Recreation
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
We’ve had a dry week, but rain is in the forecast. Daytime highs have been in the 40s to low 50s. The water temps are still dropping, but ever so slightly. Look for low to mid 40s for surface temps around the lake.
What you really want to know is this …
Bass have cooled off a bit. The hot bite of just two or three weeks ago is now a more typical winter bite. So, from 15 to 20 fish per day you can expect half a dozen or so. Folks are still catching big fat fish, just fewer of them for their efforts.
Minnows, jigs and swim baits are the most talked about big fish baits this week. Lots of folks are switching over to a finesse presentation – drop shotting or shaky heading soft plastics. Deeper water and rocks still dominate the scene for locations.
Crappie anglers were enjoying a bite that has improved nicely at Konocti Harbor Resort this week. A single – but dreadfully honest – report from Thursday indicated that the sudden drop in temperature and looming rains have knocked the bite back off again. This pattern of on again/off again will likely continue until we get into a more consistently cold and drizzly weather pattern.
Kono Tayee is still getting a lot of attention and is reported to be packed with boaters/anglers most every day. There’s still no action being reported at the Four Poles. Minnows and mini-jigs are going about 50-50 here. The Nitro brand Crappie Gems are the hot ticket for most folks casting and catching.
There hasn’t been much movement on the catfish front … Guess most folks are taking advantage of the good crappie bite.
There will be no fishing report for the first week of January as I’ll be attending a trade show in Las Vegas. Our next regular report will appear on Jan. 10.
All of us here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle would like to extend a humble thanks to so many of you that have made 2007 a fun and prosperous year for us. Our hope is that 2008 will bring you good health, happiness and many big fish.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
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- Details
- Written by: Editor
The OHV Commission met in early December in Sacramento to review and vote on more than 160 grant applications from Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, city police, county parks and county sheriff departments.
The Mendocino National Forest received approval for all 11 grant applications submitted to the State, including $283,000 for trail maintenance, $276,000 for operation and maintenance of OHV-related facilities, $291,000 for law enforcement and $494,000 for eight separate restoration projects.
"This grant funding from the state will assure that the Mendocino National Forest can continue to provide basic visitor services, trail maintenance, resource protection and law enforcement at the level the public has come to expect," said Forest OHV Manager Jeff Applegate.
Applegate added, "This marks the 26th year that the forest has successfully competed for California OHV Trust Fund Grants to assist us in managing OHV recreation."
The forest has become known throughout the state for providing top-notch, year-round OHV recreation opportunities on more than 252 miles of designated OHV trails, 10 acres of open riding areas and more than 1,100 miles of roughly graded roads open to off-highway vehicle use.
Along with providing a variety of outstanding riding opportunities and support facilities, the forest is known for its balanced approach to off highway motor vehicle recreation, which includes on-going resource conservation and restoration projects and enforcement of federal and state laws related to motor vehicle use and resource protection.
"Without State OHV funding assistance, sustaining the critical balance between OHV recreation opportunities and responsible management of our natural resources would be very difficult, especially in light of the phenomenal growth we are experiencing in OHV use on the forest," Applegate said.
For more information on OHV recreational opportunities, the Mendocino National Forest offers free OHV maps. These maps are available at the forest Headquarters in Willows and the Upper Lake Ranger District, Monday through Friday; and at the Stonyford Work Center, Monday through Saturday. Office hours are 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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- Written by: Editor
The decision and environmental analysis documents detailing the proposals and their effects are available for review at Mendocino National Forest Supervisor's and Ranger District Offices.
One proposal concerns motorized access for dispersed camping (setting up camp for either overnight or day use in an area that has not been developed as a campground facility).
The decision will add 71 short user-created motorized routes to the existing Mendocino National Forest designated trail system. These routes would be managed as motorized trails to provide access to 66 frequently used dispersed camp sites. The routes are located in various areas across the forest and their total aggregate length is 7.7 miles.
The decision is subject to administrative review, and will not be final until the appeal process has concluded.
The second decision will eventually allow mixed use on a segment of forest road M3 from Ivory Mill Saddle to near West Crockett trailhead. Mixed-use allows use by both highway-legal and non-highway-legal vehicles and drivers. Currently only highway-legal vehicles are allowed. Total length of the segment is about 17.5 miles. This road is located on Grindstone Ranger District in Glenn County, California, about ten miles southwest of the community of Elk Creek.
The third decision revises the road management objective for Long Ridge Road (17N16) to be managed for high-clearance vehicles rather than low-clearance vehicles. Long Ridge Road is about 5.5 miles long, and is located in northeastern Lake County, about half-way between the Upper Lake and Stonyford Off-Highway Vehicle management areas.
The fourth decision is to close and decommission Off-Highway Vehicle Trail 68. Total length of the trail is about 2.7 miles. It is located in northern Lake County, about three miles east of Lake Pillsbury.
Locations where the decision and environmental analysis documents may be reviewed are:
SUPERVISOR'S OFFICE/GRINDSTONE RANGER DISTRICT
825 N. Humboldt Ave.
Willows, CA 95988
(530) 934-3316; TTY (530) 934-7724
COVELO RANGER DISTRICT
78150 Covelo Road
Covelo, CA 95428
(707) 983-6118; TTY (707) 983-6123
UPPER LAKE RANGER DISTRICT
10025 Elk Mountain Road
Upper Lake, CA
(707) 275-2361 or 2363; TTY (707) 275-9524
Additional information regarding these proposed actions and how to provide comments can be obtained from the Mendocino National Forest route designation web page at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/projects/ohv/#status , or from Mike Van Dame at the Supervisor's Office: Email:
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- Details
- Written by: Lake County News Reports
The bass are moving into their winter pattern of slower movement and less feeding. Most of the anglers out this week have reported catching between three and six fish for their efforts.
Both the day and night fishing action is seeing this slow down. Live minnows are most likely to get you bit. For artificials, downsize and slow down. Drop shotting is an excellent choice for presentations this time of year.
The crappie bite has toughened up just a bit too. Anglers crowding in at Kono Tayee are catching crappie but rate the action as “slow.” Shag rock has only had an on-again/off-again bite. Shore anglers at Konocti are working hard to catch a few crappie. But, as usual goes over there, they’re catching a mixed bag. The hottest “gotta have” items for crappie are the Nitro Crappie Gems. Tip your favorite jig with one of these for added scent and flavor.
Catfish anglers have reported catching a few fish for many hours of fishing. Cut mackerel or nightcrawlers have accounted for the fish we’ve heard tell of. No specific locations stand out this week.
We will be closed on Christmas day to spend time with our families. We’re open 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Christmas eve for your last minute gift needs for the angler, hunter or firearms enthusiast on your list. And don’t forget – when you don’t know what to give, give a gift certificate.
From the staff here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, we would like to wish you a Merry Christmas.
Bob Rider owns Lakeshore Bait & Tackle in Clearlake. Visit his Web site at www.994fish.com or call him at 994-FISH (3474).
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