Recreation

Changing weather is the name of the game here. We’ve had cold and warm, wet and dry, and Thursday – wind. The lake temperature is in the upper 60s. Daytime highs have been anywhere between the 60s and 80s. Nighttime lows have been between 35 (burr!) and 50 degrees. What it all amounts to is an overall more difficult bite. Here are the nuts and bolts of what’s going on.

Bassin’ is hit or miss. Some folks are really struggling while others are doing just fine. (Typical of the fishing during transitional fall weather.) Artificials require a lot of work to put some nice fish in the boat. Minnows are working far better. We’re still fishing ledges and drop offs, but we’re also hearing about rocks and rocky points. Then there’s shore anglers like Frank Kimble who nailed a 9-pound, 10-ounce bass at Redbud Park this week on a nightcrawler. Now not everyone is catching fish from shore like this, but Frank’s big bass gives us reason to keep trying!

Crappie are still on hiatus. We’re not hearing about any concentrations of crappie being found. Their time will come … and I’m hoping that our weather will just get downright ugly early on and bring us a crappie bite early this year. But for now, we wait … for cooler, wetter weather and the return of our famous slabs. Bluegill aren’t being found in huge concentrations but some are being caught under docks around the south end of the lake. One location that stands out is the docks around Richmond Park in the back of Konocti Bay.

We’ve seen a nice upswing in the catfishing over the last week or two. A few nice cats have come in for pictures. Here are some great examples of what’s happening. Shaun Merritt bagged a 13-pound, 12-ounce cat – caught in the Clearlake Oaks area. John Chavez nailed a 10-pound, 5-ounce cat in the Clearlake area. And another angler came in with an entry at 18 pounds, 13 ounces. Good to see some big fish coming in. Nightcrawlers, mackerel and livers are the top baits.

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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UKIAH – The Mendocino College Volleyball team (4-7) defeated visiting Contra Costa College Friday September 28, 26-30, 30-16, 30-24 and 30-25.

The victory was Mendocino’s (1-1) first Bay Valley Conference win.

After a sluggish first game, the Eagle’s took charge of the match with an offensive assault that featured stellar performances from Freshman Passion Allen LeNard (Lower Lake) and Sophomore Jamie Brown (Potter Valley).

Allen LeNard had 10 kills, five aces, four digs, and two solo blocks.

“Passion was on fire tonight, she dominated everywhere she played. This is an example of what a special player she can be,” Mendocino Head Coach Ori Polkinghorne said about LeNard’s performance.

Brown pounded out 19 kills. Freshman Shana Hiatt (Clearlake) kept the pressure on the Comets with seven aces and three blocks. “Our timing and speed at the net was much better and we had great results,” Polkinghorne said.

Coach Polkinghorne credited strong defensive play by Freshman Marcie Brendlen (Anderson Valley), Freshman Angela Newell (Fort Bragg), and Sophomore Sarah Luetke (Yreka) which all had 10 digs apiece.

The Eagle’s will host the College of Alameda on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.

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LAKEPORT – A group of men and women including several from the California Speedboat Association joined up with the Nor Cal Ski Club and held ski races and an exposition of classic high powered racing boats.

 

No one-on-one racing of the classic boats took place but many of them, including several past national champions, enjoyed making multiple high-speed passes in front of Library Park, entertaining not only the other boat owners but about a 100 others gathered around the Yacht Club in Lakeport Saturday.

 

The mix of modern high speed ski races with classic race boats had been a casual idea at first, with event organizers hoping for 10 to 12 of the special boats attending.

 

The boat owners that brought their rare vessels were surprised and pleased as 31 of these frequently custom built boats arrived from as far away as Seattle to the north and San Diego to the south, along with two or more from Nevada, according to Robert Silva of Fort Bragg, the event organizer.

 

The two groups were so pleased with the results they plan on coordinating again next April when the Nor Cal Ski Club will hold their next speed ski event.

E-mail Harold LaBonte at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

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