QUAGGA MUSSELS AND LAKE CLOSURE B.S!!! please read/help

[Fishin Andy]

This has really gone too far. The only lake in California north of Orange County that mussels have actually been found is San Justo. Thats according to DFG's website.
http://nas.er.usgs.gov/taxgroup/mollusk ... enaMap.jpg .
How can they justify closing lakes indefinately such as Lexington?!?! Which is only smaller than Anderson. It has all the same launch facilitys as the other lakes that are open. On top of that how can they allow vessels and gas powered boats in Anderson, Coyote, and Calero, but not Lexington...course that is only a rule for tax payers. Not the rowing club; who are out there every day in about 6-12 row-boats with 3-6 aluminum boats with GAS MOTORS!!! Why do they get this absurd special circumstances treatment? Why the hell is the lake closed indefinately to tax payers paying to keep it open? AND WHAT CAN WE DO?!?!?! This has been a rant i'm sorry but i grew up fishin this lake in a boat, and i dont care what anybody says, Lexington has twice the potential of Calero, Coyote or Anderson. WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING!!! The Bureaucrats of California are gonna keep going until ALL the lakes are CLOSED. Is there anything we can do?

[swimbait]

Lexington is managed by Santa Clara County. There are two groups the influence the management of the lake. One is the Santa Clara County Parks, the other is the Santa Clara Valley Water District.

Let's make this simple. The water district could care less about recreation at the lake. Recreation is a nuisance when you are in the business of providing water to people.

The parks district district would like recreation because recreation means jobs for their people. But they do not have nearly the $ clout that the water district does.

I discussed this with a knowledgeable person in the parks dept. Their advice was to petition the head of the parks district using the comment cards that can be found at all Santa Clara County parks (Anderson, Coyote, Calero, Lexington, etc).

Nico went to all the tackle stores in the south bay to encourage this idea but we probably did not follow through as vigorously as we should have. If you want my advice, rally people to fill out those comment cards. Word is that the head of the parks and rec dept. reads them.

Option number two is lobby the politicians who have oversight over the water district and parks dept.

Sadly the option that will never work is complaining on here because trust me, no one that matters is listening here. I'm as guilty as anyone on that.

[Fishin Andy]

I understand the Water District but then how does the rowing club get away with what they do? Is nico still fishing? Isn't Stevens Creek basically the same as Lexington..managed by two different entities? And aren't all the Southern Cal. lakes drinking water just the same?
Would actually printing up a petition and leaving it at tackle stores to be signed, be a worthy...cause? Obviously follow up with mailing it to the respective people in charge.

[Marty]

The third Option Fishin Andy is to run for a position on the Santa Clara Valley Water District board or get appointed, that is you live in that area! Change from within!

[Jigsisme]

Another example of "not caring" is in the Mid-West and East Coast...If it is a "water res" then the #1 main concern is providing water for power/drink. Case in point is Buggs Island (Kerr) in Virginia, they have been fluxuating the water level so much that the fish probably will not spawn this year! This has been the case in other lakes that I've fished through the years. Recreation is way down the list!
When I got out here and learned of the "mussel issue" I laughed! I've read were they tried this sort of "regulations" and "inspections" before and as we all know they are introduced more by mother nature than by us and our boats. I have been looking for a specific boat for many years to include the motor just so I could fish in DVL, but now that I have the boat I'm ready and hearing of the rumors of the lake being closed in the near future because of the water level? Pump more water in, regardless of the mussels...they're all ready in the darn water...I've had them on my line before so I KNOW they're in there all ready!!
Only a couple more years and I'll be outta here...sure I'll miss the size of the fish out here but sure won't miss the "drama"!!

[Tin Can]

They will never have the money to pay a staff at lexington. The lake is really a quiet lake, how can they pay people to work there when nobody goes there? They would lose money.

A while back I was thinking about how some of these smaller lakes could open back up to boats. If they don't have funds to pay inspectors at every lake, why doesn't every county just open some type of centraly locatedl inspection facility. It wouldn't have to be at a lake at all. You could go there and get inspected and banded the day before you go to the lake. They would only need one ranger at every lake to check for bands. No band, no launch. Wouldn't this be a hell of a lot easier than trying to hire inspectors for every lake?

I grew up fishing Lexington so I am as bummed as anyone. Lexington and San Justo were my two favortie lakes to fish.

[rexford]

Lexington is a perfect example of how to lose a lake.

I grew up water skiing and fishing on this lake. We actually
moved up there to be closer to it and would ski every morning
before school.

Then I remember some of the locals would complain about the
noise. They got behind the sailing boats and worked hard and
were successful at getting the lake closed to power boats every
other day. One day would be sailing the next would be power
boats. No one was to upset at the time as this seemed to be
a fair compromise.

This went on for a while and then they decided to close
the lake for a year. This was all temporary at the time so
again no one was overly upset. Guess what?

The lake never opened back up to power boats. Sailing
boats were ok but gas engines were never again allowed to use
the lake. Power boaters are all upset but hey the sailing
boats are ok with it so they don't raise any issue.

Now the evolution is complete. Everyone loses.

By using these small steps and pretending to have every ones best
interest at heart the lake has now evolved into something no one can use.

