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Monday, July 7th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 78.6

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Finally back on the water! Started at 7pm & actually caught a few during daylight! Started at Wheeler & nailed a 3.5 on a crankbait with the 3rd cast. Caught 6 on jigs until moonset at around midnight! That's when the jig bite hopped a train out of town & it took us an hour or so to figure out it left! Started getting bit on Texas rigged Kinami Noris bug (the one that's discontinued) of course! They also started hitting the spinnerbait as well so we stuck it out til it started getting light. We finished with 15, our best five going 5.2, 4.6, 4.4, 4.2, & 3.7 for a limit of 21.5. We were happy with that since we haven't been on the lake for two months! Fished south as always & we managed to pull 2 off of Frazier! Fished Konocti & dollar island as well.

    Tips: Keep moving around. We caught them by one's as they weren't stacked anywhere. They were in 8-15 ft as we were fished just outside the weedline. Weeds & algae were not as bad as we were expecting & that was a,bonus! We were a little concerned as we didn't see much baitfish, the Silversides aren't out yet. Hopefully they show up soon so the fish will get fat this fall. Larry will be happy that I caught some daylight fish! Stay tuned for tomorrow night!

Saturday, July 5th, 2014

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    Water Temp: Did not bring t

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: OK, I have never landed a frog fish, yes I said it, 20 plus year of bass fishing and only 3 hook ups and none landed but I have only thrown a frog for 8 hrs total in my life, My largest bass to date is a 11.2 on a crank bait, 10 lber on a drop shot and many 9's and 8's on jigs and swim baits but nothing, not even a 1 lber on a frog so one object this year has been to get a frog fish, I don't care how big. I did my homework, watched ton's of Bobby's, Allen's, Ish's video's on Youtube you name it I watched it so I went to Jimmy's tackle shop at Red bud and bought 2 more frogs, Allen's favorite River2Sea spittin Wa in black Yellow and a another guy who posted a great video was using Spro Poppin frog in white. Jimmy said the Frog bite has been yearly and late, not much in mid day so I am off the bank (did not bring the boat on this family trip to visit family) I get to the bank at 5:35 and toss the River2sea about 30 yards out and start poppin her back in, I get the frog in to about 10 yards from the bank and it happened !! A 10.75 25.75 inch long spawned out female hammers my frog, I did not have a chance to count to 2 or 3 like I should because she had it in her mouth and was trying to pull the rod out of my hands so I just put the wood to her and did not worry about my 65 lb braid breaking, the next thing I knew I was looking a my 2nd biggest bass I ever caught lying in front of me !! I would have been happy with any size fish landed on a frog but a 10.75 !! If I would have caught that fish before she spawned she would have been my largest, after all I would have only need a few more oz to beat 11.2 :)Special thanks to all the guys who submit reports and video's and especially those who don't just show what they are using and how to use it but show you where and I mean actually locations on bodies of water like Larry did a few reports back but I understand why most do not because they are tournament fishermen and don't want to give those location away and I would not either, its their income ! :).

    Tips: Pray WWJD POP POP Pause, POP POP POP Pause for 1 fish in 3.5 hrs, not much of a tip :) My fish was not around weeds, she was in about 4-5 feet of water between 2 docks in open water with very little weeds around. I did fish my frogs around and on top of weeds and mats but no luck not even a blow up. Best tip I could give for right now is fish from 30 min before dark to 30 min after sun up, from all the guys I talked to the bite has been dying after 6:30 AM and they have had to work really had to get those day time bites.

Friday, July 4th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 77-82

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Mike Sperbeck and I did a late afternoon/night trip Wednesday, but it was mostly about the daylight part. After dark the wind got pretty ugly and we left at midnight. I started off great - for a FEW seconds! I brought a very bass up to the surface. She shook her head and went one way - and my jig - the other! Big fish! Can't complain with two 9's that made it INTO the boat in the last month! The bite after that was fair - Mike with a near 4 lber and me with two, approx. 4 1/4 and 4 3/4 lbs. We landed a few smaller ones, but that was about it. After 11 pm the wind was simply getting worse and we left. My Z521 rode the surf pretty well going back to Red Bud - big swells!!

