Clear Lake Midday Update – Day 2
A leaderboard shakeup is coming thanks to big winds
Clear Lake was in a foul, foul mood this morning for the second day’s launch of the Costa FLW Series Western Division event, which is presented by Ranger Boats and hosted by Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina. Absent was the drizzly rain of yesterday, but the tradeoff was a 15- to 20-mph northwest wind that turned the lake into a washing machine.
The sudden rush of boat wakes magnified the wind’s impact, especially for those running through the Narrows to reach the lake’s deeper southern end. But the blow impacted the field well past that first 30 minutes of mayhem, too.
Obviously, rough water increases running times, but the biggest effect was that the wind blew out a bunch of spots anglers had fished on day one. Taking primary waters out of the game plan likely left several competitors scrambling for viable alternatives. Clear Lake is a big body, but when you take about half of it out of play, boats start stacking into the leeward areas, crowding one another and pounding the fishable waters.
When we caught up with second-place pro Joe Uribe Jr. around 10 a.m. He was fishing docks and tules in the lake’s south end. He says the wind blew out his main areas, so he was trying to find more of the quality fish that gave him a day-one limit of 22-8.
Overall, it looked like drop-shots were dominating the show, although we did see more anglers leveraging the windy conditions by throwing reaction baits. Jerkbaits and spinnerbaits were most common, but we also saw umbrella rigs, and Richard Dobyns was spotted boating a 4-pounder on a topwater walking bait next to a tule line.
Deeper docks, tule lines, points and rocky bars attracted most of the attention today. We also saw a couple of boats tucked into creeks and backwaters where they were probably looking for bedding fish.
The morning saw mostly cloudy skies, with the sun breaking through around 9:30. This, plus the higher air temperatures, could stimulate an afternoon bite that might deliver late-day opportunities. Fish tend hold tighter to cover during brighter periods, and that makes them easier to target than when they’re out roaming.
Also helpful, the wind declined significantly around noon. That’s going to greatly expand the playing field and the anglers’ ability to reach various spots. Whether or not the early wind exposure has muddied some of these areas beyond fishable levels will remain to be seen, but we’re expecting a leaderboard shakeup today.
Tournament details
Dates: May 16-18, 2018
Format: All boaters and co-anglers will compete for two days. The top 10 boaters and co-anglers based on cumulative weight after two days of competition will advance to the third and final round, with the winner in each category determined by the heaviest cumulative three-day weight.
Takeoff Time: 6:30 a.m. PT
Takeoff Location: Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina, 2755 Mission Rancheria Road, Lakeport, CA
Weigh-In Time: 2:30 p.m. PT
Weigh-In Location: Konocti Vista Casino Resort & Marina