Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3611 May 12-26, 2017 | Page 24

22 May 12-26, 2017 MAP FEATURE VOL.36 • ISS. 11 Clear Lake offers lots of public docks and shoreline access for anglers to target crappie, bass and catfish. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. Clear Lake Crappie On Big Spring Bite C lear Lake in Lake County, the largest natural lake found entirely within California, is known as the “Bass Capital of the West,” but the crappie explosion at the lake over the past three years could earn it the name of “Crappie Capital” at least of California, also. Since February, anglers have been catching lots of black crappie from docks and the shoreline throughout the lake. Although fish over 3 pounds have been reported, fish in the 11 to 12 inch class have been more common. Paul Myer, former Fish Sniffer business consultant, and I experienced outstanding crappie action on a recent trip to the lake, catching one fish after another. “The good bite is early so I suggest you get there about 7:30 am,” Myer told me in an email the night before. “We can catch a bunch of crappie and then we can go to lunch? Let me know if that works for you.” I responded, “That sounds great,” and then headed up to the lake that morning. I drove along Highway 20 through Clear Lake Oaks and was ex- cited to see the shoreline and the hills surrounding the lake a verdant green with wildflowers blooming at lots of locations. The lake was full; at one point ear- lier this year the Lake County Board of Supervisors had closed the lake to mo- torized boating briefly because of the potential danger to shoreline homes and trailers caused by boat wakes on the flooded lake. However, the water level has receded now. When I arrived at the private docks where he has been fishing, we began casting out our lures. “All I’ve been using is 1/16 ounce Mini Jigs with no extra weight,” Myer said. “Your best bet is to cast out and slowly retrieve the lure.” Myer soon hooked a crappie and lost it. “Some days they slam the jigs and other days it the bite is a little slower,” he tipped. Three years ago, there was very successful crappie spawn around the lake. Those fish began showing up as 3 to 5 inches the next year, up to 10 inches last year and up to 14 inches this year. Of course, since there are different year classes swimming in the lake, your next fish could be a 3 to 4 lb. trophy. I tossed out the same jig that Myer was using and begin hooking Dan Bacher, Fish Sniffer Editor, had a great time battling this chunky crappie. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff. one fish after another, most in the 10 to 12 inch range, with some smaller and a few larger fish mixed in. It was an absolute blast and called to mind the “good old days” of crappie fishing at Lake Berryessa with the late Claude Davis, who honed his crappie and bass fishing skills at Clear Lake. Neither of us intend- ed to keep any fish, so we quickly released the fish back into the water. If you’re a “hook-up junkie,” it’s hard to beat crappie fishing in the spring! The crappie were all in spawning mode, with some of the males a dark black color while the females were white, silvery and fat with eggs. “This crappie fishing is as good as it gets,” noted Myer as Five-year-old Tyler Myer holds up a giant crappie that he he hoisted yet another fooled with a white Mini Jig at Clear Lake this April. fat slabside out of the Photo by CHARLIE MYER, Tyler’s father. water. I agreed. breakfast!” and we went to one of After 1-1/2 hours of excellent fish- the local coffee shops and had a big ing during which we lost count of the fish we caught, the bite all of a sudden mid-morning brunch. It was a great morning of fishing with a former Fish slowed down as the sun rose higher in Sniffer staffer that I hadn’t fished with the sky. for over a decade!! “Let’s try the dock over there,” he After lunch I headed back to said, where another angler had been Sacramento in my Toyota Tacoma on catching crappie and went over there. Highway 20. As I drove through Clear Crappie gravitate towards shade and Lake Oaks, I decided to take photos at the fish had indeed moved to those docks. We caught and released a bunch Island Park and the public boat ramp. more crappie along with some bluegill A few anglers were fishing from the shoreline for bass, but nobody was around the shaded docks. crappie fishing. Finally, Myer said, “let’s go get