On another note, our house on the lake is still for sale. We have bought another house just down the street from where we currently live and will be moving there once we sell the one we are currently living in. For $59,000, plus space rent, you are buying a million dollar view, right on the water's edge, makes a great weekend retreat or vacation home or even your permanent residence such as we have done for the past 17 years. See the pictures, click on the photo tab, then click on, ""Home For Sale"". That's it for now, stay safe, wear those life jackets, be courteous to other fisherman, enjoy this great lake of ours, ""God Bless"" Bob
This last weekend of October finds the last major tournament of the year winding up. Weights are solid with 20 lb bags up to even a 33 lb bag in a tournament last weekend. While the top finishers always have weights of over 20lbs for their best five fish, many of the teams are coming in with 12 to 16lb limits due to the tremendous amounts of smaller fish currently in the lake. The tournament people are catching their fish on a whole variety of techniques and baits. Jig's, Carolina rig's, Shallow and deep running crank baits, chatter baits and Kitech swim baits with an under spin blade, are all working to put fish in the boat and are also effective type baits to keep the smaller fish from biting. Water clarity is decent, water level is at it's lowest point of the year but most ramps are still open for launching. Water temp's are slowly dropping but are currently starting out at around 65 degree's. Fish are being caught both in shallow water and on the deeper breaks and drop off's. The tackle stores are getting regular shipments of the Jumbo minnows and that bite has kicked in for those who want to fish them. Catfish are also being caught on the jumbo minnows for those who want to target them. If you want to have pretty much non stop action, a drop shot six inch Robo worm in almost any color will result in lot's of six to 12 inch bass. Even though we have been in a major drought period, the lake has remained very easy to fish and the bass population is setting up for another great 2016 season with lots of smaller fish coming up the chain and lot's of good size fish being caught in the tournaments. Currently the weather pattern has been pretty mild and these next few weeks should be a great time to hit the lake and try your favorite pattern.
On another note, our house on the lake is still for sale. We have bought another house just down the street from where we currently live and will be moving there once we sell the one we are currently living in. For $59,000, plus space rent, you are buying a million dollar view, right on the water's edge, makes a great weekend retreat or vacation home or even your permanent residence such as we have done for the past 17 years. See the pictures, click on the photo tab, then click on, ""Home For Sale"". That's it for now, stay safe, wear those life jackets, be courteous to other fisherman, enjoy this great lake of ours, ""God Bless"" Bob
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UPDATE: For those of you who regularly visit my site, my wife and I are selling our home on the lake, located in the town of Nice on the North West end , and moving just down the street. We have lived here for 17 wonderful years enjoying a fantastic view of God's creation everyday. We are at a point and time in our life that we need to make this move. We will still be running our guide business with no changes to that operation. Pictures of our home and info can be seen here under the 'Photo Tab"" of Home For Sale. This will be a perfect opportunity for someone to have a Vacation type home, or permanent home, or to buy into it with someone else and split the cost. For only $59,000, plus a monthly space rental of $535.00, you are on the water, with a great location, a place where people rent houses for the week, buy into time shares, rent air bnb's, and come from all over the country to vacation and fish. You can have your own place for under what you would pay for a new boat or suv. Please share this information with anyone you may know that may be looking for a place here on Clear Lake. This value and this spot will be hard to beat and we expect it will go quick. We will not be financing this so if your interested, figure out how to do it, two couples splitting it would be a great way to go. Call Mark Lavine at Keller Williams Realty, 707-245-7230 to see this great bargain.
