Ice Fishing Iowa board sponsored by

Author Topic: Clear Lake  (Read 429281 times)

Offline CrappieBuster

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,602
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #120 on: Feb 01, 2008, 12:30 PM »
The rain and warm temps melted mostly all the snow.  Once you get out you can go anywhere.  Gonna try south bay ramp today instead of the terrible dnr ramp

Offline freezedried

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 67
  • The Fish Are Bitting somewhere find them
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #121 on: Feb 01, 2008, 02:41 PM »
any chance a guy could get a 3000 lb wheel house out on the lake? I went to Mille Lacs last weekend and the fishing was way slow Don't want to drive 6 hours for that again. It would be great if we could out a little closer to home.

FD
When The Ice Is On...I'm On The Ice!!!

Offline coldfisherman

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 71
  • Do you like my lighted doorbell button?
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #122 on: Feb 01, 2008, 05:27 PM »
any chance a guy could get a 3000 lb wheel house out on the lake? I went to Mille Lacs last weekend and the fishing was way slow Don't want to drive 6 hours for that again. It would be great if we could out a little closer to home.

FD

I don't think that would be a problem if ya got a badass truck

CESAR

FISHIN TILL THE BOTTOM DROPS OUT!

Offline coketeck

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 16
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #123 on: Feb 01, 2008, 09:23 PM »
Anybody catches a fish trailing with a all blue pole. give me a shout. Keep telling the kids to watch their poles but soon as I step out to check a tipup,
 wammm. Now the kids wont stop given me the bad time. Ha Ha

Offline CrappieBuster

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,602
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #124 on: Feb 02, 2008, 01:16 AM »
South Bay ramp is in PRIMO shape.  Long drive across the lake to get to the shack but its worth it.  Better than sliding into the culvert all sauced up. :o


Offline bob32racing

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 29
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #125 on: Feb 02, 2008, 08:31 AM »
Well i said the hell with fishing here for the weekend. I think i got about 15 to 18 guys to go up to winnie this weekend. You guys dont catch them all while im gone.

Offline fishnfool-3

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 153
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #126 on: Feb 02, 2008, 05:10 PM »
Kinda wanted to try Clear again last night but ended up running around on the Cedar. no Luck!
today we found a few nice walleyes on it, after we left the Lake Hindricks tournament,Real slow at the lake!
Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it!!! Fish On!!

Offline iowaboy

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 91
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #127 on: Feb 02, 2008, 07:26 PM »
A few of us are gonna give Clear a try Sunday AM. Were gonna access at Farmers and go from there. If you see a Lime Green Arctic Cat with a windshield and a Polaris and Bombardier stop and say hi.....

Offline ZEKE

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 126
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #128 on: Feb 02, 2008, 09:25 PM »
Bring home a bucket full of those yellows and maybe a few walleye's. Are you taking the panfish kid?

Offline ap2049

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 18
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #129 on: Feb 02, 2008, 10:12 PM »
Well i said the hell with fishing here for the weekend. I think i got about 15 to 18 guys to go up to winnie this weekend. You guys dont catch them all while im gone.

Just got back from the Island tonight and their were record amount of people on the ice, at least it seem like it.  Fishing slowed down Saturday and did not get much better later on at night.
Probably better to find some area where their is a not a lot of people with deep water.

Offline CrappieBuster

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,602
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #130 on: Feb 03, 2008, 09:41 AM »
Yep the lake is getting the Holy Hell beat out of it this year.  Hopefully she can sustain it. :-\

Offline 1Eskimoshack

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 39
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #131 on: Feb 03, 2008, 04:09 PM »
Hey guys, my first post, and my second trip to CL, I am from Cedar Rapids and have enjoyed both trips.  The latest was friday/saturday, fishing friday was phenominal, fishing saturday wasn't bad, but was slower.  A special thanks to Al P.  And a sincere thank you to all the locals, I am trying to convince the wife to move up to Clear lake, what a lovely town/area.  I limited on walleye both days, and caught some whopper crappies, a few perch, and some nice yellows.  Fish deep!!!  Good luck to all, and hopefully I can make it one more time.  Won't be able to make it for 2 weeks, let's hope the weather holds, and the ice too.
Shiner down, Flag up!!

