ANGLERS ANGRY OVER NEW STATE BASS RULES.Byline: Stacy Brown Daily News Staff Writer New restrictions requiring anglers to throw back largemouth bass largemouth bass see micropterus salmoides. at lakes and reservoirs throughout the state have angered many who sail the waters and sit at ponds hoping for the big catch. The Department of Fish and Game's new regulations, which went into effect March 1, prohibit anyone from keeping black bass under 18 inches at Castaic Lake Castaic Lake is a lake on Castaic Creek formed by Castaic Dam, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, near the town of Castaic. The 323,700 acre foot lake (399,000,000 m³) is the terminus of the West Branch of the California Aqueduct, though some comes from the 154 mi² , which holds the record for the second-largest bass ever caught, and places a two-fish daily limit on all fishermen. The new rules also state that no one can possess more than a single black bass of more than 22 inches. ``I think it stinks; that's how I feel,'' said Leaf Givens, who frequents Castaic Lake and Lake Isabella Lake Isabella is a man-made earthen reservoir in Kern County, California that consists of a main and auxiliary dam. It was formed in 1953 when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Kern River at the junction of its two forks at Whiskey Flat. outside Bakersfield. ``It's just another way of government controlling people's lives.'' Joe Walsh
Dr. Joseph Fidler "Joe" Walsh[] (born November 20, 1947)[1] is an American guitarist and rock musician. , a Castaic Lake employee, said he understands anglers' concerns because, for many, it's their livelihood. ``Fishermen are so intense,'' Walsh said. ``It's a serious business which can be dented by this new regulation.'' A statement released by the Department of Fish and Game said the changes are intended to reduce the black bass harvest and promote higher-quality fishing opportunities at lakes around the state. Fishermen were especially stunned stun tr.v. stunned, stun·ning, stuns 1. To daze or render senseless, by or as if by a blow. 2. To overwhelm or daze with a loud noise. 3. at Castaic Lake, where just a few years earlier, Bob Krupe caught a bass that measured more than 22 inches, the second-largest recorded at any California lake. The Florida strain of fish is popular among many anglers at Castaic Lake. Stephanie Justice of the Mobil MiniMart near the popular lake said many have expressed dissatisfaction. ``They feel they have paid for their license and should be able to take what they catch,'' Justice said. ``Our position at the minimart is ambivalent because the regulation keeps people from taking lots of fish and encourages them to catch bigger.'' The changes do not hurt those who fish in tournaments because of the catch-and-throwback nature of the competition, Fish and Game officials said. The following regulations on black bass fishing have been imposed at lakes statewide: Hensley Lake (Madera County): 15-inch minimum, two-fish daily limit. Isabella Lake (Kern Kern, river, 155 mi (249 km) long, rising in the S Sierra Nevada Mts., E Calif., and flowing south, then southwest to a reservoir in the extreme southern part of the San Joaquin valley. The river has Isabella Dam as its chief facility. County): 15-inch minimum, two-fish daily limit. Lake Kaweah Lake Kaweah is a lake near Lemon Cove in Tulare County, California. The lake is formed by Terminus Dam on the Kaweah River. The river originates in the Sierra Nevada mountains and drains about 560 square miles (1,500 km²) into Lake Kaweah. (Tulare County): 15-inch minimum, two-fish daily limit. Lake Success (Tulare County): 15-inch minimum, two-fish daily limit. acramento-San Joaquin Delta: 12-inch minimum. Skinner Lake (San Diego San Diego (săn dēā`gō), city (1990 pop. 1,110,549), seat of San Diego co., S Calif., on San Diego Bay; inc. 1850. San Diego includes the unincorporated communities of La Jolla and Spring Valley. Coronado is across the bay. County): 15-inch minimum, two-fish daily limit. Castaic Lake (Castaic): 18-inch minimum, two-fish daily limit. Lake Casitas Lake Casitas is a lake in Ventura County, California. It was formed by Casitas Dam on Coyote Creek, two miles (3 km) before it joins the Ventura River. Santa Ana Creek and North Fork Coyote Creek also flow into the lake. (Ventura County): no more than one black bass over 22 inches. Trout Lake Trout Lake may refer to:
CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, box PHOTO (1 -- color) Kurt Lowe of Castaic tries to hook the big one Thursday morning on Castaic's upper lake, where he has fished for the past 20 years. (2 -- color) Cliff Buterfield of Arleta tends his line at the upper lake, a favorite spot for 15 years. Hans Gutknecht/Daily News Box: The following regulations on black bass fishing have been imposed on lakes statewide (see text) SOURCE: State Department of Fish and Game |
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