Clear Lake Hassle

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620 Dude
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Clear Lake Hassle

Post by 620 Dude »

The wife and I were out on Clear Lake today getting some action on minnows when we were greeted by a Fish & Game officer and a Lake County Sheriffs Deputy after all the usual b/s they asked us to hand over our fishing license / not to show that we had them but physical hand them to them. After getting that settled they proceded to ask when was the last time our boat was inspected,I said January when I got my invasive species sticker since I only go Clear lake and the Delta I didn't require reinspection. They said Wrong! That I had to have it inspected everytime before launching since I was't a lake resident. So I says when did this happen? they said in April So I'm not one to argue with a Gun and Badge so they proceded to escort me off the lake right to the Dock and watch me leave. I had to go get it reinspected have my docmentation stamped so I had some kind of evidence that it was done.
Bob Rider at Lakeshore said that they were nuts.
I talked with one other fisherman that got the same hassle
Anyway Just a Heads Up!
Ps I'm a Yolo Co. Resident....the Woodpile
DaveH
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by DaveH »

Hassled by "The Man", love em or hate em, least they didn't cite you and tell, not knowing isn't a excuse...
620 Dude
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by 620 Dude »

Yea..they just slapped me and to me to pass in on to my buds
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ash
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by ash »

This isnt a new rule the stickers are color coded and change color every so often, you just have to know when they change :wink:

The letter of the law is if your boat leaves Lake Port then you need to be inspected upon each entry into the lake. This has been the rules since the program went into effect April 2008


http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Economi ... 040608.pdf
620 Dude
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by 620 Dude »

I've get my sticfker every year and I was told that as long a I identified the lakes I went to and and they weren't on the invasive species list I did't require it. In March I was boarded by a patrol group with a mussle sniffing dog and they didn't mention about that.
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ash
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by ash »

Whether or not they mentioned it; the way it is written is very clear. When your vessel leaves the lake you require a new inspection and new sticker, anything short of that is a violation and subject to a minimum $100 and or misdemeanor citation. Its worth the ten dollars to pay for the inspection or to do the inspection via phone.

I dont see it as harassment, the current program is really easy to follow and I would hate to see the program become extremely stringent where they are cable locking the boats for a quarantine period as they are doing at Casitas. I have heard rumors about putting a similar program into place for Clear Lake now that would be a PITA
2ndsuks
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by 2ndsuks »

If you live in a neighboring county I would call this a hassle.
I'm up at Clear Lake quite a bit but if I have to get a new sticker every time I want to fish the lake I will be making less trips for sure.
Lake County's economy is hurting as it is, this is just going to make it worse. :(
Dbass
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by Dbass »

I was on Clear Lake yesterday too and I was asked for my license.
They saw my sticker on my boat and asked where i got inspected.
once he looked over my fishing license he asked me a couple of questions and then they were off and running. First time in the 15 plus years that i have been fishing that lake that i was approached but the fishing was great, 5 best for 23.11. speed kills!!!

Dbass
David Rogers
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by David Rogers »

Wow,
This is news to me, I go up there once a month for 2-4 days and have never been approched by the Ranger, I have had him drive by slow but not stop. I keep my boat at Clear Lake and only go to Orovile and Berressa once in a while but not since the quaga problem.

I better get the low down before I go up again if things have changed, there is nothing worse than putting your self in a position of being talked down to by an Officer or Ranger, some are nice but some take great joy in shutting you down for the smallest reason and that is why I am sure I have all the bells and whistles before I go out.

Thanks for the heads up !
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tunaman
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by tunaman »

I'd suggest getting a hold of Bob at Limit Out to get the skinny... when we were up there for the ABA a couple of weeks ago, he was telling us about some changes coming very soon and that they are fighting hard against a reinspection policy being proposed. Didn't sound good for anyone but the City coffers...

Roger
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*DISCLAIMER* - This post is in no way meant to be offensive. If you feel it is, please re-read then PM me for an explanation if it still offends?
kopper_bass
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by kopper_bass »

I swear this has always been written in the rules this way since the first day they started this program. You are suppposed to fill out that form every time you come back and submit it. if required, even get a re-inspection. I even used to keep a new copy of the form filled out in my boat just in case for every trip.

But everybody (i mean everybody, law enforcement, inspection stores, state officials, etc) swore up and down that this was not the case.

guess now i know the answer .......... :shock:

Kopper_Bass
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Tin Can
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by Tin Can »

ash wrote: or to do the inspection via phone.
now THAT is a problem. Inspections via phone. I have heard it all now.

