As I sat listening to a presentation about the plight of the Clear Lake hitch, I daydreamed a little about how the County looked many years ago when the small fish ruled the lake. This species of minnow grows to a foot in length and was found in low lying areas throughout much of California before new comers ploughed the land and changed the course of streams. Today, only small populations of the 3 subspecies remain near the mid-coastal plains of Monterey and the Clear Lake basin.