NORTHERN CALIFORNIA – With California entering what is traditionally one of its worst fire months, state fire officials said a burn permit suspension remains in effect for Lake and neighboring counties, with residents urged to be cautious as the fire season continues.

The 2012 fire season has so far been particularly active. Cal Fire reported that the season to date has shown a 20-percent increase in fire activity compared to the five-year average, with 150 new fires burning nearly 3,000 acres during the past week alone.

Dry weather conditions are continuing to cause high fire danger, with the fire season far from over, according to fire officials.

“October is often the time when the state experiences the largest, most devastating wildfires,” Cal Fire spokesman Daniel Berlant said in the agency’s weekly “Fire Situation Report” on Monday.

As if to illustrate the point, on Monday afternoon, the Flynn Fire near Comptche in Mendocino County was sparked, burning 200 acres and five structures by nightfall, as Lake County News has reported. As of Monday night the fire was only 5 percent contained.

Due to the continuing fire concerns, the Cal Fire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit reported that residents in its coverage area – including Lake, Sonoma, Napa, Solano, Colusa and Yolo counties – must continue to abide by the burn permit suspension the agency issued on Aug. 15 due to concerns for increased fire activity.

At the same time, a burn ban remains in effect in Lake County.

Although the fire season’s activity has been reduced, Cal Fire said the wildland fuels are still at record levels of dryness, with the Energy Release Component, or ERC – which is a measure of the intensity with which a wildland fire will burn – at a critical level.

As the ERC is a good measure of seasonal drought, it will not become less critical until the first significant rain, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said its permit suspension affects all burning on lands within the State Responsibility Area as well as those lands protected by Cal Fire by contract.

The suspension includes all burning requiring permits, including dooryard, agricultural, forest management, hazard abatement, fire training  and industrial burning. Cal Fire said campfires within organized campgrounds or on private property are allowed in designated sites which prevent the fire from spreading.

In addition to keeping the burn ban suspension in place, Cal Fire asks area residents to use caution when using power equipment such as mowers, weed eaters, tractors, chainsaws or ATVs in the wildland.

Suspicious activity can be reported to the Cal Fire Arson Hotline at 1-800-468-4408.

For more fire safety tips visit www.readyForWildfire.org or the Cal Fire Web site at www.fire.ca.gov .

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – A fire damaged a Kelseyville home late Monday afternoon.

The fire was first reported at about 3 p.m. at 9335 Chippewa Trail.

Kelseyville Fire Capt. Dave Carter said Kelseyville Fire, Lakeport Fire and Cal Fire all responded to the incident.

Within minutes of firefighters’ arrival the fire was contained to the living room and its contents, although there was smoke and heat damage throughout the single-story structure, Carter said.

Radio reports indicated the incident command at the fire was terminated just after 4:30 p.m., however Carter said firefighters remained at the scene just before 5 p.m.

He estimated total damage to the structure amounted to $50,000.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The Lake County Road Department is planning preventive maintenance treatments in several parts of the county this week.

The fog seal treatment will consist of applying a thin coating of oil over the road surface to seal and preserve the pavement, the department reported.

The coating material must remain undisturbed for one hour following treatment, depending on temperature and humidity, to allow for proper hardening, and so the areas must not be walked or driven on during that time, according to the department. No street parking will be allowed during that time period when the material is curing.

Treatments will take place in the following locations on the dates and times listed below.

Tuesday, Oct. 2

• Pitney Lane: From Elk Mountain Road to Alley Creek Bridge, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Elk Mountain Road: From Rancheria Road to Middle Creek Road, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Middle Creek Road: From Elk Mountain Road to Second Street, 10 a.m. to noon.
• Government Street; From First Street to Highway 20, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 3

• Seigler Canyon Road: From Perini Road (east intersection) to Loch Lomond Road; one-way traffic control in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with up to one hour delay expected.

Thursday, Oct. 4

• Loch Lomond Road: From Seigler Canyon Road to Highway 175; one-way traffic control in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with up to one hour delay expected.
• Seigler Canyon Road: From Perini Road (east intersection) to Highway 29; one-way traffic control in effect from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with up to one hour delay expected.

The Lake County Road Department asks the community to plan on using alternate routes whenever possible on days the treatments are scheduled, don’t use the areas for parking and not to allow children to play in the treatment areas, as the treatment material is extremely difficult to remove from clothing and hands, requiring the use of kerosene or cleaning solvent.

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – The winner of a $14 million lottery ticket purchased last week in Clearlake Oaks is set to be announced on Tuesday afternoon.

The California State Lottery will hold a Tuesday news conference in Sacramento during which the lucky ticket holder, so far not named publicly, will be introduced.

The individual purchased the SuperLotto Plus ticket at the Red and White Store, located at 12580 Highway 20 in Clearlake Oaks, as Lake County News has reported.

