Clear Lake has always been known for its outstanding bass fishing, but few fishermen could ever visualize a year like this one. Catches of 50-75 bass per day are common. In fact, even the novice fishermen are finding nonstop action. Without a doubt Clear Lake is currently the most productive bass lake in the West.
A number of fishermen are wondering just how long the hot action will continue or if the bass population will crash like it did in 1990? In other words, what does the future hold for the bass fishery at Clear Lake?
As always in nature there are no easy answers, but most fishery biologists don’t expect the lake to be able to sustain the current bass fishery. With so many bass in the lake all it would take is a small disaster such as a die-off of threadfin shad — the primary food for the bass — or a couple of poor spawns to greatly reduce the population.
Clear Lake traditionally has been considered a big bass lake, not one that offers huge numbers of fish. This year everything is in reverse. The number of bass in the lake is astronomical but the overall size of the fish is smaller. Why we have so many bass in the lake in comparison to other years is unknown. It’s probably the result of several years of good hatches and the explosion of the threadfin shad population. Creatures in the wild always reach their maximum carrying capacity, which is regulated by food sources and habitat. Another theory on why so many 1- and 2-pounders are being caught is because they are the more aggressive fish. For example, say a school of 50 bass contains 40 2-pounders and only a few in the 5-pound-plus class. A minnow swims by and the small, faster bass jumps on it immediately. The same applies when a fisherman casts a lure to a school of bass. The smaller bass are much more aggressive and will attack the lure. The only time a large bass has the opportunity to grab a lure is if it nearly hits it on the head.
The present primary species of bass in the lake is the Florida-strain largemouth. At one time the only species of bass in the lake was the northern largemouth, which was introduced into Clear Lake in the 1890s. In 1969, the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) decided to stock the lake with Florida-strain largemouths to improve the bass fishery. Florida bass grow larger and live longer than northern largemouth bass. They are also considered harder to catch. The typical northern largemouth bass can live up to 12 years while a Florida bass can live up to 17 years.
It was known that Florida bass breed with northern largemouths and the Florida genes quickly dominate. In 1975, just four years after the last Florida bass was stocked in the lake, the DFW took random samples of bass and found the Florida genes in 17 percent of the bass. In 1976, that count went up to 27 percent. In 1978, it was 52 percent. What this meant was that in seven years, 52 percent of all the bass in Clear Lake were either Florida-northern largemouth mix (called intergrades) or pure Florida bass. By the mid-1980s all the largemouth bass in the lake were considered to be carrying the Florida gene.
To further help the bass fishery, the county stocked the lake with thousands of pure Florida bass fingerlings. From 1986-90, more than 100,000 Florida fingerlings were stocked in the lake.
The result of introducing Florida bass into Clear Lake has been dramatic. The average size of the bass went from less than 2 pounds to more than 3 pounds. The results of area bass tournaments reflect this. In most of the tournaments held on the lake the average fish weight is approximately 3 pounds. Few lakes in the country can match that. In fact, even among the well-publicized lakes of Florida, none boast a 3-pound average per fish. To win a bass tournament at Clear Lake takes at least a 5-pound average. There are very few major lakes in the country that can come close to that.
As reflected by the popularity of the bass tournaments held on the lake, Clear Lake is rated by most tournament fishermen as their favorite lake on the West Coast. The problem is that it’s unlikely Clear Lake can’t sustain this incredible fishery. Most experts will tell you they expect the lake’s bass population to go into a decline for a brief period and then rise again. Spawning conditions and food supply are just two of the factors playing a role in the number of fish. There are also other factors that control fish populations. Right now the lake is providing excellent fish habitat and an ample food supply in the form of baitfish and crawdads. For fishermen it’s the story of enjoying the fishing while it’s good.
