Current Fishing on Clear Lake

As we detailed in our last issue, the bite has been pretty good for anglers chasing bass with live bait.  We have been averaging 15+ fish per trip recently and expect that to continue as long as current conditions hold.  Just what are the current conditions?

Check the table below for the specifics but the big change from last month is the 10 degree dip in water temperature.  Most areas of the main lake are registering water temperatures in the low 50’s.  I have seen winters where the water temperature did not drop below 49 to 50 degrees and it sure makes the bite better.

We have found a few fish off of deeper structure but not any real concentrations.  The bulk of the fish we are catching are coming off of or very close to docks.  The deepest docks we have been successful on have been on the average around 5 feet, some as deep as 10 and others as shallow as 3.

My experience of late on the deeper structure like Henderson, Shag Rock, and Frasier has been pretty spotty.  We might get bit...we might not get bit.  When we do get one it might be just an average fish or it could be a good one.  No consistency to it at all.  Bottom line is try but don’t die on it.  If you are not getting bit relocate.

The artificial bite remains a bite for experts and tournament anglers who don’t have a choice.  The few anglers I have spoken with over the past several weeks have considered themselves just a bit lucky to get their 5th fish in the boat, a couple managing to catch a couple more than a limit.  There is definitely no pattern to rely on, the fish are where you find them.  Tournament anglers are keying in on the winter community holes such as Wheeler, Jago, the Boatworks, Shag, and Henderson.  LV’s, swim baits, and jigs have been the tools of choice for some of the more consistent competitors.

Table of Conditions

Activity This Month

Even though there were a couple of team events this past month they were very small and the only ones bothered by them were their fellow competitors sitting on top of each other.  Again in December, there is no significant tournament activity this month.

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.

Adjusting to Today's Norms

We have been fortunate enough to enjoy Clear Lake at it’s peak 5 years ago and then accordingly documented the decline of the fishery over the past several years.  Looking through the microscope of the astounding productivity of the lake in the early part of the past decade it is hard to believe the second half of the decade would produce as tough of fishing as we have recently experienced.  It happens, Clear Lake is a natural wonder and just as surely as the peak we previously experienced will come again so will the corresponding fall.  We don’t have to like it but as adults, we might as well all learn to accept it.

Let’s not blame the weeds or the spraying of weeds.  Let us all understand and accept that while the control of sewage around the lake is probably at an all time high there continues to be nutrient loading from farming and landscaping maintenance around the lake that becomes heavier with a higher level of rainfall.  Meat fishing probably doesn’t do any more damage than tournament angling, although there are bad examples from both practices.  The reality is that Clear Lake is an unique environment.  Appreciate it for what it is and take care of it the best you can when you visit.  Hang on to your bits of monofilament, torn plastics, and do your best to keep stuff from flying out of your boat.  You will mess up from time to time, I know I do, make up for it by stopping and picking up someone else’s mess up when you see it.

The reality of today’s norm on Clear Lake is that it is fishing very tough.  Adjust your thinking to that new norm.  Accept the fact the the 50 fish days are behind us and that if you were lucky enough to get in on them, smirk a little to yourself and just remember, they will be back!  Tell yourself that if you get 5 bites you want to land them all.  And if you get those 5 bites and do land them all you probably had a better day than most on Clear Lake right now, especially if you are fishing with artificials.  One thing that remains true here is that if you can get your 5 bites and land them you are probably going to have 5 fish that anyone of them would be your best fish on any other body of water you can mention with very few exceptions.  Clear Lake is still producing above average bass fishing, just not to the over the top level it has produced in the past and more importantly...will produce in the near future.

One Bait to Keep on a Rod this Winter

We all saw a very good batch of silver side minnows this year.  No one seems to know where the heck they go the rest of the year but at least they were here for a while.  We are very encouraged by the multiple reports of small schools of threadfin shad seen around the lake.  There appears to also be a pretty good batch of juvenile hitch in the lake found at different locations.  These signs may all lead towards the revival of a winter rip bite.

One of the presentations that kind of fizzled out the past couple of year was ripping.  5 years ago, the first of October all the way through late April if you didn’t have a rod with a rip bait on and in the water, you were leaving a lot of action on the table, or in the lake as it were.  Look for the positive bait signs we have seen this year to perk this fun bite back up, especially if the water temperatures hold in the high 40‘s to low 50‘s this winter.

If you are new to rip baits or jerk baits as they are also called, start out with the smaller versions.  Lucky Craft makes consistent producers of very good quality.  Start out with the Pointer 78 size in either the regular or DD version, this a great size to gain confidence in the technique.  Popular color choices for the lake include chartreuse shad, Table Rock shad, and ghost minnow.  There are a bunch of other colors but if you are using one of those three, you should catch fish.

Successful jerk bait fishing is all about how you work the bait.  During cold water periods you will get more bites when the bait is sitting perfectly still as you will when it is moving.  These are not baits to cast and reel.  They work at their best when jerked erratically in multiple pulls and then pauses.  It is not uncommon in cold water to work a bait for 5 or 6 jerks and then let it sit perfectly still on slack line while you count to as high as 20 (about as long as I can stand) and amazingly when bass hit it when it is sitting still they usually absolutely kill it!

Equipment includes 8, 10, and 12 pound fluorocarbon line.  Rods are a matter of personal preference but since you keep your rod tip low to the water during your retrieve, a 6 1/2 to 7 footer in medium action is a good place to start.  (My preference is the Powell 684, 686, 704, 706 cb crank bait rods as examples).

The great thing about fishing rip baits is the amount of water you can cover.  One final tip, make sure you work your bait all the way back to the boat and watch it in the water, not only will you see followers, you will see fish that follow it to the boat before they finally go after it.

Scheduling in 2011

If you are thinking about fishing in March, April, or May next year start thinking about some dates, making plans, and firming up dates on our calendar.  There just were not very many dates left open for those 3 months this year and I don’t want anyone to miss out on the action in 2011.

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!

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