How to resolve AdBlock issue? 
Community
- Details
- Written by: Craig Nelson
LAKE COUNTY, Calif. — Last weekend saw a big group of anglers on Clear Lake for a brand new tournament.
On Saturday, Oct. 25, 120 anglers arrived at Konocti Vista Casino to compete in the inaugural Yamamoto Baits Team Tournament.
The tournament consisted of three divisions — pro, amateur division and kayak — with 100% payback, which means all entry fees are paid out as prizes.
The rules of the event stated that all contestants must use Yamamoto baits; using Yamamoto baits in conjunction with equipment such as a chatterbait and jig was permitted.
The tournament attracted 40 professional teams, 20 amateur teams and 23 kayaks.
The 120 anglers braved the elements and tough fishing conditions. The morning started out with light rain and a northwest wind ramped up to 16 miles per hour throughout the day.
I spoke to a number of anglers during practice who anticipated heavy weights and an all-out slugfest, but Mother Nature quickly humbled the contestants with lower weights than anticipated.
Top honors went to local angler Tom Jolin and his partner Daniel Andrusaitis. Their best five bass weighed in at 22.76 pounds with a 7.35 pound kicker.
In the amateur division, Isiah Klein and AJ Valencia took first place; their best five bass weighed 21.55 pounds with 6.8 pound kicker.
Matthew Brannon locked down the win in the kayak division with a total of 94 inches.
Special thanks to Yamamoto prostaff anglers Cody Meyer, Ken Mah, Tai Au and Brent Ehler for MCing the event and Angelo Alorro for his hard work in bringing this successful event to Lake County.
Craig Nelson is a former professional golfer who fell in love with tournament bass fishing 20 years ago. He found Lake County after fishing an FLW Stren Series event and never left. He’s the back-to-back winner of the Konocti Classic and runner up in the inaugural WON Bass Clear Lake Open.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services, or Lake County OES, has announced a paid OES specialist internship designed to provide students with hands-on experience in emergency management, preparedness planning, disaster response and public outreach.
The internship is ideally suited for students pursuing degrees in emergency management, public administration, political science, environmental studies or related fields.
Participants will have the opportunity to work directly with emergency management professionals supporting Lake County’s preparedness, response, and recovery operations.
The intern will work at the sheriff’s headquarters in Lakeport on a flexible schedule of 10 to 24 hours that can be worked to fit into academic schedules. The compensation is $23.52 per hour.
Applications are now open for the semester-based internship, which will begin in January.
Interns may select a project track aligned with their academic interests or career goals:
• Planning and exercise: Support emergency operations planning, tabletop exercises, and after-action reporting.
• Community preparedness: Partner with local stakeholders and assist in public outreach to enhance community resilience.
• Field research project: Conduct supervised research for academic credit that contributes to OES planning and policy initiatives.
Interns will receive direct mentorship from the OES manager and gain access to professional training, including FEMA Incident Command System and National Incident Management System courses. These experiences help students build industry-relevant skills and credentials for future careers in emergency management, government and public service.
To qualify, applicants must:
• Be 18 years or older and legally eligible to work in the U.S.
• Be currently enrolled or planning to enroll in a college or university program.
• Possess strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Be proficient in Microsoft Office; familiarity with Canva or web-based tools is a plus.
• Hold a valid California driver’s license or have reliable transportation.
• Be willing to complete FEMA online courses (ICS 100/200, NIMS 700/800).
Applications are accepted through the county of Lake’s online job portal.
For additional information, please contact
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services coordinates emergency management and disaster preparedness activities across Lake County.
Through planning, training, and public education, OES works to enhance the county’s readiness, response, and recovery capabilities in the face of natural and human-caused emergencies.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
LAKEPORT, Calif. — The Lake County Land Trust’s annual dinner was a success with over 100 enthusiastic Land Trust Supporters in attendance.
This year the dinner was held at Konocti Vista Event Center on Oct. 11.
The theme of “Moving Forward Together” was highlighted by demonstrating the many partnerships LCLT has been forming over the years.
The first Land Trust dinner was held in 1999 and minus 2020-21 one has been held every October since.
The silent auction, organized by volunteer Melissa Kinsel and Wilda Shock brought some impressive bids; the food by Konocti Vista was delicious and plentiful, Ripe Choice catering served up an impressive array of appetizers and desserts, and guest speaker Randy Krag highlighted the evening with information about one of LCLT’s partners, the Lake County Resource Conservation District.
As part of the evening’s events Lakeport resident Tom Horton was honored as Supporter of the Year and was given a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition by Congressman Mike Thompson who was on hand to present the honor.
Flaman McCloud, chairman of the Big Valley Rancheria Band of Pomo Indians, welcomed attendees and offered a Pomo blessing.
All evening music was provided by Paul Kemp. Jim Steele, a seasoned auctioneer, delivered over $15,000 of supporter pledges for some important Land Trust projects during the evening’s “paddle raise event.”
Abby Leutholdt of AbbyLeuPresents and crew did a great job making sure everything ran smoothly and staff at the Konocti Vista Center were extremely helpful with setting up, serving and breaking down.
Decorations with a Pomo theme of tules and acorns added a festive aspect to the hall with many thanks to Kelseyville resident Kathy Windrem for making sure the tables were all properly embellished and to That Ranch for providing gourds for the finishing touches on the tables.
Sam Euston was kept busy all night photographing the event and all members of the LCLT board of directors, volunteers and staff contributed heartily.
Making the dinner possible were business sponsors AES, Beckstoffer Vineyards, Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, The Law office of Dennis Fordham, Jimmy’s Deli and Taqueria, R Vineyards, That Ranch and J. Oliver Maxwell LLC.
- Details
- Written by: Rotary Club of Kelseyville
KELSEYVILLE, Calif. — The Rotary Club of Kelseyville is sponsoring a Thanksgiving food drive to help feed the hungry in Lake County.
Food collected will go to the Kelseyville Presbyterian Food Pantry.
Collection barrels will be at Lakeport Grocery Outlet and Nice Sentry Market from Oct. 27 to Nov. 17 for collection of non-perishable items in the barrels.
On Nov. 1 the Rotary Club will host two “stuff a van” events.
Vans will be in the parking lots of the Lakeport Grocery Outlet and the Lakeport Safeway Store from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Feed those in need in Lake County by helping the Kelseyville Rotary Club fill their barrels and stuff the vans in this season of giving.
Please contact Terry Dereniuk at