Five boaters have so far been cited in Lake County for not having a current quagga mussel sticker on their boat. The citations have been turned over to the District Attorney”s office for action and two of the cases will go to court next week. If found guilty, the alleged violators will face a total fine of $2,700, which includes a $1,000 fine and $1,700 in court fees.
In addition to the fines, the convicted boaters will also be charged with a misdemeanor, which stays on their record. In other words, it”s a criminal charge. This makes the Lake County quagga mussel ordinance one of the strongest in the state.
The bottom line is to get a sticker before attempting to launch your boat. The sad part is I have been told two of the citations were given to local residents who should have known better. What many people don”t know is that a current sticker is also required on the boat trailer. Stickers are issued in sets of three, two going on the boat and one on the trailer. On Thursday, I made a walk through the Fifth Street ramp parking lot in Lakeport. Out of 15 boat trailers, two didn”t have stickers. That tells me their boats, which were already in the water, probably didn”t have stickers. The local law enforcement agencies have a “no-tolerance” policy and any boater who is stopped and doesn”t have a current sticker will be issued a citation with no exceptions. In other words, there will be no warning issued.
This could be the weekend when the weather cooperates and the bass start biting. All it takes is for the water temperatures to rise a few degrees and the spawn will take off like crazy. In fact, bass are already being seen in good numbers in the shallows on their beds. Sight fishing for bass during the spawn has always been controversial but there is nothing wrong with it as long as you immediately release the fish. They will return to the beds and continue their spawning cycle. The damage occurs when the bass are removed from the beds and transported to another area.
Bass can also be found beneath the docks. Earlier this week I took my underwater camera and checked the docks at Library Park in Lakeport. Beneath one dock I saw five bass swimming around along with a catfish.
Most of the bass have been feeding on crawdads. The guides report they are seeing chunks of crawdads being burped up in their livewells by the bass. The guides often hold the bass in their livewells for a short time to take photos for their clients, at which point the bass are released back into the lake.
There will be a pair of bass tournaments on the lake this weekend. On Saturday, Angler”s Choice will hold a team tournament with sign-ups starting at 4:30 a.m. at the Clear Lake Outdoor tackle shop. The weigh-in takes place at Konocti Vista Casino starting at 3 p.m. On Sunday, American Bass will also hold a team tournament out of Konocti Vista Casino. The weigh-in starts at 3 p.m. Sign-ups for that tournament start at 4 a.m. at the Tackle It tackle shop in Lakeport.
As the results of the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven catfish derby showed, the catfish action remains very good throughout the lake. In fact, catfish are being caught not only in the traditional areas such as Cache Creek and the Clearlake Oaks Keys, but off the docks in the Lakeport area and along the Nice-Lucerne shoreline. Chicken liver is one of the hot baits.
A reminder to fishermen that it”s illegal to use hitch for bait. The hitch are a fish that”s native to the lake and there have been reports of fishermen using the hitch for bait while catfishing.
Trout fishermen should find plenty of action this weekend. The East Branch of the Russian River and Upper Blue Lake are on the Department of Fish and Game”s (DFG) stocking list.
Lake County is known for its abundance of wildlife. In fact, wild animals are often spotted within the city limits of Lakeport and Clearlake. Last week a wild pig was seen in the Del Lago subdivision of Lakeport. That”s only a few blocks from downtown and earlier this month a wild tom turkey attacked an elderly gentleman in his backyard in north Lakeport. The gentleman suffered numerous scratches and scrapes before the turkey was subdued.