The whole "inspection" process at CL is laughable at best. It's a sticker selling program.
2ndsuks
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by 2ndsuks »

Tin Can wrote:
The whole "inspection" process at CL is laughable at best. It's a sticker selling program.
+1

The law states that once your boat re-enters Lake County (not the lake) you must have a re-inspection, so with that said, I guess my boat is still up there. :wink:
SPIKE
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by SPIKE »

little late , you were all ready in the water . Where's his Sign?
SPIKE
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by SPIKE »

I wonder when the C.F.&G is going to start inspecting seagulls buts?
Pearl Swimbaits
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by Pearl Swimbaits »

SPIKE wrote:I wonder when the C.F.&G is going to start inspecting seagulls buts?
They wont...........we will...... in order to get your fishing license you will have to have 5 seagulls in hand.........banded and defeathered ...
then you will examine in front of designated offical :lol:

..............they will fowl that up too :wink:
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ash
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by ash »

Tin Can wrote:
ash wrote: or to do the inspection via phone.
now THAT is a problem. Inspections via phone. I have heard it all now.

The whole "inspection" process at CL is laughable at best. It's a sticker selling program.
Yeah, I couldnt believe that until I read the entire document that I posted. The inspection process really isnt very thorough however, if we fall the simple process in place we do not give the city council reason to go to banding ties around the boat....
sker13
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by sker13 »

:lol: City it gonna bite the hand that feeds. Too bad. It solves nothing. It is not a solution to anything other than their budget deficit.
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2ndsuks
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by 2ndsuks »

If we do nothing about it they'll continue to collect our money and the re-inspection fee could go up.
Maybe a collective effort on both forums to petition it could sway their minds.
Many of us have friends who run businesses up there and they will no doubt suffer if this goes too far. :(
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some guy
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by some guy »

I really dont feel bad for you guys who get to fish Clear Lake regularly. :lol:
Create your own luck.

><> John Curry <><
Tin Can
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by Tin Can »

some guy wrote:I really dont feel bad for you guys who get to fish Clear Lake regularly. :lol:
Me either, I wish I could just fill out a paper and fish. I mostly fish Santa Clara county lakes and it's as bad as anywhere as far as fees and ridiculous inspections go.
Don
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by Don »

consider the $10.00 inspection cost your launch fee. If they catch one boat that has mussel's it's worth it. They might have to start charging for launch and inspections up there if this economy doesn't hurry back !
2ndsuks
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by 2ndsuks »

Don wrote:consider the $10.00 inspection cost your launch fee. If they catch one boat that has mussel's it's worth it. They might have to start charging for launch and inspections up there if this economy doesn't hurry back !
Don,

Then charge for a launch, I'm fine with that. If you take an occasional trip up to the lake it’s one thing but for anglers that fish Clear Lake often it’s a bad deal
It’s not about launch fees or mussels, it's all about squeezing extra $$$ out of people.
The $10.00 fee is not a problem, it's the hassle, try finding an inspection site open at first light. If they actually did a thorough inspection for quagga mussels I wouldn't mind but they don't, they just give you a sticker, collect your money and call it good. .
Hey, I'd like to see them catch a boat with mussels with their phone inspection. . :lol:
MT
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by MT »

My thoughts excactly. Just put an iron ranger at all the public ramps and save everybody the hassle. I wonder however, if the stores that have the stickers get a cut?
longshot
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by longshot »

Yes they do get a cut i believe its $3 per sticker. I agree also they should or why would they want to waste there time with any of it!!!!!
Its a catch 22 because we want the lake safe but know that what they are doing actually does squat besides draw revenue. Then of course we dont want to have to deal with the clean and dry cavity searches other lakes are doing........... So watch where and how you BIATCH!!!!!!
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Chaozu
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by Chaozu »

620 Dude wrote:In March I was boarded by a patrol group with a mussle sniffing dog and they didn't mention about that.
Tell me that's a joke
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by Greg_Cornish »

Chaozu wrote:
620 Dude wrote:In March I was boarded by a patrol group with a mussle sniffing dog and they didn't mention about that.
Tell me that's a joke
I don't think it' s a joke but I find it hilarious.
bassbooger
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by bassbooger »

ash wrote:This isnt a new rule the stickers are color coded and change color every so often, you just have to know when they change :wink:

The letter of the law is if your boat leaves Lake Port then you need to be inspected upon each entry into the lake. This has been the rules since the program went into effect April 2008

http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Economi ... 040608.pdf
Here is the section from that website's Frequently Asked Questions pertaining to inspections/fees.


