Our summer has certainly made a hasty retreat and fall set in practically overnight. With daytime highs in the 70's and low 80's and overnight lows in the 30's the lake temp is dropping rapidly. (Low 60's now.) Our fall winds have also come up and conspired with the dramatically cooler temperatures to have a rather beneficial effect on the lake - it's clear as gin in most places.  I confidently say that we're well done with the algae problems we faced throughout the hot summer months. We can now look forward to a wonderful fall of fishing on our magnificent Clear Lake.  The bass bite is in a typical fall pattern - with some anglers doing well and others struggling to adapt. The catfish bite just keeps right on going. And, we are looking forward to the first signs of a crappie bite.  Welcome anglers to fall fishing on Clear Lake!
 
Bass anglers are using lipless crank baits, swim baits, and drop shot rigs along with live jumbo minnows for best effect. Those anglers with the best results targeted the areas with deep water transitions such as ledges and drop offs. Submerged rock piles will also garner a lot of attention this time of year.  Some anglers have found success in water as shallow as 3 or 4 feet early in the day with most fish coming from the deeper water as the day wears on. 
 
Catfish anglers are still enjoying a sound bite on the whiskerfish. Anglers fishing mackerel, shrimp or crawdads have seen the most success.  Live jumbo minnows are also a good bet this time of year. Fish deeper standing docks from shore or drift slowly through some of the well know catfish holes such as Bass Alley, Jago Bay, or off Rocky Point in the Redbud arm. Fish Henderson Point or Horseshoe Bend up north for good results. The Glenhaven reef and northern Clearlake Oaks areas have also been productive.
 
I'm pleased as punch that the lake conditions are improving so well. The fall season is one of my favorite on Clear Lake.
 
In our sporting event news this week I bring you the Lake Friends of NRA's THREE GUN DRAWING.  The Lake Friends of NRA folks are giving away three great firearms - a Kimber Custom II .45 ACP pistol, a sweet Remington 870 Tactical 12 ga. shotgun, and a Smith & Wesson M&P15 AR style rifle. The drawing is to be held on December 12th. Tickets are $20 each. Buy 10 tickets and receive a gold ticket entry to an additional drawing for a Front Sight Course Certificate!  Tickets are available at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake, Rick's Guns & Lake County Guns both in Lakeport, JR's Engine Repair in Lakeport, and Last Chance in Lower Lake. Get your tickets early before they're sold out! 
 
Lastly, we're putting together a Hunter Safety class for the fall. You'll find more information on our Events & Classes page at www.994Fish.com. While you're there, sign up for our Events & Classes newsletter by following the link at the bottom of the page and we'll email you details when the dates are confirmed.
 
Hope to see you soon...
 
-Bob Rider, Owner