Zebra mussel could end bass fishing as we know it!

[invader]

And all types of fresh water fishing for that matter.

I do not post much here but have been reading here for a long time. I wanted to bring this up so that everybody is aware of the problem.

I live in the Santa Cruz Mountains about 20 minutes from Loch Lomond. Loch Lomond opens tomorrow and I have kind of a tradition of taking my boat up there on the opener each year.

This year I will not be allowed to take my boat into Loch Lomond. The reason why....the F*****g zebra mussel.

They have posted on their web site that any boat that has a water cooled gas motor or through hull fittings will not be allowed to launch in the lake. They are going to inspect all boats coming in to verify that there is no wetness anywhere in the boat. They will be looking in all hatches, bilges and live wells. If they find anything wet anywhere on your boat, you will not be allowed to launch. Also, if it is raining or misty out, (allot of the time it is foggy and misty in the Santa Cruz mountains during summer), No outside boats will be allowed because they will not be able to prove that the wetness is not from another lake. I called the Ranger at the lake yesterday and tried to explain that my outboard can be tilted up out of the water but was told if there is anywhere on your boat that water can get in but it is not possible to inspect that you will not be allowed to launch.

THIS IS HUGE. THIS IS VERY VERY HUGE. Think of the implications here. If they are going this far on this relatively small impoundment, that is very well manned, what will happen on larger lakes such as Clear Lake? They will just shut them down to all boating. On Larger lakes there is no way to have enough inspectors to inspect every boat coming in so they will just say no to all boating. Case in point......San Justo lake Near Hollister is now shut down to all outside boaters indefinitely and may never allow outside boating again due to the zebra mussel. And San Justo is a very small lake!

Lets hope that this thing can be brought under control or better yet, that someone can come up with a way to kill these nasty little mussel

[kazk]

Suggest you read the southern board "CASITAS LAKE" We have been working on this issue for the past month. John Barron has a topic "MWD Kudos" about the classes and efforts being done here in the south.

Chris Koda

[Guest]

Looks like you should invest in a good Float Tube or belly boat. Just work around the issue until the panic dies down.

[Joe W.]

Suggest you read the southern board "CASITAS LAKE" We have been working on this issue for the past month. John Barron has a topic "MWD Kudos" about the classes and efforts being done here in the south.

Chris Koda

It's worse for Loch Lomond. They won't let you launch with a gas motor attached to your boat at all. They won't let you launch with ANY through hull fittings. All hoses and through hull fittings must be removed and the holes plugged in order to get on this lake. That basically means no bass boats will be allowed on the lake, unless guys want to disconnect their bilge fittings, live well fittings, or any other through hull fitting. Who is going to go thorough all that to launch on an electric motor only lake?

I have a aluminum boat with wooden floors and decks built in. I'm going to have to butcher the boat so there is access to view the entire bottom of the boat. As it is now, the floor doesn't come out and you can't see under it. This is one of my favorite lakes and it's a major bummer.

I talked to the head Ranger at Loch lomond this morning and he also told me that San Justo is not only closed to outside boats indefinitely, they are just plain closed period and will make a decision in April as to whether or not they will open to shore fishing.

[Joe W.]

Looks like you should invest in a good Float Tube or belly boat. Just work around the issue until the panic dies down.

This particular lake, Loch Lomond doesn't allow float tubes or pontoons.

[kazk]

Joe

The Casitas Water Management District will be holding a vote on Tuesday March 4,2008. This is a knee jerk reaction and it seems that your people up there are having the same typical government reaction.

Chris Koda

[Joe W.]

Joe

The Casitas Water Management District will be holding a vote on Tuesday March 4,2008. This is a knee jerk reaction and it seems that your people up there are having the same typical government reaction.

Chris Koda

Sounds like it to me too. It's all new to these guys up here too so who knows how these inspections will go.

What is the real issue with the mussels? Are they worried that it will effect the enviornment being that it's a non native species or are they worried about the money that may be spent due to damage caused by the mussels?

What is the main concern with these things?

