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Posts: 96
| I live in central Iowa and have fished Spirit an Okoboji for 5 years straight now with small success. 2 muskies caught, one from each lake. The first fish on spirit came by accident by my brother in law fishing for smallies. The second one on boji came last summer on a medusa. We had a local guy share info with us that wood and rubber work on boji best. I have fished Big Creek as well because its close with no luck at all. I have heard Clear Lake is decent but I don't know much about this lake. I don't know what kind of lures work here and which ones to avoid. Has anyone fished Clear Lake in Iowa that feels like sharing some information? |
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Location: Des Moines IA | Sent you a PM. |
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Posts: 772
Location: Ames, Iowa | I was on Clear for the last time last July. Dirty water and Zebra mussels and boat traffic hard to believe- most of them pulling skiers. |
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Posts: 114
Location: Eagle Grove, Iowa | I hope you were not muskie fishing there this past july water temps were over 85.
Clear lake was very good last spring and last fall many mid to high 30in fish with some up around the high 40"s. I would also check out brushy creek,big creek,mcbride,pleasant creek and 3 mile you may be suprised what you find out . Put the time in and the rewards will come. Good luck. |
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Posts: 772
Location: Ames, Iowa | ...and all of those I could observe were drinking while pulling skiers through the tsunamis created by the other boats all trying to dodge each other. |
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| I would stick to Clear Lake or Palo, those are your best bets.
As far as fishing Clear Lake: you can fish docks just about anywhere and have action, the lake is pretty much a fishbowl. Spring glider fishing has been good to me, also twitching small cranks. As you get into summer dub 8's/9's/10's work very well, also worth trying top water. Fall I switch more to slow jerkbaits and slow rolling SS Shad type baits in the rushes.
Some spots to get you started: the rushes from where the little lake meets the big lake all the way down to past the Baptist camp is a great spot all year, make sure you fish around the rush "island" thoroughly...not sure how the low water has affected this spot recently.
The island and Dodge's are great spots but always crowded...make sure to fish the docks and marinas between these two spots.
The docks in the NE corner of the lake are really good at times, make sure to fish those.
East shore docks are a great spot early in the year.
Little lake is sometimes good for me early in the year, small buck tails/gliders on the north side. |
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| Palo would be your best bet. Much smaller than clear lake and easy to fish. Holds some nice fish too. |
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| Clear lake is about as easy as it gets...see dock/rushes, cast at/near/between, retrieve. |
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Posts: 785
| I'm no Clear Lake expert but my best luck is usually early in the season, good spots fill up quickly as spring progresses and the walleye and yellow bass fisherman start coming out. Summertime (namely July and August) the water temps are normally too warm to fish muskies. It can be a tough nut to crack most of the year but at times can consistantly show fish.
Not to send you to someone elses lake but this next year I think I'd rather be on Pleasant Creek, Three mile or Brushy. Clear is shallow and unless we get a bunch of rain the reed edge is only sitting in about a foot of water and most the rock on Dodges and the island are now out of the water. Docks are also in very shallow water with the drought. Fish didn't leave but for a lake already greatly lacking in structure it just makes it that much more of a challenge. |
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Posts: 1516
| PC is also 4-5 feet down from last spring. |
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Posts: 121
Location: Plymouth IA | Clear this fall with the water so low has been strange but they are still there. The thing i have learned about Clear is 1 ft change in depth is what i would compare to a 10 ft change on Cass Lake. Early in the spring as soon as my misguided walleye fishing friends start fishing off the shore and get fish. Hit the lake about sundown to after dark shallower than you think. You can catch them wading but the walleye guys i know get teed when you drag a muskie in they say it scares there lunch away  Plus i have put more holes in waders that way. fished the little lake lots this fall ran the trolling motor into muck bottom where i used to go over 3 ftow we need rain. but the fish are there thank the lord that i am near a lake. My youngest says i moved us from the land of 10,000 lake to the land of ten lakes. |
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| Guest - 2/11/2013 5:00 PM
Clear lake is about as easy as it gets...see dock/rushes, cast at/near/between, retrieve.
Ok pal |
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Posts: 96
| Thanks for all the info. I greatly appreciate it. I have some of those lakes on my agenda so it gives me a starting point. |
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| Guest - 2/12/2013 11:50 AM
Guest - 2/11/2013 5:00 PM
Clear lake is about as easy as it gets...see dock/rushes, cast at/near/between, retrieve.
Ok pal
Must be your lake. |
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Posts: 121
Location: Plymouth IA | Don't believe the the guest saying Clear Lake is easy.  Other than little yellow bass. I would much rather fish Cass Lake MN chain where i grew up. Could be after fishing Clear as many years as i fished Cass I will learn what to do here. Any weekend from Memorial day to Labor day i get off the lake before 10AM, weekdays are not so bad. You see an old guy in an old Tuffy boat swing by and say hi. Your from Iowa so you know how dang hot the water temps get here "way down south" as my brothers say. So mid summer i take the kids fishing for crappies and just dream Muskies. |
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| Guest - 2/12/2013 9:11 PM
Guest - 2/12/2013 11:50 AM
Guest - 2/11/2013 5:00 PM
Clear lake is about as easy as it gets...see dock/rushes, cast at/near/between, retrieve.
Ok pal
Must be your lake.
Hardly, I actually hate the lake. Don't catch $*#( when I go there. |
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Iowa lakes help