12/29/14 Lake Conditions, Fishing Report

Guiding is always slow during December and I always use this time to get my gear, boat, etc in order for the next season.  Since my last report in November the bite has remained slow, to tough.  I have turned down some trips during this time frame because of the slow bite and wanting my customers to have a better experience for their trip.   I fished yesterday, (12/29/14) with a friend of mine testing the "live bait" bite.  We hit several locations landing three ten inch bass,  one three pound and one six pounder. We also broke one off that would have gone better than the six  that we landed.  Water clarity on the North & West end of the lake is stained to muddy in some areas close to the feeder creeks.  We fished mid lake and in the South arms where the clarity is much better.  The water temps varied from 48 degrees to 52 degrees in some areas with the warmer water mid lake and South arms.  We drop shotted minnows and the fish we caught were all in deep water from 15 to 24 feet.  This month of December has seen the lake rise over three feet in level and we are now at a higher point for lake level than anytime for last year.  The big storm that we had pushed a lot of debris, tree limbs, logs, into the lake.  The winds have blown most of this stuff onto the shore lines but depending on how and what direction the wind blows, this stuff can be re blown out into the lake.  Use caution while boating,  yesterday I did see some stuff out in the middle of the lake.  The reports around the lake are that the live bait bite remains slow,  reaction baits such as the Lucky craft LV500,  umbrella rigs, and crank baits are putting a few fish in the boat.  There still seems to be massive schools of bait fish and some reports of shad being seen.  The fish we caught yesterday were "Fat" with big bellies.  The good news is that if you put in your time, be versatile with your baits and presentations,  catching a big bass is always in the cards here at Clear lake as evidenced by the six we landed yesterday.   We currently are in a very good position to have a much fuller lake than last year which will move the spawning bass more into the shallows and flooded tules which will now have water on them.  Just a reminder to make sure you have that 2015 fishing license,  have your boat inspected and get your stickers before launching, be safe, wear your life jackets, watch out for logs, a small stick in the water can be attached to a much larger boat damaging log just under the surface.
       Here's to a ""Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, Great 2015 Fishing Season for all of us,   God Bless,  Bob