Now for the fishing report: The bite for me these past two weeks has gotten slower and tougher. The fish are definitely keying in on bait and are following it. One day they are in a particular spot and the next day you may not get a bite there. Fishing structure such as drop offs, ledges and rock piles and finding the bait is key. The water through out the lake is currently a darkish brown, something I haven't seen before, I have been told it is a form of algae. For me it seems that the darker colored baits are needed for this low visibility conditions. Jig's, crank baits, spinner baits, shakey head jigs, are all working. My best success has come from drop shotting baby brush hogs in the water melon candy red color but then I am also limited to my customers ability to use certain techniques and rod set ups. This is the time of the year that deep diving crank baits and also shallow running square billed crank baits come on strong. For those who can stay with and like to flip and punch baits into the off shore weed bed's, it can pay off for some quality fish but it definitely requires a ""stick to it attitude"". We are headed into a week of hot weather so the topwater action around the weeded areas should also improve with baits such as frog's, flukes, horny toads and buzzbaits. The annual Bob's Marine tournament starts this weekend, (9/12 & 9/13), then the FLW will follow that starting 9/24 through 9/26. The Lucerne ramp is getting very shallow and may soon be closed. I don't recommend launching there, the oaks ramp, redbud ramp and Lakeport ramps are all fine and okay to launch. For those of you coming from out of the area, be sure to get your clearance sticker before launching, don't risk the big fine if your on the water without it. That's it for now, stay safe, be courteous, God Bless, Bob There has been a lot of concern about the fires that have been burning around the area of Clear Lake. One of the fires has been totally contained and the other one will be contained within the next day or so. Both fires have burned 52 homes and numerous out buildings. The fires are quite a ways off from the lake and the lake access and all roads are open and things are normal as far as the lake is concerned. Most of the fisherman working the lake are fishing mid lake to the South Arms due to the upper end of the lake, West & North, experiencing a very ""off"" color water. Overall the algae blooms have not been all that bad this year and currently we have a higher water level than at this same time last year. The best bite on the lake seems to be for those people who are working jigs and crank baits. Jigs with crawdad type trailers worked over the rock piles and deeper ledges and drop off's along with crank baits both shallow running square bills and the deeper divers seem to be the best overall techniques. For those who want to target the top water bite, poppers such as Rico's, frog's, and buzzbaits are all working but require finding the right areas and moving around a lot to find them and staying committed to them. We are still catching a lot of six to ten inch fish and keeping them off the baits such as a drop shot is impossible. You have to wade through a lot of them to put a decent keeper in the boat but that did happen to one of my customers a week or so ago, an 11 year old girl landed a nine pounder on a drop shot baby brush hog, you just never know. Currently fishing pressure is very light but that will change as we go into the Labor Day weekend and the first major tournament of the new season will start with the annual Bob's Marine tournament starting on the 12th & 13th, followed by the FLW series on the 24th through the 26th. October will see a major tournament hitting the lake on almost every weekend. All ramps are open but the lake is still dropping so use caution when launching and keep the motor trimmed up until you get out into the deeper water. Be Safe., Be Courteous, Take Care Of The Fish, God Bless, Bob
WOW, Time has gotten away from me since my last report. I had a really busy June and July is also going to be pretty busy. The lake is being drawn down by Yolo County but we still have plenty of water and are at a higher water level than we were for this same time last year. (All ramps are open) Lake was really busy over the Fourth of July Holiday but is back to normal now and fishing pressure is minimal. The upper end of the lake both South and North sides have the normal vast expanses of weeds and mats. The lower arms of the lake are the deeper arms with less weeds but also get the heavier concentrations of algae due to the wind patterns and you have to move around to find the clearer water to fish in. We are still catching hundreds of the smaller bass in the six to ten inch range and you have to use larger baits to keep them off and literally wade through them to catch a bigger bass. I have had luck catching top water fish with Splash it's and Rico's anywhere I can find weeds just under the surface and with some open areas in between,this bite can go all day long if you can find the right areas. Some good fish are being caught on buzz baits and zara spooks, again you have to stay with them and cover water, but it can result in the bigger and better bites. Frog action has been hit and miss, the popper style lures seem to be working the best. Crank baits and spinner baits have also been producing fish for those concentrating on them. With the heat wave we have had over the past few weeks, afternoon water temp's have been in the low 80's, this is not the time to be carrying fish in the live wells, picture and release as soon as possible.
I have been able this past week to locate numbers of fish in a couple of locations, bait definitely seems to be the key here, deeper water with balls of bait seem to be concentrating the fish and we were able to catch several off of one spot. I have been using watermelon candy red worms and baby brush hogs along with the good ole stand by, the MMIII's on drop shot rigs. As we go through July and August, the lake will continue to drop, the upper end will be a matter of using frog's over the weeds or punching and flipping baits into the mats and around the weed edges. The deeper arms of the lake will get hit with drop shot, jig's shakey heads, flick shake worms and crankbaits. The bite has to be considered slow to tough simply because of the huge amount of smaller fish that at times seem to be impossible to keep off the hook. A great time though to bring the younger crowd and let them have a ball catching those fish. That's it for now, be courteous, don't crowd, and take care of the fish. God Bless, Bob Since my last report a lot of the fish have spawned and are now starting to feed up from the rigors of the spawn. Lake level is still decent and still above the level it was for this same time last year. The weeds on the North and West end of the lake are coming on strong and it will require finding open areas and fishing weed lines. Although a lot of the fish have spawned, there are more that will be spawning as we move into the First couple of weeks in June. We have had unsettled weather with thunder storms and some cold nights but are heading into a warmer period and a more stable weather pattern. The bite seems to be picking up and the top water action will be kicking into gear with some recent reports of some buzz bait and frog action. We have one more major tournament on the 101th, 11th, & 12th, then the lake should settle down some from all of the fishing pressure. It's been a very busy lake with most of the people realizing we have plenty of water compared to most lakes and that there has been some really nice fish being caught.