During the Saturday night SuperLotto Plus drawing, only two tickets matched all five numbers – 3, 4, 27, 30, 39 – plus the Mega number of 3.

The Clearlake Oaks ticket and a second purchased in Milpitas are splitting the $28 million jackpot. The second ticket holder has so far not come forward.

Lottery officials said each ticket is worth an estimated cash option amount of $10.3 million.

Thanks to selling the lucky ticket, the Red and White Store will receive $70,000.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

In space, they say, no one can hear you scream.

Nobody ever said anything about singing, though. A NASA spacecraft has just beamed back a beautiful song sung by our own planet.

“It’s called chorus,” explained Craig Kletzing of the University of Iowa. “This is one of the clearest examples we’ve ever heard.”

Chorus is an electromagnetic phenomenon caused by plasma waves in Earth’s radiation belts. For years, ham radio operators on Earth have been listening to them from afar.

Now, NASA’s twin Radiation Belt Storm Probes are traveling through the region of space where chorus actually comes from – and the recordings are out of this world.

“This is what the radiation belts would sound like to a human being if we had radio antennas for ears,” said Kletzing, whose team at the University of Iowa built the “EMFISIS” (Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science) receiver used to pick up the signals.

He’s careful to point out that these are not acoustic waves of the kind that travel through the air of our planet.

Chorus is made of radio waves that oscillate at acoustic frequencies, between 0 and 10 kHz. The magnetic search coil antennas of the Radiation Belt Storm Probes are designed to detect these kinds of waves.

“Chorus emissions are front and center for the Storm Probe mission,” said Kletzing. “They are thought to be one of the most important waves for energizing the electrons that make up the outer radiation belt.”

In particular, chorus might be responsible for so-called “killer electrons,” high-energy particles that can endanger both satellites and astronauts.  

Many electrons in the radiation belts are harmless, with too little energy to do damage to human or electronic systems. But, sometimes, these electrons can catch a chorus wave, like a surfer riding a wave on Earth, and gain enough energy to become dangerous – or so researchers think.

The Radiation Belt Storm Probes are on a mission to find out for sure.

“The production of killer electrons is a matter of much debate, and chorus waves are only one possibility,” noted the Storm Probes’ mission scientist Dave Sibeck.

Launched in August 2012, the two probes are orbiting inside the radiation belts, sampling electromagnetic fields, counting the number of energetic particles, and listening to plasma waves of many frequencies.

“We hope to gather enough data to solve the mystery once and for all,” said Sibeck.

At the moment, the spacecraft are still undergoing their 60-day checkout phase before the main mission begins. So far, things are checking out very well.

“One of things we noticed right away is how clear the chorus sounds in the recording,” said Kletzing. “That’s because our data is sampled at 16 bits, the same as a CD, which has not been done before in the radiation belts. This makes the data very high quality and shows that our instrument is very, very healthy.”

Eventually, Kletzing hopes to release unprecedented stereo recordings of Earth’s chorus.

“We have two spacecraft with two receivers,” he said, “so a stereo recording is possible.”

Such a recording would not only sound wonderful, but also have real scientific value. “One of the things we don’t know is how broad the region is over which chorus occurs. The widely-separated ‘stereo capability’ of the Storm Probes will give us the ability to figure this out,” he explained.

With a two-year mission planned for the Storm Probes, the chorus is just getting started.

Dr. Tony Phillips works for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

CLEARLAKE OAKS, Calif. – Lake County’s oldest grocery store this week made history when it sold a SuperLotto ticket that ended up being the largest jackpot won in the county since the state lottery began.

Gary Nylander, owner of the Red and White Store in Clearlake Oaks, said that shortly before 6:30 a.m. Sunday he received a call from the California State Lottery, notifying him that one of two multimillion dollar lottery tickets had been sold at his store.

The California State Lottery reported that the winning ticket sold at the Red and White Store was one of two tickets that matched all five numbers plus the mega number in Saturday night’s $28 million SuperLotto Plus drawing.

The winning numbers were 30, 27, 4, 3 and 39, with the mega number being 3.

The holder of the Clearlake Oaks ticket will receive $14 million, as will the person who purchased the second ticket at the Ocean Super Market in Milpitas, according to the California State Lottery Web site.

Nylander, whose store has sold lottery tickets since the state lottery began 28 years ago, said it’s the biggest jackpot in the county’s history.

As of Sunday evening, Nylander said the winner had not yet come forward, adding that winners can remain anonymous.

“I really hope it’s one of my customers that shops regularly,” he said.

Nylander said he doesn’t know when, precisely, the ticket was purchased, only that the sale occurred sometime this past week. He said in his experience most SuperLotto tickets are sold the same days as the drawings, which take place on Wednesdays and Saturdays.

