Clearwater Lake

Clearwater Lake is a 5 acre spring-fed “pay to fish” impoundment in the southern portion of Orange County just outside of Chapel Hill, NC. It is situated on a piece of property, known as Camp Clearwater, currently owned by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro YMCA. Clearwater is stocked with Brook Trout and Rainbow Trout, some of them very large. Fishing is limited to eight people per day and is strictly catch and release. DIRECTIONS

Rules, Regulations, and Release Form

Click here to view the Clearwater Lake rules, regulations, and release form. Please complete the release form on-line and print it out. After reading the form, sign it, and bring it with you to the lake. This speeds up the process for everyone, and allows you to start fishing sooner. Each person must have a signed release form on file, and you only need to provide the form once each season.

Catch and Release Rules and Regulations

Fishing at Clearwater is strictly catch and release using fly rods and barbless hooks. Click here to view the catch and release rules and regulations.

Fishing Dates for the 2010-11 Season

By reserving and pre-paying for a large block of dates, we receive a substantial per slot price discount. TFF has reserved twenty days for the 2010-11 season:

• October 31
• November 7, 13, 14, 26, and 27
• December 4, 12, and 26
• January 2 and 23
• February 12, 20, 26, and 27
• March 6, 13, 19, 20, and 27

There are eight (8) slots available for each date. A “slot” is defined as one person for one day, whether fishing or not. Everyone on the Camp Clearwater grounds must have purchased a slot, including children. Walk-ons are not permitted. To inquire about purchasing slots – contact John Eichorn.

Use 'em or Lose 'em

All slots are sold by TFF on a first-come, first-served, use ’em, or lose ’em basis. Reserve your slots as early as possible.

Inclement Weather

In the event of unpleasant weather go fishing or keep fishing. If the Clearwater operator determines the weather is too severe for fishing and closes the lake you will be offered a makeup date.

Make a Reservation

As a general rule, reservations will not be accepted after 4:00 PM on the Thursday preceding the Sunday fishing date. Similar restrictions apply to other-than-Sunday fishing dates (e.g., Wednesday before a Saturday date). Contact us or refer to the weekly Clearwater Lake e-mail update for exceptions.

To use the reservation system: please print this page and follow the directions below. It’s as simple as ABC.

A. Launch the reservation system by clicking here.

The reservation system works properly with the Windows Internet Explorer and the Mozilla Firefox browsers. Other browsers have not been tested. If one of these browsers is not available to you or if you are having difficulty, please e-mail John Eichorn and request a reservation for a specific date. A confirmation e-mail will be sent to you by John.

B. Log in:

A "user ID" and "password" are needed to use the TFF Clearwater Lake reservation system. Anyone who purchased slots prior to July received an email containing their user ID and password. Need a password or have questions? Contact John.

C. Once you have logged in:

1. Set the "Arrival Date" for the specific date you want to fish by clicking on the calendar thumbnail next to the field and click on the date you want to fish. Be sure you have the correct year. Do not click "Departure Date" or "Number of Days" or “View Category” (under the photo) – they will be completed for you.

2. Click the "View Trips" button under the dates.

The trips "Brook Trout", "Brown Trout", "Rainbow Trout", "Cutthroat Trout", "Apache Trout", "Gila Trout", "Golden Trout", and "Sunapee Trout" each represents one of the eight (8) available Clearwater slots. Only available slots will be shown. If you get a message indicating that there are no trips available, go back to step 1 and choose another date. But before you do, make sure you were using the correct year.

3. Click the "View Trip Details" button under the first trout name (slot) shown. This will bring up a calendar for the specified month. Gray dates are available for fishing. Red dates are sold out or are not available to TFF.

4. Click the "Book This Trip" button to initiate the reservation process.

5. On the new screen, verify that the date just above the "Continue" button is correct. Do not change the Number of Guest or Additional Guests fields. If the date is correct, click the "Continue" button.

6. On the resulting page, the only thing that needs to be filled in is the "Name” and “email address” field. Putting a '*'  (an asterisk) in the other fields is sufficient. Put only one name in the field.

Making a reservation for a guest: first, enter your name followed by “guest” e.g. “Jim Cap guest” then, enter your guest’s name in the “Additional Information” area at the bottom of the page.

7. Click the "Book Trip" button. Consider the trip confirmed at this point. We don't have a customer service rep. However, you will receive an e-mail if you entered your e-mail address in step 6. Check the dates in the e-mail to be sure you have the correct reservation.

If you want to reserve more than one slot, go back to step 1 above and repeat the process. Note that the trip (trout name) you just reserved will not show on the trip list. If you want to reserve a slot for another date, go back to step 1 above.

Please do not sign up for more slots than you purchased or have remaining.

To Cancel a Reservation

Once a reservation is made, you cannot edit, alter, delete, or cancel it. At this point, you need to send a note to John with the date you want cancelled or change required. He will cancel/alter the reservation and get back to you.

Reservations may not be cancelled after 1:00 PM on the Wednesday before a Saturday or Sunday fishing date and 1:00 PM on Tuesday for a Friday fishing date. If you cancel prior to the deadline you will not lose your slot. If you choose not to fish and do not cancel prior to the deadline - your slot is lost.

Problems?

Having a problem making a reservation? Contact John Eichorn – he will help you or do it for you.

Copyright © 2010, Triangle Fly Fishers