    Tips: The jig continues to work for me - even into the summer! Water color was pretty good as we got above Red Bud. Lots of weeds showing now. All our bass were on rock structure. Even made the rough trip over to Henderson - first time this year. Wind was awful but we did land a few. I have hit Frazier Point for three successive times, and I think it is finally fished out? Those fish all live up north now - LOL!!

Monday, June 23rd, 2014

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    Water Temp: 75

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: I just got back from a family reunion at Clear Lake and I did a lot of fishing over 8 days. We went up there on the 14th with the hopes of a hot frog bite, but we quickly learned that the frog bite was basically non-existent as we had 3 hits on frogs all week. We started fishing main lake points and weed flats on the southern shore between Lakeport and Kelseyville and found some nice fish on Blue/Black Senkos fished weightless. We caught 10 fish over the first 2 days and only 1 of them was under 3 lbs with the biggest going 5 1/4 lbs. Later in the week we found males and a few females still locked onto beds and spent a lot of time sight fishing. We caught a good number of fish using white senkos with the biggest one being 5 1/2 lbs.
    City: Elk Grove

    Tips: Fishing was slow, but the quality was great. I did see a lot of people fishing outside weedlines and doing well for numbers, but we were catching bigger fish than all of the people we talked to. Focus on those main lake points and flats with senkos and pitch weighted crawdad baits at outside weed lines as this is what we heard was working there. The fish are still up in the shallows and apparently are still spawning so don't forget to check around docks for bedding fish as that can be a lot of fun! Good luck and tight lines!

Wednesday, June 11th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 78-86

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: This is a fun report to do, but VERY general - because of the important tournament starting today. I hope it will be a good tournament! Why I guide day trips during heat spells is beyond me - but - that's part of the job! Where is the famous Clear Lake wind when you need it!!!! Water was absolutely flat most of the time. Anyway, the bite was slow most of Mon and Tues - but there was some excitement! The great news came yesterday when my Monday client called (Tues) and told me he landed his personal best yesterday - 6 lbs 10 oz - about 4 pm. He caught her on the first rockpile I showed him on Monday. He also caught a 3 1/2 pounder with me - first fish at the first place we stopped! Yesterday I took another client - new to the lake - preparing him for his week at the lake. Bite was simply dead for us, but I thought the teaching was good - LOL! For some reason, I decided to throw a jig again - to see if I could prolong winter!! A nice bass thot so and we netted a 5+ pounder! Then my client lands the token catfish - 8 to 10 lbs, then finally his first CL bass - about 2 lbs. I continued to show him lots of good areas to fish in the coming days. At 1:30 pm - temp pushing 100 degrees - I showed him a popular tournament tourist stop, and we started to fish. I picked up my jig rod with the 10# test Berkely flexline that I had NOT retied after the 5 lber and made a few casts while explaining to him the area we were fishing - along with a few "big bass" stories. Wasn't paying much attention to my jig until something weird was going on. The "rock" was moving, but didn't bite. I set the hook - in case - and the rock really moved! Soon I got a glimpse of the rock - oh my!! I fought the rock for awhile - then handed the rod to the client. "Let's get her" I said. Fun netting your own fish - and it wasn't easy! Again - had to use both hands to get her in - all 9+ pounds of her! After quick photos - we got her back in the water and off she went! I still can't believe that happened. As I told both of my clients - "You just NEVER know" - at Clear Lake!!

    Tips: I won't bore you with anything more. Wonderful clients experiencing a "HOT" bite - and we're not talking fishing action!!

