Clear Lake, 03-08,09-08 Weekend

Thanks for the report Freddie/Melissa. Yeah, CL is a wonderful place!
Freddie, last year I lost 3 new swimbaits in 3 casts (backlashes). And that was with heavy line.
It is is pretty exciting to have fish follow a large swimbait. Last year I was retrieving one through the tule shallows just fast enough to bulge the surface. Imagine the size of my eyes when a huge fish grabs it next to the yak! It didn't hook up and left me shaking and swearing.
This place, this Spring, the campground, would be great for a MBF...

Freddie, Glad you and melissa had such a good time. Get her some orange grips! She already has the cred,  .

on firing expensive lures into the great beyond, even 2 rod lengths of 20lb leader tied to your 10lb mai nline will stop that thing from flying off, but I'd go 25 or even 30 as the rule for not breaking off on casting is pretty much 10lbs of test per 1 oz of weight right?

a shock leader is easier than spooling up with some different line.

won't help you with a backlash, but I'm sure you don't get those? (juan gets backlashes?  :smt104say it ain't so, juan!)

I remember on a mexico surf trip, my brother got me to shell out for a 3.5 oz croc, a huge one. I did not have a lot of money then, and he had zero (like he still does,  ). we had been killing fish on 1.5oz croc from shore, so we wondered what a big lure would catch. He tied that thing onto 12lb test straight and cast it clear to antarctica from the tip of the baja penninsula.      too bad the line broke on the very first cast of that lure ever, 

Some nice surf caster explained to me the above rule and it has saved me a few lures.

Ben-

There are some nice campsites right on the shoreline up there. The only problem is that they are small... really small and on the rocky side. But, they have a group site... it looked kind of big though. I'm definitely going to go back up there and camp again. I want to bring the boys up there and get them in on some action. I was told that later in the summer is pretty brutal weather wise and CL may not be the best choice to camp at. But maybe later this Spring... post spawn or something.

Juan-

I feel for you... no back lash this time... just too much torque on the swing. I should've known better but I was too damn excited and wanted my bait back out there quick. Never really fished with a big swim bait and it was a rush. I'm mail ordering some more today. "...I'll be back..."

John-

Orange fish grippers on ordered. I can't take anymore of Melissa's nagging about how her thumbs hurt anymore. She kills like that. But it's all good as long as she still wants to go out there with me. I don't like to fish too heavy of a line in freshwater. I like to change things up on my lures and stuff and light line seems to work out for me better. But, it looks like I'll have to keep 1 heavy rig on my yak if I want to continue throwing big baits. I was actually thinking braid with a mono topshot. What are your thoughts on that? I just don't like how the knot goings through the guides. I don't know... 20-25lb mono should be good enough.

Speaking of surf casting... I remember fishing with my dad for barred perch down by Monterey. He set me up and watched me cast out. I was just a kid and it wasn't my first time fishing. And he told me that I didn't have to cast far because the fish are just right there... Well... I wanted to see how far I could chuck that thing out. So, I loaded up and let'er go. SNAP... That was the longest cast of my life. My dad just looked at me smiling and said... "You forgot something didn't you?" Yup... I forgot to open the bail... After that... no more casting records.

Freddie

Z-

Eventhough there has been some big fish taken already... I wouldn't call it on just yet. I think some of the BIG ones are just starting to come into the shallows. This weather hasn't helped too much. Hot cold hot cold... it's screwing me up. I just want the rip and swimbait bite to open up so I can go to town on them. It's going to be fun for somebody who can get out there when the conditions are right. It'll be on...

Freddie

Damn!!! Terry's fish was an absolute pig

Way to slay 'em folks. Thanks for the awesome pics and report.

-FF

WTG guys!  C lake Rocks & Terry Rocks!!!

This place, this Spring, the campground, would be great for a MBF...

a fullmoon is comin on next thurs - friday 20th/21st .....camp&fish@NITE?
...beuller?

