Is It Worth Owning A Boat In California Anymore

[ruudawg]

I bought my mean 15 about 3 months ago & have spent better than a few bucks making sure it was ready for its first day out to be trouble free. Last monday was the day that should have been the day that made all the time, money & effort spent all worth while in my head. I get a call from a friend Sunday that he is going to Lake Castaic in the morning & to meet him at 5:00am at his place if I wanted to follow him out to the lake with the boat & he will show me the ropes of launching a boat in the land of many rules & regulations (California). So I hurried & got all my tackle together, went to the local tackle shop, had 2 reels relined, bought a new reel & bought a fishing license that is good for another 2 months but cost the full year price. Borrowed my nieghbor's F250 but had to go buy a hitch & a 2 foot extention for the trailer wire to reach the trucks connector location. Meet him at 5:00am drive 55 minutes in traffic (yes we have a major 24hr traffic problem), stop & fill up the boat & truck while my friend stops to top off his belly at McDonalds. Then up the hillside 10 minutes & to a large modern brick shack with 2 woman inside, my friend pays his fee & now I pull up & am told to pull off over by the stop sign & wait for an inspection. They found water in the hull (rained a week earlier) so I failed & was told I can try again in 8 days when the boat is 100% dry. I guess there is a major problem with mussels & you have to be 100% dry. Between the limited lakes that we have there is only a Handful that allow 2 stroke motors & only a few that are not infested with these mussels, Lake Castaic just happens to be one of the few to fall into this category. If you do get on the water your boat & trailer are tagged so that you can only go to one of the other lakes that are not infested & accept the same tag & they retag after you come off the lake. If the boat is separated from the trailer & the seal is broke & not retagged you have to wait 30 days from the time it is reinspected & 100% dry. I'm really wondering if it is worth the hassle, time & money to own a boat that you are so limited in where you can go & that the fishing sucks from some idiot thinking adding stripped bass to lakes with Large & Small mouth bass & trout was a brilliant idea. Between the drought that has left some lakes almost empty, the amount of people fishing & the introduction of stripped bass California hasn't produced but a handful of bass in the 12lb & over range for years & with a 14" size most of the fish fall under this that are caught. Anyway just feel it's another luxury being taken off the list for the average working man in the land (California) of taxes & welfare. Just a little disappointed to say the least.
Robert Lafreniere
Southern California
86 Tower Of Power 90 Merc
86 Mean 15 Champion

[FishinSkinny]

Sucks its like that. I like cali but you all have way to many laws that boil down to some organization with their hand in your pocket. You either adapt or pack up. I just heard that people are moving in droves to NV. California response is a move out tax.

[grout-scout]

Wow! One of the reasons you won’t catch me there, sad what’s been done.

[Tx Champ]

We have a mussel issue too, but no guard houses other than at state parks points of entry. I haven't been to a ramp in a state park since the mussel scare, but wouldn't think they'd pull boat inspections. In Texas, you just have to drain your boat (livewell and bilge) before leaving the lake. There is also a recommendation to wash it with high pressure if you are going to another lake before your trailer bunks dry, but don't think that's the law at this point.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/o...quatic-species

[grout-scout]

We have a mussel issue too, but no guard houses other than at state parks points of entry. I haven't been to a ramp in a state park since the mussel scare, but wouldn't think they'd pull boat inspections. In Texas, you just have to drain your boat (livewell and bilge) before leaving the lake. There is also a recommendation to wash it with high pressure if you are going to another lake before your trailer bunks dry, but don't think that's the law at this point.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/o...quatic-species

They have been having inspections at Amistad during some of the tournaments, they use a dog. Kind of scary, because I fish 1 zebra lake. Make sure to drain everything when I leave and let the boat dry before I head to another lake.

[Tx Champ]

They have been having inspections at Amistad during some of the tournaments, they use a dog. Kind of scary, because I fish 1 zebra lake.

Haven't run in to them at Amistad, but I just fish 1 club tournament a year and we launch at Black Brush.

....Make sure to drain everything when I leave and let the boat dry before I head to another lake.

Same here.

[Lea]

Skinny, a "move out tax"? Dayum...they tax you before you can escape?!!!!

