Clear Lake (313 acres)Species focus: Hybrid striped bass Partner: City of Orlando Target constituency: Neighborhood residents Amenities: George Barker Park (northeast corner of lake) has a nice two-lane boat ramp, and a fishing pier equipped with fish feeders. Clear Lake Park (southeast corner of lake) also has a fishing pier and is located next to a popular hybrid striped bass fishing hole. Three fish attractors and transplanted eelgrass and bulrush aquatic plants complete the list of angler amenities. Work History: | Prior to 1999: | Grass carp killed out of lake (1992), FWC boat ramp built, oak-brush fish attractors set (marked with yellow FWC buoys), eelgrass and bulrush transplanted in shallow areas of lake, channel catfish stocked at 96/acre (Apr. 1998), hybrid striped bass stocked but not at consistent rates. | | Spring 1999: | Conducted effort creel to assess angler usage of lake prior to hybrid striped bass management efforts. | | Spring 1999: | Started annual saturation stocking (50-100 fish/acre) of hybrid striped bass. | | Winter 2000: | Conducted angler creel to get baseline hybrid striped bass data to compare to future scheduled creel. | | Winter 2001: | Installed 2 informational kiosks to educate anglers about the Fish Orlando! program. | | Spring 2001: | Installed 2 davits with respective fish feeders at the end of the pier to attract fish. | | Winter 2003: | Conducted follow-up angler creel to assess the hybrid striped bass fishery. | | 2004: | City of Orlando built fishing pier at newly constructed Clear Lake Park. | | Spring 2005: | Conducted effort creel to assess usage following management efforts. | | Ongoing: | Fisheries stocking and assessment, aquatic plant management and maintenance of feeders, kiosks and fish attractors. |
 Fishery: Located in the heart of downtown Orlando, Clear Lake's fishery is about catching, and keeping, hybrid striped bass. Clear lake's green water and abundant shad are perfect for the fast-growing hybrid striper.
Raised in the FWC's Richloam hatchery, the hybrid striped bass is a cross between the striped bass and white bass and usually does not reproduce in the wild. In most cases, the cross stocked is what FWC biologists call a reciprocal cross (i.e. white bass female; striped bass male). The "street" name for the reciprocal cross is the "sunshine bass". The "street" name for the original cross (striped bass female; white bass male) is the "palmetto bass". Patterned after Newnan's Lake in Gainesville and Medard Reservoir in Hillsborough County, Clear Lake has been stocked at rates of 50 -100 hybrid striped bass fingerlings/acre since April 1999.
Most of the "hybrids" caught are one (9-12 inches) and two-year old (12 - 18 inches) fish. Occasionally, however, a larger 3-6 lb fish is hooked (usually age 3 -5). The majority of Clear Lake's hybrid stripers do not live past age three because the proper summertime refuges do not exist for longevity of this cool water species.  While the hybrid striped bass may be the FWC's management focus for Clear Lake, the lake's constituents usually catch them while targeting "slab" black crappie (speck). The speck population on this lake has historically been characterized by low to medium densities with a good number of larger individuals (11 ' 13 inches) available for the catching. Big channel catfish (20 ' 30 inches in length) that were originally stocked by the FWC in April 1998 are also caught along with the "hybrids" and speck. Other fish caught include largemouth bass, bluegill, redear sunfish (shellcracker), warmouth, white catfish (they are not actually white but have large heads and cream-colored barbels) and brown bullhead catfish.
 General Fishing Tips: The majority of good fishing for the "hybrids" is in the cooler months (November ' March). To be consistently successful at catching hybrid striped bass on Clear Lake, pay close attention to the depth finder. Look for dredge holes, drops and baitfish and try different depths at each spot [Clear Lake topographical map  (1MB)]. There is no doubt that the best way to catch the hybrid striper in Clear Lake is to use crappie minnows or small domestic golden shiners. One of the most effective techniques is to fish several rods at one time rigging each pole with a slip bobber, split shot and #4 or #6 gold hook set at a different depth (including right off the bottom). Once it is determined which depth is best, set all poles to that depth. WARNING! Make sure the poles are firmly anchored or when a big "hybrid" takes the bait, the pole will become part of the lake bottom!  Generally anchoring off the dredge holes and drops is most effective. However, there are times when the fish are scattered or moving quickly where drifting or trolling works better. When trolling try using lipless crank baits or positioning a jig/minnow on a dropper rig a foot above a 1 oz ' 3 oz bank sinker.
Regulations: Statewide regulations apply on this water body (14 inch minimum size on largemouth bass, 5 fish bag, only 1 > 22 inches; 25 black crappie, no size limit; 50 panfish, no size limit) including a 20-fish hybrid striper bag limit with no size restrictions. The only exception is that possession of cast nets is prohibited. For convenience, all of the regulations have been posted in informational kiosks at two locations (George Barker Park boat ramp and the point out from Claudia Allen Senior Center). Top of page |
