# Clear Lake Channel Strike Out



## adpostel (Jan 14, 2006)

My brother and I went out to brave the cold and rain on yesterday 1/24. We launched the yaks behind Outriggers and went into the channel. It was kind of hard to anchor up due to all the wind. We managed to strategically place the yaks and began throwing. We threw Corkies, soft plastics, divers, and nada. We didn't even get a bump or a nibble. We fished both sides of the channel from the bend all the way to the restaraunts. Couldn't seem to find 'em. I jokingly told my brother maybe it wasn't cold enough for the fish to stack up in there. It was like 42 with a 35 wind chill factor. We fished from about 1 till 4:30 and couldn't find fish. I know they prolly killed em somewhere else, but there wadn't anything in the Clear Lake channel. Now except for the fishing, the kayaking was ok. I thought we'd be colder, but we both dressed for the occassion with waders and all. It wasn't bad at all. Just wish we could have felt the line pull a little. Seems like were always a day late and a lure short. Just doing my job posting the update. Thanks, and tight lines to all.....


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## Big_poppabear (Mar 31, 2007)

Maybe next time.


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## Texas Pharaoh (Dec 12, 2007)

i'll be honest, i fish this area all the time and rarely have any luck.. havnt really fished seabrook/kemah much in the summer, is it alot better than winter fishing?


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## moganman (Mar 30, 2006)

Clear Lake is a place I personally fish ALL YEAR and I DO catch fish ALL THE TIME... Not many big trout, but plenty of reds, drum, and flounder... The only thing is, you have to use bait and not artificials. Fish the channel when the tide is moving and you'll catch em.


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## JohnnySea (Dec 11, 2006)

The fish are there... Moganman has it nailed... Bring some bait as a "last/first resort". Move around and keep an eye on other fisherman. Don't potlick, but alot of times you are close enough to other people to see what they are throwing and catching.. If there is bait moving along the channel shorelines and water movement, the fish should be in there...somewhere.

Genereal Question: Is it safe to fish from a kayak with waders on? I have filled my waders up one time in deeper water and it was hairy...Just imagining in my head, tumpin over in a yak in the middle of the kemah channel...

Chevy's motto: Like a Rock!


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## cfred (Jun 13, 2004)

I think Clear Lake is a communist plot to keep us from fishing where there are actually fish to be caught. I personally have fished it enough times to have given up on it. I know people say they catch fish in there, but I for one have not. Good luck.


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

Good report and try.


Last I knew is that the fish all swam over to West Bay for a winter fiesta. !


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## Fishndagulf7 (Aug 16, 2007)

You just have to know how and where to fish. I, personally never use live bait and have no problem catching reds, specks, and flatties. Artificials are the key (or at least in the winter). I always thought people were bsing me for so long about catching fish there. This year, when I moved back from school, I was proved wrong. Have had no problem catching fish ever since (not always a ton of fish, but a lot of quality fish).


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## flounderpounder10 (Jan 24, 2006)

You rarely have limit days, but you also rarely get skunked and I fish arties 95% of the time out there.


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## bigmark (Jun 28, 2006)

I hit up West Bay with the same results. Didn't even see any bait in the water. Must have been one of those days.


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## Scubasteve (Aug 3, 2006)

I have not caught much in the Channel on Plastics, actually I don't think I have caught anything on plastics. Live or dead bait does the trick in the channel. I go to a couple of the back lakes of CL and catch em' on soft plastics.

sS


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## anton (Aug 2, 2005)

Iv worked at three amigos for two years now, iv noticed alot more people catching fish in east bay than clear lake. Rarely will i hear of people catching fish back there. Guess its all those rocket boats scaring the fish to east bay.


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

The channel is usually a bust ... probably due to depth, boat activity, and other such moronic factors ... 

However ... we have had some great success under the lights on the South side of the lake at night with Norton bull minnows on 1/4 and 1/8 oz. jig heads ... couple of limit trips in a row ...

Give it a try ...


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## texjam (Jun 6, 2006)

In Dec. of '90 one night, I tied up to Joe Lee's dock at the mouth of Clear Creek and chunked Mirrolures inbound and crawled them back to me. Took me 10 slight strikes to finally nab a speck. Caught 9 between 2-4 lbs.


