LAKE COUNTY >> The spring spawning run of hitch in Clear Lake is underway. According to Victoria Brandon of the Chi Council, schools of up to 500 hitch has been seen in Kelsey Creek at Soda Bay Road and below the detention dam. Hitch have also been seen in Adobe Creek as well as in Cooper Creek and in Seigler Creek.
Hitch are a native fish to Clear Lake and have been in the lake for more than 10,000 years. They spawn in the streams that flow into Clear Lake. The recent drought and other factors which have caused low stream flows which have contributed to a dramatic decline in their population. The California Fish and Game Commission has listed the hitch as “threatened” and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing them an endangered species.