[smokewagon]

Sucks its like that. I like cali but you all have way to many laws that boil down to some organization with their hand in your pocket. You either adapt or pack up. I just heard that people are moving in droves to NV. California response is a move out tax.

Link?

[okiebass]

WTF ? Move out tax ??
Is ********** even a state anymore ??

[wmitch2]

Move to Northern Calif. we only have a few lakes that fall under the strict scrutiny for the mussels. Most lakes are wide open, the State run lakes have the Inspection and quarantine. A few require a tag and a fee, but they're just a few. I live in Fresno and have over a dozen lakes from 20 min to 2 hrs away, and another 8-10 a little further. I only know of 1 lake that requires a 2-Star rated motor among all of them !

[Stang]

Not just moving out to Nevada, but Idaho as well. Idaho is not ready for the influx and our infrastructure needs upgraded/updated, housing prices are sky rocketing due to unavailability and renting is absolutely ridiculous. Can't wait for the first snow to hit and these SoCal idio... er folks try to drive on the streets.

[fastfiat]

Ask the folks that have an Asian carp problem if they would chose the carp or tighter restrictions. Im sure they would have chosen tighter restrictions. I live in California and have seen the damage done by the mussels. I quit fishing the San Diego lakes for that reason. I now live in the California delta area and do everything in my power to keep my boat dry between trips to the delta and the motherload lakes. Ya, it sucks but dealing with the alternative is a worse option.

[muskyman73]

One of the many reasons I left Cali years ago. The further you get from Calif, the better it gets.

[ruudawg]

Well wmitch2 I am planning to take the boat up to Northern California & fish clear lake. Don't know if I would move up there since I don't know if you could carve out a sustainable living. My other place I would like to wet a line in would be the Delta, it has to hold a record amount of bass with it's set up. Muskyman73 I almost moved to Tennessee 5 years ago, absolutely the true meaning of God's country with the nicest people. Well i'm going to try again Friday & what does it decide to do out here now that the boat is bone dry, yup what it never does, RAIN! & for 2 days. Hopefully the boat will stay dry now that I got it parked under its cover & under a large canopy in the x's driveway, which i'm sure is going to cost me a night of benefits. lol Almost all the San Diego lakes are contaminated, actually from Mead, on down the Colorado river is mussel infested. Let ya's know if I finally got to go & enjoy my Champ, even with the one direction & 35 mpr lake rule.
Robert Lafreniere
Southern California
86 Tower Of Power 90 Merc
86 Mean 15 Champion

[A7T3C]

Sorry you had to deal with all of that. Speaking for at least in my area, (northern ca) it's not really like this. I have about 7-10 lakes and bodies of water within an hour and some change to drive to. One of those, has the mussel process to go through for launching only. I understand you had a frustrating experience but it also seems like some of your morning was taxed that way due to other variables that are just part of heading out for a day on the water (traffic, food/random stops etc).

Despite the politics and other crazy mentions we can go into about California, i love it here - the land and water is beautiful. As long as i have family around, i'll be here with them.

Hope your next journey out goes much smoother. Owning a boat here is most definitely worth it to me in every way. GL!

[wmitch2]

You'll have to have an inspection at Clear Lake, but it's mostly a self inspection, fill out a form and pay $20. Good for a month and you start fishing day 1 !! Nothing at the Delta. I always drain my boat at the ramp and leave the drain open when traveling. We just need more people to be more concise about the problem.

[pmgoffjr]

One of the many reasons I left Cali years ago. The further you get from Calif, the better it gets.

Oh not true...you can go too far and think you just made a circle.

[rboren]

Oh not true...you can go too far and think you just made a circle.

[tresguey]

I live in Moreno Valley, Lake Perris is 10 minutes from my driveway. Once you get inspected and get re-entery tagged there you're good to go. I go to Silverwood once in a while and the re-entery is good there as well. Not sure if we are good all the way up to Castaic with the re-entry tag, took the boat out once there and was literally 2 minutes late getting her out of the water and they didn't give me a re-entry tag rangers there have always been jerks. Had to dry the damn boat up again and get inspected.

[swmbait]

Keep a small towel stuffed in the drain plug, and a couple in the livewell on the way to the lake. Pull over and check your stuff (and put the towels away) before you get to the inspection. If there's no water they can't say you're not clean and dry.