Monday, June 2nd, 2014

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    Water Temp: 77 water is cl

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Weather: clear warm 90s
    Lake Level: 1.82 above rumsey but dropping\Best Depths: 1ft -30ft
    topwater bite has improved
    senkos, jigs, chatterbaits all are good
    Events: WON Bass open 6/11-6/13
    Guide Information: clearlake outdoors\Name & Number: 707-262-5852

    Tips: fished aba on sunday caught our fish on buzzbaits, chatterbaits and flipping had 21.98
    mcgeochs won with over 27

Saturday, May 24th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 66-70

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: I think I was reminded of what post-spawn is about - at least on Wed. I took 2 fellows out - showing them how to fish the lake and - unfortunately - how slow the bite can be. What a difference in 4 days - big weed growth and ugly looking water - big algae bloom. Not sure if that shut the bite down - but something did! Two smaller bass only, 1 1/2 and 2 1/4 pounders, caught on Yamamoto Flappin' hogs. They wanted to start at 7:30 am, earlier might have been better.

    Tips: Things will be up and down for the next week or two. Post spawn bite should get going about the first or second week of June. Should be a weedy summer.

Wednesday, May 14th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 66-71

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Just a quick report - Mike and I did the lake from 5 pm to a little after midnight. The lake was flat calm - what a concept!!! We worked the east and west shore of the Clearlake arm and found the fishing excellent for medium size bass. Mike got the catfish award this time - about 15 lbs. He also got the big bass award at 6.91 lbs, just before we quit. It was the night of the 4 1/2's - about 7 or 8 bass in that approx. 4 1/2 lb range. Not bad. Two of mine were just under 5 lbs, but Mike's big one was the only over 5 lbs. Action was spotty but consistant the whole trip. Fish were from 3-4 feet down to 20 already. Tule banks with rock were good last night. We did manage a nice post-spawn limit of 26 lbs with around 25 nice bass and a few dinks.

    Tips: My, how the lake can change in 4 days - besides the flat water. Weed growth has been amazing with the warm days and some area with nasty looking floating stuff. That will change when the wind returns this weekend. The jig bite continues to be good for us, as well as the Senko bite before dark. A variety of Berkley Havoc baits were good too - black/blue. Mike and I were amazed at some of the savage hits we had after dark. Wow!! We were setting in self-defense! Not sure why that was unless the warm spell and post spawn hunger pangs fired 'em up.

Saturday, May 10th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 62-66

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: I just looked at the wind speeds at Clear Lake for today (Sat). What a year for wind - maybe the worst I can remember at Clear Lake. I had a very good angler/client Thursday afternoon/night, and we were supposed to repeat on Friday. We started Friday about2:30 pm and lasted 'til about 7 pm. The lake was just like an ocean - went in for safety's sake! One 5 pounder and a dink - no post-front bite at all!. Thursday, in clouds and light rain, the bass (and catfish) were on the bite. My client and I were catching 3 1/2 to 4 1/2 pl bass, then they got bigger. After he landed one near 5 lbs, I got the "crunch" bite - and it was a good one. She went 9 lbs even - my first 9 of the year and 2nd 9 in the boat! After releasing the fish, he sticks another big one, but comes off in a few seconds. This was all around 7:30 pm. After dark the bite was fair but fishing was difficult as the wind was swirling. A bit north of Frazier Point, I got this huge hit in about 2 feet of water. I was very excited for about 30 seconds, and then - "Oh No!!" The 15 minute battle was on - and I won - I guess one can say that. Finally in the net, a near 24 lb channel catfish. At least this one didn't break my line - Berkley 12 lb fluorocarbon. She hit a jig! We quit about 1 am with a 28 lb limit of bass and a 24 lb one fish limit of catfish, LOL!!!

    Tips: There isn't really much to say as this venture to Clear Lake was not typical! I am very happy to personally see several 8's and two 9's in my boat. Quality has been excellent in the south end this year, as CLum just mentioned in his previous post. I am just so disturbed about all the tournament fish going not only to the casino, but now all the way to Nice. With the very low water levels that are ahead of us, and the possible low oxygen levels this summer, I hope their survival rate is ok. Some of you younger anglers better hope it is! The future is yours!!

