Clear Lake may receive worldwide notoriety about its bass fishing, but catfishing is also rapidly gaining a reputation. There are three catfish derbies scheduled on the lake the next three months that are worth noting. The first one takes place April 18 and will be out of the Shady Acres Campground in Clearlake. The second is the popular Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby on May 15-17. The third, a new event called “Mr. Whiskers,” takes place June 19-21 and is being put on by Vince Harris of Future Bass Pro. That derby will give away a new boat as its first-place prize.
Of the three tournaments, the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby is the largest in the West and annually draws between 800-1,000 contestants. No bass tournament held in California has drawn that many fishermen.
Catfish aren’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 first introduced into Clear Lake around 1910. They are thought to have existed in North America the last 3,000 years. They can grow to some tremendous sizes. The world record for a channel catfish is 58 pounds and the Clear Lake record is 33.33 pounds.
Members of the catfish family are considered omnivorous, meaning they will eat plant and animal matter. They are also mostly nocturnal, meaning they feed at night. One method they use to locate their food is through their whiskers, which are called barbels. These sensitive whiskers can feel out edible food in the muddiest of waters. This is often called the “swimming tongue” by anglers.
Unlike other members of the catfish family, the channel catfish seeks out hollow logs or holes around submerged rocks to spawn. Many of the channel catfish at Clear Lake spawn in the hundreds of submerged tires that are strewn across the bottom. The ideal water temperature for spawning is about 70 degrees and the eggs hatch in five to 10 days. Young catfish eat mostly insects, small crayfish or other small fish. They even eat seeds
The channel catfish reaches sexual maturity at about five years of age and can live as long as 25 years. With the exception of man, an adult catfish has very few enemies.
Another species of catfish in Clear Lake is the white catfish. This is a much smaller fish and rarely grows larger than 6 pounds. White catfish prefer muddy areas and spawn back in the tules or sloughs. At one time the white catfish was the most popular catfish in the lake because of its superior eating qualities. There is also a third species of catfish in Clear Lake and that is the brown bullhead. The bullhead is the smallest species and rarely weighs more than a pound.
Catfish were the top game fish in Clear Lake in the 1960s and 70s. Fishermen would spend hours anchored near Rattlesnake Island and other favored catfish holes. In those days it wasn’t unusual for an angler to catch 20-30 fish during a single outing. However, by the early 1980s the catfish population began to decline. The Department of Fish and Wildlife placed large concrete culverts in the lake as spawning habitat for the channel catfish. For several years the project was successful and during the spring spawning season just about every culvert would hold several spawning catfish. However, after a few years many of the culverts silted up and no longer could be used by the catfish.
Most dedicated catfishermen back in those days would keep a fish or two for the table. However, in recent years many fishermen now practice catch-and-release.
Catfish are tremendous fighters and often break the line of an angler. The preferred bait for a catfish is a live crawdad followed closely by a live jumbo minnow. Liver cut into small chunks is also a popular bait. In fact, just about anything that has an odor attracts catfish. They will even strike at bass lures such as crankbaits.
This past winter the catfish went on a feeding spree in Clear Lake and dozens were caught near Shag Rock and in Henderson Point. While they may not be as popular as the largemouth bass they are a formidable opponent for fishermen.
