A charge for Quagga Mussel inspections?

[fishmounter]

I just read that Diamond Valley is charging $3.00 for the vessel inspection of mussels. What!? This is something new to me. Are they doing this at Perris? Will they charge float tubers this also?

[MonsterGuppy]

There is an added fee to our boat registration for mussels now, so are we paying twice for the same thing?

[DEVOREFLYER]

There is a $3 charge for all boaters wanting a boat inspection band upon leaving DVL. DVL accepts boat bands for entrance without inspection from Lake Perris and Silverwood. No band on your boat and it must pass inspection the same as other lakes.

[JAG107]

There is a $3 charge for all boaters wanting a boat inspection band upon leaving DVL. DVL accepts boat bands for entrance without inspection from Lake Perris and Silverwood. No band on your boat and it must pass inspection the same as other lakes.

Correct. The mgmt at DVL has decided to charge us $3 to make their job easier for the next time you visit. Should you refuse the $3 fee, they have to work harder inspecting your boat next time instead of simply clipping off your tag and sending you on your way.

[BassinPLS]

Just to be clear...DVL charges $3.00 if you want a reentry seal on you boat after pulling off the water. I have never been charged to have my boat inspected at DVL before launching. The $3.00 charge is required if you want the reentry tag applied to your boat when leaving.

[eah]

If DVL wanted to reflect their lake operating cost they would charge boats without a re-enter tag, and not charge for boats they do not need to spend time inspecting.

[DEVOREFLYER]

If DVL wanted to reflect their lake operating cost they would charge boats without a re-enter tag, and not charge for boats they do not need to spend time inspecting.

Common sense isn't very common today.

[kwin]

The $3 is charged by the marina to recoup the cost of the band affixed to the vessel upon leaving the lake. If/when the boat returns to the lake with the tag still in place, the tag is cut and entry/launching is guaranteed without an inspection being necessary. Think of it as a convenience fee that will allow a boat to be launched without inspection at either DVL, Perris or Silverwood. The MOU between MWD, DWR and State Parks was drafted and signed to make things easier on the boaters who enjoyed frequenting all three quagga free lakes without having to go through inspections every time they went to a new water.

The Quagga fee charged to all boaters in CA is collected by the DMV through registration fees. The money collected goes into an account earmarked for competitive grants to access the money to help pay for invasive species prevention. It could be for decontamination units, inspections, bands, whatever an entity wishes to use the money to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in CA. The marina at DVL has been paying for their bands out of pocket and not from grant money collected by the DMV, so no you are not being charged twice.

[MonsterGuppy]

The Quagga fee charged to all boaters in CA is collected by the DMV through registration fees. The money collected goes into an account earmarked for competitive grants to access the money to help pay for invasive species prevention. It could be for decontamination units, inspections, bands, whatever an entity wishes to use the money to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in CA. The marina at DVL has been paying for their bands out of pocket and not from grant money collected by the DMV, so no you are not being charged twice.

Since I do pay into the fund via a new registration fee for invasive species and that money is earmarked for decontamination units, inspections, bands, by the grant process and DVL is not using that grant process but instead billing me for a band,, how am I not being billed twice?

[MillsapBoyz]

The $3 is charged by the marina to recoup the cost of the band affixed to the vessel upon leaving the lake. If/when the boat returns to the lake with the tag still in place, the tag is cut and entry/launching is guaranteed without an inspection being necessary. Think of it as a convenience fee that will allow a boat to be launched without inspection at either DVL, Perris or Silverwood. The MOU between MWD, DWR and State Parks was drafted and signed to make things easier on the boaters who enjoyed frequenting all three quagga free lakes without having to go through inspections every time they went to a new water.

The Quagga fee charged to all boaters in CA is collected by the DMV through registration fees. The money collected goes into an account earmarked for competitive grants to access the money to help pay for invasive species prevention. It could be for decontamination units, inspections, bands, whatever an entity wishes to use the money to help prevent the spread of aquatic invasive species in CA. The marina at DVL has been paying for their bands out of pocket and not from grant money collected by the DMV, so no you are not being charged twice.

The bands they use are freakin paper. I'm sure they don't cost more than a few cents. I mean damn with the boat launching fee, the entry fee, the fee to fish and the tag -- it costs me and the boys $42 to fish! And right now with the bite the way it is, I'm not sure it's worth it!

[seal]

I understand having issues with the vendor at DVL, I am not a fan, they have done a number on Lake Gregory also with little in return, at least from a fishing perspective. But at least you got an answer and that answer makes sense. DVL concessions management gets no "tax" dollars and they are a for profit business, your choice to pay or not but this time you are not being charged twice, you are getting charged for everything though, I imagine at some point the bathrooms will have a fee to use, not a far fetched possibility when you consider their track record.

