At one time crappie were the top game fish at Clear Lake, but the past two years has seen the population of this tasty fish take a nosedive.
A lot of fishermen are wondering why.
Where it was once common to catch 20-100 crappie per day, this year it”s considered a good day if you can catch three or four. This is strange given the fact that the bass, catfish and bluegill fishing has been ranging from good to excellent.
Crappie are often referred to as a “cycle” fish by biologists, meaning they undergo wild swings in population. The population will build up to massive numbers in a few years and then crash. This has happened at Clear Lake a number of times. The last time the crappie population peaked was 2008. Typically the crappie population goes from a high to a low over a four-year period at Clear Lake. If this holds true, the crappie fishing should show a vast improvement by next summer.
The lake”s crappie fishery reached its peak in the early 1960s when it wasn”t unusual to catch 100-150 fish per day. However, around 1980 the crappie fishery crashed and they all but disappeared. The county even stocked the lake with Florida-strain crappie with the hope the fishery would make a comeback. Juvenile crappie started showing up in good numbers last summer during the electro-shocking studies done by the Department of Fish and Game and many fishermen reported seeing schools of young crappie this fall. The big question is if these young crappie will survive the winter and become young adults by next summer.
The downfall of crappie is their table quality. Few fish can match a crappie for eating and that”s a reason most of the fishermen catch and keep the 25-fish-per-day limit. However, biologists say that catching and keeping a limit of crappie probably has little effect on their population.
Like largemouth bass, crappie aren”t native to Clear Lake or even the West. Actually, Clear Lake was the first lake in California to be stocked with crappie. That happened in 1908 when crappie were brought to the lake from Meredosia, Illinois. These were the black crappie species and Clear Lake offered ideal habitat and the fish flourished. White crappie were planted in the lake beginning in 1951.
Both species of crappie are nearly identical, however, they can be identified by counting the spiny rays on the dorsal fin. A black crappie has seven or eight spines and a white crappie has six spines. Most of the crappie presently in the lake are of the black species although there are also good numbers of white crappie.
They can grow to large sizes. The world record is 6 pounds for black crappie and 5 pounds, 3 ounces for white crappie. Clear Lake holds the state record for white crappie, a 4-pound, 8-ounce fish caught in 1971. Two-pounders are common and occasionally a 3-pounder is caught.
Unlike bass, crappie actively feed even in the winter when the water temperature dips below 50 degrees. In fact, in northern states such as Minnesota and Michigan, crappie are a popular fish for ice fishermen. The anglers cut a hole in the ice and either drop a live minnow or jig down into the icy water. They often catch dozens of crappie.
Crappie are always found in schools and some of the schools can be huge, holding up to 200 fish. For example, the crappie often school by the thousands off Kono Tayee. The same thing happens off Shag Rock. They also tend to be in the deeper water during the winter months. At Clear Lake, most of the crappie are found in water that”s at least 20 feet deep, which means they are primarily found in the south end of the lake.
When the crappie population is at its peak they draw more fishermen to Clear Lake than does the bass. They are more of a family fish because they are easy to catch and make excellent table fare.
