This could be the year of big changes at Clear Lake in regard to the ecology of the lake.
First off, the lake level is lower than it”s been in more than a decade. The water is also exceptionally clear. There are fewer birds on the lake and even the fish populations are down. There is also the threat of an invasion of quagga mussels. If all these things take place within a short time period it could mean major changes for the lake in the near future.
The lake level continues to drop as Yolo County takes its allotment of water. Add in evaporation and domestic use and the lake level will be close to zero on the Rumsey gauge by the end of the summer. That means some of the public ramps will be unable to safely launch a boat.
Low water could also impact the larger bass tournaments. The fall months are typically the time when tournament organizations hold their Tournament of Champions events. These tournaments normally draw from 150 to 200 boats. If the lake level is low, there will be less water to fish and the fishermen will be jammed into smaller areas.
The other factor is that most of the guides and many of the local fishermen say there are fewer bass this year and that includes juvenile fish as well as the older and larger bass.
I can vouch for that. I have fished in many of the same areas for more than 30 years and have seen 70-100 bass either on beds or cruising over a stretch of shoreline in past years. This year in these same areas I have seen fewer than 15 fish. I have also spotted very few juvenile bass.
This is similar to what occurred in 1990-91 when the bass fishery literally crashed. Back in those years it wasn”t uncommon for a third up to one-half of a bass tournament field to fail to catch a single fish. In fact, the fishing was so bad that many tournament organizations considered switching their tournaments from Clear Lake to other lakes.
The fishery recovered within a space of about four years. Whether or not the bass fishery will continue to decline is unknown. This could be a just a temporary setback in the bass population.
The other missing species of fish are the bluegill. Normally Clear Lake is loaded with bluegill and you can see them beneath the docks and along the shoreline by the hundreds. Not this year. With an exception of a few areas the bluegill are absent. Some of the fishermen claim the bass devoured the bluegill during the winter months because there were little or no threadfin shad. It is a fact that bluegill are one of the primary forage fish for largemouth bass.
One species of fish that has been showing up is the redear sunfish.
Typically few fishermen catch a redear sunfish but this year a number of fishermen have reported catching them. In fact, I caught two on a plastic worm while fishing for bass just last week. Both weighed in excess of 2 pounds.
Another major factor this summer will be the aquatic weeds. The low and clear water will create massive weed beds, and this is especially true in the north end of the lake. The weeds should start appearing on the surface within two weeks. The massive weed beds will cause the available bass to spread out because they offer so much cover.
The weeds also impact the adult bass because the small baitfish will have many more places to hide from the larger bass. Whereas some weeds are good for a fishery, too many can be detrimental for other game fish in the lake.
Clear Lake is such a dynamic lake that dramatic changes are common and expected. Normally the lake recovers and goes on like it has for thousands of years. The next few years will be no different. Even with all its problems, Clear Lake is one of the most beautiful and productive lakes in California.
