The ugly catfish rules supreme this weekend on Clear Lake as the annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby gets underway Friday and runs through Sunday. The derby has been in existence for more than 30 years. As in past years the three-day event is expected to draw more than 500 fishermen from throughout the West. Last year’s derby drew 858 fishermen and was won by Raymond Johnson of Santa Rosa with a 24.87-pounder. It took at least 19 pounds to finish in the money.
Fishermen come from throughout the West to compete in the largest catfish derby west of the Mississippi. It remains one of the more popular fishing contests held on Clear Lake. The winner of this year’s derby will take home a cash prize of $4,000. The winner in the kids division receives a new Apple iPad. Derby hours are from noon on Friday until noon on Sunday. The entry fee is $40 for adults if received before 11 p.m. Thursday and $50 after that. The entry fee for children age 15 and younger is $10.
Registration begins Thursday starting at noon at the derby headquarters, which is the Clearlake Oaks fire station at 12655 E. Highway 20. Entries will not be accepted after 11 p.m. Friday. The awards ceremony starts at 1 p.m. Sunday at the firehouse where there also will be a barbecue, music and a giant raffle.
Clear Lake has three species of catfish — the channel catfish, the white catfish and the brown bullhead. It’s the large channel catfish that fishermen will be targeting. The lake record for channel catfish is 33.33 pounds and the world record is 58 pounds. The derby record of 32.54 pounds was caught in 2001.
Catfish aren’t native to Clear Lake or even the West. The first channel catfish were brought 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 for at least 3,000 years
Members of the catfish family are considered omnivorous, meaning they eat plant and animal matter. They are also mostly nocturnal, meaning they feed at night. They use their whiskers, which are called barbels, to help locate food. These sensitive whiskers can feel out edible food in the muddiest of water.
Unlike other members of the catfish family, channel catfish seek out hollow logs or holes around submerged rocks in which to spawn. At Clear Lake many of the channel catfish spawn in the hundreds of submerged tires 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.
Back in the 1960s and 70s, catfish were the top game fish in Clear Lake. 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. 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 held spawning catfish.
Even though bass have replaced catfish as the most popular fish in Clear Lake, there are still a few dedicated souls who haven’t given up on one America’s most popular game fish. They rig up with jumbo minnows or cut bait and drift with the currents above their favorite holes looking for that big bite.
The type of fishermen now visiting Clear Lake also has changed with the times. Where once it was the catfisherman chugging out across the lake in his 12-foot aluminum boat heading for his favorite fishing spot, now there are bass fishermen in their high-speed bass boats roaring across the lake at speeds in excess of 60 mph.
Bass may have replaced catfish as the preferred fish in the lake, but once a year, during the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby, the catfish reigns supreme.
Entry forms and a complete list of derby rules can be obtained from the website at www.clearlakeoaks.org. For more information call 1-888-253-3729 or 998-1006.