Thursday, May 8th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 62

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Looking back on the trip, about half the fish we caught were spawned out & half were still carrying eggs so it appears that there's a gap with pre spawn & post spawn. It was nice to see such a strong reaction bite, when they hit, they usually crushed the tackle! The fish all seemed healthy with good color & deep red gills. They fought like the dickens & I hope the bite keeps on going! If you can get to Clear Lake, do it! So far it's been one heck of a season! (Best one I've seen so far!)

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    Water Temp: 61.2-63.0

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Pretty much the same as last night, we started earlier at 7:00pm got to fish Wheeler Point & picked up a nice 7.9 on a jig. After 30 minutes, the wind really picked up so we headed back to Frazier Point & Konocti. We caught a few more jig & managed one Carolina rig fish on a 10" red shad power worm. The rest came on reaction with the big 6th Sense & blades. Our best five went 7.9, 5.13, 5.9, 5.2, 4.10 for a best limit of 28.11. Not bad when you consider the wind really limited the spots we could fish!

    Tips: They were deeper tonight, in the 15-25ft range, all relating to rock structure. Made it out to dollar island but got blanked out there. Colors were Brown's again with some red thrown in. This trip was about wind. We used bigger & heavier baits just to get to the bottom structure & also not having our casts blown back in our face. We wore our vests 100% of the time& took no unnecessary chances. We fished rather slow presentations & the strikes were hard. This lake is one of my favorites, the bites still good so have fun & stay safe! Also, they were stacked so if you get bit, throw back to the spot, you might get hit again!

Wednesday, May 7th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 60.4

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: What a difference a day makes! The jig and Texas rig bite went south but there was a decent reaction bite! We only boated 14 & they were smaller, but there was enough action to keep it interesting. Got on at 9:00pm & was off by 2:00am. The wind was terrible limiting the spots we could fish. We were using the 6th Sense Crush 500Dr (large deep diving crank) running it slow & bouncing it off the bottom. We also threw single Colorado blade spinnerbaits running them slow. We fished Konocti Bay again because of the wind. We caught one jig & one Carolina fig fish, the rest came on reaction. Our best five went: 6.8, 5.4. 4.7, 4.4, 4.2 for a total of 24.9.

    Tips: They were in 15-20ft off Rocky points, got quite a few off Frazier point. We were throwing the crank as far as we could, reel done fast for the first few turns, then slow rolled it the rest of the way in. They crushed it when they hit it. We had no luck with the Luckycraft 20d as it was too light to cast in the wind. We put on the 6th Sense for the weight & started getting strikes with it. Jimmy from Clearlake Bait & Tackle turned us on to them!

Tuesday, May 6th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 61

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Ted & I hit the water at 11pm Monday waiting for the wind to die down. It was pretty bad so we didn't venture too far from our ramp. Fishing, however, was good! We nailed 3 fish on our first 4 casts, a couple of 3's & one 4 lber's. We got them on crankbaits & they clobbered the bait! Pulled out the jig rod & got two nice 7lber's, one was spawned out & the other was still heavy with roe. The night was very consistent for us, we boated 21 fish with our best 5 going 7.13, 7.4,7.2, 5.13, & 5.8 for a best limit of 33.8 which we were happy about because we,didn't know what to expect with the wind. Fish were in 10-15ft of water & were very active. We caught them on crankbaits, blades, swimbaits, jigs, & Texas rigs.

    Tips: We were throwing the Luckycraft D20, single Colorado blades, Berkeley 5" swimbaits in Hitch, Skinnybear 1/2 oz Griz jig with Damiki Knockout trailers. Texas,rigged double wide beavers from reaction innovation also worked. Colors were Brown's with red flake. We worked the jigs & Texas rigs rather fast with pronounced hops. We stayed in Konocti Bay & played shuck & duck with the wind. We threw against the wind otherwise you couldn't feel the baits. They were mostly in rocky structure, but we were very limited in unusable fishing spots. We were lucky that the fish were stacked up on the spots we could fish! Hope the wind lays down tomorrow.

