The potential world record catfish caught out of Clear Lake two weeks ago by Sean Moffett of Vacaville has many people confused. That catfish weighed 29.3 pounds and was a little more than 32 inches in length. The catfish is being submitted to the International Game Fish Association (IGFA) for a world record for length, but not weight. This is a category the IGFA started only a few years ago. The present world record for length in the channel catfish division is 31.5 inches and was caught last year out of Lake Perris.
Down through the years there have been at least four catfish caught out of Clear Lake that topped 30 pounds. The Clear Lake record is 33.3 pounds and was caught by Fred Miranda of Clearlake in 2009. Its length was 34 inches, two inches longer than Moffett’s fish, but the IGFA didn’t have a world record for length at that time. The current world record for channel catfish is 58 pounds.
Make no mistake, Moffett’s catfish is a giant and a once-in-a-lifetime catch. The catfish information has to be formally submitted to the IGFA for consideration. IGFA requirements are that a fishery biologist confirm the species of any fish entered before it can become a world record.
Current conditions
Bass fishing on Clear Lake is moving into its typical summer pattern, which means hot weather and slower fishing. Although the fishing is still rated as good, it has slowed a little in comparison to last week. Most of the action is still centered around the rockpiles in the south end of the lake where drop-shotting a plastic worm is still producing up to 20 fish per day for the more skilled anglers. The north end of the lake is also producing good numbers of fish around Henderson Point and the state park. However, most of the fishermen are averaging about 15 fish per day.
Crankbaits also have been effective, but you have to use the deep divers like the Fat Free Shad or the deep-running Rapala. The trick is to get the crankbait down deep enough that it bangs the rocks. The best part of using a crankbait is you cover a lot of water, which places the lure in front of active feeding fish.
There is an old saying among bass fishermen that if a bass weighed 100 pounds it would eat everything in a lake. They are opportunists that are always looking for a meal. I was lucky enough to observe this last week. I was fishing near Lakeside County Park where I observed a couple of small birds perched on a tule stalk. The weight of the birds caused the tule stalk to bend down to the water. Immediately a bass started exploding around the birds. The hungry bass was actually jumping out of the water trying to catch the birds. I didn’t see the bass catch any of the birds, but my partner cast a topwater lure in the melee and a 3-pound bass grabbed it. Five more casts produced another bass. It was like a shark-feeding frenzy.
A number of fishermen are asking why the topwater action has been so slow. One problem is the weed mats still haven’t formed in many areas. For example, last year there were massive weed mats near Long Tule Point and these mats held dozens of big bass. This year there are virtually no weed mats in this area. Because the thick algae blooms have slowed the aquatic weed growth. Soda Bay is another good example. During the past three years the weeds were so thick that boaters couldn’t navigate the bay, but not this year. In comparison, this year there are hardly any weeds. That could change as we get deeper into the summer.
Other lakes
Lake Pillsbury is still kicking out a few trout, but since it hasn’t been stocked for nearly a year most of the trout are gone. Bass fishing has been fair.
Upper Blue Lake still hasn’t been stocked with trout and the action has basically dried up. A few bass are being caught but overall the fishing has been slow.
Deer season
The Zone A archery deer season opened two weeks ago and a few hunters have been seeing bucks. Overall the season is rated as slow. The hot weather has the deer moving at night.
