Clear Lake this week...7/15/2016

[DanIsaac]

Clear Lake this week 7/15/2016

Lake level is down to 4.4 Rumsey or so, and the water temperature are hovering in the mid to high 70’s, and yes there is a daily algae bloom.

This week there is more than just an information report to share. While the fishing continues to improve overall, there is word of a major “fish kill” in the south end, and Cache Creek.

While the direct cause of this “fish kill”, or “die off” is un-clear at this time, the fact that there was a lot of air boat activity in and around the affected areas all this week may just be a coincidence, but that is doubtful. Hopefully someone will look into this, even the crawdads are headed for the hills!

Weed spraying activity seems to be at a heightened level of late, and the disappearance of massive weed lines is not encouraging, especially mid-lake south. The bite has gone along with it as well; brown water equals “no bites”.

Moving around and looking for cleaner or green water will pay off with a jig, deep crank, chatterbait, or topwater (1st thing). We spent Wednesday doing just that and were rewarded with a 32 lb. bag on deep cranks and jigs.

Last week I mis-reported that BBT was here last weekend, that was in-correct and I apologize, too many irons in the fire lately. However, BBT is here on the 23rd and 30th of July and the bite should be pretty good. A good time to jump in one for sure!

Red Bud and Clear Lake Bait and Tackle will be hosting these two events which is a change so don’t be late!

photo courtesy of Marty P.

[clearlakeoutdoors]

Fished fri am.caught fish on frogs,jigs, hula grubs ,spinnerbaits ,deep crankbaits, drop shot and senkos.Parts of the lake are green and parts are clearer.Stayed mid lake .Get out early its been Hot mid day.
Dave

[clearlakeoutdoors]

Something needs to be done about the unregulated spraying. Ive tried talking to Fish and Wildlife about it.Their answer(doesnt effect enough of the lake at once to make a difference).Next time you eat a bowl of rice think about all the chemicals dumped in the lake and all the water goes directly to the rice fields via Cache creek. People bitch about the algae , if the weeds were left alone they would filter most of it. The weeds die off every winter anyway.Last year they over did it and most of the lake turned brown because of it.
Dave

[toddmc]

How bad is the algae and the bugs? I'm contemplating making the 11.5 hour trip from SoCal at the beginning of August. I fished Clear Lake in the middle of August for many of the years from 2003 to 2009, but I haven't fished there in August for about six years because the algae stunk and the bugs stuck like glue to my boat during the last few August trips.

[DanIsaac]

Those are riice flies and are easily dealt with. Turn a credit card on its side and use it as a scraper, they come right off. Algae is not bad at all and the way things are looking August shoukd be as good as last year. Off the hook!

[Rich hamilton]

NM

[DanIsaac]

Nope. I cannot, and call the county and they say its a contracted service, plus F&W has yet to return calls, so its low on everyones totem pole.

Let a jogger find a purple toed double orange breasted
sparrow hawk dead on a trail somewhere, there would be State agencies everywhere, and it woud be all over the news. Couple thousand fish? No biggie. I have been told those spraying are paid at least partially based on the amount of material applied but I have yet to verify any of that. Cryin' shame though, Cache Creek is a mess!

[birdman920]

The weed spraying contracts are probably run just like the military !.. the more they spray the more they can apply for the next year!... it's a joke ' they could probably do the same job with a fraction of what they have sprayed this year !....

[DanIsaac]

Probably. Was informed this evening that F&W is looking into it....initial report to my source was it was due to cooler overnight temperatures last week! RIGHT!

[BigWorm]

The weed spraying contracts are probably run just like the military !.. the more they spray the more they can apply for the next year!... it's a joke ' they could probably do the same job with a fraction of what they have sprayed this year !....

I believe this is too true! Its one of those use it or lose it type of government operations. The individuals who have this comfy job spraying crap all over the lake want to keep it. If they don't spend there allotted budget this year it will get cut next year. 10 years ago, I used to see the airboat at the M&M campground and the crew was in the truck sleeping most of the day. Then they would go out and do a few laps around the island blowing pellets and head home in the afternoon.

My question is who actually wants this weed eradication to be done? What is the justification?
Who is it benefiting? The wake boarders that want to cruise really close to people fishing the bank?
I understand that there needs to be clear paths in and out of some 'residential' areas, but a lot of the shoreline is uninhabited and who gives a f*** if there are some weeds there?

If this is a taxpayer funded project there should be info available. Its not that its low on the totem pole Dan, its that they don't want to have to answer any questions. Its probably only us fisherman that are even aware that this is happening on the lake. How many thousands of pounds of what herbicide are being applied to the lake? And what would the people that live downstream think if they found out? I wonder how many 'organic' farmers are using this water downstream? Someone else needs to raise a stink about it for something to happen. Nobody cares about us fisherman and a few thousand dead bass.

Chris

[Robb R]

It's so true , use it or lose it . Only the squeaky wheel gets greased and the silent majority never wins .
If these were Salmon dying in the Delta , PETA would have people marching the State Capitol and Gavin Newsom would stand up and call out the suspects for a moral infraction .
How did our State and Country ever get so screwed up !!!
Tight lines ,
Robb