The annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby gets underway on Friday, May 18, and whereas Clear Lake was once one of the top catfish lakes in the state, in recent years the catfish fishing has been in a decline. However, the good news is that the lake still harbors some monster catfish.
Clear Lake has three species of catch. There is the channel catfish, the white catfish and the brown bullhead. It”s the large channel catfish that the fishermen in the derby will be targeting. The lake record for channel catfish is 33 1/4 pounds and the world record is 58 pounds. Last year”s winner of the derby was Donna Mitchell of Clearlake Oaks with a 27.39-pound catfish. It took more than 20 pounds to finish in the money.
Catfish aren”t native to Clear Lake or even the West. The first channel catfish were bought to California from Mississippi in 1874 and were stocked in the San Joaquin River. Catfish were first put in Clear Lake around 1910. They are thought to have been in North America for at least 3,000 years.
Members of the catfish family are considered omnivorous, meaning they will eat plant and animal matter. They are also mostly nocturnal, meaning they feed at night. One method they use to locate their food is their whiskers, which are called barbels. These sensitive whiskers can feel out edible food in the muddiest of waters.
Unlike other members of the catfish family, the channel catfish seeks out hollow logs or holes around submerged rocks to spawn. At Clear Lake many of the channel catfish spawn in the hundreds of submerged tires that are strewn across the bottom. The ideal water temperature for spawning is about 70 degrees and the eggs hatch in 5-10 days. Young catfish eat mostly insects, small crayfish or other small fish. They will even eat seeds.
The type of fishermen now visiting Clear Lake has also changed with the times. Where once it was the catfisherman chugging out across the lake in his 12-foot aluminum boat heading for his favorite fishing spot, now there are the bass fishermen in their high speed bass boats roaring across the lake at speeds in excess of 60 mph.
The entry fee for the derby is $40 per adult if received before 11 p.m. on Wednesday, May 16. There is a $5 late fee for entries received after May 16. The entry fee for children 15 and younger is $10.
Registration begins at noon Thursday, May 17, at Derby Headquarters which is the Clearlake Oaks fire station, 12655 E. Highway 20, Clearlake Oaks. Entry forms must be received by mail or brought to derby headquarters between noon and 11 p.m. on May 16 to qualify for the reduced rate. Entries will not be accepted after 11 p.m. on Friday, May 17. Entry numbers and rules must be picked up by each contestant in person at derby headquarters.
Entry forms and the rules for derby can be obtained from the Web site at www.clearlakeoaks.org. Fishermen can also call 998-1006 or (888) CL-DERBY. Information about the derby can also be obtained at www.catfished.com.
Terry Knight can be reached at tknight3021@sbcglobal.net or by calling 263-1699. Letters intended for publication that respond to Mr. Knight”s column can be sent to news@clearlakeobserver.com.