Offline original_iceman

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 160
  • I'm out of beer... I'm out of beer...
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #132 on: Feb 04, 2008, 01:39 PM »
Yep the lake is getting the Holy Hell beat out of it this year.  Hopefully she can sustain it. :-\

Yeah I agree with you CrappieBuster...  I was out on Saturday and I could hardly believe all of the shacks that I saw out from the island!!  It looked like a whole another city out there on the ice.  I haven't seen this kind of pressure on the lake for a while now, and it is consistent too pretty much every weekend now.  The cold spell kept a few people off of it while it was here (including me too).  Anyways, lets hope that the lake can handle it.   ??? ???

Offline Snow Dog

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 38
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #133 on: Feb 04, 2008, 07:22 PM »
 :tipup:There was a ton of people around the island Sat. We did pretty good luck there Sat. caught 3 keeper walleyes 16 to 18 inches, bucket full of yellow bass and 2 crappies. Fished from 2:30 to 9:30 pm. Had a great time can't wait to get back there

Offline coketeck

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 16
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #134 on: Feb 04, 2008, 07:25 PM »
yep the deep water does make the difference. But most of all not having all the extra noice around you does help. Watched a group of guys drill 50 holes right at dark because they arrived late. Every fish within 100 feet headed for cover.

Offline onemore

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 102
  • good boy
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #135 on: Feb 05, 2008, 04:37 PM »
gonna give it a try sat. last trip out was unforgettable.  What a lake.  i seen a few people caught crappies are there any size to them.  When we were there we fished by the pump.  i would love to pull a perch out of the hole where is the best spot to try.  weeds. rocks. flats. drops.  let me know and if you want to hook up and kill some time on sat let me know early bird gets the worm....

Offline 1Eskimoshack

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 39
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #136 on: Feb 05, 2008, 07:01 PM »
The crappies I caught were monsters, I caught very few perch but the few I caught were quite nice, fished by the island (so did everyone else) 
Shiner down, Flag up!!

Offline HARDWATER IOWAN

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 23
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #137 on: Feb 05, 2008, 09:06 PM »
Do any of you guys have any pictures to show everybody. Clear Lake is the best lake in Iowa.......

Offline CrappieBuster

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,602
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #138 on: Feb 06, 2008, 11:58 AM »
Hopefully theres still some walleyes left come spring in that pond!   :-\

Offline original_iceman

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 160
  • I'm out of beer... I'm out of beer...
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #139 on: Feb 07, 2008, 11:03 AM »
Hopefully theres still some walleyes left come spring in that pond!   :-\

well at the rate of catching the cigar eyes at least those will still be in there... may not be much left of the larger size thou...   >:(

Offline fishinlocal

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 2
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #140 on: Feb 07, 2008, 08:05 PM »
Where is the best spot to drive onto the ice with my 1/2 ton truck?  Also, is there a map anywhere outlining where the aerators and trouble spots may be?  Thanks a ton...
David "Phat" Lindner
[email protected]

Offline Big Blue

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #141 on: Feb 07, 2008, 08:34 PM »
Where is the best spot to drive onto the ice with my 1/2 ton truck?  Also, is there a map anywhere outlining where the aerators and trouble spots may be?  Thanks a ton...

Follow the blacktop to the south side and turn on Bayside Ave. That will get you to the island. Don't get to close to the island, it has rocks around it and when the sun shines it warms the rocks up and you could go through. I seen a guy do it last year. Also there is a small spring about 100 yards on the west side of the island but if you just turn on Bayside you will come onto the lake on the east side of the island. The aerators are on the east and west side. They have flags around the perimeter of the open water to warn you. Once you get out on the lake you will see where everyone is fishing. Good luck! 