[kazk]

Joe

The Casitas Water Board is concerned with the cost of either eradication or additional maintenance costs to deal with the mussels. The main income source is the sale of water and anything that will slow down the delivery is what concerns them. Lake Cachuma management has requested that the lake be closed also but the superintendent that wrote the request to the board of superevisors did it like the lake was being overrun by the red army. His statements ignored all of the scientific data that is available on the internet. Lane Gergely from Texas who is working with the USFSW on this and other bilogical problems is attending the Lake Casitas meeting. A few months back you northern boarders didn't think much of our problem but you are now beginning to get a taste of what we have been fighting against down here.

Chris Koda

[bassindon69]

The Quagga Mussel is worse then the Zebra they say. Read some more guys. EBM , San Pablo is closed 3 days a week now because there is no one to inspect boats those days (can't afford it) they say. Pardee, Any boats from Santa Clara county, southern California, and outside of California will not be allowed on the lake. There is more......Inspections that are popping up all over BE READY the best you can with the Clean and Dry.
Start sending letters I guess.

Don.

[kazk]

Don

I think you experienced the Lake Casitas inspection for the HBC?

By the way congratulations on the win. They just took the MWD class that Mike Guisti at the DFG helped organize and have relaxed the inspection process a little afteer the class. But they still have the 28 day quarntine going. Good luck to the northern guys as the knee jerk reactions the EBMUD and the others are going to really impact the tournaments up there. Lake Casitas now has increased the tournament fees another 150 dollars to pay for the inspectors to be there at 4:00am on tournament days.

Chris Koda

[MikeD]

must-resist-urge-to-post-move-along-nothing-to-see

[invader]

"San Pablo is closed 3 days a week now because there is no one to inspect boats those days (can't afford it) they say. "

This is exactly my worry. Not being able to afford to have the people to do inspections.

On San Luis reservoir, they already don't have people taking your money during the week because they don't have the funds to have someone there all day. So if they start worrying about the mussles there, they will just say no boats allowed.

Next thing you know I won't be able to use my boat anywhere in the state!

[vinnybass]

Who would've thought a year ago that the "lucky" ones are the those who fish lakes that are already infested?

[biteme]

I guess things are going to get tough. Until I guess every lake has these things. Then it wont really matter. What are they doing to stop this from spreading besides looking at boats?
What Im trying to say is water moves down stream. Doesnt look like anyone is stopping that.

[bassindon69]

Yes, went through that at Casitas a few times, It went just fine for me. BTW I am NOT the winner of HBC that is Don Osborne.
I am the other dude LOL!!

Don M.

[Guest]

This particular lake, Loch Lomond doesn't allow float tubes or pontoons.

Ok then go to the Delta

[Morgan]

So I'm wondering.... Are they going to start shooting all the birds that may travel between lakes? or just check them to see if they are dry? They carry mussels also.

Morgan

[Rbaker]

So if a bird flys from one lake to another and has the muscles attached to its feet wouldn't you think that the state would get the idea that this could happen.

I used to live next to Lake Conroe in Texas where the hydrilla first hit and it became a huge problem until they put the carp in there.

I see wide spread panic on this issue allready and don't believe for one minute that the muscle issues we are having are nescessarily started by man.

What will it be next???

Russ

[Team Fugowee]

This is from another site by a friend of mine answering a post of mine.

Posted: Tue Feb 26, 2008 8:34 pm Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have just returned home from fishing a tournament at Lake Havasu. Two years ago I fished my first tournament on the lake. DFG came to the partner pairing then to tell about this mussel problem. I didn't think much about it then, thinking they were alarmists with nothing better to do out in the middle of the desert but, this trip was quite shocking. These critters have really taken over. Kind of like spotted bass in a lake. Every piece of wood, old fishing line, weed, or any other type of cover that we hooked and brought to the surface had mussels attached to it. I even caught the mussels on my jig hook several times. The fishing in pratice got so bad for my co angler and I that we had a contest for most and largest mussels caught! I agree with Gary, it's not if it's when will all of our lakes get

This is part of my answer.

