FAQ & field guide

Common questions about the Clear Lake hitch, how to tell it apart from look-alike fish, and a plain-language glossary of the terms used across this site.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Clear Lake hitch, and why does it matter?

The Clear Lake hitch (Lavinia exilicauda chi) is a minnow found only in Clear Lake and its watershed in Lake County, California. It is the flagship endemic species of the lake and a cultural keystone for the Pomo Tribes, who know it as chi and have relied on its spring spawning runs for thousands of years. It is the only fish endemic to Clear Lake that has not yet gone extinct, and its population has declined roughly 100-fold from historical numbers.

How endangered is the hitch right now?

It has been listed as Threatened under the California Endangered Species Act since 2014, and in January 2025 the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service proposed listing it as Threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. USGS gillnet surveys documented a 96% decline in relative abundance between 2017 and 2022, and the federal Species Status Assessment found the hitch at high risk of extinction within 50 years under most scenarios. In February 2023, Lake County declared a local state of emergency, the first ever for a fish species in the county.

Is it legal to catch, keep, or handle a Clear Lake hitch?

No. As a species listed as Threatened under the California Endangered Species Act, the hitch is protected from "take" under Fish and Game Code Section 2080, which prohibits taking, possessing, purchasing, or selling a listed species without authorization. There is no recreational season for hitch, and handling or relocating them generally requires a permit. If you accidentally hook one, release it unharmed, and report stranded fish to the Hitch Rescue Team rather than handling them yourself.

What should I do if I find a stranded hitch?

Call the Hitch Rescue Team at (707) 263-2344. In spring, tributaries can dry or disconnect before fish return to the lake, leaving hitch trapped in isolated pools, and quick reporting lets the team relocate them to safe water. Do not move the fish yourself: fish rescues require a permit, so always contact the Rescue Team rather than relocating fish on your own.

When and where can I see the spawning run?

Adult hitch migrate from Clear Lake into its tributaries to spawn each spring, roughly late February through mid-May, peaking in March and April. The most consistently active spawning creeks in recent years have been Adobe and Kelsey on the south shore, along with Manning, Forbes, Burns Valley, and Scotts Creek; in 2020 all 1,672 spawners counted lake-wide were in Kelsey Creek alone. Watch quietly from stream crossings, and never enter the water or disturb fish on spawning beds.

How do I report a hitch sighting?

You can become a community scientist through the Lake County Watershed Protection District's Community Science program and report sightings during the spring spawning season (March to May). Trained volunteers survey tributary sites across the lake each spring, and your observations strengthen the long-term population record. To report fish that are stranded (not just sighted), call the Hitch Rescue Team at (707) 263-2344.

Is fish from Clear Lake safe to eat, given mercury concerns?

Clear Lake has a legacy of mercury contamination from historic mining, and California's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) publishes safe-eating guidelines for its fish. Largemouth bass carry the highest mercury levels and the most restrictive advice, while several other species can be eaten more often; women of childbearing age and children have stricter limits. Check OEHHA's Clear Lake advisory for species-specific servings, and eat only the skinless fillet. (The hitch itself is protected and is not a fish to catch or eat.)

Are harmful algal blooms (HABs) a concern?

Yes. Clear Lake experiences severe cyanobacterial (harmful algal) blooms most years, typically most active from August through October, which can produce toxins dangerous to fish, wildlife, pets, and people, and which lower the oxygen that juvenile hitch need. Check current bloom conditions through the Big Valley Rancheria Clear Lake cyanotoxin monitoring program before recreating, and keep pets out of scummy water.

Why did the hitch decline so dramatically?

A long convergence of pressures: drought and tributary dewatering that strand spawning fish, agricultural water diversions and reduced flows, habitat loss and migration barriers, harmful algal blooms and low dissolved oxygen, legacy mercury contamination, and competition and predation from invasive species. The first catastrophic crash came in the 1940s, and the population has stayed chronically low since, hitting a record low of just 120 spawners in the 2021 drought. Year-to-year numbers now swing almost entirely with rainfall.

Which invasive species threaten the hitch the most?

Common carp (introduced 1880) and goldfish (introduced earlier, in the 1860s-1870s) disturb sediments, uproot vegetation, degrade water quality, and eat hitch eggs, and carp are now a dominant biomass in the lake. Largemouth bass (1888) are apex predators that eat juvenile hitch, and Mississippi silverside (1967) became the lake's most abundant fish within a year and competes with larval hitch for zooplankton at their most vulnerable stage. More than 20 introduced fish species are now established in Clear Lake.

What is being done to save the hitch?

