Clear Lake Conditions

Lake level is at 2.1 feet, down almost a foot since August 1st. Water releases are slowing down but it is easy to project that the lake will lose another six to eight inches of water during the month of September. Water temperature is still 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 6 feet of visibility, the norm being 2 to 3 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, direction, and prevalent water temps. For the most part though, water quality is pretty good.

Weed growth has been substantial with some areas of the lake having growth to the surface several hundred yards off shore. The other news is that after several years of absence, hydrilla plants have been discovered again with the biggest patch in Soda Bay but plants being discovered almost daily near the soda baths, Anderson Island, and in North Lakeport. Application of Sonar, an herbicide in pellet form has begun as of Monday this week in an attempt to stop the spread of this nuisance weed.

A Fish Story from August

On a day when I had planned to fish by myself, looking for some new areas and patterns, the following story played out and is a fact.

I had spent the bulk of the morning throwing topwater, looking for new areas and locations by starting in the Nice area and continuing down the lake through Lucerne and Glenhaven. It wasn’t an awesome morning but I was catching a fish here and a fish there and had a 5.5 and a 5 by the time I ran into a friend who was out on the lake as well. I knew he was a good jig fisherman so I asked him how the bite was going for him. He replied, “It is now a little after one o’clock and I boated my first fish about 15 minutes ago. The bite is tough and I don’t get it! How you doing?”

I explained that I was throwing topwater, just looking for new spots but I was catching fish and had about 10 fish that were up to 5.5 pounds. He shook his head and asked what time it was when I caught the last fish. I told him about 15 minutes ago. He shook his head again and asked why I was fishing that shallow and all I could tell him was because that is where I was getting bit. I left him shaking his head while staring at his depth finder and pondering his next move as I motored to the other side of the lake to look for one more spot to fish.

After motoring down a short stretch of bank, I saw the right stuff for the day and dropped the trolling motor into the water, picked up my spook rod, and fired a cast, retrieved it back to the boat and fired another cast. Here is where it gets exciting…after working the bait back about 10 feet, two big fish come at the bait from opposite sides and smack into each other on my bait. I have pressure so I am cranking. The fish are coming in like dead weight because as they are trying to move forward they are literally just pushing each other, nose to nose. I get them to the side of the boat and now they are both just laying there attached nose to nose by my bait. I don’t have the net, I can’t boga grip them, so the only thing I can think of is to set down my rod and grab each fish by the gill plate so I will not get nailed by the hooks. I reach down and grab one fish in my left hand, the other in my right and just as I am getting ready to lift them in I realize…what am I going to do with a fish in each hand after I lift them into the boat? I can’t grab the pliers, can’t open the livewell, and can’t lay them down! In the moment it took for me to realize that I was in trouble, the bigger of the two in my right hand flopped and returned to the water out of my grip, cut loose by the fact it pulled the split ring and treble hook off of the bait. I collected myself and landed the one in my left hand the smaller of the two of course.

After removing the hook, I weighed the smaller of the two fish at 9.75 pounds! The larger one was right at 11 by my guess. Almost 21 pounds in one cast on one bait! That is my personal best for two on one bait. I ran back to where my friend was to ask him to take a quick picture for me and after relaying my story to him he simply said…”you were only gone for like…5 minutes!” This is the picture of the small fish because the big fish got away!

This is a direct quote from my August newsletter,” Just seeing fish between 8 and 10 pushing each other around trying to get a bait is something I will probably never see again, or I might see it again tomorrow….”. I am always telling you on Clear Lake, anything is possible. If this had happened to you, I would have netted them both and your picture would be here instead, with both fish and not just this one.

September Fishing on Clear Lake

This last week of August has been extremely challenging. The numbers have gone down but the size has held up pretty well. September is typically a month of change from Summer to Fall. We will get some cooler evenings and mornings. Water temperature is going to start to slowly fall with the cooler nights.

September is also when the final tournaments of the year will take place including championships that may include up to 125 boats. Weekends in September are pretty much out due to tournament activity.

