The good news at Clear Lake is that the lake is dropping and some big fish are being caught. The bite went from everyone struggling to put a fish in the boat to some very solid limits and days out on the water. Starting with last weekends 133 boat tournament which was on the 16th and 17th, several big fish are being landed and lots of fish in the 3 to 7 pound range. The average weight per fish caught in that two day tournament was over 3lbs. I know personally of the following, one 14.70 lber, three over 10lbs, four over 9lbs, four over 8lbs and numerous fish in the three to seven pound range that have been caught since and during that tournament. The 14.70 was caught and on video by one of our local fisherman, one of the nines was caught by my customers and another of my customers caught a 8 1/2 during this past week. By far the most popular technique has been the “”A””rig, then its practically everything you can imagine. Although lots of people think they have to throw the big baits to catch a big fish here, my customers nine lber was caught on a four inch drop shot worm and the 8 1/2 lber was caught on a Ned rig. The fishing should only get better and the news is out about the bigger fish being caught, it’s been a pretty busy lake even during the week. The up coming WON Clear Lake Event, 10th, 11th and 12th of April is already seeing a lot of pre fishing going on. There should be some fantastic weights coming in for that one. We are heading into some more inclement weather, rain is predicted for this next week, but I don’t expect it to back the bite off that much. The lake is still in “monitor stage”” and will remain in monitor stage until it drops below the eight foot level. It is at 8.59 feet as of today, (3/24), it will drop about an inch a day if we don’t get to much rain this next week. As long as it is above eight feet, the five MPH speed limit a quarter mile offshore will remain in effect and I stress to the boaters, please follow the rules. As of today, 3/24, all boat ramps are open except the ramp at Redbud Park in Clearlake.
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Currently Clear Lake is in a Flood stage, Flood stage starts at a level of nine feet on the gauge they measure the lake by. We are just under a inch of Ten Feet, we will probably go just over ten feet . At this level water gets around and in some of the lower elevation homes that are on the lakes edge. Lots of fixed docks around the lake will also be under water, (see the photo I just posted}. Wind and wave action can and does tear up a lot of docks, and shoreline structures when the lake is at the level it is now. The lake is still open for fishing but a mandatory five mile per hour speed limit is imposed on the entire lake until you are out at least a quarter of a mile off of the shoreline. Once past the quarter of a mile distance from the shore, you can get your boat on plane, be aware, lots of debris is in the water. Remember and follow the rule, wave action does a lot of damage close to shore. Currently fishing, catching bass, is very tough, water is still cold, holding around 46 degrees and a lot of the lake is very muddy from all the run off. Clear Lake can rise much faster than it goes down. There is a rock formation in front of the dam that only allows so much water to reach the dam at any given time. We are currently, 3/2, getting some rain and a couple of days next week more is expected. Once we get past next week, it looks like we will have a nice long sunny stretch according to the long range forecast. It is my guess that the speed restriction will stay in place for at least a month, the lake has to drop below eight feet before they lift it. Currently all launch ramps are closed, the only ramp you can launch at is the Konocti Vista Casino ramp. If your bringing a boat to the lake, make sure you understand the restrictions and follow the rules, we don't want damage to property and we want the lake to remain open and not have home owners upset due to a negligent boater. Although the bass bite ranks very tough to brutal right now, the crappie are still biting very good when you can find them. Stay Tuned, God Bless
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