Z-

 It's going to be fun for somebody who can get out there when the conditions are right. It'll be on...

Freddie

Please..... whoever reads this: Post a hookup or something when the conditions are right.  I have been aching to make it to CL, and I want to camp.  I just don't want to make the trip when the conditions are WRONG.  The pictures and report are, as usual for CL, AWESOME!

Freddie, my bass rods are all loaded with braid and short topshots, 3/4 feet. The topshot ranges from #10 for the dropshot rod, to #20 for my frog/swimbait rod. The knot isn't much of a bother, I got used to it.
Big swimbaits are a specialty thing, needing a rig just for them, IMHO.
Sumo, I'll surely post a hookup when it looks good. It looks good now, but when the weather gets stable and warm for a bit... watch out!
Stock up on the Senkos!

Juan-

I know what you mean. I'm just going to bring a swimbait rig along for the ride from now on when I go to CL. My other two rods can be for live bait and smaller plastics. I don't like paddling with a rod in my rod holder but, I guess that's where my crankbait rig is going to go.

Sumo-

Juan is right on. After this storm blows through. Wait a while for things to stablize and the water to warm up a bit and BAM... it'll be on. I'm hoping I can make it up again by the end of the month or there abouts. I'm still looking for my double digit LMB.

Adam-

If you are planning to hit CL this weekend... check out the forecast first. A cold front is coming in up there and may mess your plans up a bit... full moon or not. Looks like rain... again.

Tight lines,

Freddie

Thanks Freddie/Juan.  What size senkos are best @ CL, or does it vary?  I am used to 5" or sometimes 4" when they are being finicky. 

Adam-
If you are planning to hit CL this weekend... check out the forecast first. A cold front is coming in up there and may mess your plans up a bit... full moon or not. Looks like rain... again.
Freddie

Good-lookinout bro!
not this weekend......the FOLLOWING weekend of goodfriday....it just may be THE WEEK! 

Sumo-

I've always done well with the 5" but I hear that the bigger ones catch fish too. I've never used anything smaller than the 5"ers though. I like watermelon with red flake, purpl and green with black flake. There are a bunch of other colors that work but, those are a few that have caught fish for me. Senkos come in so many colors now, you can probably pick the whole candy shop at them and still catch fish.

Adam-

I knew it wouldn't take much to scare you away from CL this coming weekend.

Tight lines,

Freddie

Thanks Freddie
I will start getting stocked up!

freddie, yeah, the closed bail is always a lot of fun,  .

I have a bunch of baitcasters and conventionals rigged up in the garage for front yard casting practice. I can cast a saltwater conventional reel pretty good now. have to take your thumb off way earlier and let that spool spin up during the cast to cast the bigger reels.

anyways...

you are the fishing expert, but I can tell you the results of my experiments with casting leaders in my front yard.

I connected anywhere from 6lb to 12lb mono mainline, or 30lb braid mainline to 15,20,25,30,40 and even 50lb casting leaders.

works quite well overall.

as for the knot going through the guides...

sometimes you tie a knot that makes a little more noise going through the guides, but like juan says, after 5 casts you don't notice and if you tie a good knot it goes through smooth first shot. doubled braid makes a smooth knot. I don't bother to double with a bimini I just use a sugeon's loop since the breaking strength of the braid is so high. keep the the leader part of the knot small, it does not need to be a big uni-knot on that part. I tie an albright usually, but sometimes a uni-knot in the mainline around the leader, but for the leader part, I just make an overhand knot just so the uni-knot part has something to hold onto.

personally I think you should just keep some 15 foot lengths of 25lb test and when you tie the huddleston on, tie that leader onto your 10lb. you just need enough leader to handle the stress of the cast, no need for a whole nother rig, but of course that is easier in some ways. you might hear a little bump as the knot goes through the guides, but your $25 lure will probably stay attached.

you know, when I look at swimbait rod specs I just see my kunz rod: a longer rod capable of tossing 3 ounces of lure. seems like most of us might have something like that already in the arsenal?