Clear Lake, California "Kayak Night Ops"

[Ring King]

Charms (Chris Harms) and I launched our Hobie Pro Anglers last night on Clear Lake at around 7pm. The wind was a little breezy but it was warm and not too busy on the lake so I had high hopes of a successful outing. The evening started slow with only one strike on a frog before night fell. It wasn't until around 10pm that things started heating up.

We fished near mid lake in an area that I frequent a good bit so we headed for one of my favorite community holes that has always been good to me in the past. It's a nice moderate sloping drop off from the bank to about 8ft and then it quickly falls off to almost 20ft within a cast's distance. The breeze was blowing across the point and we found that the fish were sitting in 8-10ft of water on the leeward side of the point most likely ambushing bait being blown across the lake by the wind. That one spot accounted for around eight fish and set me up with a pattern for the rest of the night. We worked all over that part of the lake trying to find similar depth and weed patterns as the fish were being very predictable and willing to eat my offerings.

By the time it was said and done (7am!!!) I had landed quite a few nice bass with only one falling below the Kayak Wars minimum of 16". My two biggest fish for the night were 22.25" and 22" both right around the 7lb mark. In total I had 24-25lbs of fish with my best five for a total of 101.25"! It was another great night on Clear Lake!!

[Tater]

Were there any skeeters out?

[Rodney]

Those Cali bass don't play!

[Ring King]

No skeeters! We don't get them here like back home. I'd imagine the drought has a lot to do with that. It was breezy last night though so they'd have had a tough time getting us anyway!

[beanhunter]

Good looking fish. Had my wife's uncle in from Cali two weeks ago. We got to talking about you and how you fish out there a lot. He just got into bass fishing about a year ago and is loving it. He has been fishing w a buddy of his on clear lake and what he calls the marshes. Unsure of what he was referring to.
I did do some talking. Matt he told me I was welcome to stay with him if I could get you to take me hunting out there. I'd love to find a cinnamon. I enjoy the layout hunting and if you aren't opposed to it I'd like to make a trip. Can't do it this season but if you haven't jumped again maybe the following.

[Ring King]

You're welcome to come out for a trip.

I'd like to find a cinnimon too!!! I can find them pretty regularly during the summertime but come duck season they vanish. I've actually got a pair nesting on a small pond right now about a half mile from my house! I know I can go to one of the Refuge hunts on Delevan or down in the grasslands to get them but I just haven't planned that trip out yet. A three hour drive each way for a mornings duck hunt is a little much! Ill do it if I have to in order to check off that species but it won't be a regular occurance!

I would assume by "marshes" he's either talking about the Delta or the upper Bay Area. Either way, I hunt and fish both of those all the time!!

[beanhunter]

Yep. That's right. He kept saying delta. That's what I was trying to remember. I sent him back west with some soft plastics I used to use. I fished a few of the local tourneys here and had all sorts of old stuff that worked well. I can't think of the name of some he said they were using but I had never heard of them.
As far as ducks go I'll stay in touch. Hope you get the cinnamon, I'll be looking for it this season!

[Tater]

No skeeters! We don't get them here like back home. I'd imagine the drought has a lot to do with that. It was breezy last night though so they'd have had a tough time getting us anyway!

Heaven.

[Catdaddy]

Nice catch.


What baits were you using?


You ever do any spy baiting out there?

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

[Swamp Rat]

I LOVE bass fishing at night during the summer....

[Ring King]

I own a few of the Duo Realis spinbait 80s but I'm not a finesse fisherman. I guess growing up in the South has made me a die hard power fisherman! I'm the guy fishing ultra clear water with 25lb PLine PF and a 10" swim bait. I'd rather do that anyday than to drop to 4lb test, a 1/0 hook, and a 4" dropshot worm. That's just not my style of fishing!

ALL my fish Friday night came on a D&M Custom Baits 1/2oz Piranha Swim Jig in Black Red Flash. I started using D&M Custom Baits about 3 months ago and have jumped on board in a big way. They're blades swim jigs (although not in production at this time due to a lawsuit by ZMan) are far and above the competition in quality. They're buzz baits and soft plastics are awesome and just flat out catch fish!!!

[Rubberhead*]

What's up with the 'three' - some kind of Southern California gang sign you learned?

[Ring King]

Hahaha must be!! I never noticed it before but looking through some of my other pics shows that it has become the norm for these kind of shots!!

Apparently it depends on the size of the fish though. This eight pounder from my Delta Kayak Bass Series tournament last weekend only got 2.5 fingers.



This Clear Lake seven pounder got the same 2.5 fingers.