The local fishing world is abuzz about the rescheduling of the Lake County Chamber of Commerce team tournament that was scheduled for Saturday. The chamber has applied with the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) to reschedule the tournament from March 21-22 to April 25-26. From all indications it appears the DFW will agree to the new dates.
While chamber officials originally said the tournament would not be moved, the coronavirus outbreak sweeping the world made such a move necessary. The tournament would have drawn in the neighborhood of 100 boats (200 fishermen), many coming from throughout the western United States. During the weigh-ins and other ceremonies the fishermen will be in close proximity to each other, something that is being discouraged right now because of the coronavirus. If even just one fisherman is infected the virus could spread to dozens.
Chamber CEO Melissa Fulton did the right thing in postponing the tournament. With just about all public meetings and sporting events being canceled and schools closed, there was no way the tournament could go on. If one person in the tournament was diagnosed with the virus the publicity would be terrible. The new dates of April 25-26 should help the tournament. The weather will be a lot better and it should attract more fishermen. The other major fact is that the tournament won’t be competing with the Wild West Trail (WWBT), which is scheduled for March 21 at Lake Berryessa. That tournament is expected to draw at least 150 boats and would have drawn away teams from the chamber tournament on Clear Lake.
As of now, other tournaments scheduled for Clear Lake are still on. That could change depending on how much the virus spreads. The next major tournament is NewJen, which is scheduled for March 28. That tournament will draw close to 100 boats (200 fishermen). After that it’s the Leukemia Benefit tournament April 4 followed by three-day-long Western Outdoor News tournament beginning April 8, an event that will draw well over 100 boats. All these tournaments will draw fishermen from throughout the western United States.
It’s not only the bass tournaments that are rescheduling. The Clearlake Oaks Catfish Derby scheduled for May 15-17 has been rescheduled for Aug. 21, 22, 23. That derby annually draws more than 1,000 fishermen from around the world, including Europe. Fishermen can get more information from the derby’s website at www.clearlakeoaks.org. or by calling 596-0248.
Social distancing
The problem is not the fishermen who are out on the lake, but the fishermen who will be close to each other during tournament weigh-ins and award ceremonies. During a typical two-day tournament the fishermen spend anywhere from two to four days prefishing. The government recommendations are that individuals stay at least 6 feet from each other. That’s hard to do when fishermen are all gathered near the scales or at the awards ceremony.
As for recreational fishermen, the coronavirus shouldn’t have much of an impact. There are some adjustments to make because some of the restaurants will be closed, but most stores and gas stations will remain open. How long all this will last is unknown. Hopefully within a few weeks the crisis will pass and everything can return to normal.
