What you need to know about fishing Clear Lake, CA

Clear Lake is California’s largest natural lake with 43,663 acres of fishable water and a maximum depth of 59 ft. It sits about 2 and ½ hours northwest of Sacramento. With several cities sitting on the edge of Clear Lake’s 100 miles of shoreline, access to the water is relatively easy. The lake is best to be broken into a north and south. The north side is generally shallower and filled with more vegetation while the southern portion is deeper and filled with more rock bluffs and ledges. The vast differences in habitat across the lake provide for a diverse approach when targeting fish. Big swimbaits and topwater frogs are often used in and out of gaps in the shallow tules. For the rock bluffs and deeper water, football head jigs and 4” lead head swimbaits have proven to be successful. Depending on the time of year with algae blooms and the natural springs feeding into the lake, water clarity should be on everyone’s radar in selecting the appropriate baits and colors. Max Depth: 59 ft, Average Depth: 27 ft