Long before bass became the most popular fish in Clear Lake the catfish was the fish that just about everyone pursued. Once bass took over the catfish became a fish that was reported as a fish that shore anglers chased. That all changed during the recent Lake County Yacht Club annal catfish derby. The derby drew 35 contestants and included adults as well as juniors. A lot of catfish were caught and the winning weight was 28.3pounds and the winner was Michelle Reyes of Kelseyville. She took home the $500 first place money. She caught the catfish on Saturday using salmon and chicken for bait. In addition to the winning catfish Reyes caught several other catfish.
The catfish were caught all around the lake and good many weighed close to 20 pounds. One of the more productive areas was the shoreline at Library Park in Lakeport. At least a dozen catfish were caught there by shore anglers.
The yacht club provided a barbecue and refreshments on Sunday to the participants in the derby. There was also a raffle of fishing equipment.
Fishing for catfish is different than fishing for bass. Whereas bass fishing normally involves casting a crankbait in the weeds and under docks, catfishing uses cutbait or shrimp and doesn’t use crankbaits. It’s a matter of casting out the bait and allowing it to sink to the bottom. Catfish cruise large areas seeking food and they can also smell. They will pick up the scent of the bait and feed on it. Clear Lake has three species of catfish. They are channel catfish, which is the largest, White catfish, which rarely exceed 15 pounds and the brown bullhead, which normally weighs less than 5 pounds. The white catfish is considered the best eating of all the catfish. Once hooked the catfish will put up a good fight and many break the line and escape.
Now that the derby is over the fishermen will switch back to bass fishing. Overall, the bass action is slowly improving with most of the fishermen catching from 8-10 fish a day. There are no bass tournaments scheduled for this weekend although there will be several club tournaments. The tournaments start up again in late September and in October there is a tournament scheduled for just about every weekend.
Deer hunters are enjoying an excellent season. The game wardens report that the Mendocino National Forest has been one of the better places to hunt and some large bucks have been taken. The B zone opens on September 16.
Falli is a perfect time to make the hike to the summit of Mount Konocti. The weather is cool and there is a lot of wildlife to see. Be sure and take water and food and a cell phone for emergencies.