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## kayakcaptain (Dec 8, 2007)

In early January, fishing under the lights on a dock on the channel I caught a flattie, red and trout in my first three casts using Gulps. All were keepers but put them all back. I also hooked and lost the biggest trout I have ever hooked that night. Straightened out the cheap Wally mart jig's hook. I was sick. My friend was standing there hollering to get the net but it was safely stowed on my golfcart 30 yards away. Lesson learned.


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## JohnnySea (Dec 11, 2006)

Talked to buddy who lives in Seabrook... There are no fish in Clear Lake.. Especially in the channels... Better chance in West Bay with every other fisherman and his brother...

There are fish in Clear Lake, it takes more than one trip to target them though..

It's easy to give up on 'em considering all the abnormal factors you fish with. Power boats, boats in general, fresh water run off, etc. Patience is virtue..


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## adpostel (Jan 14, 2006)

Thanks for the replies, I'll get it down. I just want to be able to take the kids afterschool to get a line tug. I know them fish are in there somewhere.


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## kayakcaptain (Dec 8, 2007)

I think the bigger issue on Clear Lake is the pollution from all the boats in the marinas. 90% of those boats don't move, people live on them, spend weekends on them and go potty on them. You figure out where this is going. Based on goverment infomation I have seen you don't ever want to eat anything coming out of that lake, *EVER!. * Catch and release only is my m.o. and here you went thought I was a conservationist.


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## moganman (Mar 30, 2006)

Some of this stuff is ridiculous. Im 22 years old and I've been fishing Clear Lake since I was 3. I've caught SOOOO many fish and it's never stopped. Only thing that has changed is the abundance of croaker. I don't catch many of those anymore. Guess it's from the croaker soakers getting em while they're still small. I've caught limits of everything there and often with the exception of trout. At night I catch trout under lights with road runner jigs. I know guys who throw plastics off the bank on Nasa Road 1 and tear em up year round. Everyone has their bad days but for someone to say there's no fish in there is just ridiculous. Maybe it's the fisherman and not the fish. I was going to be a fisheries biologist and I know about where to fish and where not to fish and what's healthy to eat and all of that and Kemah is not one of them. Tight lines!


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## Spec-Rig.006 (Nov 2, 2007)

moganman said:


> Some of this stuff is ridiculous. Im 22 years old and I've been fishing Clear Lake since I was 3. I've caught SOOOO many fish and it's never stopped. Only thing that has changed is the abundance of croaker. I don't catch many of those anymore. Guess it's from the croaker soakers getting em while they're still small. I've caught limits of everything there and often with the exception of trout. At night I catch trout under lights with road runner jigs. I know guys who throw plastics off the bank on Nasa Road 1 and tear em up year round. Everyone has their bad days but for someone to say there's no fish in there is just ridiculous. Maybe it's the fisherman and not the fish. I was going to be a fisheries biologist and I know about where to fish and where not to fish and what's healthy to eat and all of that and Kemah is not one of them. Tight lines!


TPW has a seafood advisory list on line ... you can check what areas have advisories and high meavy metal content, what fish you should not eat ... and what fish you should eat limited prtions of ...

I just got my blood work back from my doctor ... and he says I'm healthier than any 30 yrs. old he's ever seen. I've been eating fish out of Clear Lake for 12 years and out of South Louisiana (far more filthy than Clear Lake no questions asked) for the 18 yrs. prior to that ...


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## johnmyjohn (Aug 6, 2006)

You throw out enough lines somebody will take the bait ,,, spill their guts.


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## speckyak (Mar 10, 2006)

JohnnySea said:


> Genereal Question: Is it safe to fish from a kayak with waders on? I have filled my waders up one time in deeper water and it was hairy...Just imagining in my head, tumpin over in a yak in the middle of the kemah channel...
> 
> Chevy's motto: Like a Rock!


With neoprene waders on you will actually float, but it's pretty hard to re-enter the yak.


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## rtoler (Apr 9, 2006)

*Okay.....*

You can catch fish in Clear Lake but the current, water clarity, salinity, temperature change so often there you really have to be on your toes to figure where, when and what to use. That pretty much goes for anywhere you fish but doubly so for Clear Lake. 
That really didn't help anyone..........


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## JCTaylor21 (Jan 11, 2007)

I've lived in that area for almost 30 years. I'll tell you that the best time to fish there is the onset of winter. If you have some days in November that the temp drops to close to or below freezing, they'll be there and you'll see birds working. I've even caught limits up in Mud Lake.


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