Clear Lake will be busy with recreational fishermen this weekend as the next major tournament on the lake won't be until October. The weather has been perfect for the fishermen with daytime temperatures in the 70s and low 80s. The cooler weather has been welcomed by the fishermen at Clear Lake. The only problem is that the fishing is being rated as only fair with most of the anglers happy to catch three or four fish for a day's effort. Just about all the fishermen are confused on why the bass aren't biting with all the bait fish in the water.
At any given time you can see baitfish dimpling the surface of the lake in just about every direction. One theory is that because there are so many baitfish the bass don't need to chase a lure. The number of fishermen out on the lake has also declined considerably. On any given day here are only a few boat trailers are parked at the Fifth and Third Street Ramps in Lakeport which is are main public ramps on the lake.
Clear Lake has a number of species of baitfish. They include silver side minnows, threadfin shad, bluegill and even young bass, carp and other species. An adult bass will eat any minnow it can catch including another young bass. Silverside minnows and threadfin shad make up to the primary baitfish.
The silverside isn't native to Clear Lake or even the West. Its native habitat is the eastern part of the country. The minnow was stocked in Clear Lake in 1967 to control the Clear Lake gnat. Within one year they were the most numerous fish in the lake. The silversides also spread throughout California within a few years. Whether or not the minnow had an impact on the gnat population at Clear Lake is debatable because the primary food for the silverside is zooplankton, not gnat larva. At the same time silversides were introduced into Clear Lake the lake was also being sprayed with DDT, which could have killed the gnats.
They are a small fish, usually shorter that two inches and they eat plankton. They spawn during the months of April through June. They spawn back in the shallow water in the tules. During the summer months they tend to school offshore and often form large schools under the weed mats. It is not unusual to see bass exploding in the weed mats as they chase the silversides. They are a short-lived fish and only live about two or three years.
The shad spawn when the water temperature reaches 65 degrees. They have an unusual method of spawning. The spawning occurs most often at dawn and centers around floating or partially submerged objects such as logs, brush, aquatic plants and docks. Small compact groups of shad swimming near the surface will approach an object at a fast speed and at the last moment will veer away spewing their eggs and sperm onto the object. The eggs contain an adhesive which allows them to stick to logs and other debris. The eggs hatch in three to six days. Each female shad produces 900-21,000 eggs. In 1989, when the shad were at their peak in Clear Lake, outboard motors that were left in the water would have huge globs of the jelly-like eggs stuck on the lower units.
Both threadfin shad and silverside minnows are a delicate fish. They have a low tolerance for cold water and when the surface temperature drops to 45-48 degrees most of them will die. They also can't tolerate sudden changes in water temperature.
Both species of fish are credited with making Clear Lake one of the top bass fisheries in the country. The abundant bait fish is a reason the bass, crappie, bluegill and catfish populations are so high.
In addition to the bass, catfish continue to be caught in good number and some of them will weigh up to 20 pounds. The catfish action remains excellent while the crappie action has been slow.
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