Howdy All. The fishing reports and weather for Clear Lake are mixed this week. We've got plenty of sunshine, but not that much warmth. Our nights have been in the low 30's with some frost on the ground and rooftops. Daytime highs are in the 60's. The water temp is averaging about 54 degrees throughout the lake. The forecast for the weekend is much of the same, with Saturday being the warmest day at 70 degrees. As for the fishing, the morning bite is slower with a pickup in activity in the afternoon and early evening times. Here are the species reports:

Bass are biting well on live jumbo minnows. (The minnow bite has been pretty consistent for weeks now with the exception of a slow down with the last storm front that blew through the area.) We're stocking DOUBLE the number of minnows to keep well on top of the demand. (On the order of two hundred dozen each week!) For those going with artificials I would say that jigs, Senkos, and drop shotting rule the roost right now. Jig colors are black/blue or brown/purple with trailers like double tail grubs, Sweet Beavers, or craws. Variations of the dark colored Senkos are tops ??? watermelon/black & red flake, green pumpkin, etc. And for the drop shot rigs ??? finesse worms like Robo's Margarita Mutilator, Salt River Craw, or Witches T are all in the mix. Now depth is a key issue this week. And this is where the report varies a bit?Ķ We're hearing that the bass have moved out from shore somewhat. I'd look to the 12 ??? 18 foot depth to produce well. However, if we do get mid-day temps in the 70's over the weekend, we may very well see some nice fish up cruising the shallows.

The crappie report has finally changed a bit. Let's move from the doom and gloom reports of no crappie to the encouraging reports of some crappie being caught in modest numbers. Experienced crappie anglers are finding crappie in 8 ??? 10 feet of water around poles, rocks, and submerged brush at the south end of the lake. The best bite has been between 10 pm and 2 am. The resulting bag is about 15 fish for the effort on live bait.

The catfish report hasn't changed much, so I'll keep it simple. Jumbo minnows, mackerel or nightcrawlers are doing the trick. Fish the shoreline areas and be patient. I can't comment on the drift fishing bite as the wind has been to prominent for this technique. Most folks fishing for cats are catching them. Sizes range from 2 pounds to 20 pounds.

This is Easter weekend and our store will be closed on Sunday so we can be with our families. We'll have plenty of bait on hand for you to get your goods on Saturday if you'll be on the water Sunday. Plan ahead and buy early. We'll give you tips for keeping your bait fresh overnight.