[fishmounter]

Good replies for DVL, but no one answered my original question of.. "Are they doing this at Perris? Will they charge float tubers this also?"… Does anyone know?

[seal]

Good replies for DVL, but no one answered my original question of.. "Are they doing this at Perris? Will they charge float tubers this also?"… Does anyone know?

I think the difference is state park vs. private concessionaire. Not saying they never will but DVL is an entirely different monster than say Perris, Silverwood etc...

[fishmounter]

Thanks seal, I kind of thought the same thing.. Hopefully they won't mess with us tubers.. But they do inspect at the entrance gates if they see a 'tube in the back of a truck..

[shinbob]

The bands they use are freakin paper. I'm sure they don't cost more than a few cents.

Sure the tags are cheap, but what about the labor to staff the tagging station? At Pyramid they have two people manning the tagging booth, even if they make minimum wage for 8 hours, that's $160 per day. Thankfully they don't charge there, but if they did charge $3 per tag, I think they'd barely break even.

[BassinPLS]

The bands they use are freakin paper. I'm sure they don't cost more than a few cents. I mean damn with the boat launching fee, the entry fee, the fee to fish and the tag -- it costs me and the boys $42 to fish! And right now with the bite the way it is, I'm not sure it's worth it!

MillsapBoyz,

I agree, the parking, launch and fishing permit and reentry fees have gotten totally out of hand at DVL. The most expensive lake to launch at and fish in CA to my knowledge and as you say the fishing is pretty poor lately. IMHO it is time to call BS on the fee structure.

[JAG107]

MillsapBoyz,

I agree, the parking, launch and fishing permit and reentry fees have gotten totally out of hand at DVL. The most expensive lake to launch at and fish in CA to my knowledge and as you say the fishing is pretty poor lately. IMHO it is time to call BS on the fee structure.

Don't forget how we're supposed to be thankful that we're able to fish DVL at all, since they're a water storage facility first and an anglers paradise second. Our options are becoming very limited out here in the IE. And they're not going to get any better. So suck up the $42 fee, and be thankful they're not charging that $15 quagga fee each time at the gate. And god forbid you throw a rope over the I/O cable, then there'll be more fees to pay. All this crap made selling my boat this year that much easier. The only thing missing at DVL gate is the "fee" fee.

[HawgZWylde]

MillsapBoyz,

I agree, the parking, launch and fishing permit and reentry fees have gotten totally out of hand at DVL. The most expensive lake to launch at and fish in CA to my knowledge and as you say the fishing is pretty poor lately. IMHO it is time to call BS on the fee structure.

They are a private business who must meet payroll. They must pay payroll taxes, liability insurance, workers compensation insurance and they also must pay their lease payments to MWD. And that's not including maintenance and fuel costs for their rental fleet and service vessels. You cannot compare DVL's operation to Perris because Perris's operations costs are covered by the state. Remember, this is Cali and the costs of doing private business here is freaking insane. As for the fishing at DVL it's actually been pretty damn good. I had a trifecta the last time I was out all caught on reaction baits, on top of an LMB double limit . The lake has risen so much so fast there is structure and solid vegetation all over the lake and the fish are from 0-50ft deep. Due to the quickly rising water and the currents created by it, there is no thermocline limiting the depth of where the fish can go. Burning cranks and blades have been my go to baits as of late unless I'm on deep structure then I throw jigs and t-rigs. Some guys are using big worms with good success where the bottom structure permits. Add the fact that there is an unbelievable amount of fry and baitfish. Everywhere you cast bazillions of fry are flying out of the water fleeing your bait all the way back to the boat. With all this new structure and all that fry with cover all over the lake DVL will go off big in a few years but the fishing is good now, you just gotta work for it.

[seal]

They are a private business who must meet payroll. They must pay payroll taxes, liability insurance, workers compensation insurance and they also must pay their lease payments to MWD. And that's not including maintenance and fuel costs for their rental fleet and service vessels. You cannot compare DVL's operation to Perris because Perris's operations costs are covered by the state. Remember, this is Cali and the costs of doing private business here is freaking insane. As for the fishing at DVL it's actually been pretty damn good. I had a trifecta the last time I was out all caught on reaction baits, on top of an LMB double limit . The lake has risen so much so fast there is structure and solid vegetation all over the lake and the fish are from 0-50ft deep. Due to the quickly rising water and the currents created by it, there is no thermocline limiting the depth of where the fish can go. Burning cranks and blades have been my go to baits as of late unless I'm on deep structure then I throw jigs and t-rigs. Some guys are using big worms with good success where the bottom structure permits. Add the fact that there is an unbelievable amount of fry and baitfish. Everywhere you cast bazillions of fry are flying out of the water fleeing your bait all the way back to the boat. With all this new structure and all that fry with cover all over the lake DVL will go off big in a few years but the fishing is good now, you just gotta work for it.