I would bet, and it's a sure bet, that this invasion is all ready over. We will hear over the comming years: Shasta, Oroville, Barressa, Clear Lake, The Delta, Don Pedro, Naci, Castaic........ are already infested. Why, these are the Party lakes, summer havens THE places to go. This is how the mussle came to the Colorado river lakes. People from the Great Lakes aera came to the Colorado River lakes to escape the weather and unknowly/uncareingly brought this unseen hitchiker with them. I see Az, Nv, Ut plates and boat reg #s at Naci every year in the summer.
Gee, I wonder if that pipe line project is(Naci) was(Delta) such a good idea. If I was a young person other than a hearing Dr. now plummer is added to the short list of worthwhile $$$$$ professions.

AAH finch

[InTheBlind]

Be Carefull of float/belly tubes. This mussel has been known to enter orafices on the body and block tubes, which have been known to excrete waste products.

My wife checked me at the bathroom door the other night and checked to make sure I was clean and dry before I took a shower. WHERE WILL THIS END?

[David Rogers]

Fishing is only a 10 Billion dollar industry, there is no money to fix this, if only there was money we could fix this but there is only 10 billion. Sounds like I am kidding, no I am not fishing is the US is a 10 Billion dollar ind. If fishing were a fortune 500 company is would be top 10. OK, lets not take any of the 10 Billion to fix this I am willing a retard to give an extra 5.00 per year on my fishing license to fix this problem if it means I can still fish the water that my dad took me to since I was 4 year old.

[Dom]

This is all BULL $h*& Why is it Only California is so broke ? Where in the heck is the 10 Billion Dollars a year going? Lord knows our DFG guys arn't getting it have you looked at the salaries? A caltrans guy/gal makes more in a few months vs wardens,etc.. pay.

Everywhere I look these days the Ca state agencies are jacking up prices and making up fees. But yet Ca politicians take a pay raise and most are making over 100 g's a year already! Wheres the the cuts there?

A few years ago they implimented a 5.00 delta stamp wheres the cash? I sware California is Corrupt from every corner its a sad sad state What the hell is our STATE TAXES For?

When you allow 20 million illegals to come here to build home after home then quit building homes guess what the unemployment rate is going to go UP DUH! then you allow them to take advantage of all our public resources like medical,Social security,unemployment,etc.... DUH! Not to mention all the $$$ being sent out of our country to thier country/family!

Yea I am pissed my Medical went up this year, they are charging me 150 a kid to bus my kids to school,my DMV fees,etc.. are all going up ! I had 2 kids they are my responsibility, not the illegals

How does all this pertain to this thread yall just wait and see this Mussel problem that has been around for years is just the beginning of a ploy for the CA DFG to get there hands in our pockets AGAIN to recover money cut by the government and its just the beginning.

Sorry boys if you where having a dinner party and invited 20 people only, but 1000 showed up guess what you got 2 choices go drop the extra $$$ out of your pocket to feed the other 980 or they just go without!

Heres a Solution pay the farmers what there worth so they can quit hiring illegals ( I know I deliver to them on a daily basis) Farmers are hiding them in the middle of orchards, seriously!

Next lock down our borders

And if you do come here from another country make em pay a higher tax bracket we could call it a better life fee lord knows they hit us with a fee for everything.


Sorry had to vent, just my 0.02

[Rbaker]

Dom,

I agree with you. Here in Washington state they tried but failed to place a tax on the displacement of your engine. I wrote to 2 congressman and chewed some A"" on this one.

I know how serious the muscle issue is but like I said if a bird or animal picks these up and moves from lake to lake we will get blamed for it anyway.

Russ

[Robert F]

Fishing is only a 10 Billion dollar industry, there is no money to fix this, if only there was money we could fix this but there is only 10 billion. Sounds like I am kidding, no I am not fishing is the US is a 10 Billion dollar ind. If fishing were a fortune 500 company is would be top 10. OK, lets not take any of the 10 Billion to fix this I am willing a retard to give an extra 5.00 per year on my fishing license to fix this problem if it means I can still fish the water that my dad took me to since I was 4 year old.

Now there's your problem. 10 Billion in but nothing out. You dont expect anybody to spend any of that 10 Billion they recieve from fishermen on fishing? We have to save Delta Smelt and weeds, I mean Habitat. There is nothing left for fishing!

[bassaddicted]

very nice Dom. diddo so so true, glad to see someone else see whats going on, its sickening