Bass fishing takes a backseat at Clear Lake as the 26th annual Clearlake Oaks-Glenhaven Catfish Derby gets under way Friday. The derby is the largest of its kind in the West and is expected to draw approximately 500 fishermen. It is sponsored by the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Business Association.
Fishermen will travel hundreds of miles to compete in the derby. Contestants will travel here from Nevada, Oregon, Hawaii and throughout California as it remains one of the more popular fishing contests held on Clear Lake. The winner of this year”s derby will pocket $4,000. The winner in the kids division receives a new Nintendo Wii Playstation. The derby hours are from noon Friday until noon Sunday. The entry fee is $40 for adults if received before 11 p.m. Thursday. There is a $5 late fee for entries received after that time. All entries must be received no later than 11 p.m. Friday. The entry fee for children 15 and under is $10. The awards ceremonies starts at 1 p.m. Sunday at the Clearlake Oaks Firehouse, where there will be a barbecue, music and a giant raffle.
Last year”s winner, Robert Baer of Ventura, weighed in a 23.04-pound catfish. The winner of the kids division was Max Lane of Hood River, Oregon, with a 16.86-pounder.
Fishermen can fish from a boat or onshore and can fish around the clock. In fact, many of the contestants fish from docks or from shore. The best part is you don”t need to be an expert to win. A few years ago the winner caught his catfish from his dock in Lakeport while holding a party. They were drinking margaritas when the catfish bit and it was the only one they caught. Most of the fishermen will be using either live jumbo minnows or cut bait. The species of catfish that will win the derby is the channel catfish although there are smaller species of catfish in Clear Lake. The lake record for channel catfish is 33.33 pounds. Landing a derby-winning catfish will take a certain amount of skill and strong tackle. More 20-pound-plus catfish are lost than ever landed.
This popular game fish isn”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 introduced into Clear Lake around 1910 and they are thought to have been in North America for at least 3,000 years. They can live up to 20 years (the oldest ever recorded was 40 years) and attain a weight of more than 40 pounds (the world record is 58 pounds). In Clear Lake a 20-pound catfish is common. They feed on primarily aquatic insects, crayfish. small fish and even some plants, which they locate by their keen sense of taste. The taste buds are located in the mouth and on the barbels, which are located on the outside of their mouths.
Their favorite spawning areas in Clear Lake are in the sunken tires that litter the bottom of the lake by the hundreds. In fact, many experienced catfishermen will target these tires. They will drop a live minnow or crawdad down into the center of the tire. If a catfish is in the tire it will rush out and grab the bait.
One fisherman who will be missing this year is longtime local fisherman Ed “Catfish Ed” Nassarre, 72, of Lakeport. He passed away on Saturday after a long illness. Catfish Ed ran a popular website called Catfished.com that fishermen could go to daily to get the latest fishing news and forecasts. He loved to fish for catfish and carp and just about every local fisherman knew him. He is survived by his wife Mary.
