits, they just flat catch fish. Second best producer this summer has been a tie between the frog and the super spook. The frog has not really taken off for me like last summer though I have to admit, I have not thrown it nearly as much. With the increased vegetation and lower water levels causing more matting, the frog will make a strong comeback in the consistent heat. The spook has been a consistent bait too. Any of the 3 of these baits will catch fish right now and can put a big bite on the line for you. Regarding what these baits look like and colors, go back to the May 2007 newsletter for the tackle pack offer…that is what is working right now. The most consistent tactic we have been using is fishing off shore patches of weeds. These spots are holding about the only bait we have been able to locate and when you find a patch with bait, you found bass, just that simple. |
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Question From a SubscriberMy brother-in-law from Reno, a Snap On tool dude from way back, shared with me someone he knows who gets this newsletter wanted to know where to find “stick on lead”, that I had mentioned before in a previous posting. The most easily available product used to be marketed by Bill Norman and was called Suspend Strips and Suspend Dots. These were the easiest way to add additional weight to a crankbait or jerkbait as they had a pretty good adhesive backing. I don’t think Norman distributes it anymore and the only stick on lead that I have been able to find is the same strips or dots sold under the Storm name and called SuspenDots or SuspenStrips. The dots come in a pack of 80 and the strips in a pack of 70, both sell for $5.39 in the Bass Pro Shops catalog. You can also buy them on line from Phils Propellors and Angler’s Choice Pro Shop. Got a question? Drop me a line and I will do my best to answer it within the next newsletter.
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Dates in July...AugustSorry, but there are no July dates available. The only weekend date left in August is the 4th. August is going to be busy so think about your schedules and give me a call to experience some of the best topwater action of your life! |
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July OfferWant to buy a Rio Rico and can’t find them where you live or shop, not sure what color is best? I will hand pick a 2 pack or 3 pack of my favorite colors for you through one of our local tackle shops and mail them to you by U.S. priority mail. These baits will catch fish for you too or I will buy them back from you! For a two pack of these phenomenal baits $60, a three pack for $85, both prices include shipping. Place your order by email to rndengland@sbcglobal.net. Deadline for this offer is July 16, 2007. Want a 3 pack for free? Book a short weekday trip in August for one and get one Rico for free, a short weekday trip in August for two and get two Ricos for free, a full day in August will get you a 3 pack. The trip must be booked for a week day and the offer ends July 17. |
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Recent Fish GalleryIs your picture attached? It could be….
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Miss an Issue of the Clear Lake Report?Now you can find all of our past Clear Lake Report Issues on our website! Go to our Clear Lake Fishing Report Index! If you have not yet been on www.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. Good fishing and I look forward to seeing you soon! |
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