The Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven annual catfish derby was a huge success, the derby drew more than 700 fishermen from throughout the Western United States.
In fact, 60 percent of the fishermen came from out of the county. The derby was well organized, and everyone had a great time. The winning weight of 27.68 pounds caught by Omar Mandjana of Healdsburg showed, that in addition to the bass in the lake, Clear Lake has an excellent catfish fishery. The lake was first stocked with catfish back in the 1800s. Manjana collected $5,000 in prize money. He caught his winning fish at 6 p.m. on Friday evening.
Clear Lake has some huge catfish. The lake record is 33 pounds, and 20 pounders are common. Many of the catfish were caught by anglers fishing from shore.
The winner in the kid’s division age up to 10 years was Alays Valencia of Clearlake and weighed 16.77 pounds. The winner kids division 11to 15 years was Scarlett Reordan of Lakeport and it weighed 20.82 pounds and was caught at 10 P.M. on Saturday evening.
Most of the cat fishermen were concentrated in the Clear Lake Oaks arm of the lake near Rattlesnake Island. The weather was perfect with just light winds. A total of 145 catfish were caught and all but four were released
The derby has been part of the Clear Lake fishing scene for nearly 40 years and is important part of the recreational activity for local businesses. Unlike most of the bass tournaments where the fishermen have $100,000 boats, the cat fishermen normally have small boats with small outboards, and many spend the night out on the lake. Make no mistake, Clear Lake is catfish country.
