What a disgusting situation when the lake gets saturated with a green-mud-like perimeter. Sunday was a good example of that green mud.
Bass boats running at top speed Saturday at daybreak from their south lake launching point A to destination, point B, some distance away.
They are all trying to get there as fast as possible. That”s part of their program. In doing so they cut as close to shore in a direct route as possible toward point B, thereby going over some of the most shallow parts of the lake. As a result the bottom of the lake, where they travel, gets very shook up, like a bunch of blenders working the area.
Some fishermen say motors are heating up from too much algae clogging their cooling system intake. Algae comes to the surface and travels where the prevailing wind takes it.
The birds in the area can”t handle it, they stay out of it, reminiscent of an oil spill. This might call for a five mph speed limit when water depth is less than 10-feet.
And it might take them two or three more minutes to get to their point B. The time difference as a result could vary.
The results to the shoreline receiving the green mud could be greatly improved. The smell and water condition for at least 40-feet from shore was not fit for any recreation of any kind. By Monday you could see more scattered areas of algae. It is no guessing matter that many people are turned away from this area because of that problem. The bass fishermen are helping destroy some of the prime vacation grounds and the income that would be generated by more visitors.
I wonder if the fishermen or their sponsors realize the effect all those boats have on the lake. I”ve seen sanitary plants cleaner and with a healthier environment.
They should consider the entire lake and what it offers for more people, not just fishing for black bass. It is so bad that they cannot fish these same areas at that time. It”s time someone with the power of persuasion take this issue to the lake authority, maybe the state level and help correct this problem for the benefit of the entire Clear Lake Region.
It is evident that a resting body of clear water will become violently disturbed without the help of the wind and the only activity on the water comes from a rush of several high-powered boats in less than an hour”s time. This is not shear coincidence.
Try keeping the speeders out of the shallows.
Jack Kunce
Clearlake
