Clear Lake proved to be extremely popular among fishermen and boaters on Saturday when the lake was open after being closed for nearly two months. All the parking lots at the public ramps were jammed with vehicles hooked up to boat trailers. The lake was only open to Lake County residents but more than 125 boats were launched on Saturday. The count was down considerably on Sunday but that was Mothers’ Day and most of the fishermen stayed home to be with their families. The other good news was that the local tackle shops were allowed to open up and the fishermen flocked to them. In addition all the other lakes in Lake County are also open. That means Upper Blue Lake is open as well as Lake Pillsbury. Yolo County was going to open Indian Valley Reservoir but has delayed the opening until they get clearance from state authorities.
The good news is that over the weekend all the fishermen stayed at least six feet apart on the ramps and in the parking lots. In fact, most of the fishermen and boaters stayed at least 10 feet apart.
The primary reason the lakes weren’t open to out of county residents was the concern that too many fishermen would come to the county to fish and the parking lots at the boat ramps would be jammed with people. This would make them vulnerable to catching the coronavirus.
The two month closure of the lake showed just how valuable the local residents think of Clear Lake and how they want to protect it.
It appears that it will be several months before bass tournaments are allowed on the lake. Normally during the months of May and June there are a number of major bass tournaments scheduled for Clear Lake. This year the Department of Fish and Wildlife (DWF) has cancelled the tournaments.
The fishing industry in Lake County is big business. Clear Lake has a worldwide reputation as one of the top bass fisheries in the word and every year fishermen from throughout the USA and foreign countries visit here to sample the excellent bass fishing. Some of the largest bass tournament organizations in the nation hold tournaments here. It is estimated that each bass fisherman will spend at least $300 a day when visiting the county and that includes motels, meals, gas, fishing tackle and other goods. Many of the larger tournaments will have 200 to 300 fishermen and they will spend four or even five days in the county. That money spent in the county can add up to more than $400,000 and that is for just one tournament. Typically there are from 20 to 30 major bass tournaments a year held on the lake. In addition the Clearlake Oaks/Glenhaven catfish derby annually draws more than 1,000 anglers and they come from throughout the United State as well as from Europe and Asia
The shutdown has had major impacts on the tourist industry. Even if the lake were open to nonresidents they still couldn’t come here because the motels are all closed and there would also be nowhere to eat.
Without question the health of the local population ranks first. The last thing we want is an outbreak of the coronavirus or any disease. The one thing we all can do maintain healthy practices. Hopefully this will pass and we can return to fishing and enjoying the beautiful outdoors the county has to offer.
