6/6/2014 Fishing Report and Lake Conditions

Since my last report,  most of the fish have finished their spawn but here at Clearlake some fish will continue to spawn through the month of June and even some in July.  With our low water conditions that all lakes in California are experiencing the weed growth has exploded and is further off shore than normal on the West and upper end of the lake.   The weed growth presents both good news and bad news.  The good news is that the fish on the West and North ends of the lake literally have miles and miles have cover to protect them and to forage in.   The bad news is that finding these fish and getting a bait in front of them will require a lot of work, patience and some different techniques.   This past week we have had a real quite lake since most of the bigger tournaments are over for the season and the last big one that will hit the lake this next week has had an off limits imposed from the 2nd to the 6th. (today)    The 2nd annual WON Clearlake open official pre fish starts tomorrow with the tournament starting next week.  It's expected to draw somewhere between 75 and a 100 boats so we will have a very busy lake through Friday the 13th.   A lot of patterns and baits are working and you can pretty much pick the one you like the best and stay with it and have reasonable success.   Chatterbaits worked through the weeds,   weightless flukes and zoom horny toads worked over the weed mats and dropped into the holes in the weeds,  both texas and wacky rigged senko's worked around the edges and in the open areas, topwater baits such as buzz baits, frogs, whopper poppers, rico's, zara spooks,  will all work if you stay with them long enough and cover enough water to find the right conditions to use them.
 With the heavy weed cover a lot of fisherman will be flipping or punching some baits down through the weeds and into the holes in the mats with a variety of plastics and jigs.  
   It really is a fun time to fish, you can target fish with big and small baits, you can catch post and pre spawn fish,  you can choose to fight through the vast areas of weeds on the West & North ends of the lake, or you can fish the deeper water and target structure and rock piles.    A couple of key reminders,  the lake is about three feet lower than normal, be very careful boating close to shore, there are rocks just under the surface  that have not been exposed before, I have personally damaged my prop twice in the last months.     Also the water temps are getting up into the high 70's during the hot days, the fish will not do well being carried around in the livewells.   If your not in a tournament, catch, picture and release the fish as soon as possible.    If your coming from out of the area or county, remember you must have your boat inspected before launching into the lake.   Currently with our water level at 1.79 feet above our scale,  most of the launch ramps are still usable.  The Lucerne ramp is questionable and getting in and out of the State Park and the Konocti Casino area will require caution and a raised motor.    Have fun, be careful, respect the other people fishing,  ""Be Courteous""  God Bless,  Bob