Q. I am a Lake County resident with a “local vessel.â€
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by bassbooger »

tunaman wrote:I'd suggest getting a hold of Bob at Limit Out to get the skinny... when we were up there for the ABA a couple of weeks ago, he was telling us about some changes coming very soon and that they are fighting hard against a reinspection policy being proposed. Didn't sound good for anyone but the City coffers...

Roger
This is the new proposal to be voted on by the Lake County Supervisors:

New program would require new sticker every month - By Terry Knight -- Record-Bee outdoors columnist
Updated: 11/03/2009 10:32:02 PM PST



The quagga mussel prevention program in Lake County will undergo some profound changes if the Lake County Board of Supervisors adopts the recommendations of the Invasive Species Council.

University of California scientist Greg Giusti chairs the Invasive Species Council and the group is made up of scientists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) as well as members of the Lake County Board of Supervisors, Lakeport City Council, Lake County Chamber of Commerce and the Big Valley Rancheria, as well as other people with various fields of expertise.

The Council has recommended revising the present practice of issuing annual quagga mussel stickers to out-of-county boaters. The new system will require all out-of-county boats display a colored plastic tie wrap attached to the eye of the boat. The eye is located on the bow and is where the boat is normally tied down to the trailer. The plastic cable tie will have a different color for each month.

For example, red could be for January, blue for February and so on. The non-resident boater would be required to undergo a new screening process each month. He/she would be asked where the boat has been during the past month and if the boat has been in any quagga mussel-infested area. If the answer is no, the boater would be issued a cable tie for that month. If the boat has been in an infested area such as Lake Mead, the boater would be directed to take the boat to another inspector, who would inspect it throroughly before issuing a cable tie if it passed the inspection. If the boat fails the inspection it will be barred from launching at Clear Lake.

The cost of the cable tie would be $10. If a boater registered his boat every month it would come to $120 per year, but the feeling among the Council members is that very few out-of-county boaters actually register their boat every month, and since public launching ramps are free around Clear Lake it's still a bargain.

Lake County residents would continue to be issued a sticker good for the entire time the boat is in the county. To receive a resident sticker, the boater would have to provide proof that the boat is registered in the county. Giusti said he hopes the new system will be in place and operational by Jan. 1.

The new program does face challenges. For one thing, the two municipalities in the county (Lakeport and Clearlake) would have to endorse the program (Lakeport already has). I don't believe the current county ordinance on the quagga mussel applies to the cities and if Lakeport and Clearlake don't enforce the ordinance, it all becomes a moot point.

The two major launching ramps on Clear Lake are located within the cities of Lakeport and Clearlake. Lakeport has assigned a park ranger to monitor boats at Library Park and the Fifth Street ramps. There is no such monitoring program yet at Redbud Park in Clearlake, but that could occur in the future.

If a boat without a sticker or cable tie launches in Clear Lake and is cited, the fine can exceed $500. The Lake County Sheriff's boat patrol will issue a citation to any boat that hasn't complied with the ordinance.

Since the new program would generate a considerable amount of money from the boaters, the money should be put in a special fund. The fund could be used to administer the new program and any money left over could be used to improve the lake. The money shouldn't go into the county's general fund and it shouldn't be tapped for other county expenses.

All the experts on the Council agree that if the mussel gets into the lake it would devastate not only the water companies that draw water from the lake, but the tourist industry as well. The impact on the fisheries would be huge. The mussels multiply extremely fast and they will use up the nutrients in the lake that the fish require. A single mussel can pump a quart of water a day through its digestive system.

DFG Environmental scientist Jason Roberts said that to date the quagga mussel has been limited to the waters that drain from the Colorado River and there hasn't been any sign of the mussel in Northern California. However, that could all change in a hurry if an infected boat were to launch in Clear Lake. Once the mussels get into a lake it's impossible to eradicate them. In fact, there has never been a lake in the world where the mussel has been successfully eradicated. The only way to keep the mussels out of the lake is to prevent contaminated boats from launching.

Clear Lake is too valuable to allow it to be contaminated by an invasive species. It's much cheaper to prevent the mussels from getting into the lake rather than trying to cope with them once they are here.
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Re: Clear Lake Hassle

Post by bassbooger »

ash wrote:
This isnt a new rule the stickers are color coded and change color every so often, you just have to know when they change :wink:

The letter of the law is if your boat leaves Lake Port then you need to be inspected upon each entry into the lake. This has been the rules since the program went into effect April 2008


http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Assets/Economi ... 040608.pdf
The non-county stickers change color each year and the sticker is valid during the entire calendar year for which it was issued according to the information at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/mussels

This would lead me to believe why would you be required to purchase another inspection/sticker each time you visit Lake County?
Bass Booger
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