Hawgz this management company is infamous for fees and although I understand very well profit and loss this company has a monopoly basically and is greedy beyond what is acceptable, in my opinion. What they have done to Gregory sucks. I know quite a bit about how they are managing the fishery and also how they are maintaining the facility there. Although I am primarily a Silverwood guy I have made the trek to DVL and have noticed a similar situation. Fees are out of control and they do not spend much on the facility, to say the least. Now I know they don't own the property or the buildings but to justify the fees with the facilities being offered just shows what they are all about. Gregory has been turned into Disneyland on the water instead of the quiet little trout lake it once was. I am simply not a fan of them to say the least!!!!

[eah]

Another way to look at DVL is that whole lake, including "Fishing and Hiking" is the profit center. From an accounting view point, separating "Fishing and Hiking" into its own / stand alone profit center justifies the high fees. But, if you throw fishing and hiking staff expense into the water cost, then I suspect the cost to deliver the average gallon of water would go up no more an a few thousands of a cent, possibly far less.

Further such an approach would actually distribute the cost to have DVL water storage to all water users. As I remember the approval to build the lake was inclusive of the "planned" recreational uses. Arguable that made recreation, especially fishing, an incidental and attendant cost of the decision to store water at Hemet Valley. Therefore, fishing activities (and I would argue hiking because a perimeter road would be necessary) are by definition and contractual agreement, an included cost of water.

It might be said, that eliminating the fishing fees could result in the fish stocks being neglected, however, going back the lake construction approval, the Water District would not be allowed to do so. The Water District knew what it was getting into to build DVL, they should be required to keep their contractual obligations.

[Reefmo]

Here is the thing that gets me... the entire state -- shoot multiple states --- are all inspecting for mussels. No one wants them in the lakes because of the damage they do. But each governing entity has their own rules and regs. I can go to big bear lake, or piru, or pyramid, get inspected and get a seal. But if I then go to Perris with a seal, they re-inspect. Seems to me if they wanted to put that cash we all spend to good use, they would govern all california lakes the same. Have a standardized inspection and seal process. Once your boat is inspected an sealed from ANY quagga free lake, you would be free to launch and re-seal at will.

It just really doesn't make sense. I regularly dry my boat -- to extremes! I have adapters for my piping to my livewells so that I can use a compressor to blow them out. I have fans that i put in the bilge and livewells to dry them out. But water lurks. I recently fished the ocean, cleaned my boat, did the dry thing and then 4 weeks later went to Perris. During the drive, some water that must have been stuck somewhere behind a bulkhead dribbled out to my bilge. The inspector (who would have made a good doctor) jammed her finger to the hilt up the bilge hole and detected a bit of moisture. FAILED. Does the state not know that lower units, cooling systems, and internal livewell piping hold cups and cups of water??

Sigh. This is one of the only times that i wish that government was a tiny bit bigger and could manage a statewide problem well.

[DEVOREFLYER]

Oh I hear ya and have had it both ways. Had a little dribble from somewhere put a tablespoon or two or more in my bilge and had the inspector ask if I had a towel or rag to wipe it up and let me pass. On another occasion my boat was bone dry as in desert dry (bilge, lower unit and compartments) yet the trailer and lower hull had some water from going thru a puddle on the street from parkway sprinklers and turned away. Had a fellow boater turned away when his otherwise bone dry had damp carpet and moisture on the seats from the morning dew. Absolutely no consistency in inspection from one venue to another.

[BassinPLS]

Why not have a State wide computer system where they enter you boat registration each time you launch. It would be easy enough to verify where the boat last launch and whether or not the lake contained mussels. If your boat is not in the system then you go through an inspection.

[shinbob]

Why not have a State wide computer system where they enter you boat registration each time you launch. It would be easy enough to verify where the boat last launch and whether or not the lake contained mussels. If your boat is not in the system then you go through an inspection.

What prevents someone from going to a mussel-contaminated lake after having gone to a clean lake and getting entered into the system? You'd have to have this system in place at every single lake in the nation, including the great lakes, and the cost would be enormous.

What would be great is a standardized inspection and tagging system, where all lakes honor each other's tags. But right now it's different entities running different lakes and they're not coordinated.

I guess we should count ourselves lucky that all lakes are not as strict as Casitas and Cachuma.