LAKE COUNTY ? Trout fishing was in full-swing Tuesday on Blue Lakes after a Sacramento Superior Court ruling stopped the state”s 100-year-old fish stocking practice in Blue Lakes in September.
Narrows Lodge Resort owner Art Cerini lost most of his winter business, which relies largely on year-round trout fishing in upper Blue Lakes. The court ruling prohibited the state Department of Fish and Game (DFG) from planting rainbow trout in the lake along with three others in Lake County, based on a class action lawsuit that claimed the DFG failed to do an environmental impact report for its statewide fish stocking programs.
Because private stocking was not prohibited, Cerini was able to purchased 2,000 pounds of trout, weighing half a pound to a pound each. They were planted Monday, and he said fishing has been steady since the lake was opened again on Tuesday.
“My first approach to this when it started was how it would affect the ecosystem, and a secondary concern was the economic factor. With what was done here, this is not only going to create a good business atmosphere here, but it”s going to help local stores, gas stations, casinos ? everything,” Cerini said.
The purchase from Mount Lassen Trout Farm was made possible by a $3,400 contribution from the Lake County Fish and Wildlife Committee and a $2,000 contribution from the Blue Lake Action Committee, made up of business and property owners in the area.
Cerini said the farm expressed interest in turning upper Blue Lakes into a trophy lake, the only lake north of San Francisco to the Oregon border that would have trophy-sized rainbow trout. To that end, the farm donated an additional $1,000 worth of large trout, ranging from 7 pounds to 18 pounds in size.
“We”re trying to make it catch and release for the big ones. We”ve had a lot guys out here the last two days, and they”re pulling in 7 and-three-quarter-pound fish to 10-pound fish. One guy caught one he was afraid to put in his boat, it was so big,” Cerini said.
Trout and fishermen aren”t the only renewed life in the area, according to Cerini. He said a male and female osprey couple came back to stay the day the fish arrived, following a recent, brief fly-over. He”s waiting to see if an eagle couple will return. Otters were scarce all winter and haven”t been back, according to Cerini.
Fish stocking was prohibited in water bodies throughout the state believed to provide habitat for endangered frogs and minnows the trout eat. Efforts continue to remove Blue Lake from the list.
In a March 24 update, County Counsel Anita Grant told the Lake County Board of Supervisors the DFG planned to survey for potential populations of the yellow-legged frog and hard-headed minnow in April. Results were expected in June, with a decision regarding the stocking of Blue Lake to follow.
Contact Tiffany Revelle at trevelle@record-bee.com, or call her directly at 263-5636, ext. 37.
