With Clear Lake above flood stage, Lake County residents are uncertain what the near future holds. As of Tuesday, the lake level was at 9.72 feet on the Rumsey Gauge and slowly dropping. Depending on the amount of rainfall in the coming weeks the lake could drop below flood stage within the next 14 days. Even if no rain falls, it will take at least two or even up to four weeks for the lake to drop below 8 feet.
Normally there are a series of storms during the months of March and April. In March of 1998 when the lake level rose to 9.34 feet, the lake level didn’t recede until near the end of April.
The months of March and April are when the bass tournaments start up on Clear Lake and to date there are six tournaments scheduled for these two months. The first one is scheduled for March 11 and it’s the Wild West Bass Trail team tournament. The Lake County Chamber of Commerce team tournament is scheduled for March 18-19. Both tournaments should draw at least 100 boats.
Other tournaments scheduled for March and April are the Bass Anglers of Northern California on March 25, California Bass Federation on April 2, Best Bass Tournament on April 15, and another Wild West Bass tournament on April 23. In addition, there are at least a dozen club tournaments scheduled for these dates.
The big question is what happens to the tournaments if the lake is at flood stage. If the lake level is at 9 foot or higher the tournaments would probably be canceled or rescheduled. Most of the tournament directors are likely to move their tournaments to other lakes.
Since these tournaments are scheduled to go out of Konocti Vista Casino in Lakeport, high water wouldn’t affect them. The casino has kept its boat ramps open even when the lake was nearing 10 feet. There was a no-wake restriction within 2,500 feet from the shore all around the lake until Tuesday afternoon when the entire lake was declared off-limits to all boats other than the Sheriff’s Boat Patrol.
One solution for tournament directors would be to start the blast-off at the no-wake line well offshore. This would prevent the boats from roaring off and creating large wakes near shore.
The tournament fishermen should also keep their speed down when they’re anywhere near lakeside residents. In other words, they should show some courtesy to our neighbors. The lakeside homeowners are already under enough stress with the fear of their homes being flooded. The last thing they need is a bass boat roaring up to their docks. Another reason the tournament fishermen need to keep their speed down is because of the floating debris in the lake. There are entire trees, logs and even docks floating in the open water, all of which creates a boating hazard.
Bass tournaments play an important role in the economy of the county. Typically a fisherman will spend two or three days prefishing before the tournament, which lasts one to two days. A team tournament that draws 100 boats puts approximately $70,000 into the local economy.
In addition, club tournaments and recreational fishermen use the lake during the spring months. When you add up the money spent by tournament and recreational fishermen, it becomes one of the primary incomes for the county.
The good news is the tournament fishermen should enjoy a banner year at a very full Clear Lake. The few anglers who have been out fishing this past week report some huge bass being caught. All the fishermen have to do is show some common sense and respect for local residents and they will be welcomed back with open arms.
