What are your thoughts on this recent article on Clear Lake?

[bigdog56]

For those of you who have fished Clear this year are you experiencing the same thing? This caught my attention because I'm heading up there for a week at the end of this month. Are you guys still catching fish? Not a good report to read when I'm a week out from a week long trip.

By Terry Knight -- Record-Bee outdoors columnist
Updated: 07/14/2009 09:50:35 PM PDT

"A number of fishermen have been expressing disappointment with the bass fishing at Clear Lake. They claim they are catching too few fish and the ones they are catching are small, often weighing less than 3 pounds. Many fishermen are wondering if Clear Lake is in a downward cycle such as back in 1990.

Most of the local fishing guides are also saying their clients are catching fewer bass. Whereas two years ago an average day would produce 15-25 fish for their clients, this year a good day is when their clients catch 10 fish.

Clear Lake has always experienced wide swings in its fish populations and that applies not only to bass, but also crappie, catfish and even bluegill. This year I have noticed fewer crappie and practically no bluegill as well as fewer bass. The baitfish numbers are also down considerably. For example, the threadfin shad, a primary baitfish, are just about non-existent. The adult bass I have caught are also a lot skinnier than in past years.

In fact, this year is reminiscent of 1988 when the bass fishing started to collapse. By 1990, the bass fishing was so bad that many tournament organizations considered moving their tournaments from Clear Lake.

What is troubling is the lack of juvenile bass. By juvenile I mean bass two and three years old. These would be the fish that were spawned in 2007-08 and should be from 4-10 inches long. During most years these juvenile fish would drive anglers crazy with their aggressiveness. They would bite nonstop at small plastic worms.

It's not only the lack of juvenile fish. There also have been few bass caught weighing in excess of 8 pounds. Bass tournaments normally produce several fish in the 8-pound-plus class, but not this year. In most of the recent tournaments only one or two fish exceeded 8 pounds. Only two years ago most of the tournaments produce several fish in the 8-pound-plus range.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

I just spent a week up there and I can say we caught no fish less than 2 pounds and few above 4 pounds..There does indeed seem to be very few juvinille fish..I am not too sure about the crappie as we caught a least 5 over 1 1/2 pounds on crankbaits while searching for bass..Also caught catfish fron 6 to 14 pounds..I even caught on bass that looked as though it hadn;t spawned yet..All of the bass we caught looked healthy, none were skinny, but none were super fat either..

mac

[Dan Stahlman]

That's the problem Mac. Quite a few fish in the one and three quarters to three and a half lbs. Seems there is a lack of smaller fish which seems strange like we missed a spawn last year or they didn't survive over the winter. This could be atributed to low water and a lack of a good food source. And yes, I had one the other day with a six lb body but it only went four and a half. Some say they havn't recovered from the spawn yet but that was two months ago. The weeds are contributing to the problem as it has spread the bass out quite bit and they are not the good weeds which the bass like to go under on a sunny day but the weeds that go all the way to the bottom in some areas. My theory is that Yolo is draining it down to a mud puddle just like Indian Valley Resivouir and like they want to do to the delta with the canal which is screwing up the fish population. Of course, that's just my theory but the numbers (especially of bigger fish) are drastically down and I live here and fish every day I can.

[sTony]

Sadly for me, and maybe not so for the lake, but I caught several fish up there that were 12 inches and less this past week. I think the lake is just fishing harder and maybe more like it was several years ago. I'm thinking mid to late 90's or so. When we used to run Pro Ams up on Clear Lake it was very common for some guys to be on them big time and weigh in huge sacks but it was also just as common for half the field to blank.

I think the water temps are still off up there for this time of year and as a result the fish aren't where folks are accustomed to catching them. Also the water level is down a bit and that's also got the fish moved around a bit more as many spots I would ordinarily catch fish are tougher to fish now and bites are far fewer.

Clear Lake has it's cycles. Always has. This one just takes some figuring out. I wouldn't stress about it just yet though.

sTony

[littlebailey]

I think it has to do with pressure. Those fish are still there. They are just that much smarter and that much harder to trick than they were before. Yeah its going threw a cylce of smaller than normal fish but its just behind schedule. I still see fish on beds in a lot of places. if your catching skinny fish chances are they really did just come off after the last moon. There are chunky fish in the deep spots and the grass fish are filling out as well. As we all know the skinny fish are hungry thus more likey to go for a lure. The fat ones are harder to trick but have to eat so every once in a while you trick that fat dumb one into eating during the day. The pressure makes these big fish eat at night and lock up during the boating hours. The morning is when i do most of my damage and as the day goes on they just get skinnier. Just my opinion and the way ive experienced it.

[Hardshell]

I just spent 6 days there last week and can honestly say that I caught no fish under 2 pounds. Had 50+ fish days with most in the 3-4 pound range and fish to 6 pounds. The last time that happened the next season there were loads of 4-6 pounders in the spring. It really hasn't been that long ago that DFG announced that Clear Lake was dead based on their shocking samples, shortly after that anouncement Byron Velvic caught those limit that set records so based on what I've seen latley "The Sky Isn't Falling"!

