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Recreation
- Details
- Written by: Bob Myskey
The fishing for bass has to be rated “decent.”
The results of the Pro Am West Coast Bass tournament that was held this past weekend saw some good bags of fish come in despite the rain and wind that they had to endure.
Fish in this tournament were caught on a variety of baits and techniques and were caught both in shallow water and in deep water. This basically means that the average fisherman can get out and try a number of different things and should have reasonable success.
The weights were down slightly from what they have been in past years but they still would rate as being "good" or better than most of the lakes in the US.
The tournament season is definitely here and from now until the middle of June we will have a tournament of some sort on the lake every weekend, and this bodes well for our local economy.
I think that most people do not realize the importance of these tournaments. This week the FLW Stren series starts on Thursday and they will fish through Saturday.
This tournament will draw a 150 boats, two fisherman per boat, 300 people with 99 percent of these people being from out of the area. Most of them arrived here at least two days in advance of the tournament. They stay in the motels, buy gas, buy tackle, eat at the restaurants and shop in the local stores. I would say that the money they spend definitely stays local.
Having fished these tournaments myself for many years, I can personally attest to the money that gets spent. A lot of our local people would probably prefer to have the lake to themselves and not have all these boats on the water. Even as a guide it makes it hard for us to fish around these big tournaments. but in the overall scheme of things, we need these people coming to the lake and Lake County can only benefit from this exposure.
I know there is a lot of different opinions and possible consequences of having all these out-of-area boats frequent our lake. There is always the danger that the quagga mussel might be brought in by a boat coming from infected waters.
It is my opinion and my experience that the majority of these tournament fisherman are much more in tune to doing the right thing by making sure their boats are “clean and dry” and will get their boats inspected before launching. The danger will more likely come from a vacationer or casual boater who is not aware of procedures.
As far as the guiding goes, it looks like bookings are holding up pretty good compared to last year.
The fish that are being caught are healthy and in good shape. I would encourage those who will be catching fish to realize that most of the larger fish are females and at this time of the year they will all have eggs in them and need to be released to spawn so that we can continue to keep this great fishery going.
Bob Myskey owns Bassin' With Bob Guide Service, www.fishclearlake.com, telephone 707-274-0373.
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- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK – With the recent rains, changes are taking place rapidly in the landscape of Clear Lake State Park.
Take the opportunity to check it out by joining park docent Walt Lyon on Sunday, March 8, for a walk on the park’s Indian Nature Trail.
Meet Lyon at the front entrance parking lot at 8:30 a.m. to start the ascent of this intriguing hillside trail. Wear sturdy walking shoes for safety on this trail.
Lyon will describe how American Indians used the natural resources along this trail to enrich and sustain their lives. Many plants were prepared for medicinal uses and others for food. Many plants had multiple uses.
The Indian Nature Trail was built in 1959 for a mere $1,000 to give park visitors a great walking experience, as well as showing the importance of the natural resources in the park. Take time out of your busy schedule to enjoy this trail for all seasons.
Rain cancels the walk. There is no entrance fee to the park for participating in walks.
Docent led walks are scheduled for the second and fourth Sunday of each month. The next walk will be with Glenn Smith on March 22.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.
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- Details
- Written by: Editor
This partnership has provided funding assistance for the management of off-highway vehicle (OHV) recreation on National Forest system lands through the California State OHV Grants and Cooperative Agreements Program.
Current regulations mandated by the state of California require annual public participation in this fund allocation process.
The purpose of this notice is to share information and to solicit public input specific to the Mendocino National Forest’s 2009 grant application proposals for grants and cooperative agreements with the Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division.
The agreements support OHV management activities, with categories including ground operations (trail maintenance and facility operation and maintenance), development, law enforcement and restoration.
“The Mendocino National Forest offers over 252 miles of designated OHV trails and over 1,400 miles of roughly graded roads available for use by off-highway vehicles,” said Tricia Christofferson, Mendocino National Forest Recreation Officer. “We appreciate your comments on our 2009 grant requests that will be submitted to the State of California. Your comments will help the state determine the level of funding to provide the Mendocino National Forest for trail maintenance, facility maintenance, development, law enforcement, and restoration projects.”
Preliminary applications will be available for review via a link on the State of California Web site at www.ohv.parks.ca.gov. Comments may be provided between March 3 and April 6. Instructions for providing comments will be provided on the wtate of California Web site.
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- Details
- Written by: Editor
Bass anglers are pleased to see some action, albeit not a hot bite, on lures such as Speed Traps, Shaky Heads, small swim baits like Mavericks hand pours and jigs. Chatter style lures and some spinner baits are kicking in too.
Still, the live jumbo minnow bite rules to roost. We’ve had solid reports of fish caught in as little as 2 feet of water and as deep as 25 to 30 feet. Certainly the bass are feeling the onset of spring as are our anxious anglers.
Crappie anglers are optimistic and finally starting to show up to try their hand. Hopes are that the influx of water to the lake will improve the bite as we move into spring. So far, no positive reports. What it is going to take is for of you diehard slab fishermen to get on the water and find ‘em. They’re here … We just have to get into ‘em.
The catfish action has perked up nicely! Big cats are on the move. We’ve seen whiskerfish in the upper teens and low 20s this week. Mackerel, sardines, live minnows and crawlers with shrimp have all been effective baits. Fish the areas where water flows into the lake, but stick to the edges of the stained water for best results.
Bob Rider is the owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, telephone 994-FISH (3474). Visit the store's Web site at www.994Fish.com.
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