The sun returns to Clear Lake, the fishing gets a nice boost from warmer temps, and fishermen are enjoying an early spring bite. Water temps are lingering in the upper 40's. Bass and cats have all been cooperative this week, but the mighty crappie remain elusive. The weather forecast is calling for some downright wonderful weather heading through the weekend and into next week. Now's a great time to get your line wet!

Bass anglers have had a ton of great stuff to report this week. First, the lake level is up to nearly four feet and we're starting to see tule beds produce some nice fish. Many of the pro/am tournament fishermen on the lake currently are finding some quality fish in the 2 to 4 foot depth using shaky heads, finesse worms, and jigs. Also working for the artificials guys are the lipless cranks over ledges with 10 ??? 15 foot depth transitions. Our folks fishing live jumbo minnows are finding that success is easier to come by. The same areas are working well. Find yourself some newly flooded areas with isolated stands of tules and get in close with a live minnow. Or fish the transitional areas, docks, and walls. We're definitely seeing the onset of a spring bite.

Crappie hunters have been tight lipped this week. I've seen no crappie that have been caught, but I'm hearing of good crappie fishing in some undisclosed locations. One could speculate as to where they're being found?Ķ But alas I'll wait until we hear something more concrete.

Catfishermen are having a ball catching cats to 20 plus pounds. The mouth of Cache Creek and Indian Island have both been productive spots for my customers. Other areas where water turns from stained (from rain runoff) to clear have been productive. Use mackerel, anchovies, or live minnows for best results.

Enjoy the spring-like weather that's on order for the weekend. We hope to see you here in the shop.