Clear Lake is in Lake County between Hwy 101 and I-5, with Hwy. 20 connecting the two and running along the lake’s north shore. It’s about 110 miles north of San Francisco.
It is the largest natural body of water entirely within California. It is about 20 miles long, has over 100 miles of shoreline and 43,800 surface acres of water.
Its deepest point is 60 feet with an average of 28 feet. Lake elevation is 1300 feet.
Florida-strain largemouth bass, catfish, and panfish dominate the fishery. This genetic strain produces trophy-class bass that anglers travel from across the country to pursue.
Target Rattlesnake Island at 38.9526, -122.6484 and cast to the rock fingers on the north and east sides where bass pin shad. Focus on Konocti Bay’s tule edges around Monitor Island at 38.9410, -122.7015, and slow-roll swimbaits along the 8-12 foot contour.
The Redbud Arm rock piles near the buoy line at 38.9378, -122.6280 hold prespawn females staging off breaks. Henderson Point at 39.0022, -122.8123 features a steep drop to 20+ feet—drag jigs down the ledge transitions.
Cache Creek inlet delta at 38.9124, -122.6095 fishes best on incoming flow. Work the current seams with compact cranks.
The Nice-Lucerne area rock walls at 39.0250, -122.7995 give midday shade. Pitch to shade pockets with creature baits.
Fraser Point at 38.9695, -122.7762 and the surrounding shell beds concentrate summer fish. Mark scattered hard spots with side imaging.
Kelseyville’s docks on the west bank at 38.9770, -122.8382 offer crappie and bass cross-traffic. Skip weightless plastics under the floats.
February-March prespawn bass stage on 8-15 foot rock and shell near creek mouths, moving shallow on warming afternoons. Use wind-blown north-shore flats for the warmest water and expect a short feeding window around 2-4 pm.
April-May spawn spreads fish across tule pockets and protected marinas in 2-6 feet. Sight-fish beds on sunny days and pitch compact jigs in stained water.
Postspawn females slide to first breaks and dock walkways. Chase fry-guarders with walking topwater early.
Summer pushes schools to offshore rock piles, bridge pilings, and hydrilla outside edges in 10-18 feet. Night bites rise when surface temps exceed 78°F—slow-roll big worms and black spinnerbaits.
Fall shad migrations pull fish to wind-driven points and mid-lake humps. Cover water with lipless cranks.
Winter fish set up on steep rock with sun exposure. Crawl football jigs and underspins in 15-25 feet.
Flip 3/8-1/2 oz pitching jigs into tule cuts. Keep pitches tight and watch for line ticks on the fall.
Punch topped-out hydrilla with 1-1.5 oz tungsten, straight-shank 4/0 hook, and be ready for mid-column bites. Carolina rig 3-4 foot leaders with 3/4 oz weights across shell beds to trace hard-spot transitions.
Drag football jigs uphill on rock points to feel contour changes. Pause on rough patches.
Employ skip-casting under docks with 5-inch stickbaits. Feather the spool to land soft and avoid spooking shallow cruisers.
At night, slow-roll single Colorado spinnerbaits to maintain thump in stained water. This technique produces the lake’s biggest bass during warm summer evenings.
Lipless cranks include Lucky Craft LV-500 in Ghost Minnow or Aurora Craw, 1/2 oz for grass edges. Yo-Zuri Rattl’n Vibe 5/8 oz in Matte Black works at night.
Cranks should be Strike King 5XD in Chartreuse Sexy Shad for 10-15 foot shell. Megabass Deep-X 100 LBO in Gill grinds 6-9 foot rock.
Jigs like Dirty Jigs No-Jack 3/8 oz in California 420 with Zoom Z-Craw Jr trailer produce. Football jig 1/2 oz in Brown/Purple with Yamamoto Twin Tail 5-inch covers deep structure.
Plastics include Yamamoto Senko 5-inch Green Pumpkin Purple/Black flake weightless for docks. Reaction Innovations Sweet Beaver 4.20 in Hematoma punches mats.
Topwater options are River2Sea Whopper Plopper 130 in Loon for wind. Lucky Craft Sammy 115 in Bone targets calm fry-guarders.
Swimbaits like Huddleston 68 Special ROF 12 in Hitch work on deep rock. Megabass Magdraft 8-inch in White Back Shad mimics bait schools.
Target Cache Creek outflow channel edges at night with cut mackerel or chicken liver on 3-6 oz egg sinkers and 5/0 circle hooks. Work the Nice-Lucerne drop-offs where clam beds hold blues—anchor upcurrent and fan-cast.
Redbud Arm flats near the buoy line produce on warm evenings. Use slip-float rigs set 2-4 feet to keep baits above mud.
Drift the mid-lake saddle north of Rattlesnake Island with fresh shad strips for channels. This area consistently produces channel catfish from spring through fall.
Crappie stack on submerged brush and dock slips in Konocti Bay. Present 1/16 oz marabou jigs in black/chartreuse on 4 lb mono.
Slow-troll 2-inch Bobby Garland Baby Shad in Monkey Milk at 0.8-1.0 mph along 8-12 foot contour breaks. This technique locates schools efficiently.
Bluegill concentrate in Clear Lake State Park swim areas and riprap. Use size 10 Aberdeen hooks with bits of nightcrawler under fixed floats.
Midday, drop-shot 1/32 oz tungsten and small worms along shade lines of pontoon boats. Target the shaded sides during bright conditions.