Hardshell

[Phil]

In the 20 plus years I lived there , and the 40 plus years that I have fished the lake. Yes I agree it is a cycle, Clearlake pulls thru most all the cycles it has ever went thru. Will it this time. Yes I believe with help from us/you all. Like here at Don Pedro, we stock our lake every year. I can only imagine what Don Pedro would be, if Lake Don Pedro ***., did not stock bass here every year, with the pressure this lake sees. Even with that, I hear this has been the worst year in years for bass fishing. It seems here also that 2 to 3 years ago was the peak and the best; especially for large bass !

Just my .02
Thank you
Jigs

[snapitoff2002]

I think it has to do with pressure. Those fish are still there. They are just that much smarter and that much harder to trick than they were before. Yeah its going threw a cylce of smaller than normal fish but its just behind schedule. I still see fish on beds in a lot of places. if your catching skinny fish chances are they really did just come off after the last moon. There are chunky fish in the deep spots and the grass fish are filling out as well. As we all know the skinny fish are hungry thus more likey to go for a lure. The fat ones are harder to trick but have to eat so every once in a while you trick that fat dumb one into eating during the day. The pressure makes these big fish eat at night and lock up during the boating hours. The morning is when i do most of my damage and as the day goes on they just get skinnier. Just my opinion and the way ive experienced it.

Hey thanks Mr! lol

[big_limits]

Two years ago I was up there in May, june and July and again in September. It was not uncommon on those outings to have 100 fish days all in the 2 to 3lb range. We would reach in a box, pull out a bait that we had no luck with ever, and take bets if it would get bit. 9 times out of 10 it would. Now those fish didn't just evaporate... we didn't take any... That same winter,leading in, we saw the biggest shad die off i've ever seen. We saw thousands floating around the keys. Then after that we saw the most silversides I have ever seen in my life and the bite was still good. This year... whole different ball game. It's just a cycle and will come around. The diehards like some of us that would spend our last breath repenting and casting a line at the same time, will be there when it does. Those on the band wagon will fall off.

[littlebailey]

your welcome mr.

[bassenvy]

I've been fortunate to have spent the last 2 1/2 months up there fishing 4-5 days a week and my catches are inline with most of you. Overall numbers are down with 1-2lbers being the norm and the occasional chunk. The same reports are coming from the local club and tackle stores.

Based on the recent years there are much less fish (bream,baby bass,etc..) in the shallows around the weed beds both near the shoreline or off shore. The biggest indicator is how few birds there have been the last two years. I remember you almost had to wear a helmet a few years ago.

With Clear lake being such a shallow eutrophic lake I'd think with all the thermal springs and being 1500' above sea level most of us are not used to seeing a lake cycle so fast...well me anyway

[Johnny C]

Just got back from 12 days of Clear Lake fishing. Me and my son had a few 30 plus days and they were all in the south. We blanked two days in the the north. My biggest fish was a skinny 6 pounder, but the bulk of the fish were 2 to 3 1/2 pounds. We caught no short fish at all. Did catch some small keepers and a 3 pound smallie though.The algae blooms were moving the fish everyday, or at least moving me to a place that my reel wouldn't clog. Fish were spitting up craws and sculpins. Saw lots of small bluegills in the one inch size. I too think it is a cycle.

[sTony]

Maybe we all need to book Marty...

http://www.westernbass.com/forum/album_ ... pic_id=808

Caught today, 7-17-09

sTony

[David Rogers]

Hey Guys,

I fish Clear Lake about once every 6 wks for 2-4 days each time, I have been doing it for the last 8 years solid, I have fished the lake for 18 years but back than only once in a while. In 2005 I had sold my Skeeter and was using a 14 foot Gregor with a 15 hp, I took my 2 1/2 year old daughter out and caught 45 bass drop shotting a 100 yard stretch of docks and rock piles, many trips that year with similar results, 2006 my buddy Kam that lives by Jago bay and I went out and got 125 bass to 4 lbs in one day ripping both of these years there was a ton of bait fish about 3 to even 6 inches long and I would catch bass under those bait balls with 6 inch senkos also. I think it was 2006 or 2007 when there was a massive bait fish die off, all of Rattle snake/Keys bay was full and I mean the whole bay was full of dieing shad/bait fish. 2007 was my best fishing at Clear Lake for sizes but not numbers, best day was about 30 fish and that was fishing hard with out the little ones around to slow me down, but I caught the biggest bags I had ever caught, big fish's for 2007 were 11.2 lb, 10 lb, 9.9 lb 8.2 lb 7.6 lb and tons of 5-6 lbers. 2008 all things changed, best day was 15 fish to 8 lbs, 2nd best was 15 fish to 7 lbs but those were back to back days, the next best day was 10 fish, yes 2008 was very bad for me. 2009 I have actually seen a little pick up, I watch my buddy and his friend in his Skeeter this week end catch about 20 bass off one point to 5 lb on 6 inch worms, while I was doing pretty well with a 4 inch bluegill swim bait, 9 fish to 7.5 lb and a toad that went well over 10 lb lost at the boat and 4 fish to 3 lbs on other baits, 2009 is nothing like 2005-2007 but I think its already rebounding. I also think what helps make a cycle is when things like bait fish are less, crayfish are less the bass are less active, when the bass are less active anglers cathc less and don't visit the lake as often and there for the fish have time to recover, having time to recover of course equals making for a faster turn around.