It’s also a win for Nylander’s store, which his grandparents – Cory and Eddie Nylander – opened in 1933.

Up until this point, selling lottery tickets alone hasn’t been a very profitable offering for the store, with Nylander pointing out that they receive six cents for every ticket sold.

However, as the retailer who sold the winning ticket, Nylander will receive $70,000 – or one half of 1 percent of the jackpot – from the California State Lottery. In about three weeks he should be receiving his check.

“It will go back into the store,” he said. “We’ve seen some pretty lean years.”

Just this past year Nylander put about $30,000 in new paint and signage into the store, which sits along Highway 20, next to Nylander Park. Nylander and his family sold the property for the park to the county several years ago at a reduced rate, with the park helping form a new town center.

Nylander has been running the store since 1983. He plans to retire this year and hand over the store to his daughter, Jodie, making it a fourth-generation family business.

He said he hopes that being the source of the county’s biggest lottery ticket will draw some hopeful lottery enthusiasts from farther afield.

With the infusion of cash and excitement – plus some extraordinarily good luck – Nylander said, “I’m feeling pretty good today.”

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

CLEARLAKE, Calif. – A stabbing was reported to have occurred Monday night at Austin Park in Clearlake.

The incident was first reported just after 10 p.m., when firefighters were dispatched to the lake side of the park, which is located at 14077 Lakeshore Drive.

There were no details immediately available about the identity of the stabbing victim, who had been wounded in the chest, according to reports from the scene.

Several Lake County Fire Protection District units responded to the scene, with an air ambulance being requested to respond to transport the victim, radio reports indicated.

A landing zone was set up at Austin Park, across from the Clearlake Police Department, with REACH 1 landing at about 10:45 p.m., according to radio reports.

REACH 1 reported lifting off at approximately 11:07 p.m., en route to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital.

Five minutes after REACH had departed, firefighters were dispatched back to Austin Park, to the same location where the stabbing victim had been located, on the report of a person having an asthma attack.

Paramedics reported leaving the scene shortly before 11:40 p.m., with the patient being released to the Clearlake Police Department.

Additional details about the incident will be published as they become available.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

NICE, Calif. – A small wildland fire was reported early Monday morning on a ridge above Robinson Rancheria.

The small fire, which was estimated to be between a quarter acre and a half acre, was first reported shortly after 2:30 a.m.

Northshore Fire, Cal Fire and Lake County Sheriff’s deputies responded to the scene, according to radio reports.

Firefighters were reported to have had a “wet line” around the fire shortly after 3 a.m., with two engines reported to be handling the incident.

 
My father once raved about a curried red lentil soup that I made decades ago and I’ve been trying to recreate it ever since.
 
Does that ever happen to you?
 
A little of this goes into the pot, then a little of that, a few tastes are taken during the process, adjustments are made and finally the perfect product is created.
 
You’re amazed, others are amazed, and at some point you try to do it again, but can’t.
 
That’s what it’s like with the tasty but now elusive soup I made at my father’s Massachusetts home when I was a 20-something single woman.
 
There was peanut butter involved, and curry and tender celery leaves, and I recall my father saying it tasted North African, but the rest is beyond me. But I’ll keep trying, and maybe someday I’ll find my way back to it.
 
Putting all that aside, according to archaeological evidence, today’s topic has been eaten by humankind for perhaps 13,000 years (at least 9,500); that is, since pre-pottery Neolithic times.
 
Lentils are thought to have originated in the Mediterranean region or in the Near East and were one of the first crops cultivated there.
 
They store indefinitely, no doubt one of the reasons they were beloved by early civilizations.
 
These tiny disk-like legumes grow in pods on bushy plants. There are typically two lentils per pod, making hand-harvesting them labor intensive.
 
The word lentil comes from the Latin lens; in fact, the optic lens took its name from this similar shaped bean relative.
 
There are hundreds of varieties of lentils, with as many as 50 cultivated for food. They come in a variety of colors – brown, green, red, orange, black, yellow – and have a pleasant, earthy taste.
 
Some have hints of nuttiness or pepper in their flavor.
 
When dried and halved, lentils resemble their cousins, the split pea. Like them, they cook relatively quickly and without the requisite soaking other legumes require.
 
Typical supermarket lentils are of the brown variety, which soften but hold their shape pretty well when cooked. They still have their seed coats attached and haven’t been split. They work well in salads if not overcooked, and soups prepared with them generally contain whole lentils.
 
Most orange, red or yellow lentils soften quickly as they’ve had their hulls removed. They disintegrate when cooked, making them especially nice for soups, purees, or as stew thickeners.
 
Other lentil varieties include olive and slate colored French lentils, which remain the most firm with cooking. Also from France are Le Puy lentils, perhaps the most expensive variety. Considered by many the most flavorful lentil, they retain their shape when cooked.
 