Flipping requires 7'6" H/F rod like Daiwa Tatula Elite Pitch/Flip, 8.1:1 reel such as Shimano Curado 150 MGL, 65 lb braid. Punching demands 7'8" XH/F rod like Dobyns Fury 765, 7.5:1 reel such as Daiwa Tatula 200, 65-80 lb braid with 1-1.5 oz tungsten.
Carolina rig uses 7'3" MH/MF rod like St. Croix Victory 73MHF, 7.1:1 reel, 15-17 lb fluoro main with 12-14 lb leader. Football jig needs 7'4" H/F rod like Megabass Orochi XXX Diablo Spec-R, 6.8:1 reel, 15-17 lb fluoro.
Cranking employs 7’ M/M rod like Lew’s Custom Lite, 6.4:1 reel, 12-14 lb fluoro for mid-depth plugs. Lipless and traps use 7'2" MH/MF rod, 7.1:1 reel, 15 lb fluoro or 30 lb braid with fluoro leader.
Spinning finesse requires 7’ ML/F rod like G. Loomis GCX 842S, 2500 reel such as Shimano Vanford, 10 lb braid to 8 lb fluoro leader. Night catfish needs 7'6" MH moderate rod, 6000-size spinning reel, 20 lb mono for stretch.
In stained south-arm water, throw chartreuse/white spinnerbaits with gold Colorado blades and black/blue jigs for silhouette. In clear north-arm water, downsize to 3/16 oz finesse jigs in Green Pumpkin and drop-shot 4.5-inch Roboworms in MMIII on 6-8 lb fluoro.
When algae blooms reduce visibility, use loud rattling lipless cranks and add scent to plastics. On high-vis days, switch to natural translucent shad colors and lengthen leaders to 15-20 feet.
Hunt 10+ pounders on isolated rock/hard spots in 12-18 feet around Fraser Point and Henderson Point ledges. Work a Huddleston 68 ROF 12 slow along bottom, pausing on hard transitions you’ve waypointed.
Night target giants with 3/4 oz black single-Colorado spinnerbaits on wind-blown walls. Slow-wake 8-inch Deps Slide Swimmer 250 in Bone on calm evenings around Rattlesnake Island saddle.
In winter, drag 3/4 oz football jigs with full-size double-tail trailers on steep chunk rock at 0.5-0.7 mph. Use forward-facing sonar to track suspended fish over 20-25 foot humps and present glide baits through the column.
Clear Lake State Park Ramp at 38.9806, -122.8275 offers multiple lanes, cleaning stations, restrooms, camping, and day-use dock. Redbud Park Ramp at 38.9365, -122.6222 has two wide lanes, ample parking, fish cleaning table, and close proximity to town fuel.
Konocti Vista Casino Ramp at 38.9427, -122.6809 provides protected marina, hotel rooms, security, and tournament-friendly staging. Fifth Street Lakeport Ramp at 39.0428, -122.9148 features dual ramps, nearby tackle, restrooms, and good access to the north arm.
Nice-Lucerne County Park Ramp at 39.0259, -122.8037 has a single lane with limited wind protection but quick access to mid-lake humps. Milt Brandt Ramp in Clearlake Oaks at 39.0162, -122.6749 offers sheltered basin close to Keys canals.
Prime bass window is March-June when temps stabilize at 60-75°F and water levels are higher for tule access. Summer night bites excel when daytime exceeds 80°F and moonlit evenings push fish shallow.
Fall reaction bite ignites with first north winds. Watch for bait dimpling and match shad size.
Winter fronts drop clarity but create opportunities. Fish slow on solar-heated rock banks after 11 am.
Winning February-March bags often hinge on LV-500 or 3/4 oz football jig fish off staging rock in 10-15 feet. April events are won sight-fishing spawners and skipping docks with weightless stickbaits for quick limits.
Summer night derbies get won with black buzzbaits and big worms on outside grass lines. Fall circuits reward covering water with squarebills on wind-blown points—cull with a Magdraft fish late.
Clear Lake Outdoors at 14699 Lakeshore Dr, Clearlake, 707-262-5852, carries full bass tackle selection, up-to-date bite reports, and swimbait inventory. Limit Out Bait & Tackle at 12607 State Hwy 20, Clearlake Oaks, 707-998-1006, provides live bait, catfish rigs, and local intel on Keys canals.
Ross England’s Clear Lake Guide Service at 707-349-1427 specializes in bass with electronics instruction and seasonal pattern coaching. Dan’s Delta Outdoors at 925-679-5234 offers Clear Lake trips with trophy swimbait focus and big-bass strategies.
Lakeport Bait & Tackle at 485 N Main St, Lakeport, 707-263-1330, stocks minnows, crappie gear, and dock bite updates. If hiring, ask for forward-facing sonar lessons to maximize offshore efficiency.
There are probably more facilities surrounding the lake than any other lake in California. The only public camping facility for Clear Lake Camping is at Clear Lake State Park, 707-279-4293.
Reservations are suggested during the summer months. Call 800-446-7275 for reservations.
Information on the scores of other resorts, campgrounds, launching ramps, and marinas is available from the Lake County Chamber of Commerce at 707-263-6131. The Lakeport Chamber of Commerce can be reached at 707-994-3600.
Planning a multi-lake trip or exploring more California bass fishing? Check out these resources:
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