After a summer and fall of record catches of bass at Clear Lake, fishermen are wondering how the fishing could go from excellent to poor in just a few weeks. Whereas fishermen were catching 15 to 25 bass per day two months ago, anglers have been struggling to catch one or two fish the last two weeks. In fact, more than one experienced fisherman has reported not even getting a bite.
What”s going on?
Good question. First, the threadfin shad population has pretty much bottomed out. The shad have been the primary food for the bass during the winter months and now they are gone. The cold weather has probably killed at last 80 percent of the shad in the lake. Along with the shad die-off, the fish-eating birds such as grebes, gulls and pelican also have disappeared.
The other factor could be the cold water. On most mornings the water surface temperature has been ranging from as low as 39 degrees to only 41 degrees. By afternoons it has been holding from 46-50 degrees. However, a look back at my records of previous years shows similar water temperatures but much better fishing action than this year.
Several fishermen have suggested the overall bass population in the lake could be down. Actually there is no way of knowing this. The Department of Fish and Game (DFG) has done few studies at Clear Lake to determine the bass population, so we really don”t know whether the numbers are up or down. The best gauge we can use are the results of bass tournaments. For example, American Bass held a team tournament out of Lakeport on Sunday. That tournament drew 36 boats and only five teams weighed in five-fish limits. Twelve teams failed to catch a single fish. The average number of bass caught per team was only 1.8. Only one team reported culling fish, meaning they caught more than five fish. There hasn”t been that poor a showing at a Clear Lake tounament for several years.
We don”t know if the reason for the poor fishing is because there has been a massive die-off of the bass or if they”ve just moved to other areas of the lake. When fish die during the cold months only a few float to the surface because gases don”t form in the bodies. Most sink to the bottom.
Several tournament fishermen believe something has happened but they don”t know what. They said they haven”t seen the fishing this poor at Clear Lake in a number of years.
Another factor could be the combination of low water and cold temperatures, which has forced the bass to deeper water. This year the lake level is lower than it has been in recent memory.
Some of the fishermen who didn”t catch a fish during the tournament said they targeted the deeper water in the south end of the lake and still didn”t get a bite.
It”s a well-known fact that bass, like other fish, adapt to their surroundings. When the water temperature decreases, the metabolism of the fish slows down. They won”t feed as much or as often as when the water is warmer. Bass can be caught in cold water. In fact, in the northern states many fishermen catch bass while ice fishing, and that”s in 35-degree water.
The other big mystery is what has happened to the crappie. There were huge schools of crappie at Kono Tayee, Shag Rock and the Four Poles only last fall. But few crappie have been caught at any location the past few weeks. The same applies to the bluegill.
If Clear Lake”s fishery is in trouble, the proof will be in the results of the upcoming tournaments scheduled for later this month and in February. There is the possibility that all this could just be just a blip on the radar screen and the excellent fishing could return.