My action for the most part has been just drop shotting and wacky rigged senko's since I have not concentrated on sight fishing with my customers. Deeper water patterns will come into play as we head into the summer months and with the vast amount of weed growth that will be depleting the amount of areas to fish on the upper end of the lake. We are catching literally hundreds of six to eight inch bass that can be found all over the lake, this bodes well for the future and is fun for the younger crowd but can be frustrating in your efforts to catch a larger fish. Large schools of bait fish are being seen around the lake and the birds are feeding heavily on them, baits such as flukes have seen an increase in action because of the larger size shad that are being hit by the bass. Chatterbaits and small swimbaits are also working better now because of the huge population of bait fish through out the lake. Stay safe, be courteous, take good care of the fish, have your boat checked and be ""Clean and Dry"' if your coming from out of the area. That's it for now, God Bless, Bob Since my last post there have been several tournaments an at least a couple of those tournaments were able to bring in some big bags of fish for five fish going over 30lbs. Those tournaments were able to hit the lake under ideal conditions for "Sight Fishing"" and or bed fishing as it is called. Recent weather changes with wind and colder temperatures has pulled the fish back out and finding numbers of bed fish has been hard to do. The weather has made the bite up and down and at times down right tough. That should change as we get later into this week and with temperatures expected to get into the low 80's and stay there. It's my opinion that the majority of fish have yet to spawn and that should happen within these next couple of weeks if the weather remains stable and hot. The tournament people have found their best success if not sight fishing to be the use of a LV 500 lipless crank bait used with a yo yo pumping style retrieve. Other techniques such as jerk baits and swim baits like the locally made trash fish are also putting fish in the boat. For those who like to use techniques and baits such as a drop shot rig, senko's and shakey head jigs, be prepared to wade through large numbers of small fish in the six to eight inch range. (They are everywhere) It's been a very busy lake with spring break, tournaments, club tournaments and just casual fisherman and we have more tournaments pending. In a nut shell, look for the water temp's to move up and stay in the low 60's, more spawning fish will be moving up, the senko bite should kick into gear with more fish moving shallow, the live bait action has been good and should stay that way for the next few weeks. Please if you are taking fish off of the beds and are not in a tournament, take a picture and put them back to do their thing and protect their eggs. Currently the lake is in good shape with higher water levels than anytime last year and as soon as the winds die down, the water clarity will be excellent. Be safe, be courteous, have fun, God Bless, Bob
Since my last report and with no recent rains, the water clarity has cleared up considerably, especially on the West & North ends of the lake. The last three weeks have seen three big tournaments on the lake that have resulted in several 10lbers and lots of 7's, 8's & 9lb fish being caught. That being said, the vast majority of the fisherman are catching fish in the 2 to 3 lb range. Currently we are having a small cooler system moving through with maybe some sprinkles but right back into a warming trend for the next week. On the warm afternoons the bass are moving into the shallows and suspending under the docks. It's my guess with the water temps getting up into the low 60's in the afternoons, the bass will be bedding up soon. The crappie and bluegill are already making beds, and the bass will soon follow. Everything you can imagine is being used to target the bass, big glide baits, Arigs, big & small swim baits, jerk baits, drop shot, shakey head, crank baits, chatter baits, all are being used and all will work at the right time and right place. The fish are schooling and staging in the normal pre spawn bays and coves. You have to move around, cover water and locate the concentrations of fish. Now is also a good time to start throwing the trusted senko, a great pre spawn bait, fan cast it around and under the docks and out in the open to target the bass that are holding out a little deeper. A reminder for all of you that may be bringing a boat from out of the County to have your boat inspected and get your required Lake County Clearance sticker before launching your boat. The sticker from the State of Ca is not sufficient, you must have the Lake County Sticker.