I think all lakes are prone to cycles with food, weather, water quality, pressure and habitat all playing a roll.

Also, Tons of guys that do well at Clear Lake do not post reports, most are tourny guys that do not want to spill the beans and who can blame them. I would say only 1 out of 200 guys that fish any lake post a report anywhere.

So far this summer for me has been better than last summer but still not 2005-2007 stuff.

My very long .02

[clearlakeoutdoors]

the fishing has not been as good as previous years . Last Sat I walked out on a friends dock in Nice and the shallows are full of thousands of 2-3 inch bass fry (this years spawn). the ones that make it will be 6-10 inches by winter and catchable by next year.The lake is full of 2-3 pounders that are only 2-4 years old.The bigger fish are there ,they are just a little harder to catch.

Dave

[mark poulson]

I think it has to do with pressure. Those fish are still there. They are just that much smarter and that much harder to trick than they were before. Yeah its going threw a cylce of smaller than normal fish but its just behind schedule. I still see fish on beds in a lot of places. if your catching skinny fish chances are they really did just come off after the last moon. There are chunky fish in the deep spots and the grass fish are filling out as well. As we all know the skinny fish are hungry thus more likey to go for a lure. The fat ones are harder to trick but have to eat so every once in a while you trick that fat dumb one into eating during the day. The pressure makes these big fish eat at night and lock up during the boating hours. The morning is when i do most of my damage and as the day goes on they just get skinnier. Just my opinion and the way ive experienced it.

The same thing has happened down here to Castaic. In the early part of the century ( ), 2002 and 2003, I averaged a least one four pounder a trip, and lots of twos and threes. The fish were aggressive, and I'd have 30 fish days.
Now, there are tounaments on that lake every weekend, sometimes two, and the fish are smarter, and deeper, during the day.
I just hope DVL opens as projected next March, to take some of the pressure off Castaic.

[some guy]

I think it has to do with pressure. Those fish are still there. They are just that much smarter and that much harder to trick than they were before. Yeah its going threw a cylce of smaller than normal fish but its just behind schedule. I still see fish on beds in a lot of places. if your catching skinny fish chances are they really did just come off after the last moon. There are chunky fish in the deep spots and the grass fish are filling out as well. As we all know the skinny fish are hungry thus more likey to go for a lure. The fat ones are harder to trick but have to eat so every once in a while you trick that fat dumb one into eating during the day. The pressure makes these big fish eat at night and lock up during the boating hours. The morning is when i do most of my damage and as the day goes on they just get skinnier. Just my opinion and the way ive experienced it.

The same thing has happened down here to Castaic. In the early part of the century ( ), 2002 and 2003, I averaged a least one four pounder a trip, and lots of twos and threes. The fish were aggressive, and I'd have 30 fish days.
Now, there are tounaments on that lake every weekend, sometimes two, and the fish are smarter, and deeper, during the day.
I just hope DVL opens as projected next March, to take some of the pressure off Castaic.

same here

[David Rogers]

Hey Dave at Clear Lake Outdoors,

Thanks for the note about the thousands of fry up in Nice, this is a very good thing. Another thing that came to my mind about Clear Lake the last year was how clear the water has been up until this year, most of my fav spots I could see down 4-8 feet even in mid summer and for those bass at Clear Lake that's like 10-15 at Oroville so those Clear Lake bass see you coming a mile away, this true stained Clear Lake water that is going on now I think will increase your catches for sure, it has for me this year over last year already. No its nothing like 2005-2007 but for me again better than 2008.

I just might have to go up again in the next 2 weeks

[some guy]

I will be up there for for 10 days starting the 4th. I have heard a lot about the place but never made a cast on it. Im attacking that place with a purpose regardless of what any report says.

[Oldschool]

Every trophy bass lakes goes through boom & bust cycles due to a combination of over harvesting a year class of big bass and poor recruitment of several year classes of bait fish.
Bait fishing spawners is the fast track to over harvesting a big bass fishery and the Clear lake guides are mostly bait fishermen.
Clear Lake is a big lake and can handle tournament and recreational fishing pressure, plus has massive weed cover to promote natural bass recruitment without stocking more bass.
It's summer and night fishing should put you onto the 4lb to 6lb bass in good numbers.
Tom

[cib11b]

I just went there two days ago, Cought tons of fish nothing under 2 lbs.. biggest was a 6.1 spawned out female.