Well, after 8 straight days of 12hr shifts, I finally have three days off and can get some fishing in!! Decided to head to Clear Lake today in hopes that it would be in 'post-spawn' mode? It was, in fact there were loads of baitfish swimming around in schools all over the shallows on the wind blown side of the lake! Due to that fact, and knowing that the bass will typically stay shallow for a couple weeks after the spawn ends I started switching gear over to minnow style baits including: Powerbait swimbait 5", a Rapala 3" floating jerk style bait in baby bass color, a buzzbait white and red, a Watermellon Senko, a homemade 4 blade spinnerbait in gold shiner color, and a jig 1/4oz.

I started very shallow, as that's where I was seeing the baitfish, I was in the pads about 4' deep and casting to shore throwing the swimbait first. It was only about 15 minutes in when fish #1 hit, it was about a 3.5-4lber and released itself right at the boat. I spooked a couple 2lbers, and saw one about 2.5-3lbs come up and bust on a school of bait about 6 feet off the boat, that was pretty cool!! Being as shallow as it was I could see everything he did and the fish scatter everywhere!

The swimbait was nice because it's weedless, and you can hold your rod tip high and make it bust the surface, or low and fish it like a spinnerbait, it's nice. I caught fish number 2 (photo) on a jig, and it freight trained the thing too! Then I decided to call my wife to tell her fishing was hot and I would be home late and totally jinxed myself.....I didn't touch another fish the rest of the night..... lost two more one on the jerkbait and one on the buzz and missed a couple nibbles on the senko, but that was about it. I didn't care though it was just nice to be floating again!

It's good to see the transition into summer patterns starting, I can't wait! I may hit Samish in the morning? Also, I saw some monster trout busting the suface due east of the boat launch about fifty feet off shore.

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