Ice conditions on Clearlake

[vizsla01]

I was wondering what shape the Ice is in. Also how is the walleye bite. Any Info would be great. LL

[OldBear]

The bait shop reports the ice is 8-10". The yellow bass are picking up and walleyes being caught but running small on the majority. Good Luck.

[JIvers]

What is the number of the bait shop in Clear Lake? I am thinking of a road trip up there this weekend, but obviously want to know what the ice is like before I go. The lack of safe ice around Iowa City is driving me crazy, and my outboard is in the shop getting re-sealed, so open water fishing is out for me.

[Whisker Trout Slayer]

eyehunter here is the number for Dome Bait and Tackle in Ventura, about 5 miles west of Clear Lake on the west end of the lake. To get there go down highway 18 until you see a brown sign for MacIntosh Woods State Park, turn left, go to the stop sign, go right about 1 or 2 miles on the north side of the road, can't miss it.

603 E Lake Street

(641) 829-4418

Don't know what is going on for fishing.

[JIvers]

Thanks for the info--I am probably going up to hsolist this Friday and try my luck. I've never ice-fished it, but I have fished it in the summer a couple times.

[JIvers]

I fished Clear Lake yesterday (Friday the 20th) afternoon and evening. I set up in 14' of water, and found about 7" of ice near the island. There was some open water on the west end of the lake, and a section of ice west of the island was posted with warning signs. A couple guys I talked to checked out the ice close to the posted area, and said they found about 4" of ice there.

Anyhow, the yellow bass bite was non-existent for me and everyone I talked to out there. I marked fish all afternoon, but they would not hit anything I dropped in front of them. This was one of those days where an Aqua-Vu (spelling?) would have been useful Around sunset, I pulled up a couple of cigar-sized walleye on minnows, and missed a few more strikes. After dark I caught two white bass on chartreuse Swedish Pimples rigged with live minnows. I packed up and went in at about 6:30. I did not move around at all while I was out there, as the other people around me kept drilling holes and moving, and they were finding nothing during daylight, either, so I decided to save my energy and stay put.