Buy a boat sticker or pay $100 fine, it”s your choice
Boaters visiting Clear Lake who don”t have a quagga mussel sticker on their boats could be in for an expensive surprise. The Lake County Sheriff”s Office (LCSO) is taking a no-nonsense approach to those who have been ignoring the county”s sticker ordinance.
Effective immediately any boater who is on the lake and doesn”t have a current sticker will receive a citation from the LCSO Boat Patrol. The minimum fine is $100 for a first offense and it will go up from there. There already have been several citations issued.
Lake County residents are also urged to turn in boaters who don”t have a sticker on their boats. The LCSO requests that you jot down the CF number of the boat and call 263-2960 and give the sheriff”s dispatch the location of the boat and any other pertinent information. The boat patrol will be dispatched to the area.
It”s unknown how many boats on the lake at any given time don”t have a sticker, but it could be a significant number. This is especially true of the wakeboard boats and the personal watercraft. I know that when I”m out on the lake I see a number of these types of boats without a quagga mussel sticker, especially on weekends.
The result of the LCSO action will mean that the word should get out quick and boaters not currently in compliance will be getting the stickers. The county ordinance states that any vessel capable of floating on the water must have a sticker and that includes float tubes, kayaks, canoes as well as those small inflatable floating devices pulled behind a boat.
The upcoming Fourth of July holiday weekend will be a good test of how many boaters comply with the new regulations. Normally that long weekend is when Clear Lake is the busiest.
On the fishing scene, the bass fishing at Clear Lake is a mixed bag. Some fishermen are doing very well and others are struggling to put a few fish in the boat. One problem is that the north end of the lake has experienced an explosion of aquatic weeds. In many areas the weed beds extend out into the lake for nearly a mile. The bass are also widely scattered and the more successful fishermen have been on the move until they locate pods of bass.
In other words, keep the trolling motor going and keep casting. Often the bites are several hundred yards apart. The bass also continue to lose weight. In fact, some of the bass I caught earlier in the week looked like snakes, they were so skinny.
Senkos have been the ticket for many fishermen. The Senko is cast to the edges of the weed bed and allowed to slowly fall. Another technique that continues to be very effective is to cast a topwater lure into the small pockets in the weed mats. Give a couple of sharp jerks and hang on.
There has been very little action for fishermen casting plastic frogs to the weed mats. Several anglers said they have been getting only one or two blowups for a couple of hours spent casting. Apparently the bass have no need to suspend under the mats because the weeds are so thick and they have shade and cover everywhere.
Catfish action has been very good in the south end of the lake. One of the better areas has been the docks at Indian Beach Resort in Glenhaven, where fishermen are averaging five to six catfish per evening. Crappie action has been poor and hardly worth the effort.
Trout action remains slow at Upper Blue Lake. It appears it will be some time before the Department of Fish and Game resumes stocking the lake. The holdup is the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which still hasn”t recommended removing the trout stocking ban currently in place at the lake.
The East Branch of the Russian River is scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. Bass fishing has been good at Lake Pillsbury and trout action has been slow. The lake hasn”t been stocked in more than a month.
The Clear Lake Chapter of Ducks Unlimited (DU) is having an informational meeting on Monday at Kelseyville Pizza. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. Folks interested in helping the local DU chapter grow and continue conservation efforts are encouraged to attend.
