BY DAVE HURLEY
LAKEPORT – It wasn’t enough that a record-setting five-fish bass limit at 45.16 pounds was weighed in at Clear Lake this month as the lake’s catfish decided to get in on the action with a massive whiskerfish weighing in at 44 pounds/10 ounces.
Clear Lake has been pushing the 40-pound catfish barrier with the previous lake record at 37 pounds, and it was only a matter of time before one of the talented catfish anglers absolutely demolished this barrier. Captain Steve Johnson of Captain Steve’s Adventures said, “We had another record day on Sunday for my customers with five fish from 22 to 26 pounds, and another boater in the area, Ian Barnes, broke his personal-best several times with six of his fish from 23 to 28 pounds fishing on his kayak. However, Vince Mack stole the show from both of us with a Clear Lake record 44-pound/10-ounce catfish fishing right next to us. Vince was present when I landed my personal-best at 32 pounds in 2001, and he certified the weight at the UPS Store in Lakeport. We have been targeting deep water where the shad are able to survive in the warmer water, and we got into a school that I’ve never seen before as 23- to 25-pound fish are ‘small’ ones. I really didn’t believe a 40-pound channel catfish was present at Clear Lake as we have been trying for the past several decades without reaching this mark. Berryessa has kicked out at least one 50 and a few in the 48-pound range, but for consistency, Clear Lake has the greatest number of catfish over 20 pounds.”
Johnson added, “The channel cats are the apex predator in the lake, the lions of the lake. This why we run a Santee-Cooper Rig that mimic a 12-inch bass or crappie as the catfish get a swimming start and just attack and swallow the Demon Draggin’ plug along with the bait. The circle hook gets them. To chase down live crappie, the catfish must attack, it’s a violent hit, and these big fish fight hard.”
Clear Lake has become THE location for catfish aficionados with Clear Lake Channel Catfish Classic with a guaranteed $8000 first place prize out of a potential prize pool of $20,000 on April 26-28 followed by the three-day Clearlake Oaks – Glenhaven Business Association Catfish Derby on May 15-17, a Clear Lake staple for over 40 years.
It’s clear that recreational fishing for trophy whiskerfish will continue to grow in popularity.
