Clear Lake this week 9/20/2016

[DanIsaac]

Clear Lake this week 9/20/2016

September 20, 2016 brings us to 1.81 Rumsey and the lake level is falling quickly. All ramps remain usable and open. However, caution should be exercised everywhere.

Water conditions are changing once again for the worse. Obvious signs of pelleting can be found just about everywhere around the lake, and yes it’s effecting the bite. Brown, tannick looking water is popping up everywhere all of a sudden. Water that had already cleared in the north is now reddish brown again, as is the narrows down into the Windflower/Rattlesnake areas of the east end.

Water surface temperatures are now in the low to mid 70’s and are barely reaching 80 by the end of the day.

As for the bite,,,,,well let’s just say I began the last two days with 8 rods on my deck, and when I put the boat back on the trailer, low and behold there was 15. Junk fishing has been the key phrase for me, as was the locations.

Crank baits, spinner baits, jigs, chatter baits, and yes the dreaded spinning rod combo all contributed. The results though could not have been more different.

Monday I might have had 9 lbs for the best five, emphasis on MIGHT! Today, I fared a bit better and managed a 24 lb. bag. The natural question "so, what did I do different?" Answer, absolutely nothing! Well, one thing. I did change the time spent in a specific area. Pulling up to an area I fished for 10 minutes and if there was no cooperation, I moved on. Obviously, that allowed me to cover quite a bit more water, and it seemed to help.

So, are they deep or shallow? Actually, from what I could see most of the better fish have suspended on bait. So I found them throughout the water column depending on the position of the bait.

Weather this weekend may change the bite for the better, but only time will tell. Good luck!