Prime Spring Bite Should Be in Play at Clear Lake

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – Tucked at the base of Mount Konocti in the heart of California wine country, Clear Lake offers a fertile playground for a field of 75 boats to chase the title at the second Toyota Series Presented by A.R.E. Western Division event. A hotbed of western tournament activity for a long time, Clear is not quite as good now as she used to be, but still an excellent tournament lake.  

About the Fishery

The oldest natural lake in North America, this 68-square-mile body of water offers a variety of cover and vegetation for bass to hide and anglers to probe for bites. The north end of the lake is a broad, shallow bowl-shaped basin with expansive vegetation comprised primarily of tules, pads, bank grass and a multitude of types of brush. The south end of the lake, dubbed “The Narrows”, does what the name implies, creating a tighter, deeper section of the lake that features more hard cover targets such as docks, riprap and rocks.

Clear Lake has fish all over it, but certain names commonly appear as key areas. Rodman Slough is often targeted out of the north end. Common south-end haunts include Red Bud and Rattlesnake branches, as well as the Cache Creek outflow. All have been known to produce potentially giant bags of largemouth that have made Clear Lake renowned in West Coast tournament fishing lore.

Current Conditions

Clear Lake finds itself in the prime spring bite as fish in all three phases of the spawn are expected to be caught and weighed this week. The Northern California fishery finds its water levels lower than normal pool by almost 5 feet, as the region has seen its worst drought in over 120 years this spring. Additionally, the lake has been windswept the last few days of practice with weather forecasts indicating the wind will keep blowing.

“It wasn’t supposed to be windy the last couple of days, but it’s blowing pretty hard out there,” said California standout Logan Huntze. “Tomorrow should be even worse I’m assuming. It’s probably going to hurt some people, sight fishing might be out of the loop unless you can find some protected areas to see in. It could help the bite for some people too who are throwing a reaction lure trying to get a big bite.”

Huntze expects the waves of fish moving up to spawn to continue in the next three days as warm weather and relatively sunny skies should help improve the bite throughout the week.

“I’ve been catching them both prespawn and postspawn,” said Huntze. “There’s a lot that haven’t spawned yet and I expect new ones to be moving up each day onto beds. But there a lot that have spawned as well.”

Tactics in Play

Sight fishing may be difficult this week, but if an angler can find their way into the right protected water, there’s still a potential to see a few fish come off beds.  Otherwise, Clear Lake will be wide open for anglers to get after it with their favorite tactics. Sight fishing and big swimbaits often rule the day at Clear Lake this time of the year, but Huntze says other springtime staples or surprises could come into play.

“We could see some topwater fish, a crankbait, ChatterBait and then [we will see] a lot of worming. Anywhere from a Senko, drop-shot, to a Neko rig,” he said. “You may even see some reaction stuff I didn’t mention, there’s always something out there, you never know.”

Critical Factors

•  Triggering big bites – Clear Lake has a plethora of 2- to 3-pound bass but catching quality fish that put you in the 20-pound range will set you apart from the crowd.
• Timing and rotation – Huntze expects boats to be in all parts of the lake but expects to still see competitor traffic grouped together in those areas. The anglers that can manage their time and be most productive in their areas (especially for anyone daring enough to sight fish) will have a huge advantage on the field.

Dock Talk

Huntze expects Clear Lake to have a solid showing this time around. But local pressure and a lack of sight-fishing friendly conditions could temper the overall weight needed to win.

“I think 64 to 66 pounds will likely take it,” Huntze said. “I think someone will have 25 (one day) but not all three days. Over 20 pounds (a day) or more will be what separates you. If you can catch over 20 then I think you’re set up pretty good. There’s a lot of 2 to 3 pounders in here, what will set people apart is getting the big bite.”

Previous results from Clear Lake support Huntze’s estimations, as it took Kyle Grover 66-13 to take home the title in 2019 and Tai Au claimed the 2020 title with 63-3. Another high weight derby could be on the horizon.