How Jimmy Reese Would Fish the WWBT Clear Lake California Team Championship
On October 26th and 27th, Wild West Bass Trail team anglers will launch their boats vying to win the Clear Lake California Team Championship. FLW Tour pro Jimmy Reese wishes he was one of them due to how he expects it to play out but was willing to share how he attacks Clear Lake in late October.
“October is probably my favorite month of the year to fish a tournament on Clear Lake,” Reese said. “There isn’t a bad time to be on Clear Lake, but this time of year, the tournament can be won deep, and it can be won shallow. It is a ‘pick your poison’ time of year, and you can do what you want to do to catch fish.”
With that being said, Reese broke it down into how he would fish shallow, how he would approach deeper water, and then another tactic that is possible this year due to the higher water.
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The Shallow Bite
If he chose to stick to shallow water, covering water would be Reese’s top priority.
“When you find one, there will be more around. They will be grouped up this time of year in shallow water,” he said. “You can make multiple casts to a grass line, docks, or rocks and continue to catch fish when they are stacked up in areas.”
How he would cover water is with a vibrating jig with a Yamamoto Zako trailer, a spinnerbait, or a lipless crankbait.
“The vibrating jig with a Zako is perfect for Clear Lake. It gives the bait the right action and not too much action as you find with other trailers,” he shared.
Once he finds a group of fish, Reese likes to slow down and pick the area apart this time of year on Clear Lake.
“After the morning bite slows down or when it gets sunny, they will want to bury into the grass. It could be 3- to 5-feet of water or as deep as 8- to 10-feet,” he said. “The vegetation is starting to die off, so finding what is left is key.”
He likes to work the vegetation with a Yamamoto Sanshouo or the Cowboy and rigs it on a ½ ounce tungsten weight, 5/0 Gamakatsu hook, and fishes it on 17-pound Yo-Zuri TopKnot fluorocarbon.
“I’ll also sometimes add a glass bead to give it a little more noise. I mainly like to pitch the edges of the grass, but still keep them honest and make a few pitches to the middle of the grass,” Reese shared.
For all of his shallow soft-plastics, he keeps it pretty simple and tries to imitate bluegill with one of the many Green Pumpkin shades Yamamoto produces.
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The Deep Bite
As he discussed the possibilities of this event, Reese said he noticed a good amount of baitfish on his last trip there.
“There are not as many shad as there were a few years ago, but I saw quite a bit of baitfish in one area. The bass are going to be focused on them in deep water and will often suspend,” he shared.
To counter this, he said he would have multiple crankbaits with different diving depths ready to go as well as an underspin rigged with the Yamamoto Paddle Tail Zako in a shad imitating color.
He would also be ready with two proven bottom baits: a jig and a shakey head.
“It is hard to beat a worm like the 6.5” Yamamoto Kut Tail worm on a 3/16 or ¼ ounce Frenzy Baits Nail. I use the lighter one when it is calm, and if it is windy, I use the ¼ ounce,” he said.
The other go-to for Reese this time of year on Clear Lake is a ½ ounce jig with a 6” Yamamoto Double Tail as a trailer. “I go up a size on the trailer to try to get bigger bites,” Reese said.
Again, he keeps it simple with soft plastic colors and selects one of the Green Pumpkin variations.
Reese noted that the water is higher than average this year, and that means that many of the sloughs, backwaters, and creeks could be a player for this event.
“There is an extra foot to a foot and a half of water this year, and the bass now have a place to go to look for crawdads. This could open up some flipping and punching,” he said.
When it comes to baits to use, Reese said he uses the Yamamoto Mermaid, but the tried and true Senko is one of his favorites to flip and pitch.
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The Wildcard
These are the primary ways Reese would approach this event but said the topwater and swimbait bite is another possibility.
“So much of that is a timing deal. But if you are looking for a good bite or two, don’t rule out a big topwater or swimbait,” Reese shared.
One of the best things about Clear Lake in the fall, according to Reese, is that just about any technique can win a tournament. He advises to keep your options open, but at the same time, fish your strengths to try to win this event.
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