Look for rattle baits, crank baits, and spinnerbaits to do most of the work and keep the topwater mixed in for a chance at a better fish. Fish are sensing the cooling water and that triggers the move to aggressive feeding in preparation for winter. This is a time when you can really find concentrations of fish in a relatively small area and may be able to fish one spot for hours as they turn the green feeding light off and on.

This is the month that we will begin always having an LV-500 tied on and ready for action and that will continue through the rest of fall and into winter.

Jigs will also produce some large fish this month. Fished primarily on rocky banks, rock piles, and ledges, the jig and pig (Super Pork) or jig and twin tail plastic trailer will be the tool of choice by many anglers.

Answering a Common Question

When asked about the species of fish that populate Clear Lake, we are usually asked if trout live in its waters. I always explain that yes, rainbow trout are in the lake in a very small population. It is rare to see one as they are typically washed down from one of the major creeks like Kelsey Creek, Scott’s, or Middle Creek during a spring storm and not many make it past the bass that inhabit these areas around these creek mouths.

I have personally witnessed a youngster with a stringer of 3 trout years ago during a very wet spring caught at the State Park. Also, Indian Beach resort has several pictures of guests who have caught nice sized trout from the resort’s docks.

Here is a picture of a trout that I noticed struggling on the surface in the mid section of the lake a couple of weeks ago. The fish appeared to be a Rainbow, was about 15 inches long, and physically looked in pretty good shape other than swimming upside down. Shortly after this picture was taken, I suspect an osprey that was hovering in the area probably took it.

This is the first trout I have been able to capture on my camera. Looks pretty much like a Huddleston doesn’t it?

Dates in September

Fall is in the air, the lake is calming down, and most of the summer folks are gone. Fall is a great time to get on the water. There are still dates available, though none are on weekends until November. If you could not make it here in August, try getting here in September, you will have a great time and I will do all the work for you!

September Offer

With receipt of this newsletter and before September 7, call or email me to book a trip in either September or October and I will give you a trip in November at a 50% discount, a savings of up to $300! That just might get you here to try the fall and you get a great deal to find out what fishing is like when no one else is here during the month of November.

New Product Review

IMany of you prefer spinning equipment to baitcasting gear, either because it is more comfortable to you or your initial experience with baitcasters left you frustrated. Keith Bryan of Powell Rods and I have been discussing the fact that I need some stouter spinning rods that can handle small swimbaits, large crankbaits, bigger topwater baits, and jigs for my clients who prefer a spinning rod. Although the rods are of course, his idea, I think his new addition to his line of great bass rods solves my search.

New additions to his hot line up of rods include the 733 and 734 spinning rods. Both rods are 7’ 3” models, one is a 3 power and the other is a 4 power. You can check out the specs of these rods on the Powell rod website, powellco.com. Those of you who have used Powell spinning rods with me for drop shotting and shakey heading know how sensitive these rods can be. These two new models are powerful tools with sensitive tips.

I just got my hands on two of the 734 models and have used them to throw frogs, spooks, and Rio Ricos. Plenty of backbone and the extra length allow you to really launch one of these baits to cover some distance and pick up line quickly to set the hook.

The soft tip of the 734 is going to finally give me a spinning rod that will handle jigs that I can add to my client’s arsenal. Here the extra length allows you to keep in constant contact with your jig and sweep a lot of line quickly during the hookset.

I only had a brief exposure to the prototype of the 733 but caught a fish on it! I think this rod is going to be an awesome reservoir drop shot rod where heavier sinkers are required due to deeper water. On this lake, it is going to excel as a mojo rig rod, a fluke rod, a topwater rod, and has strong possibilities as a split shot rod that will just flat nail the hook home through a weedless rigging like a brush hog or sweet beaver.

As always, these rods are backed by Powell’s great warranty and service. Check them out at your dealer or when you come fish with me. If you are a spinning rod guy, you are going to love these two new models.

Closing

Thanks for spreading this newsletter around, the word is getting out. If you have any questions or want me to address something for you, drop me a line and I will add it to a future newsletter. And most importantly, thanks for your continued interest and support.

Also, be ready because we are working on something big for this next spring, I mean really big!

If you have missed 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! Enjoy our Clear Lake Fishing Report Index!

Good fishing and I look forward to seeing you soon!