That my friends is how you get things done.

[Fishin Andy]

Sounds like every other govt. institution. Keep chipping away a little at a time, that way not enough people are offended enough to say anything until its all gone and everybody gets the shaft. Why and How did the LG Rowing Club get such special privledges, how much did they donate?
RE: Tin Can.
People would go there just more than Stevens Creek, and if they allowed gas motors owned by the regular citizen like the other south bay lakes there would be all kinds of people there, fisherman, jet skiers, wake boarders they're all annoying but they'd just as soon go there as any other lake down here.
Calero is gonna be next, first they cut off all parking on the road...remember that? Whats next?
Are all the other countys/lakes in the state doing the same inspection procedures?

[Fishin Andy]

Why dont they open up all the lakes again and just let it be? If it the mussels become a problem then deal with it, as of now they haven't found any of that peticular breed in any of the lakes north of Orange County except San Justo.

[tunaman]

FUD, ignorance... call it what you want, but it is a knee-jerk reaction at best. Best approach would have been for all the water boards and F&G to have gotten together and developed a unified approach and pooled their resources to identify alternatives. Unfortunately that wasn't the case, so you have numerous entities handling it in various (ineffective) manners, all doomed to only delay the inevitable at best.

For those waters not locked down, restricting access, or implementing heavy-handed inspections, be thankful and enjoy while you can.

Roger

[mark poulson]

As long as water boards are political, and used as a stepping stone to higher office, it will be that way. No one wants to be held responsible if a mussel infestation happens on their watch.
The State should step in, and proscribe an inspection regime for every lake and waterway, but they are afraid they'll be held finanacially responsible if the mussel gets into a lake that uses the State program, and affects their water distribution system, costing big money to treat.
Just the lawsuits alone would cost a fortune.
So, instead of tackling the problem head on, and really controlling the situation, the State, Counties, and Cities are sitting back, doing what makes them look good politically, and hoping the problem goes away.
And the Water Boards are doing what they feel they need to do to protect their water distribution systems, given the failure by the State Govt., which is the only govt. entity that has jurisdiction statewide, to provide an overarching plan.
Sucks.

[Pearl Swimbaits]

You all have some great points and great ideas.................

problem is............... the fisherman see a problem and are trying to rationally solve it where the people in charge dont see any problem nor are they going to listen to us.

it aint ever gonna be fixed cuz it aint broken to the people who matter in this world of ours........

we have WAY to many people in this state to change outcomes and circumstances with a vote...........divided in 1000 different ways
and the government knows this......

some things dont get medicine........they get cut off

best of luck dood...........were all gonna need it

[Fishin Andy]

I don't remember there ever being a subject of the ballot about closing down the lakes in santa clara county..haha. I like martys idea about changing it from the inside. Who has a good face, good voice, and a clean criminal background? haha

[Larry Hemphill]

Verrry interesting!! I really applaud this discussion - it stayed on topic and lots of good imput!! I just feel it need to say something since my career began at Chesboro and Lexington (also Berryessa). I was able to fish the Valley lakes until 1975, the year we moved to Yuba City. My first ever "big" bass was 6 lb 3 oz that I caught at Lexington in 1974 - fun fishing in my new Roadrunner bass boat. I won the only tournament I fished there with the San Jose Bass Busters, fishing with Alfredo Bass. Yes, that was his name! After teaching school, I would ofter fun down to Lex and fish off the bank. Great memories though my best fishing was always at Coyote. Unfortunately, that was before the Florida Bass. When I left, the lake record was 8 3/4 lbs! Many of my fishing buddies were suspicious of the water district and knew then that the fishermen and skiers were of little importance. Those agencies have pressure on them also, everywhere really, but we didn't think the Santa Clara district really cared. Look at lake Berryessa - a government run lake. Everything done in secret - no one REALLY knows what is going on! I am grateful that we moved out and my fishing career was able to blossom in the central valley. I always have said that our family of four moved out of San Jose and we were replaced with a hundred thousand or so. I have only the VERY best of memories of all the valley lake - Lex, Coyote, Anderson, Chesboro, Uvas, and yes - Vasona!!!

[mrfishin86]

Just a thought. Considering the ramps we are talking about are part of Santa Clara County Parks (which I believe are funded, for the most part, by taxpayers) can they legally cut people off from using them? Essentially it would seem that they have taken money from us to build and maintain them and then told us that we can no longer use them. Seems like there would be some legal issues with this.

[lowerider]

Just a thought. Why doesnt someone hire a good attorney and start filing lawsuits against these agencies that are closing our lakes? Can't we pool together and make a difference? We spend thousands on tackle boats and gear but cant spend a few dollars on protecting it?
I would have no idea where to begin but someone on here must know where to start to make a difference? I would be willing to help with a little money and I'm sure a lot of others would too.
Just an idea.

[Fishin Andy]

Better yet somebody has to personally know an attorney that would help for a discounted rate even? I don't think enough people would actually donate money to make a difference.

And of course there are legal issues but the fact is they know that nobody will challenge it because they have more money then the total amount of people that they are making upset. There are people they are pissing off and there are people they are pissing off who will do something, much smaller percentage, and the people willing to do something are very small in numbers and money...esp compaired to the Water District.