A broad coalition works on several fronts: annual visual spawner surveys (CDFW, the Lake County Watershed Protection District, tribal agencies, and community scientists), CDFW in-lake mark-recapture estimates, and USGS gillnet monitoring since 2017. Tribal-led programs are central, including carp and goldfish removal (Robinson Rancheria with Rojas Fisheries), a hitch tagging study tracking migration (Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake), and cyanotoxin monitoring (Big Valley Rancheria). Habitat work includes the Cole Creek restoration project and barrier removal on Kelsey Creek.

Has there been any good news for the hitch?

Yes. After a wet winter, 2023 produced 2,548 spawners, the highest count since standardized surveys began, and spring 2025 recorded 1,567, above the recent multi-year average. The rebounds show the fish can bounce back when the rains come, but also how completely the runs now ride on the weather rather than any steady recovery. A separate, genetically distinct population also persists in hydrologically isolated Thurston Lake, which could serve as a refuge.

How can ordinary people help protect the hitch?

Volunteer as a community scientist and report sightings during spawning season; report stranded fish to the Hitch Rescue Team at (707) 263-2344; and help spread awareness. You can also support watershed restoration, shoreline invasive-primrose removal, the Lake County Land Trust, and Tribal-led conservation programs. And never release aquarium fish or live bait into the lake, since invasive introductions are a leading driver of the hitch's decline.

Where can I find the data and sources behind this site?

The site compiles official records and links to primary sources, including Thompson et al. 2013 ("The native and introduced fishes of Clear Lake," California Fish and Game 99(1):7-41), USGS Open-File Report 2025-1018, the USFWS proposed rule (90 FR 4916, January 2025), CDFW status reviews and annual spawner surveys, Lake County Watershed Protection District reports, and tribal monitoring programs. A searchable archive of these documents is on the site. Some tributary details are still being verified, so confirm specifics with official sources before relying on them.

The hitch's life cycle

The Clear Lake hitch is an obligate stream spawner: it has to complete this loop every year, and it depends on flowing tributaries to do it.

1
Overwinter in the lake
Adult hitch live in open Clear Lake through most of the year.
2
Spring migration
Adults run up tributary creeks to spawn, roughly February to May.
3
Spawning
Eggs are laid over clean gravel in flowing, well-oxygenated water.
4
Eggs & larvae
Young hatch and develop in the creeks through the spring.
5
Juveniles return
Juveniles emigrate back down to the lake to grow into adults.

Then the cycle begins again the next spring.

Where the cycle breaks:drought and water diversions can dry the creeks before juveniles finish steps 3 to 5, stranding a whole year's young; and road crossings, culverts, and dams can block the spring migration at step 2. Year-to-year numbers now track almost entirely with how much water reaches the tributaries.

How to identify the Clear Lake hitch

The Clear Lake hitch (Lavinia exilicauda chi), known to the Pomo people as chi, is an endemic minnow found only in the Clear Lake watershed. It is a state-listed threatened species, and it is easy to confuse with several look-alike fish, both native relatives and introduced species. This guide describes the hitch's key features and the species most often mistaken for it so community-science sightings are reliable. When in doubt, photograph the fish (a clear side view of the whole body, head, and fins is ideal) and report it rather than guessing. Morphological details here draw on the UC Davis California Fish Website and agency sources.

Key features

Size: a relatively large minnow, up to roughly 350 mm (about 14 in), much larger than most minnows it is confused with. Most fish you see will be smaller.
Body: deep-bodied and flattened side-to-side, tapering to a notably narrow stalk just before the tail.
Head and mouth: a small head with a small, slightly upturned mouth, and no barbels (no whisker-like feelers at the mouth).
Tail and fins: a large, deeply forked tail and a large anal fin, with a single short-based dorsal fin (unlike the long dorsal fin of carp and goldfish).
Scales: fairly large, clearly visible scales along a complete, downward-curved lateral line (not the tiny scales of blackfish).
Coloration: juveniles are silvery, often with a dark spot near the tail; adults are brownish-yellow on the back and get duller and darker with age.

Commonly confused with

Clear Lake roach (a close native relative, often seen alongside spawning hitch)

Size is the quickest cue: roach are small and chunky, usually under about 100 mm, while an adult hitch is far larger. Roach have a relatively large head with a small, downturned mouth, versus the hitch's small head and slightly upturned mouth, and a smaller anal fin. Small juveniles of the two are genuinely hard to tell apart, so photograph and report rather than calling it.

Mississippi silverside (an abundant introduced fish)

Not a minnow. It is slender and small (around 100 mm) with a bright silvery stripe down each side and large eyes. The clincher: the silverside has two separate dorsal fins, while the hitch has only one. It also lacks the hitch's deep, compressed body.

