The mysteries of Lake Clementine

Outdoors, by J.D. Richey, Journal ColumnistSo, what?s the deal with Lake Clementine anyway? Here?s a lake that?s right in our own backyard, yet it rarely comes up in conversation. Everybody?s heard of it, but in a nutshell, this is about all most people know about Clementine. The road in is a real bugger, parking can be a hassle, it?s full of water skiers and campers in the summer, Upper Lake is a popular sun bathing and party spot for the teen crowd and nary a word is ever spoken about the fishing there.I have spent many a day on Clementine and have some thoughts to share, but I thought I?d first call the people at the Department of Fish and Game and see what they knew. Unfortunately, after about a million hours on the phone, I uncovered no leads there, so then I got in touch with the fine folks at the California State Parks? Auburn State Recreation Area office. Nada. Next, I got online and searched the vast corners of cyberspace and found plenty about canoeing and mountain biking in the area, but nothing about Clementine?s finned inhabitants. And finally, I turned to the bible: Tom Stienstra?s ?California Fishing?. As I read the description of Lake Clementine in the 1997 version I have, everything seemed so familiar. Then it dawned on me that I was the guy Tom contacted for information regarding Clementine when he was researching his book. With all avenues exhausted, I decided that I might be ? by default ? the leading authority on fishing Lake Clementine. So, here?s what I can tell you.Clementine is not, shall we say, a bank fisher?s paradise. Its steep shoreline is lined with a few trails, but it can be pretty tough going. There is a little bit of access for the shore-bound at Upper Lake, but you?re much better off in a boat. This time of year, Rainbow Trout are going to be your number one target species. The lake does not get stocked by Fish and Game, so what you?re looking at is a modest population of naturally produced rainbows. It?s possible that a Brown Trout or two may occasionally sneak down from the North Fork of the American and take up residence in the lake, but I?ve never caught one. The Rainbows generally run 12-14 inches, but I once saw a giant of about six pounds up towards the river mouth many years ago. And I have heard a few assorted whale tales from old timers.The majority of the Rainbows I?ve taken at Clementine have been on red-gold Cripplures or silver No. 2 Needlefish behind silver-rainbow prism tape dodgers. This time of year, the fish will be right up on the surface and toppling is the way to go. I generally start right at the 5-mph buoys just outside the launch and work up the lake. Sometimes, you?ll find the fish out in the middle, but I generally try to work near the bank ? especially around the points (of which there are not many).For some reason, the floor of the lake produces a large volume of bubbles, so the screen of your depthfinder will often load up with marks ? which, at first glance can tempt you into believing that Clementine is absolutely loaded with fish. Upon closer inspection however, you?ll notice that most of these ?schools? are column or tornado shaped and are in fact bubble lines, not trout.As the weather heats up, Clementine?s wild trout population will head for deeper water and that?s when I concentrate on the lower end of the lake and, in April and May, I can usually find them 20 to 28 feet below the surface from Robber?s Roost downstream to the launch ramp area. The other half of Clementine?s ?Big Two? is Small-mouth Bass. This is not the best time of year to fish them, but they will bite if you?re willing to put in the effort. However, they don?t get very big in the lake, so you?re probably better off investing in a more noble winter pursuit such as hunting Lunker Browns on Scotts Flat or chasing Steelhead on the American. Come spring however, some fairly good action can be had up towards the river, where I?ve caught many bass while trolling for trout. When specifically targeting smallies, work the rocky structure near shore with tube jigs, rip-baits and nightcrawlers. On calm summer evenings, topwater action can be decent. Supposedly there are some very large catfish in Clementine as well, but I have never spent much time fishing for them. In fact, the only catfishing I?ve done (with limited success, I might add) is in the big plunge pool below the dam. There are also a few panfish around for the kids to play with, but Folsom?s a better bet. When general trout season is open, you can catch some fish up in the river above Clementine, but it?s generally not all that good. While it looks mainly like trout water up there, you?ll catch more pan-sized small-mouth than anything. I?ve snorkeled the North Fork from Yankee Jim?s bridge all the way down to Clementine several times and there just aren?t that many trout because the water gets too warm in the summer. You have to get above Yankee Jim?s before the trout outnumber the bass. So, there you have it. All you ever wanted to know about the fishing in Lake Clementine and more. I guess in summary I?d have to say that, yes, it can be a decent fishery at times but there are far better places to go. Clementine does hold some appeal, though, if you?re looking for a scenic, un-crowded (in the winter), close-to-home spot where you can spend the day and maybe catch a fish or two. J.D. Richey is a 1986 Placer High graduate, and his outdoors pieces have been published nationally. He can be reached at (916) 456-5463 or JDRicheyOutdoors@aol.com.