-
1 Attachment(s)
Clearlake Crush
Travelled in search of crappie this past weekend and was NOT disappointed. Photo is from a three hour afternoon first timer to the lake scouting trip. Fished within eye sight of my lodging (Clearlake Cottages and Marina is the place to stay--full amenities including boat slip with power), using a 1/16 hair jig under a float. Landed 15 very nice fish. Largest was 1#15oz (that gordita near the black glove). The next day, after it stopped snowing and blowing, ventured a bit north of the Cottages and into a protected canal. I tied up to a boat house and sat there for five hours. Landed 75, all good size, no dinks. Released them all. I left because I got tired, not because the bite stopped. Tight lined plastic green/black jig, then float n fly small hair jig, shad pattern. It all worked. Two other boats in the canal with similar success. Water temp 58F, fish at 8-10 feet. Can't wait to go back!
Attachment 263555
-
good report and pics....
nice fish,,
cm
-
-
Great job Dfuson! My boat was down, so I was bank fishing the coves on the State Park side of Clear Lake last Friday morning. Between the three of us, we probably caught over 50 crappies easily in 2 hours. They were biting everything and anything from plastic curly tails to cast masters. Released all of them though. Be careful, heavy mercury in those waters. Anyways, happy spring fishing!
-
See my post from this past weekend. This is exactly where I stayed, studio cottage #12. The place is awesome and the crappie are abundant! Ping me next time you go, I'm always looking for fishing buddies to slay some crappie!
-Bill
-
I definitely understand your health risks but just remember this is not elemental mercury, aka, you aren't cracking open an old school thermometer and drinking it, it's methylmercury which the body can expunge. It does take time though, so as long as you don't make a daily diet of crappie from clear lake you will be fine. Crappie also don't live long (5 to 6 years max) vs catfish or bass and have lighter tissues so they hold much less than than the previous mentions. Methylmercury exists all over the world and is in practically every fish you eat. Most doctors that have studied this say the health benefits (terminal carboxy acids or "Fatty Acids") far outweigh the risks as long as you stick to a varied diet. Those most affected are the poor around Lake County (there are a LOT unfortunately) that eat fish as a daily staple. You can google a great study that was done on Methylmercury in Amazon river basin tribe members.
I hope this helps!
-Bill
