We are now in our third year of drought and low water conditions for Clear Lake.   Currently our lake level is slightly lower than it was for this same time frame last year.  What this means is that the launch ramps will  once again be impacted and some will close because of being to shallow to be able to launch your boat.  Currently the best ramp to launch at is the 5th street launch ramp in the city of Lakeport.  The third street ramp is now closed and launching at the County Park or at the Redbud ramp in the city of Clearlake can be very dicey and you have to be very careful.   Those ramps will probably close by the first of September or mid September.  Fishing, catching is very, very slow right now and I don't expect it to get much better until later on this fall when the water starts to cool and the bass start to feed heavily to bulk up for the winter.   We have been in a decline for catching numbers now for the past two months,  so much so that I have cancelled some of my trips and have been turning others down.  It's hard to say why the fishing has gotten so tough, I am sure that the overall pressure from all the tournaments that have hammered this lake year after year and every single weekend has not helped the overall fish population.  Combine that with three years of low water levels which may have  impacted the overall success of the spawn,  and we have a current condition of a down right tough bite with many fisherman not catching a fish for their time on the water. The lake has had some pretty bad algae blooms and they vary from day to day and depending upon which way the wind blows or if it blows, you will find it different each time you go out.   The water temperature has been hanging around 78 to 81,  be sure to picture your fish when caught and release them and not carry them around in the live wells.   I am hoping and praying for a lot of rain this winter to fill up the lakes and that this current condition of a  tough bite is just a momentary thing.    The lake will continue to drop over these next two months,  be safe and be careful while boating anywhere close to shore due to possible hazards.     

To say its been a busy lake for fishing is definitely an understatement,  for the past seven weeks we have had a major tournament of some type working the lake, combine that with several smaller club tournaments,  along with your weekend anglers and finding a spot to fish or park your boat trailer can be an issue.  Currently many fish have spawned but many have yet to finish the spawn and you can find many on beds either spawning or guarding the eggs.  The water level is about six inches lower right now than it was for this time last year and it will definitely be another year where certain launch ramps will have to close due to the low water.  The algae blooms have already started happening in the Rattlesnake and Redbud arms,  so far the upper 1/2 of the lake has not experienced any blooms.   Most people working the banks right now are sight fishing and trying to catch the fish off of the beds.  The top water action has just started and will continue to get better as the spawned out fish will need to feed up from the rigors of spawning.  The weed growth in the offshore water is already getting a good start and now the carp are spawning and thrashing around and creating floating weeds.      The majority of the fisherman working the lake who are not sight fishing are using a variety of techniques,  the drop shot,  weightless senko,  ned rig, neko rig, and shakey head are all being used to put fish in the boat.   The past two weeks have been a pretty tough and very slow bite,  very typical for this time of the year.   It will get much better as we move through and the spawn finishes up.  The annual catfish derby hits the lake the weekend of the 13, 14, and 15th of this month, that derby usually has about 800 entries.  The crappie action has been very good in many areas around the lake but is starting to taper off and by the end of this month will not be near as good. 
     What you can expect as we go into the summer months,  low water conditions will close some of the ramps,  weekends will always be busier than during the week,  algae blooms will continue to happen, especially on hot days.  Just a reminder, the lake water temperature which is getting up to around 65 to 67 will continue to get hotter so take a picture and release the fish, don't carry them around in the live, well for pictures later.   Be sure to have your boat checked and get a launching sticker before launching if you are coming from out of the area.    Clear Lake despite all the fishing pressure, algae blooms, and weedy conditions, still ranks as one of the top lakes in the country and even with low water conditions we are in much better shape than many of the other lakes in California.   Be safe, be courteous, take care of the fish,   God Bless   

Its that time of the year,  the fish are moving into the shallows and out in front of the spawning bays in preparation for the spawn.  The spawn will start once the water temperature hits 60 degrees and stays there.  When the fish are moving in as they are now,  they will also school up and they also are looking to feed and bulk up getting ready for the rigors of spawning.   Currently you can use a whole variety of baits and techniques and if you stay with them long enough,  have success in landing fish.   Swimbaits, jerk baits, lipless crank baits, Alabama rigs,  big glide baits, under spins,  are the the bulk of the baits that are being used.   The lake is being hit hard with tournament fishing,  two big tournaments just finished up this month and we have two more to finish out the month,  both big tournaments,  to say the fish are getting pounded is an understatement.  I attended a weigh in yesterday for a two day 115 boat tournament,  and a lot of nice healthy fish up to the eight pound range were weighed in.   The winner had somewhere around 45 pounds for their two day total of 10 fish to win the tournament.  All of the above techniques and baits mentioned were used to catch those fish.
     Currently the lake is slightly lower than it was for this same time frame last year and the long term outlook for rain is not good so low water conditions will remain in effect as it was last year.  You need to use caution when motoring anywhere close to shore,  it does seem that most of the offshore hazards have been marked with a hazard buoy.   Water temperature has been starting out around 53 degrees and getting up to 58 degrees in the warmer afternoons.   The crappie bite is still going strong,  most of the action has been at the lower half of the lake but is now starting to be good on the upper West end of the lake as they are moving in to spawn.  
Based on the results of the last two big tournaments,  I would say the lake is fishing very good but you have to put your time in to find them.  We are in a cycle of where the big fish are going to be in the six to eight pound range,  very few fish are being caught over eight pounds,  but catching solid fish in the three to five pound range  is a normal thing that most lakes cannot come close to matching.  Plan ahead for your trip, check with the local tackle stores to find out when the big tournaments are, be prepared that towards the middle of summer, some ramps will again be closed due to low water.   Be Safe, be courteous, have fun, 
God Bless    