Common carp / goldfish juveniles (introduced; young fish can be minnow-sized)

Carp and goldfish have a long-based dorsal fin with a stout, saw-toothed leading spine, versus the hitch's short-based dorsal fin with no such spine. Common carp also have two pairs of fleshy barbels at the mouth, which the hitch lacks entirely. Their bodies are generally more robust and less flattened than a hitch's.

Sacramento blackfish (a native relative; juveniles reported in some survey creeks)

Scales are the key: blackfish have very tiny scales, giving an almost smooth, scaleless look, versus the hitch's large, obvious scales. Blackfish also have a more elongate body with a cone-shaped, pointed head, and are gray with an olive sheen.

Before you report: Do not catch, handle, net, or remove any fish you believe may be a Clear Lake hitch. It has been listed as threatened under the California Endangered Species Act since 2014, and on January 16, 2025 the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service proposed listing it as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. Under state law, "take" (including catching, harming, harassing, or killing) is prohibited without authorization. The right action is to observe, photograph from a distance if you safely can, and report it with the date, location, approximate size, number of fish, and a photo. Small juvenile hitch and roach are hard to tell apart in the field, so when unsure, report it as a "possible hitch" with a photo rather than a firm ID, and confirm current reporting channels with CDFW.

Glossary

Clear Lake hitch (chi): A minnow found only in Clear Lake and its tributaries that runs up creeks each spring to spawn; "chi" is its Pomo name.
Endemic: Found naturally in one place on Earth and nowhere else, as the hitch is to the Clear Lake basin.
Extirpated: Wiped out from one particular place but still surviving elsewhere (distinct from extinct).
Extinct: Gone forever, with no members of the species surviving anywhere (for example, the Clear Lake splittail).
Recruitment: The number of young fish that survive early life and grow large enough to join the adult population.
Obligate stream spawner: A fish that must enter flowing streams to reproduce and cannot breed in the open lake, which makes the hitch especially vulnerable when tributaries dry up.
Spawner survey (visual survey): A count of adult fish made by observers watching them migrate up tributaries to breed.
Gillnet relative-abundance survey: A method that sets standardized nets in the lake and compares the catch year to year against a baseline, rather than counting every fish.
Baseline: A reference measurement taken at a starting point against which later years are compared, such as the 2017 gillnet catch used to track the hitch's decline.
Rumsey datum / gauge: The local reference for Clear Lake's water level, recorded by a USGS gauge at Lakeport since 1873; zero Rumsey equals 1,318.26 ft above sea level, and a full lake is 7.56 ft Rumsey.
cfs (discharge): Cubic feet per second, the unit for how much water flows past a point each second, used to report flow out of the lake and down creeks.
Eutrophic: Describing water very rich in nutrients, which fuels heavy algae growth and can starve the water of oxygen; Clear Lake is naturally warm, shallow, and eutrophic.
Cyanobacteria / HAB: Blue-green organisms that multiply in warm, nutrient-rich water and can release toxins; a rapid overgrowth is a Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB), most severe at Clear Lake from about August to October.
Larvae and juveniles: The earliest life stages of a fish; larvae are newly hatched and most fragile, and juveniles have grown past that stage but are not yet breeding adults.
Tributary: A creek or stream that flows into a larger body of water; Clear Lake's tributaries are the spawning streams the hitch depend on.
Riparian: Relating to the bank and vegetation alongside a stream, which provides shade, cover, and habitat for spawning fish.
Watershed: The entire land area that drains its rain and runoff into a common body of water, here all the creeks and slopes feeding Clear Lake.
CESA: The California Endangered Species Act, the state law under which the hitch was listed as threatened in 2014.
ESA: The federal Endangered Species Act, under which a threatened listing for the hitch was proposed in January 2025.
Section 4(d) rule: A provision of the federal ESA that tailors the protections for a threatened species, allowing flexibility for activities that still benefit conservation.
Threatened vs. endangered: "Threatened" means a species is likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future, a less severe legal category than "endangered," which means it faces immediate danger of extinction.
Critical habitat: Geographic areas legally identified as essential to a protected species' survival and recovery.
Mark-recapture: A way to estimate a population by catching, marking, and releasing fish, then checking a later catch for marked individuals.
PIT tagging: Implanting fish with tiny passive transponder tags (like microchips) so individuals can be detected and tracked between the lake and spawning creeks.
Dissolved oxygen / hypoxia: The oxygen available in the water for fish to breathe; when it falls too low (hypoxia), fish are excluded from those areas, a problem worsened by algal blooms.
Fish passage barrier: A dam, weir, culvert, or road crossing that blocks fish from migrating upstream to spawning habitat.
Refuge (refugia): An isolated, protected place where a population can persist when the main population is at risk; Thurston Lake serves as a refuge for hitch cut off from Clear Lake.