Mono County asks CDFW to “reopen the trout fishing season…on Friday, May 22…”

LADWP also being asked to open Crowley Lake to fishing

UPDATE 12:45pm  : FISHING WILL OPEN IN MONO COUNTY ON SATURDAY 5-23.

Deb Murphy filed this report:

Mono County Supervisors voted, 3-2, to request its fishing season start today, May 22. The motion took two tries and four plus hours of discussion.

Mono is not alone. In early April, Mono, Inyo and Alpine counties requested the California Department of Fish and Wildlife push the opener to June 1, due to state and federal Coronavirus restrictions. The department agreed.

Since then, Alpine requested and got an okay from Charlton Bonham, director of the CDF&W’s Natural Resources Agency, for a May 15 opener. Inyo County’s Board of Supervisors has an agenda item to discuss an opener prior to June 1 at its May 26 meeting.

Inyo and Humboldt Toiyabe national forests and Bureau of Land Management are preparing for Governor Gavin Newsom’s Stage 3 allowing campgrounds to open. Currently, short term rentals are only open for specific, essential lodgers.

That was the bone of contention during the Mono Supervisors’ discussion. Where would out-of-towners, in defiance of the stay-at-home order, stay?

There was a strong push by Supervisors to petition for a May 22 opener primarily so local residents could get out of their homes and fish.

[The Mono County Board of Supervisors sent the following letter to Director Charlton H. Bonham at the Department of Fish and Wildlife on Thursday, May 21, asking “to move forward with the opening of the fishing season” effective Friday, May 22]

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37 Comments
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Bryan
Bryan
3 years ago

Three days fishing
3 bag limits
3 other fisherman seen
Gotta be honest… Not sure what y’all are concerned about

Thomas
Thomas
3 years ago

Hi Mason; nice effort at satire. If it were truly their own privately-owned backyard, and they alone paid for the state agency employees, planted fish, and game warden supervision, I would agree–let them keep it to themselves without an influx of outsiders. But that isn’t the case. You and your… Read more »

Mason H
Mason H
3 years ago

I completely agree Tom. How dare locals believe they have the right to use their own backyard and natural resources without a major influx of people. It’s awfully similar to some counties opening their beaches for personally pleasure. It is completely absurd and unfair to tourist who choose to live… Read more »

Pedro
Pedro
3 years ago

Thomass, (and Doon) Look Charles has to give you the official line. The reality is we get a private secret fishing season every year. This year was delayed because we had to replace the secret handshake with a responsible alternative. After much debate it came down to hacky sack or… Read more »

william sinner
william sinner
3 years ago

Seems to me that this was not thought out. Even for locals, where do they find restrooms when campgrounds and restrooms are closed??

June Lake Militia
June Lake Militia
3 years ago
Reply to  william sinner

You ever hear of a bush?

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago

You can be arrested for public urination under both state and local laws in California. California state statutes do not expressly prohibit public urination, except in public transportation (California Penal Code section 640). But public urination may be considered disorderly conduct (California Penal Code section 647) or creating a public… Read more »

blob
blob
3 years ago

I love it, California has released how many real criminals from prison and you want to fill them to incarcerate someone for pissing/defecating in public, not sure but after reading the news most all of the cities in California allow that and more. Come on Inyo/Mono counties, let’s keep up… Read more »

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago
Reply to  blob

This doesn’t have anything to do with what I want, this is California penal code, not Inyo / Mono counties specific.

June Lake Militia
June Lake Militia
3 years ago
Reply to  william sinner

Have you ever heard of a bush?

Thomas
Thomas
3 years ago

The Mono County Supervisors well know that Los Angeles is still under the equivalent of house arrest conditions, with non-essential travel prohibited, at least until June 1. So opening a week earlier does indeed give their local constituents a private early season. But aren’t “we all in this together,” as… Read more »

IP
IP
3 years ago

This is a pretty short notice to change fishing regs… almost seems like more of a political stunt to draw more visitors than a legitimate request to a state agency. What happened to Mammoth Hospital being ‘nearly full?’ Isn’t there a on-going COIVD outbreak in Mammoth? It almost sounds like… Read more »

erik simpson
erik simpson
3 years ago
Reply to  IP

Mammoth Hospital has no Covid patients, and hasn’t for more than a month. Initially there was great concern that it could be overwhelmed, but thankfully, that didn’t materialize.

Uggg
Uggg
3 years ago
Reply to  erik simpson

Hasn’t materialized yet thankfully. Let’s check back in 2-3 weeks and see how the hospitals are doing, how full they are, and how many patients they had to fly out to other hospitals after this abrupt and chaotic “opening”.

