Clear Lake's public ramps set to re-open

Bass fishermen, tournaments finally get some good news

Local fishermen received some good news this week. The recent storms have raised the lake level enough that the public boat ramps on Clear Lake will reopen. As of Thursday morning the lake level was closing in on 2 feet on the Rumsey Gauge and still rising. There is now plenty of water to launch just about any type of boat. When the drought was in full swing the only ramp left open was the Fifth Street ramp in Lakeport. As a result a number of bass tournaments were postponed. Those tournament will more than likely be rescheduled in the coming weeks.

The problem now is the hundreds of dead trees and logs that are floating around the lake, which poses a hazard to boaters. Be sure to go slow and wear a life preserver.

Bass bite

The bass fishing is still rated as poor to fair but should improve in the coming weeks as the water clears. The one fish that is supplying a lot of action is the catfish. The catfishermen are catching from 15-20 fish a day, some weighing up to 20 pounds.

The good news from the recent storms is that Indian Valley Reservoir will fill. The lake should provide some excellent bass action this spring and summer. The water levels were so low before the recent storms that boats couldn't be launched.

Tourney sign-ups

The Clear Lake Chamber Of Commerce Team Bass Tournament is scheduled for March 25-26 and early sign-ups open Jan. 27 starting at 9 a.m. at the chamber office, located at 875 Lakeshore Blvd. in Lakeport. Their telephone number is (707) 263-5092. The entry fee is $200 per team and includes big fish The tournament pays back 100 percent of the entry fees. It also pays a $1,000 for the big fish each day. The weigh-in each day takes place at Library Park in Lakeport,

Other lakes

Other lake in the area remain muddy and high. Upper Blue Lake is in excellent shape and trout are being caught. The lake is not on the stocking list for this week. The bass fishing is rated as fair.

Hiking

Now is the perfect time to take a hike in the backcountry. The Mendocino National Forest has dozens of trails. Mount Konocti would be another great choice. Just take plenty of water and some food, and take your time.

Another great place to hike is Clear Lake State Park. The park has plenty of well kept trails and it is a safe place to hike or picnic.

Rumsey Gauge

Clear Lake is unique in how the lake level is measured. Whereas most lakes are measured by their elevation, Clear Lake is measured by the Rumsey Gauge. Many people don't know how the Rumsey Gauge came into being. Prior to the building of the Cache Creek Dam in 1914, outflow from Clear Lake

into Cache Creek was controlled by a rock ledge called the “Grigsby Riffle.” The riffle is located in a narrow canyon on Cache Creek about three miles from Clear Lake. Before the dam was built, water would normally cease to flow over the riffle during the summer months.

In 1873, Captain Rumsey decided to register

the lake level but he needed to come up with a standard. He decided that when water ceased to flow over the riffle it would be called “Zero Rumsey.” Below the riffle, the lake level would be measured as minus-Rumsey. All measurements were based on Zero Rumsey at the Grigsby Riffle.

Rumsey installed the actual gauge in Lakeport and it is used as a reference to the actual depth at the riffle, not the

depth at Lakeport. To this day, the lake level is still measured by the Rumsey Gauge. For example, Thursday's official reading of the lake level was 1.89 feet on the Rumsey Gauge as of 10 a.m. That means the depth of the water is 1.89 feet above the Grigsby Riffle, not at the actual gauge in Lakeport..

As for the individual who started the Rumsey Gauge, Capt. Dewitt C. Rumsey was from Yolo County. In 1852, he was

the trail boss on cattle drives in the West. From what I have researched that's where he received the title of “Captain.” In those days it was common to call the trail boss Captain. Rumsey was an important part of the history of Lake County. In fact, the town of Rumsey, located on Highway 16 in Yolo County, was founded by him. He also bought property in Lakeport, and Rumsey Bay on Clear Lake is named after him.