Sunday, May 4th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 64-69

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: Timing was better this trip as we were able to beat the incoming cold front by a few hours Friday. I guided a father, son, and friend from 5 pm 'til 1 am and found the fishing to be excellent! They had all made pre-trip bets and all I heard the first few hours was who owed who 5 bucks!!! That was fun since they were all doing well. The "friend" landed a 7 pounder, while I started making a few casts before dark to see if a jig was working and a 6 1/4 pounder told us it was! So, their 4 and my 1 made a limit of near 26 lbs before dark - about 3 hrs. After sandwiches and a small break, the heavy artillery came out along with their first experience fishing with a black light. They loved it and the bass put up quite a show as they jumped before we landed or lost them. Two of the guys each lost a big bass! In spite of that, the bite was good and they landed enough to bring their total to around 27-28 bass. The guys landed around 12 or 13 bass over 4 lbs. The "son" caught fire around midnight and landed 6 or 7 in a row - while the other just couldn't figure out what he was doing. As I have said before, sometimes the "back seater" rules!! I thought the trip back to the ramp might be a problem with the worsening wind, but the Z521 did fine!

    Tips: All of their bass except my 6 were in the top 10 feet of water - some right on the bank! I just fished off and on a little after dark and only caught 2 more. All of their bass before dark were caught on 5" Senkos, mostly #301. After dark, the new Berkley 5" Chigger Craw proved its worth! That WAS the hot bait and the one that "son" was using during his hot streak. I think I had him using the green craw color. The double-wide beaver worked also. Did not try any worms yet. We stuck with rocky areas with nearby flats for most of the trip. They caught several on dock pilings also. Some manmade rock walls held fish too, but most are too shallow to hold the bigger females.

Saturday, April 26th, 2014

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    Water Temp: ?

    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Now I have an excuse to thank the fellow who made the previous post. I appreciate it!! This is a very windy report. I had to postpone my trips last night and today. Two or three boats were pulling out after fishing for awhile out of Red Bud - too rough. And next week is supposed to be in the 80's. Timing is everything!!

    Tips: Usually the cold front recovery period this time of year is pretty fast. Sun is higher now and the water should warm again quickly. Could be a spawning wave this week - new moon period.

Thursday, April 24th, 2014

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    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Larry, I live in Oregon and only get to fish Clear Lake a couple times a year, but I read these reports all the time. I hope you don't get frustrated being the only one that posts. I appreciate the time you put into it. Good news is, I'll be there for 7 days starting this Saturday! Maybe we'll run into you on the water and I can buy you a beer. Thanks Larry!
    City: Merlin

    Tips: Sorry WB, it's not a fishing report, but Larry's a one man show here.

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    Water Temp: 61-64

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: It's nice to know that no one is fishing Clear Lake anymore - at least no one that can post a report! Mike Sperbeck and I will have the lake to ourselves, as we did yesterday afternoon. We start about 5 pm out of Red Bud - again - fighting the wind. We fished what protected areas we could and starting catching bass from 10 inches to 3 1/2 lbs. For the rest of the trip, the wind was a problem, but manageable. Just before dark the size changed and we were into better bass! I lost the biggest which I often do, probably 7 to 9 lbs, but did land the biggest at 6 1/4 lbs. We caught five between 5 and 5 3/4 lbs which gave us a 30/30 trip. Around 30 bass with our limit at 31 lbs. Interesting - all those males that were thick in the shallows last Thursday with my father/2 sons trip - were mostly gone. We fished about 6 1/2 hours.

    Tips: Senkos were very good before dark, and the jig bite was back - hooray!! A few Berkley Havoc baits worked too. After dark the jig bite was still on as well as large plastics like the Berkley jumbo Chigger Craw (finally - a bigger craw) and 3 sizes of Reaction Innovation beavers. Bass were in attack mode and "I think I have a bite" mode. Every hit was different. I'm not sure what will happen at far as the spawn will go in the south arms. Water temp has not risen and should drop some this weekend. Dark of the moon is next Wed and weather will be much warmer. Maybe a pop in the action!!

