By Jim Brearton

By now, many of you have heard of this private lake near Twin Falls, Idaho. I've had occasion to fish here several times and always feel inclined to mention it to my "fish starved", winter afflicted fly-fishing friends.

Very few viable alternatives exist for cold weather, stillwater fishing. Even with this balmy weather, impoundments where one can comfortably float tube are scarce December through April, but this one never fails. For many, April and may are the best months, before the summer moss blooms, and after the weather warms and the insects are more active.

Clear Lake is adjacent to the worlds largest fish hatchery, in the Thousand-Springs area of south-central Idaho, where 90% of the commercial trout are raised in scores of fish farms for the restaurant and grocery market. Developers have seen fit to provide recreational pursuits as well as the commercial fish farms. A golf course borders the Clear Springs hatchery operation and a 20 acre pond known as Clear Lake catches the affluent from the hatchery. It is an ideal lake for trout. Spring fed, with a phenomenal water flow, it doesn't freeze over and it receives a never-ending supply of trout. Some may wash down from the runs, but a steady supply are planted purposefully. Just prior to my last visit, some 2,000 rainbows in the two pound plus range were stocked. Whenever fishing slows, more trout are planted.

Besides the amazing numbers of available fish, one can also enjoy the amenities of the nearby clubhouse where one can dine on daily specials in the snack bar, even when clad in waiters, and changes in attire can be accomplished in the locker room, where golfers and fisherman gleefully coexist. Fisherman have the run of the place in the winter. The maintenance house even offers an air hose where float tubes can be inflated. So, forget about cramming the tube into the vehicle all the way across Idaho, no more eating out of paper sacks and forget about squirming into waders in the back seat of your car. The only thing lacking is a place to sleep at the end of the day.

As I arrived, the parking lot at the clubhouse was full. Golfing was in full swing despite the February date. I paid the eight dollar fee and changed into my fishing attire in the locker room. If I'd been golfing I would have fought the crowds, but on this day there were only four other fisherman, in spite of the beautiful weather. Word must not have gotten out about the recent planting, for fishing was the best either.

Fly-fishing from float tubes is the norm here, but one can fish afloat or from shore. Flies are the only lure allowed. Two of the four fly-fisherman were afloat in the latest craze, pontoon boats. I envied them as I sloshed around in my tube, wet up to my elbows every time I shifted position. I'm saving my money and making a prediction that every current float tuber will seriously consider making the switch.

I had heard several years ago that the fish were sluggish and didn't put up much of a fight, but forget that. Even in the summer heat I have always been amazed at the strength, power and health of these fish. Being raised in a hatchery would make anything mean, so these natural predators are itching for a fight. Screaming reels and airborne fish are the order of the day.

Fish in the lake are harvested regularly, as one can keep two fish. But many reach a ripe old age, with the subsequent girth and length. My fish this trip were all around 15 to 17 inches and real fat, but on previous trips I caught at least one fish much bigger and some smaller. The guys on the pontoons boats each kept two fish that seemed as long as their arms. OK, it was getting dark and I was a long ways away, but they seemed to be in the 20-inch range.

Productive flies here are your normal stillwater fare, and most anything will work. My first fish took a red midge larva off a dropper with a damsel nymph as point fly (fishing about 6-8 feet deep.) I then started to throw everything and got hookups on marabou leaches, wooly buggers, and cranefly larvae. The later was the most productive, but it could have been the honey hole I had finned into. I'd tell you where it is but it would make things too easy. All one needs to do in the real good spots is let the fly drift through and the fish repeatedly hit. There must have been a hundred stacked up in a spot as big as your living room.

Fish really line up where the hatchery inlet spews water down little waterfalls at the northwest end of the lake (a hint). There are several flumes that really push out a strong current and the fish stack up right in the current or along the edges or seams to feed.

For subsurface patterns I'd recommend a full sink or sink yip line. I used a #2 full sink line, but on previous trips I've fished the top with parachute Adams and ant patterns, even a royal Wulff. You can fish along the shoreline weeds or watch for gulpers anywhere, or float your dry through one of the many currents near the inlets. If you use dries you may get funny looks since most of the regulars use nymphs, but the action on top can be great, depending on the season. I've cast my parachute Adams right off the dock at the put I and take out, and the fish would come straight up for it like NASA rockets.

The currents can really push you around if you are near the many inlets or the outlet. Having a pontoon boat with an anchor would be the way to go. Otherwise, in many instances, you have to hug the shore to stay in one place, making casting difficult.

In the summer, the weed build-up is quite pronounced in certain areas, as it is on most healthy ponds or shallow lakes, but in the winter there is very little to contend with. The moss banks at the east end of the lake are an excellent area to practice your midging techniques or fish larger dries in the summer.

I recommend this spot in any season, as a great place to get a "fish fix" or to practice your stillwater techniques: midging, gulper fishing, sinking line retrieves, float tubes casts, trying out cold weather clothing or that new pontoon boat, etc. If the weather permits you could do a half a day of golf and half a day of fishing, the "cast and cuss" special, I call it.

I would definitely recommend Clear Lake to the young or beginning fly-fisher. This is a great place to learn as well as polish skills, for hookup success is a great motivator.

To get to Clear Lake, take the Twin Falls exit and drive through town on Highway 30, west to Buhl. Turn of on clear lakes drive in Buhl between Standard and Sinclair gas station. Go north toward the Snake River Canyon for about seven miles, and then follow the signs. Do not turn into the residential area, but keep going towards and just past the Clear Springs hatchery. One mile past the Snake River bridge a sign will indicate the lake and golf course. Drive to the clubhouse to pay the fee and see what is happening, and then park back at the lake, a mere 200 yards away, and fish your socks off. The current fee is $8 a day, catch and release, flies only, but one can only keep two fish, even trophy sized. In Idaho permit is not required.

Rich Davis, in the fishing department of the Sports Warehouse in Salt Lake City, fishes there often and is a great source for information if your planning a trip. Or you can call the club manager, Larry Francis, at 208-543-4849. Ask Rich about the 29-inch rainbow he landed there, but don't ask him where he hooked it. Don't make it too easy.