–LAKEPORT — Department of Fish and Game (DFG) wardens stopped a bass tournament before it could finish and jailed its director on Sunday at Clear Lake.
American Bass Association (ABA) tournament director Steve Adams of Rancho Cordova was arrested and charged with three counts of violating Fish and Game Code Section 1052, which covers permits and licenses. He was booked into the Lake County jail and later released on a $1,000 bond. The scheduled team tournament also was canceled by the DFG.
According to DFG Game Warden Lynette Shimek, the arrest and cancellation of the tournament was the result of a previous DFG action against Adams, who was director for an ABA-sanctioned night tournament conducted during the summer of 2006. In that tournament, more than 50 bass were found dead near Library Park in Lakeport the morning after the tournament. Shimek said that the DFG and owners of ABA reached an agreement whereby Adams was suspended from conducting any bass tournaments on Clear Lake the remainder of 2006 and all of 2007.
“I learned that ABA had a tournament scheduled for Clear Lake on Aug. 19 but the tournament permit was issued to Ed Clarke, owner of Tackle It tackle shop in Lakeport,” Shimek said. “Clarke is a tournament director for ABA, but when I asked him about the Aug. 19 tournament, he said that he didn”t know anything about it. I then discovered that Adams was going to be the tournament director for the tournament, which was in direct violation of the DFG”s agreement with ABA,” Shimek said.
Adams also didn”t have a permit from the City of Lakeport, which is required to hold a bass tournament on city property.
Shimek said the tournament drew only 10 boats and they blasted off at 6 a.m. Adams was arrested by game wardens soon after.
Game wardens, including Shimek, met with the fishermen when they returned to Library Park at noon to weigh-in their fish. She informed them the tournament had been canceled and their entry fees would be returned by ABA. However, many of the fishermen expressed anger at the DFG for canceling the tournament, according to Shimiek, who said she supports fishermen and tournaments, but that the welfare of Clear Lake”s fish came first.
With Adams already arrested, there was no one left to weigh in the fish, according to Shimek.
“I told the fishermen that tournament regulations are in place to protect the resource and that Adams had violated that trust last year when the fish weren”t properly cared for. That was the reason that he has been banned from holding tournaments on Clear Lake for the remainder of 2007. In fact, the DFG allowed ABA to continue to hold tournaments on the lake as long as a different director was in charge,” Shimek said. “We have a letter from the owners of ABA assuring us the Adams would not be holding any more tournaments on Clear Lake. That didn”t turn out to be true and, in fact, ABA was aware that Adams was going to hold a tournament here on Aug. 19,” Shimek added.
A check of the ABA Web site listed Adams as the tournament director for the Aug. 19 tournament.
Shimek said ABA is not the only bass tournament organization that DFG is taking a long, hard look at. She said there have been other tournaments on Clear Lake that have not followed the rules, and that DFG will be coming down hard on them.
According to Shimek, the DFG generally issues a warning to a bass tournament organization when there is a problem, if they don”t follow DFG rules, these organizations can de denied future tournament.
All bass tournaments held on Clear Lake must be issued a permit by DFG. That permit application lists a number of conditions that must be followed. For example, rule 6 states, “Bass shall not be held at any time without sufficient water to cover the fish, except during the actual measuring/weighing process. Fish shall not be held in plastic bags longer than 3 minutes prior to or after the weigh-in.”
Rule 11 states: “On Clear Lake all bass shall be released at least 2 miles from the weigh-in site and 400 yards offshore.”
And yet another rule reads: “Any Department representative has the authority to terminate a contest if, in his/her opinion, any permit condition has been violated or a substantial impact to the resource by the contest is observed or expected.”
Multiple attempts by DFG to reach ABA officials by telephone had not been successful as of Monday.
Clear Lake plays host to approximately 55 major tournaments a year as well as numerous bass club tournaments.
Terry Knight is a long time freelance outdoors and recreation writer for the Record-Bee. To comment on this story, scroll to “Comment” at the bottom of this webpage, fill out the webform, and click “Publish”.
