If one looks at pure numbers the most common fish in Clear Lake isn”t the largemouth bass or even the hitch. It”s probably the silverside minnow.
This tiny fish is known as the Mississippi silverside or Inland minnow and its population at Clear Lake is in the billions. Huge schools of silversides can be seen at any boat ramp or around docks throughout the lake. They are often mistaken for young bass or threadfin shad.
Silversides, which are originally from the Gulf and Atlantic coasts, were introduced into the lake in 1967, the purpose being to control the massive population of Clear Lake gnats. The gnat, a non-biting insect, was once the plague of Clear Lake. Huge clouds of gnats would descend on lakeside residents and were so bothersome they would drive local residents from their decks and patios. They had the ability to curb all outside activity. In fact, motorists driving along the lake on Highway 20 would often complain that the gnats would stick to their windshields in such numbers that they would block out the road.
It took several years for the silversides to become established but they did control the gnats by eating their larva. Along with the silversides, local authorities sprayed the lake with DDT in an attempt to reduce the number of gnats.
Silverside minnows feed on plankton and insect larva. They travel in massive schools and can quickly deplete an area of plankton. They feed in both shallow and deep water. In turn they provide food for various species of fish and birds. The western grebe will feed heavily on silversides and I have even seen white pelicans drive schools of silversides into the shallows and scoop them up. They can grow to a length of four inches but most are less than two inches. They have large eyes, an upturned mouth and a flat head. As befits their name, they are silvery in color. They spawn from late March until July and can live as long as two years although most live less than 10 months.
The problem with the silversides is that they compete for the same food that young bass, crappie, bluegill and the native hitch and blackfish require ? zooplankton. They also compete directly with the threadfin shad. A few years ago the shad population peaked in the lake and the silverside population crashed. When the shad population crashed a few years later the silverside population peaked. Biologists say the silversides could be the reason the Clear Lake splittail became extinct. However, they also are food for young bass between two and six inches.
Occasionally an adult bass will feed on the silversides but because they are so small it would take dozens to make a meal and the bass usually won”t expend that much energy. A few fishermen use silversides for catfish bait. They will dip out some silversides with a hand net and string four or five on a single hook. A few years ago I observed some people from Sacramento netting silversides and placing them in an ice cooler. They told me they cooked them and made a kind of soup and that it is delicious.
The silverside minnow is also responsible for the adult bass gathering beneath the weed mats where fishermen like to cast plastic frogs. The silversides attract the juvenile bass, which in turn attract the adult bass. You can often see the adult bass blow up on the weed mats as they chase the young bass. A plastic frog cast to these areas will often draw an explosive strike.
Since the silversides have been in the lake for 45 years they are undoubtedly here to stay. Even when the plankton counts are down, enough silversides remain in the lake to repopulate it. They are a mixed blessing as they can impact the other species of fish in the lake.
