Conditions on Clear Lake have improved dramatically in the last week to 10 days. The algae problem that plagued us early on this summer has moved on and we’re back to being beautiful Clear Lake. As one scientist put it to the city last week – we have an emerald lake here, not a sapphire.

The fishing is pretty good for bass, dynamite for catfish and decent for crappie if you know where and how to fish for ‘em during the summer. Looks like the weather will be cooling through the weekend (80s) and warming into next week. Come and fish Clear Lake!

Bass anglers have experienced a less than spectacular bite at the very weedy north end of the lake. However, folks fishing the deeper water locations on the lake – Soda Bay, Henderson Point, Glenhaven, Frazier Point and other south end locales – have been producing well.

The techniques used most for deeper water right now involve drop shotting, jigging and live bait. Live crawdads and minnows are the ace up your sleeve! For fishing those thickly weeded areas up north, use your soft plastics – Baby Brush Hogs, Senkos, Maverick and Roboworms on a Texas or Carolina rig – and skin those hook points for a weedless presentation.

Crappie are – surprisingly – still appearing in some numbers from deeper holes in the Glenhaven and Clearlake Park areas. Fish deep and slow with live bait for best results. Access by shore is difficult, you’ll likely need a boat to be productive on the hunt for slabs.

Catfish action remains the hot bite on the lake. Anglers are simply having a blast catching whiskerfish. Some are small, some a pretty big, and some. Well, does it really matter? There’s good rod-bending action all over the lake. Use mackerel, clams, live crawdads or minnows, anchovies, or crawlers. Fish ‘em shallow to mid-depth and enjoy a solid bite.

In events and c;asses news, this month’s Introduction to handguns class was great last Thursday evening.

Our next classes are Fundamentals of Marksmanship for Handguns on July 16 and Hunter Safety on the 17, 18 and 19. (The Hunter Safety class is a three-session class.) Visit our “Events & Classes” page at www.994Fish.com , call 707-994-FISH (3474), or stop by the shop for more information and additional class listings.

Bob Rider is owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake. Visit the shop online at www.994Fish.com .