Without question Clear Lake is one of the more popular fishing lakes in the West. Lake County offers not only excellent fishing opportunities but hunting opportunities as well. But with a sharp decline in the number of hunters and fishermen in the county as well as throughout the state, you might not always know it. On any given day the parking lots at the ramps around the lake are virtually empty and that includes weekends. Even the number of fishermen competing in bass tournaments is decreasing.
Twenty years ago if a team bass tournament didn’t draw at least 60 or 70 boats it was considered a failure. In fact, most of the tournaments drew in excess of 100 boats. Now a tournament is considered a success if it draws 30 boats. The same applies to hunting. It was only a few years ago that the opening weekend of the deer season would draw hundreds of hunters. Now the national forests are empty of hunters.
According to Department of Fish and Wildlife (DFW), the state issued 549,000 hunting licenses in 1982, but in 2016 that number stands at 283,000, a decline of nearly 50 percent. That same thing appliesd to fishing licenses. In 1982 California sold 2,480,158 fishing licenses. In 2016 that number dropped to 1,632,823. This is remarkable in that the state’s human population increased from 25 to 39.5 million in the same time frame.
Whereas it’s true that the types of recreation people are choosing is changing, the other major factor is cost. This year a fishing license will set you back $47 and it is only good until Jan. 1. In other words, if you buy a 2017 fishing license today you will be required to buy a new license on Jan. 1, 2018. In just about all other states a fishing license is good for 12 months from the date of purchase. And while the basic license costs $47, if you want to hunt deer or upland game there is an additional fee of $31, plus an addition $9.46 for an upland game stamp.
California is also one of the few states that doesn’t give senior citizens a break on fishing and hunting licenses. For example, nearby Oregon charges a senior citizen (older than 70) $25 a year for a fishing license. If that resident has been a resident of Oregon for at least 50 years, the annual fee drops to $6. A combination fishing and hunting license for a senior is $41.50. Even Alaska has lower license fees than California.
The other major problem is that many California hunters and fishermen don’t feel they are getting their money’s worth. The DFW has cut back on the number of programs it administers. At one time the trout stocking program was excellent but no longer. For example, nearby Upper Blue Lake, the East Branch of the Russian River, Lake Pillsbury and Indian Valley Reservoir have received few trout plants the past three years.
The DFW also used to do extensive deer counts. These counts allowed the department to set hunting seasons and know the condition of the state’s deer herd. That is also no longer done.
Fishing and hunting has also become an expensive pastime. A new bass boat can cost as much as $100,000. Fishing rods can cost $500 and even a lure can be as much as $150. Bass tournaments are also expensive. The typical entry fee for a tournament is $500 per team and when you add in the cost of travel, motel and food it can easily hit more than $1,000 a day. Typically a tournament fisherman is lucky to win back his entry fee much less show a profit.
Spouses of the tournament fishermen also have put their foot down. Many wives are tired of staying home taking care of the kids while dad is off fishing. Years ago the wives would often accompany their husbands to tournaments but that is rare now.
Where this all ends is a mystery. Possibly there will be a return to recreational fishing where 12-foot aluminum boats once again become popular. After all, the bass don’t know or care if you’re in a $100,000 bass boat or a $500 row boat.
