September signals the start of the bass fishing tournament season on Clear Lake. Beginning Sept. 15 the tournaments can be eight hours in length. Many tourney organizations hold their Tournament of Champions (TOC) during the fall months.
The tournament circuits themselves normally start up in January. Clear Lake was host to more than 80 major tournaments a year at one time. However, in recent years that number has dwindled to fewer than 50 tournaments. The Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW) has issued only eight permits between now and Dec. 3. Of these tournaments only four are expected to field more than 80 boats while the remainder will be between 20-35. Twenty years ago just about all the tournaments fielded in the neighborhood of 100 boats.
Clear Lake isn’t the only lake to see a decline in tournament fishermen entries. It’s happening throughout the West. Even in the popular Delta the numbers are down. Twenty years ago a typical major bass tournament would draw at least 150 boats in the Delta. A few tournaments even had more than 200 boats. Now it’s extremely rare to have 100 boats in a tournament and most of the time it’s fewer than 75 boats.
For a number of years bass tournaments comprised a critical element of the local economy. Studies have shown that a tournament fisherman spends approximately $200 per day in the county, which includes motels, meals, gas and other incidentals such as fishing tackle. In a 100-boat (200 fishermen) tournament that means county businesses get approximately $40,000 a day in revenue. When you add in that most of the larger tournaments are two-day affairs and that the majority of the fishermen spend at least two additional days prefishing, it adds up to roughly $160,000.
The economy has taken its toll on tourists as well as tournament fishermen. Just the entry fee alone in a major tournament can run as high as $1,200. The cost to travel to and from Clear Lake can be mind boggling. For example, a 300-mile round trip costs about $200 in gas. Most modern bass boats hold about 50 gallons of gas in their tanks. On a lake as large as Clear Lake it’s not unusual to burn 30 or more gallons during a day’s fishing. That adds up to another $400.
A modern bass boat costs in the neighborhood of $70,000. The minute it leaves the lot its value takes a huge nosedive. Most fishermen finance their boat for 10-15 years and then trade it in after five years. When you take into consideration boat payments and other expenses we’re talking about real money. When a tournament fisherman announces to his wife that he is going to Clear Lake for four or five days to compete in a tournament and the total cost will run about $1,500, she takes a long and hard look at her husband’s favorite pastime. This is especially true when many of the tournament fishermen have lost their jobs and are being supported by their working wives. A number of fishermen have told me their wives have told them the tournament days are a thing of the past.
The other major factor is that competitive tournament fishermen could be on the decline. Since 1988 fishing license sales in California have declined nearly 50 percent. The same applies to the number of hunters. Hunter numbers have been on the decline for the past 15 years. California has the highest fishing and hunting license fees in the country. The general expense for this type of recreation is just getting too expensive.
For those fishermen who still have the means, Clear Lake is an ideal destination. It is rated No. 2 in the world for bass fishing and also offers excellent catfish and crappie fishing. The lake is currently in better shape than just about any other lake in California, yet tourism is down by at least 40 percent. Actually, Lake County has it all. It has the cleanest air in the state, great wineries and excellent resorts. and boat ramps. Now all we need are the tourists to fill them and use them.
