Safety rules must be enforced

Cracking down on COVID-19 infractions should be a priority

A lot of people are wondering if life in California will ever be the same as we battle wildfires and the coronavirus. The smoke above Clear Lake has been so thick that you can only see a few hundred yards out into the lake. Along with that we have to wear a face mask and stay at least 6 feet away from other people.

This really came to light this past weekend during the Bass Anglers of California (BAC) team tournament held out of Lakeport. Tournament organizers did a fantastic job keeping the fishermen apart during the weigh-in and made sure they all wore their facemasks. To make sure fishermen maintained the required distance of at least 6 feet, tournament staff required all fishermen to stay in their boats until they were called individually to the weigh scale. The fishermen spent a minimum amount of time at the scales and then returned to their boats with the fish, which were then released. The weigh-in times averaged a few minutes for each contestant.

There are a number of major bass tournaments scheduled on Clear Lake later this year and most of them will have at least 60 boats (120 fishermen). Some will have well over 200 fishermen. The contestants come from throughout the West and many are coming from states and areas where coronavirus cases are rampant. The chances that a fisherman competing in one of these tournaments could be positive for the virus are good.

The county health department should make up a set of standard rules that require the fishermen to operate under these guidelines. Each tournament director would be issued a set of these rules and be told they have to be obeyed or the tournament could not be held. The health department should also have an observer at these tournaments.

Whereas some of the directors are doing an excellent job of enforcing safety rules, others are doing nothing. The fishermen themselves should obey all the safety rules or not be allowed in these tournaments. The tournament director should ensure all contestants are wearing a mask before they blast-off. This could be done during the livewell check just prior to blast-off. During the actual weigh-in no more than four fishermen should be at the scales at the same time.

Another problem is with the spectators at the weighins. Some of the tournament weigh-ins draw up to 100 or more spectators. The spectators are often not wearing masks but are sitting close to each other.

There isn’t a problem when the fishermen are actually fishing. There are only two fishermen to a boat and they normally stay at least 6 feet apart.

Bass tournaments are an important part of the county’s economy. The fishermen spend a lot of money locally. They stay in motels and eat in local restaurants. Studies have shown that each fisherman will spend approximately $200 a day in local businesses. Typically in a 100-boat tournament (200 fishermen) most of the fishermen spend at least three days in Lake County. That adds up to more than $120,000 spent in local businesses per tournament. There are approximately 30 major bass tournaments held each year on Clear Lake. The tournaments also expose Clear Lake’s excellent bass fishing to non-tournament anglers. Clear Lake has been voted one the top bass lakes in the nation, which in the end draws a lot of tourists.

We want to be known as a friendly county to outsiders, but we don’t want to be known as a county that spreads the coronavirus.

PHOTO BY BRIAN SUMPTER Smoky conditions that have greatly reduced visibility on Clear Lake while also creating unhealthy air quality are beginning to subside and more relief is on the way later in the week.