Friday, April 18th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 60-65

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: "You've Got Mail" - a fun movie, can apply to the Clear Lake south end this week - "you've got male" - as in bass males!! They were everywhere yesterday afternoon/night. A father with his 12 and 14 year old sons nailed about 17or 18 of them yesterday, not counting the ones they lost. They were clones - males from 2 1/2 to 3 3/4 lbs. They were even successful after dark during their first night trip (dad too) ever. The boys really out-fished dad, until they ran out of gas around 11 pm. Great casters too - amazing! Later in the evening, I tried to catch a big fish for them to see, but was 0 for 3 - couldn't get them in while fighting the wind. After dark I was trying different baits for them to use but only caught 2, about the same size.

    Tips: We had a bumpy ride back to the dock, but all were safe and sound. Do I ever love my Ranger Z521!! The wind after dark was most frustrating. I think I know more about night wind there than anyone - but then it will change again. Last night it simply blew every-which-way, sometimes 2 directions at once. It even calmed down - for about 15 minutes - then changed directions again! Gotta love that lake!! I had them fishing many plastic baits with the new Berkely 5" Flappin' hog stealing the show. I had the kids using my favorite color, #954. The bass ate it before and after dark. Make sure you use a wide gap hook for baits like that. We were using the Gami superline EWG 4/0 hooks. My friend Jim Grassi was using that hook with me last week when he landed his 9.06 bass. All of our bass during the whole trip were very shallow - 5 to 15 feet - probably because of the wind.

Monday, April 14th, 2014

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    Water Temp: 64-69

    Water Clarity: Stained (2-4 foot visibility)

    Report: I had two outstanding guests Friday and Saturday nights with one of them landing his personal best at 9.06 lbs - AT 1:20 am!! Some of you know of Jim Grassi, now Pastor Jim Grassi, one of the early tournament anglers and author of several articles and books on bass fishing and more recently on living a fulfilling Christian life. He is responsible for my career in bass fishing since he started bassin' first - talked me into going to Berryessa - where I caught my first ever bass - on topwater! Never been the same since!! After all these years, I really think I was more excited about his 9 lber than he was - my way of repaying him! My other guest was none other than former Oakland Raiders head coach and now assistant coach of the super bowl champs Seattle Seahawks, Tom Cable. Let me tell you - he may be a major NFL coach, but he is also a terrific bass fisherman! His casting ability - even at night - is simply amazing! He also owns a Ranger Z521 so he was right at home in mine! We fished Friday from 5 pm to 2 am, found the bite to be good before dark and then dead until midnight. Tom started the midnight bite with a 5.26 pounder, using a double wide Beaver. I fished some during the two nights and after his fish I broke a giant off - second time this year, ugh!! Tom lost a big one too. Literally on his last cast, Jim set on a big one - the 9 pounder! We had a little over 26 lbs for our limit, but it could have been a lot bigger!! Saturday it did not warm up as forcast and the night was breezy, cool, and then windy. Fishing was tougher, though Tom did catch 8 nice bass. He never stopped casting every minute of the two night we were out there, except to munch on a sandwich. Sat night I did manage a 4 1/4 and a 6.1 pounder. Tom's biggest was around 4 1/2 lbs. Lots of 3 to 4 lbers the second night.

    Tips: In spite of Mr. Cable being a great guy and now a friend - I AM still a loyal 49er fan! I was able to discuss a few Super Bowl plays with him - very cool!!! Jim and Tom were lots of fun too! As for baits, we threw everything at them and they had some of their own baits. All soft plastics. I couldn't get a single jig bite. We stayed in the south end. Bass were in the top 15 feet the first night - some deeper the second night. I think Jim's 9 pounder was about 5 to 7 feet deep.

Tuesday, April 8th, 2014

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    Water Clarity: Muddy (0-2 foot visibility)

    Report: Ok George, they're posted in photo section. Sorry that they're of single fish, we release them immediately after pics.

    Tips: They are really healthy & full of fight!