Well it's been an interesting season, year, so far,  with a major drought and major fires, conditions are changing as we go into September.   We have been having some smoky conditions this past week and each day is different depending upon the wind direction,  overall not to bad.  Currently the best launch ramp to use is the 5th street launching ramp in Lakeport,  the County Park Ramp,  Lucerne Ramp, and 3rd street ramp are all closed.   The Oaks and Redbud ramps are still open but I don't advise using them as they are very shallow and trailers have been dropping off the back edges.  There is a big tournament scheduled on the 28th of this month and the parking lot at 5th street will be totally full.   They are re doing the parking lot at 5th street,  new sidewalks,  and will re pave it in September,  as a result, portions of the lot are not accessible so with other ramps closed and this lot in disarray parking is an issue.   I am hoping to be able to launch through September and possibly into October at the 5th street ramp,  currently it is okay for bass boat trailers, but longer pontoon trailers have to use caution as they can, and some have,  drop off the back edge.  Fishing has been a little slow for me,  but we are still managing to land around 15 bass for each trip.   With Labor day approaching and another big tournament scheduled for September 17th, 18th, and 19th,  be prepared for a busy launch ramp in Lakeport and parking issues,  timing will be important.  ""God Bless     

Wow,  the guide business has been crazy this year for myself and my guide friends that I work with.  I apologize for not keeping my reports up to date.  This year the lake has been extremely busy with people being tired of being cooped up this past year and with most people getting their vaccinations, people are getting out boating and fishing.   With California now going into its second straight year with low rain fall,  the lake is getting low and some ramps have closed up for being to shallow to launch a boat.  The ramps in Clear Lake,  the Oaks, and in Lakeport are all open as of now.  I am doing all of my launching out of the ramps in Lakeport.    I expect that we will be able to launch with out any problem through September.  Anyone reading this should not get overly concerned  but stay on top of the situation as it develops.   Currently the fishing has been very good for numbers, catching the bigger fish is certainly a challenge right now,  a four pounder is a really good catch at the moment.   I have been averaging over 20 fish a trip with some trips over 50.   
    The tournaments will be backing off now as they usually during the summer months but with the increased activity from everyone wanting to get away, expect a busy lake on any given weekend.  In a nut shell,  the lake is open,  it is at a low point,  you need to be careful boating anywhere close to shore to avoid un marked hazards,  fishing has to be considered very good,   some boat ramps are closed, (lucerne &, Keeling park)  others are being monitored,  (Redbud in Clear Lake) .     The top water bite is happening,  lots of weeds showing on the upper end of the lake to work a frog or buzz bait around.    It will be an interesting rest of the year for the lake and the availability  for boating,   just shoot me an email from my website or text me at 707-349-4460 if you want the straight scoop on what's happening,   God Bless       

 It looks like we are going to have a low water year since our lake is considered to be full at 7.50 feet on the scale it is measured by and we currently are at .95 feet.   That's a long way to go to get full in a short amount of time left for our rainy pattern.  Fishing will still be good,  they have to eat and there are plenty of fish in the lake.   The low water will effect where and how the fish spawn,  they will be more exposed and low water will also have an effect on more weed growth in the lake. 
   Currently the water clarity is very good in the lake and the fish are schooling up and starting to get a little more active.   Water temperature has been around 47 to a high of 51 on the warmer afternoons.   The typical arsenal of baits for this time of the year are working,  fish are being caught on reaction baits such as deep diving crankbaits,  under spins,  Alabama rigs, and lipless crank baits such as the LV 500 by Lucky craft.   On the finesse side,  the drop shot,  ned rig, and jig's are producing.    With some recent warm weather,  the lake was really busy on the weekend.   The fisherman who like to target the crappie have been hitting the lake hard and so far there seems to be only one really hot spot that everyone is concentrating on.   You have to stay on the move to have success in catching,   once you find them you can usually catch several in one area.  With the Covid thing slowly getting somewhat under control,  it looks like it will be a busy year for the lake.    If you are looking to book a guide trip,  book early,  and also the tournaments are in full swing for this year so try to fish during the week if you can to avoid all the traffic on the weekends.   That's it for now,  stay safe and stay healthy,   God Bless,   Bob    

WOW, 2020 A year that none of us will ever forget, but one I personally won't keep foremost in my memory.   My wife and I have spent the last couple of months hunkered down and staying under the radar.  As we head into this new year, it's still a rocky start and we won't be back to any resemblance of normal for at least a few more months.  I am praying for stability and focus for our government leaders,  and for a quicker overall vaccination for all of us who want it.   My goals and plans for the year are set,  I expect to start getting busy in March for my business, and April bookings are already very strong.  
   On the fishing scene,  its typical January, the bass bite is slow to tough, the Crappie bite is very strong and will continue to get better and should remain good through April.   The bass bite will also continue to improve as we move into March and the pre spawn bite starts to kick in.  It looks like we will be having another low water year as the long range forecast does not look promising,  currently all the lake launching ramps are open except for the city of Lucerne. 
  As we head into this New Year,  I will be controlling my trips a little tighter, but I fully expect that things will bust loose towards the end of this year as the pandemic gets under control, businesses are allowed to re open, people can gather together, families can once more be families, schools, churches, back to normal and we can all celebrate safely.      God Bless,  Bob & Tary