Alopez
Alopez
3 years ago
Reply to  IP

Fear mongering don’t you think?

bbd160
bbd160
3 years ago
Reply to  Alopez

Deplorable dont you think “*”(edit SW- Please, no emoticons)

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago
Reply to  Alopez

Yup. Same fear mongering that resulted in restrictions and penalties for smoking in restaurants and bars and smoking on planes, speed limits, wearing seat belts, the dental hygienist wearing gloves and masks you get your teeth cleaned, not yelling “fire” in a theater, not calling in a bomb threat to… Read more »

Good bye
Good bye
3 years ago

I dont think you understand the reason this all happened. Our hospitals are not huge and right next to other big hospitals. We have very few beds and ventilators. Even though some money hungry supervisors feel the need to go full tilt wide open, not all of us agree on… Read more »

Alopez
Alopez
3 years ago
Reply to  Good bye

I suggest you mitigate.If you’re afraid of the Covid virus I suggest you stay home and away from people. You being afraid.., it’s not my problem or anyone else’s.The world doesn’t stop when you’re afraid, the rest of us want to live life. Thank you.

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago
Reply to  Alopez

so, we can assume that you don’t or won’t wear a mask, nor, respect another person’s request for space ?

ALopez
ALopez
3 years ago

The answer to that is I’m on a lake in to the left to the right of me there’s no one but 50 yards maybe 100 yards and I have to wear a mask? Why? Because you want me to. I don’t think so. Again, the high Sierras and everywhere… Read more »

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago
Reply to  ALopez

Didn’t think so.

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago
Reply to  ALopez

I agree with you actually, you don’t need to wear a mask when you’re out fishing. But, please do so if you need to come into the grocery store, or go to get a coffee at the coffee shop, and certainly you will be required to wear one if you… Read more »

David Dennison
David Dennison
3 years ago
Reply to  ALopez

And here we have A Lopez,I’m betting an out of towner ,and one of those that thinks he can tell people living here in Inyo and Mono counties what we should do to “stay safe”,and going as far as to tell us to “stay home” if we don’t like and… Read more »

Daniel Jones
Daniel Jones
3 years ago
Reply to  Good bye

Hey goodbye I’m coming anyway I pay my taxes and have just as much right as you, this virus is fake and a political scam you fucking idiot. And I will not wear a mask this is not China you *******(edit SW) idiot.

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago
Reply to  Daniel Jones

Please wear a mask if you intend to use any facilities or businesses or medical needs. Your taxes don’t support our grocery stores, our coffee shops, our gas stations, and you don’t have a right to healthcare. You WILL wear a mask if you plan to enter any of those… Read more »

Good bye
Good bye
3 years ago

Alot of us locals dont care what you think and feel. Our safety and well being is way more important than your pleasure.

Alopez
Alopez
3 years ago
Reply to  Good bye

You don’t own the high Sierras it belongs to the American people. Get over yourself!

Stop non-essential travel
Stop non-essential travel
3 years ago
Reply to  Alopez

You seem to have anger issues. Do you have kids?

big dice mcgee
big dice mcgee
3 years ago
Reply to  Alopez

Were all going to die to will die if we don’t get an opportunity fish? Please decide. This will leave a stain that won’t be easily forgiven. Screw you and your not paying your share SOB’s. Good luck on not going broke and also controlling near by national forest lands.… Read more »

Don m
Don m
3 years ago

Opening for locals only is really a low class thing to do . To tell the rest of the world that only locals can use the lakes is about as low as anyone could go. We spent thousands of dollars to attend the opening day renting lodging and looking forward… Read more »

Charles James
3 years ago
Reply to  Don m

Don, please note that this is NOT about “locals” asking for special favors in the Fish Opening driving the counties’ supervisors’ decisions. There are people up here in both counties working really hard to both safeguard the health of local residents, as well as visitors we may have coming here.… Read more »

Philip Anaya
Philip Anaya
3 years ago

“Opening up with a systematic and well planned strategy” is essential. Any opening should be a regional consideration/decision done in a cooperative manner including Inyo County, The Inyo National Forest , LADWP , City of Bishop, Town of Mammoth Lake . I am way beyond ready for some float tubing… Read more »

Ken H.
Ken H.
3 years ago

We need to continue to move forward, this county exists because of tourism, stay at home recommendation or not people will be traveling and spending money. Southern Cal recreation areas are open, most of the western Sierra is open for fishing and camping. The tourists will be coming, let’s open… Read more »

Charles O. Jones
Charles O. Jones
3 years ago

There are roughly 23 million people in Southern California. Many of those folks would love to come to the Eastern Sierra for a fishing getaway. To think that fishing will be open primarily for locals to get outside is just not realistic. And the fact that the sups requested this… Read more »

Thomas
Thomas
3 years ago

Sounds like politicians representing the local folks want a special, “private” fishing season for their constituents, before the Los Angeles hordes are allowed into the area. But those L.A. people support the CDFW and fish planting with their taxes just as much as the local area people do. Why should… Read more »

Charles James
3 years ago
Reply to  Thomas

Thomas, I honestly don’t believe this has anything to do with providing locals with a “special ‘private’ fishing season.” The supervisors up here are under considerable pressure in both Inyo and Mono counties to reopen businesses and open the fishing season for everyone, not just “locals” .The Mono County Supervisors’… Read more »