With the spring and summer tourist season just around the corner and with gas prices approaching $5 a gallon, a number of local businesses are wondering what impact the high price of gasoline will have on the tourist industry of which bass fishermen are a big part.
There is no question tourism is a major industry in Lake County. When Konocti Harbor Resort closed its doors it was a major hit to the economy of this county.
Clear Lake is presently the No. 1 bass lake in the West, if not in the nation, and is one of the more popular lakes for bass tournaments for both the tournament fishermen as well as recreational anglers. There are 25 major tournaments scheduled for the lake for the remainder of 2012. In addition, there are dozens of bass club tournaments. While most are one-day team events there are also some two-day pro/am events sponsored by the bass circuits.
Many of the tournament fishermen travel 300 miles or more roundtrip to fish at the lake. The tournament entry fees average about $200 per team. The pro/ams can vary from as high as $700 for the pro to $250 for the amateur.
The individual circuits are broken down by regions, which cover several lakes or other waters. Most have team circuits and include a six-tournament schedule of which at least two or three are held on Clear Lake. A good number of the fishermen will compete in all the circuits. When you consider that most of the fishermen spend two or three days prefishing for a tournament it adds up to a lot of money spent on the local economy.
Just the cost to drive to and from Clear Lake plus the cost of gas used in the bass boats can be mind-boggling. The price of gasoline is forecast to reach $5 per gallon by Memorial Day. A fisherman traveling from Sacramento spends approximately $125 on gas just to get to Clear Lake and return home, and that doesn”t include meals, fishing tackle and other costs.
Troy Bellah of Clear Lake Outdoors tackle shop says it”s not unusual for a fisherman to spend from $60-$100 per day on live bait and fishing tackle. Most modern bass boats have tanks that hold a total of 50 gallons of gas. On a lake as large as Clear Lake it”s not unusual to go through 30 gallons of gas in a day. That adds up to another $150 per day. And it”s not only the bass fishermen who will be paying more because of the gas prices. Pleasure boaters, including wakeboard boat owners and personal watercraft owners, also spend a lot of money in the county.
Not included in all this is the cost of the boat itself. A new, fully-rigged bass boat costs in the neighborhood of $50,000. The fishing rods, reels and other gear can add another several thousand dollars. A wakeboard boat will cost about the same
The number of fishermen competing in tournaments has declined in the past three years. Ten years ago a typical team tournament would draw at least 100 boats. Last year most of the team tournaments drew less than 50 boats and some had fewer than 30 teams. The experts point to the bad economy for the drop in tournament entries.
The tournament organizations aren”t getting rich. The average circuit pays back to the fishermen in cash awards approximately 70 percent of the entry fees. They also receive a few dollars from sponsors. However, when a tournament only draws 30 boats, it”s had to show any type of profit. Since bass tournaments are not considered a paying spectator sport such as golf or rodeo, there are no profits made from the crowd that attends the weigh-ins.
If the tournament participation continues to decline, it could have an impact on the county”s tourist industry. Bass fishermen spend a lot of money in the county. With most of the tournaments scheduled during the fall and winter months it could have a significant impact on the local businesses.
A number of local businesses have lowered their prices to attract the tourists. Konocti Vista Casino is a good example. They have a special rate for fishermen and have gone to great lengths to attract the bass tournaments. In fact, 75 percent of the bass tournaments on Clear Lake now go out of Konocti Vista Casino.
Lake County and Clear Lake are unparalleled when it comes to beauty and that”s why visitors enjoy vacationing here.
