Clear Lake will be a busy body of water this weekend. Leading the list is the annual Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven Catfish Derby, which gets under way Friday and runs through Sunday. The derby is expected to draw approximately 800 fishermen, making it the largest catfish derby in the West. Contestants can fish around the clock but can only weigh one catfish that counts. If they catch a larger catfish during the tournament it takes the place of the one they caught earlier. Fishermen can fish from boat or shore. Fishing starts noon Friday and ends noon Sunday.
Last year’s winner was Dan Sansome of Kelseyville with 24.32 pounds. He won $5,000 and is back to defend his title. The award ceremony takes place Sunday at the Clearlake Oaks firehouse.
The derby has been in existence for 39 years. As in past years the three-day derby is expected to draw fishermen from throughout the West. It is one of the more popular fishing contests held on Clear Lake. This year’s derby winner will once again take home $5,000. Second place is worth $1,000 and third place is $800. The derby pays down 20 places based on a field of least 350 adults. The winner in the kids division pockets $100.
The experts predict there will be several 20-pounders weighed in. Clear Lake is known for its large catfish. A 20-pound catfish is 20 or more years old.
There are three species of catfish in Clear Lake. The largest is the channel catfish followed by the white catfish and the bullhead.
Bass tourney
In addition to the catfish derby this weekend there is a NewJen bass tournament, a one-day team event Saturday that should draw approximately 70 teams. It goes out of Library Park in Lakeport with a 3 p.m. weigh-in.
The fishing is improving daily on the lake as we move closer to summer.
Limits of bass are common. In fact, American Bass held a team even last week and every one of the 17 teams entered brought in a five-fish limit. It took 28 pounds to finish first.
The bass are holding on the spawning beds and fishermen are “sight” fishing for them. The water clarity is excellent throughout much of the lake. The water temperature is holding at more than 60 degrees during the day.
Other areas
Th East Branch of the Russian River will be stocked with trout next week. The fishing in both Upper Blue Lake and the Russian River has been excellent for trout.
Lake Pillsbury has been kicking out some excellent bass. There has been good topwater action.
Repelling rodents
There have been a number of complaints from Lake County residents of rats and mice getting into the engine compartments of cars that have been parked for long periods of time. The mice have been chewing up wires and leaving a mess. One solution is to leave the hood open when you’re not driving because the rodents are looking for dark and secluded areas to build nests.