Offline Big Blue

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #142 on: Feb 07, 2008, 08:39 PM »
Where is the best spot to drive onto the ice with my 1/2 ton truck?  Also, is there a map anywhere outlining where the aerators and trouble spots may be?  Thanks a ton...

If you go to Mapquest and punch in Bayside Ave. and then Clear Lake you can get a better idea where it is.

Offline 1Eskimoshack

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 39
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #143 on: Feb 07, 2008, 09:19 PM »
I need to upload the photos of my catch, will post this week.  The best map you can get for navigation of Clear lake (city) is the free ones you can get from the Crazy Minnow.  As for water navigation, the Mapsource Hot Spot CD Rom and a Garmin GPS is the best, also I have a "Marked" fishing map of CL.  These two combined made navigation pretty easy.  Don't drive between the island and the shore either.

How much snow did you guys get up there?  Any chance of the DNR extending the premenant shelter season?
Shiner down, Flag up!!

Offline ap2049

  • IceShanty Rookie
  • **
  • Posts: 18
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #144 on: Feb 07, 2008, 09:23 PM »
Where is the best spot to drive onto the ice with my 1/2 ton truck?  Also, is there a map anywhere outlining where the aerators and trouble spots may be?  Thanks a ton...

When you enter the lake off bayside be careful to stay to the left as you go on to the lake.  You will notice small red flags showing the culvert that empty into the lake that sometimes melts the ice a little.
Their is also a excellent access on to the lake before Bayside .  It is just past Clear Lake State Park and is an area that butts up to the blacktop. You will notice a marsh to your left and it will be open and flat to your right.  It is just before you head up a small hill on the blacktop.
You can get to the Island from their but it is a mile or so to the West.  The one aerator is over by Clear Lake downtown area and the other one is on the North Shore and to the West side of lake by the pump house.  

You also have to be careful around Dodges Point if the wind changes from the NW.  It creates a current from the NW aerator that hits the point and can sometimes cause the ice to change.  

Offline Big Blue

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #145 on: Feb 08, 2008, 05:51 PM »

Offline crappie98

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 236
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #146 on: Feb 09, 2008, 09:37 PM »
Just drive where everyone else has been driving.  3 days after christmas we were driving a 3/4 ton diesel out there with no problem.

Offline onemore

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 102
  • good boy
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #147 on: Feb 10, 2008, 06:54 PM »
fished all day sat.  Not a lot to show for. Started out by every tom dic and harry.  Cought only a few yellows. Then moved  away from everyone.  A big thanks to a couple of men fishing out of the back of the pick-ups.  Walleyes Walleyes Walleyes.  Only 4 keepers but for a while there the action was so hot we couldnt fish to rods.  Nothing over 16''  But I dont even care 2 of us probly caught around 30-40.  It would be nice to see nothing but monsters but you cant have it all.  Love this lake

Offline CrappieBuster

  • Team IceShanty Maniac
  • **
  • Posts: 1,602
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #148 on: Feb 11, 2008, 08:31 PM »
10 Mins worth of fishing tonight at Clear Lake.  Released 2 more limits of keeper walleyes and lost my chubby darter at the hole on a 25+.  Released a 21 that most people would have kept. A 15 1/2 silver too.





KEEP ON FISHIN!!

Offline Big Blue

  • Team IceShanty Regular
  • ***
  • Posts: 141
Re: Clear Lake
« Reply #149 on: Feb 11, 2008, 09:05 PM »
Dare I ask where you caught them at CB? My son and I was out until 8 tonight on Billys and  we didn't get anything. Friday night my son and his buddies was fishing and they each got their limit. My son caught a 25½" walleye.

 



Iceshanty | MyFishFinder | MyHuntingForum
Contact | Disclaimer | Privacypolicy | Sponsor
© 1996- Iceshanty.com
All Rights Reserved.