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- Written by: Editor
The first meet took place at Napa Valley Junior College and six Channel Cats participated.
Evan Thompson competed in four different events – earning three “B” times and one impressive “BB” time.
Matteo Merodio received two “BB” times and five other “B” times, finishing as high as first place in the 50 meter freestyle event.
Charlie Adams, Sarah Merodio and Allison Hanson all received three “B” times each and are well on their way to achieving “BB” times in the future.
Nicole Hanson also participated in the Napa Meet and finished as high as eighth place in the 25 meter backstroke.
The Channel Cats next traveled to Eureka on the weekend of Dec. 6 and 7 to participate in a meet hosted by Humboldt Swim Club.
“This was by far our most successful winter meet to date,” said head coach Agustin Merodio.
Seven swimmers participated and a total of 17 first-place finishes were awarded to the Channel Cats.
Matteo Merodio was by far the most decorated swimmer with nine first place finishes, one second place and the honor of receiving a special medal for swimming an “A” time in the 100 meter freestyle event.
Allison Hanson earned six first place ribbons and Sarah Merodio received three first place ribbons.
Lauren Rudnick, aging up to a new group of swimmers, placed as high as third and Kelly Strong finished the meet with three “B” times and a second place finish in the 200 meter breaststroke.
Cameron Bell finished in the top four swimmers in all events in which he competed. Nicole Hanson finished as high as fifth in the 25 meter backstroke event and was excited to swim a clean 25 meter butterfly for the first time in her competitive meet experience.
Merodio said that he was “proud of the whole team because he could see that their hard work was paying off with their improved times.”
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
Yep, it’s winter fishing conditions on Clear Lake. Come join us!
Bass anglers are reporting excellent catches from as little as 4 feet of water to as deep as 50. The trick? Live jumbo minnows. In our store, we went through over 1,000 jumbos last week, evidence of a strong bass bite. It isn’t unusual to go through three, four, five dozen or more minnows for a few hours of fishing right now.
There are a couple of key methods being employed by anglers fishing a variety of depths. One method is to use a split-shot weight a few feet above your hook. Nose hook the minnow and let it roam. Use a slightly larger weight to target deeper areas – docks and rock piles mostly. Use a lighter weight to target rocky shallow areas or shallow standing docks.
An alternate method is to employ a slip float, set your depth and target suspended fish. For those of you who prefer to use artificials, lipless crank baits fished vertically, spoons or some deep running cranks are worth trying.
Drop shotting also is a good choice of techniques. They’re fishing deep water at the south end and shallow water at the north. Shaky heading a baby brush hog or slow rolling a spinner bait on the bottom have both been effective in skinny water.
Crappie hunters are catching fish at Kono Tayee with some regularity. Shag Rock is getting some mention and Jones Bay is seeing some action. However, shore anglers at Konocti have been frustrated with a lackluster bite in that location. I’m looking for this incoming weather system (rain and snow next week – maybe) to have a positive effect on the crappie bite.
There’s not much to report on the catfish bite – it may be slowing down as the cooler weather and cooler water takes hold for the winter. It seems that most anglers are paying attention to the bass and crappie action at this point.
There’s just one week left to get in on the Christmas in Clearlake drawing. We’re giving away $1,000 in Chamber Bucks to be used at any of the participating businesses here in Clearlake. Shop local merchants displaying the Christmas in Clearlake signs and be sure to get your entry slips with each purchase. From furniture to books to bait and guns, there are many businesses all over town taking part. The drawing will be held on the evening of Dec. 20. Maybe you’ll be the winner!
Bob Rider is owner of Lakeshore Bait and Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, telephone 994-FISH (3474). Visit the shop online at www.994Fish.com.
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CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK – The Clear Lake State Park has activities planned this month that include holiday shopping and nature experiences to give visitors a break from the Christmas rush.
The park's visitor center will be open Saturday, Dec. 13, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. to give the community an opportunity to receive a 25-percent discount on all gift shop merchandise, tour the museum and attend a 1:30 p.m. program by Ranger Marisa Holman.
The gift shop, staffed by volunteers, is going all out this holiday season to extend great savings to the local community. This 25-percent off sale includes an assortment of nature-oriented gifts for all members of the family. Some merchandise already discounted will be discounted by an additional 25 percent (no further discounts apply). Pricing is limited to merchandise on hand (no rain checks).
The Clear Lake State Park Interpretive Association (CLSPIA) operates the gift shop, with all proceeds used to enhance the park.
Ranger Holman’s 1:30 p.m. program includes the great horned owl, a magnificent non-migratory bird of prey of our area.
She will introduce you to this owl's habits and calls. Learn how owls produce pellets and what they do to scare intruders.
This is a great family program that will be a fun time to learn about the great horned owl and other birds of prey.
Holman, a native Californian, has recently joined the staff at Clear Lake State Park and is eager to meet the community.
Sunday park walks continue in December. Join docent Glenn Smith on Dec. 14 and docent Brad Barnwell on Dec. 28. Participants are to meet at 8:30 a.m. near the visitor center ramp. These are additional opportunities to enjoy the change of seasons in the park.
There is no entrance fee to the park for participating in programs, walks or visiting the museum.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
One dedicated bass angler said it this way, “They’re everywhere they weren’t and nowhere they were.” I think what he means is that we’ve shifted into a winter pattern with cooler weather and cooler water.
That’s consistent with the report we had last week about the juvenile (they’re not babies anymore) bass. They’ve moved out now too. Deep docks, ledges, and rock piles will be the order of the day. So will SLOW presentations. My diehard bass guys are telling me that small swim baits fished at night, or jigs spoons and lipless cranks fished in the mornings are what is getting the job done for them.
The finesse guys love this time of year – their technique can really shine. The live bait anglers are enjoying a classic early winter or late fall bite. Not too much to be said here – we went through over 1,200 jumbo minnows during the four-day Thanksgiving weekend last week. We’re stocked back up and ready to go.
For Slab Seekers, Kono Tayee and Shag Rock have had the most attention – but you’ve got to have a boat. Konocti has been SLOW. There’s a good hole over in Jones Bay that has been producing rather well for one of my customers, but he’s on a boat also.
Here’s the good news … It was 27 degrees and socked in with fog when I got here to open the shop this morning. Colder and wetter is what brings the crappie out. I’d look for a change to take place if the cold weather takes hold for a few days. That’s pretty good news … Bring on the slabs!
There hasn’t been much movement on the catfish front. Just our regular catfish hunters doing the job with the tried and true baits. Minnows, mackerel, anchovies and shad … Drift your favorite spots nice and slow, keep warm with some hot cocoa at night, and enjoy the cool crisp night air.
Again this week, I want to highlight the Christmas in Clearlake campaign. There are many stores, including ours, that are participating in the promotion. We’ve all got some great deals going and every purchase earns you an entry into our $1,000 Chamber Bucks drawing. One lucky shopper is going to win a shopping spree right before Christmas. It might as well be you!
Stop in and see all the great stuff we’ve got – fishing, firearms, knives, survival gear and so much more. Hope to see you soon.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait and Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive in Clearlake, telephone 994-FISH (3474). Visit him online at www.994Fish.com.
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