Also keep in mind that all of the larger fish with the fat bellies this time of the year are probably females with eggs in them. Take your pictures, handle with care and get them back in the water asap. Now is a great time to come and fish Clear Lake and target a fish of a lifetime. Take measurements, a good photo, and have a replica made for your wall mount, release the trophy alive. I constantly hear complaints from other fisherman of people being rude, cutting them off, barging in front of them, etc. Be courteous regardless if you are in a tournament or not, there is plenty of areas to catch fish here at Clear Lake without trying to poach someone's area. The next month or so will be off the charts for catching quality bass, be safe, enjoy, be courteous, God Bless, Bob Since my last report, the month of January proved to be a very slow and tough bite through out the month. Many of the locals contributed this to the vast amount of bait fish in the lake that provided plenty of food for the fish. My years of experience on this lake has always found January to be one of the toughest months of the year for catching fish. February has started off with a much better bite and this past week almost seemed like spring time conditions. The water temp was getting up to around 54 degrees and the water clarity was very good due to the fact we had no rain or run off for the entire month of January. I had a couple of recent days on the lake where I was able to boat up to 20 fish for five hours on the lake. Using a shakey head jig with a trick worm or Robo brand worm on it, jerk baits and drop shot were all coming on strong. Now we are in the middle of a storm that is passing through and has brought over 8 inches total of rain in some areas and the creeks are all running muddy. This will probably back the bite off considerably, at least in those areas where the creeks are flowing in. The good news is that the lake is now at 3 1/2 feet and is rising fast. My guess is this latest storm will get the lake level to four feet or better which is much better than anytime last year.
This is the time that the Alabama rigs, big swim baits and big glide baits will put a big fish in the boat for those that can stay with throwing them all day long. It certainly was fun this past week to see the tough bite subsiding and to be able to catch fish in the normal areas with the normal presentations. My guess is that it will take at least a week for the mud lines to clear out and settle and with a warming trend predicted for this upcoming week, we should be right back into a strong bite again. Anyone venturing out this next week or so should look for the cleaner water which will probably be mid lake and in the South Arms. I was impressed with the quality and size of the fish we caught this past week and it looks like we are going to have a good spring time bite. Higher water levels will provide more cover for the fish and with the abundance of bait fish in the lake, the bass are all fat and healthy. Watch for more floating logs and limbs in the lake from this past storm, wear your life jackets, be sure to have your boat inspected before launching if you are coming from out of the area, and the wardens are checking for 2015 fishing license's. Have Fun, God Bless, Bob 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 Currently the Lake level is holding steady but is at it's lowest level of the year which is also the lowest it has been in many years. That being said, there is still plenty of water to fish in and two main ramps are still open in the cities of Clearlake Oaks and in Lakeport. Overall the fishing for and catching of the larger bass remains a challenge and requires mixing it up with reaction type baits such as deep diving crankbaits, lipless crankbaits fished with a yo yo type retrieve, jigs, and swimbaits. Covering a lot of water, targeting ledges and drop offs and rocky structure seems to be the best bet. The off shore weed beds are fast disappearing so the flipping and punching will not be a factor much longer. I have had reports of senko's working in the shallow parts of the lake, (North & West Ends) also shallow running square billed crankbaits. If you plan on using a drop shot rig, plan on wading through hundreds of the small four to seven inch bass. These can be caught almost anywhere in the lake and both in shallow and deep water. The lake is literally loaded with massive schools of bait fish and combine this with the massive amounts of smaller bass, the bigger bass have plenty to feed on. Using a reaction type bait such as the Lucky craft LV 500 can trigger those bigger bass to bite, again you just have to cover water and find the schools or areas that are holding the bigger fish. We got lucky on a trip yesterday, (11/10/14) and my customer landed a seven and a eight pounder using the LV 500 targeting rocky banks with deep water close by.(Check out the photos on the photo tab)
There is hardly any boat traffic on the lake and the weather has been perfect with very little wind making for ideal conditions to get you and test your skills and try your luck. I have been hearing lot's of people crying the blues because of a tough and slow bite. Personally I think that's when it becomes fun trying to figure them out and how can you complain with great fishing weather, no boat traffic and to be able to fish in a lake that can offer up a seven & eight pound bass in the same outing. That's it for now, God Bless all of our veteran's and all those who are protecting and fighting to keep our freedom. Boat Safe, be careful in the shallows, be courteous, ""Happy Veterans" Day. Bob |
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