Recreation

Hungry fish! (More on that in a moment … )

Welcome to the post-Fourth of July fishing report. We’re coming into the second of the two “holiday” weekends. Lots of you folks are on the road or already at your destinations. Many yet are still considering making the trek to Clear Lake. Well, it’s hot here – Wednesday was 107 – today is likely to produce more of the same. Tomorrow also. But, along with the heat, we’ve got us some seriously good fishing. Here’s the report…

The shad count in the lake is way down. That makes for some hungry bass, catfish and crappie. The lowdown on bass is that top water action is HOT, HOT, HOT for the first few hours of the morning. Poppers, buzz baits, Baby Ducks, and Zara Spooks have all been producing loads of excitement. Fish open water in front of the tule beds for best action. After the morning wears on, and the top water action cools, switch to jigs or Carolina Rigs with dark colored plastics. Rootbeer with Gold & Red flake, purple with emerald flake, Watermelon Seed or Candy and others are all good colors for soft plastics. Fish as deep as 20’ or as shallow as 8 or 10 with your plastics.

The crappie bite has made an unusual warm weather return. Anglers are catching crappie at the Four Poles and Konocti Harbor Resort with regularity. Fish the bottom with minnows or mini-jigs for best results. The best action has been in the early morning or late evening hours.

The catfish are in down at the old Austin Resort property in Clearlake. Shore anglers and boaters in that area are having a ball catching cats weighing in at an average of 6 to 8 pounds. A few reports of big cats have come in from those who have fished during the nighttime hours. Clams and nightcrawlers are the favorites this week, with live minnows and mackerel both running well too.

Lastly, let’s talk about this coming Saturday’s NRA dinner … Today (Friday) is the last day to buy tickets or sponsor packages for the dinner. We’ve got 22 great firearms, custom knives, artwork and lots of other great merchandise that will be at the dinner.

Come enjoy a catered prime rib dinner, take a chance at winning some great items, and support your local NRA Foundation. Tickets for the dinner are $50, sponsor opportunities are still available starting at $350, and all are available here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle. You can preview the guns here, too!

Can’t make it by the shop before the dinner? Purchase over the phone and we’ll have your tickets waiting for you. Give us a call at 707.994.FISH (3474). Please note that no dinner tickets will be sold at the door.

Enjoy the fishing. Drop by and say “Howdy!” if you’re in town. Hope to see you at Saturday’s dinner.

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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Lake County has some of the clearest, darkest skies in the country – perfect for stargazing! In this monthly column, we’ll talk about some of the things you can see at night.

Let’s start by looking at a star chart for July. This is what the night sky will look like around July 15 at 9 p.m.

Face south, and look directly overhead. To the west you will see the constellation Bootes. It looks a bit like a kite, with the bright star Arcturus at the base. Arcturus is the fourth brightest star in the sky, about 25 times the size of our sun! Bootes is a herdsman who shepherds the stars around the north pole.

To the left (east) of Bootes is a semi-circle of stars known as Corona Borealis (Northern Crown). This is the crown the maiden Ariadne, daughter of Minos, King of Crete, wore at her wedding. To the left of Corona Borealis is Hercules, the Greek strongman who performed 12 labors. Within Hercules is a remarkable object you can see with a telescope – it’s called The Great Globular Cluster in Hercules. It’s a tightly packed ball of hundreds of thousands of stars.  It looks like the image at the right through a telescope of small to moderate size.

Look to the south, and peeking above the horizon you will see the constellation Scorpius, the scorpion This is the creature that killed the great hunter Orion in Greek mythology. Within Scorpius you will see a star that is brighter than any other. It’s not a star – it’s the planet Jupiter. Jupiter is 12 times the size of the Earth, has 67 moons, and is a big ball of gas. Through a telescope, you can see bands on the planet’s surface and 4 of the 67 moons.  The image at the left shows what Jupiter looks like throuigh a small to medium sized telescope.

While we're at it, look to the western sky just after sundown.  The very bright object you see is the planet Venus.  And, at the beginning of July, you'll see a fainter object nearby - that's the planet Saturn, with it's beautiful ring system. 

To learn more about Lake County skies in July, and to observe these objects through a telescope, visit Taylor Observatory (www.taylorobservatory.org) on Saturday, July 14, from 8 to 11p.m.

John Zimmerman has been an amateur astronomer for 50 years. He is a member of the Taylor Observatory staff, where, among his many duties, he helps create planetarium shows.

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The Westshore Pool is newly refurbished and ready for summer fun. Photo courtesy of the City of Lakeport.

LAKEPORT – The City of Lakeport will hold a grand opening event for the Westshore Pool Monday, July 2.

The ribbon cutting ceremony will begin at 11:45 a.m. at the pool, located at 250 Lange St.

Pool hours during the summer will be noon to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday.

Daily fees are $1.75 for children ages 12 and younger; $2 for those 13 and older. Children 6 and younger must be accompanied by an adult.

Family season passes for a family of four are available for $200. If family is larger additional members may be added for $10 per person. Family passes are available for immediate family members only.

Individual season passes cost $75. If purchasing individual passes for a child the parent/guardian must be present at time of purchase. Season passes can only be purchased at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St.

Swimming lessons will not be provided this year.

Westshore Pool will be closed July 4.

For more information about Westshore Pool, call Lakeport's Public Works Department, 263-0751.

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