Persian green lentils turn brown as they cook, becoming tender yet firm.
 
Often used in salads and popular with chefs, pricey Beluga lentils are black and glisten like caviar.
 
It’s worth noting that lentils don’t contain sulfur, the gas-producing element in other legumes, making the post-consumption period more pleasant than that of their odiferous kin.
 
They are, however, packed with high-quality protein; about 30 percent of their calories come from it. In fact, they contain the third-highest level of protein by weight of any legume or nut, eclipsed only by soybeans and hemp.
 
They’re considered an inexpensive source of protein in many parts of the world, especially in West Asia and the Indian subcontinent, which have large vegetarian populations. When served with rice, the meal becomes a source of complete protein.
 
In India, the country responsible for one quarter of worldwide lentil production, lentils are used to make dal, a stew which is also popular in nearby countries.
 
Lentil flour, available in some markets, is used to make fermented bread in India.
 
In addition to protein, lentils are an excellent source of soluble fiber, the type which assists in lowering cholesterol levels. They also contain good stores of manganese, folate, iron, vitamin B1 and potassium.
 
When purchasing lentils, select those that are dry, clean, firm and unshriveled, with a fairly uniform color. They should be inspected and rinsed before cooking, with any errant stones or chaff removed.
 
If stored in a sealed package or air-tight container in a cool, dry place, lentils will keep indefinitely; however, for best flavor and presentation, use within a year.
 
Cooked lentils may be refrigerated up to a week or frozen for six months. If frozen, handle them gently to avoid their falling apart.
 
Depending on the type, lentils cook within ten to 40 minutes. Acidic ingredients such as wine or tomatoes lengthen the cooking process, so whenever possible, add those components once the lentils have become tender.
 
Similarly, salt will make lentils tough, so add it at the end of the cooking process.
 
Lentils make a nutritious, flavorful soup that’s inexpensive and easy to prepare, they’re a wonderful ingredient in stews, and a wide variety of salads are created with them, both warm and cold.
 
A staple at a friend’s house is a thick, stewy side dish of wild rice and lentils. She once served me baked cod atop this concoction and it was delicious.
 
One surprising use for lentils is cookies. Alton Brown, Food Network personality and host of “Good Eats” uses lentil puree along with oatmeal for cookies, and several dessert recipes are offered on the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council website, including pecan pie, spice cake, and butterscotch cookies.
 
This is something I haven’t tried, but who knows? I may get round to making sweets with lentils before I get my baffling soup right.
 
Today’s recipe is for lentil salad a la Alton Brown. It includes pork, but should be tasty without that ingredient for vegetarian cooks.
 
Lentils are considered good luck in some cultures, so before I leave I’ll wish you good lentil.
 
Happy Sunday and bon appétit!
 
Lentil salad

1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 recipe basic cooked lentils, see recipe below
6 to 8 slices thick-sliced bacon, cooked and chopped (optional)
 
Whisk the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, salt, pepper, parsley and thyme together in a large mixing bowl. Add the warm lentils and bacon and stir to combine. Serve warm or at room temperature.
 
Basic cooked lentils

1 pound brown or green lentils, approximately 2 1/2 cups
1 small onion, halved
1 large clove garlic, halved
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 pound salt pork, optional
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
 
Pick over the lentils, rinse and drain. Place the lentils along with the onion, garlic, bay leaf, salt and pork into a large 6-quart saucepan and cover with water by 2 to 3 inches.

Place over high heat and bring just to a rolling boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, approximately 25 to 30 minutes.

Drain any remaining liquid and discard the onion, garlic, bay leaf and salt pork. Stir in black pepper and taste immediately for salt. Serve immediately.
 
Recipe by Alton Brown and courtesy of www.foodnetwork.com .

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

NORTH COAST, Calif. – A fire that began burning Monday afternoon in a rugged part of Mendocino County had burned a few hundred acres and several structures by nightfall, and sent large amounts of smoke into Lake County’s air basin.

The Flynn Fire began burning along Flynn Creek Road in Comptche at approximately 2:13 p.m. Monday, according to an evening report from Cal Fire.

The fire was at 200 acres and 5 percent containment Monday night, Cal Fire said.

Cal Fire said the blaze had destroyed five structures and was threatening 70 more, but no evacuations had taken place.

The Flynn Fire is burning to the east into commercial timber property, with Cal Fire reporting that the fire’s behavior is moderate to extreme with long range spotting.

By Monday night 33 fire engines, 14 fire crews, five bulldozers, six airtankers, two helicopters and 444 firefighting personnel had been assigned to the incident, according to Cal Fire.

Late Monday afternoon a significant amount of smoke was making its way into Lake County, with Lakeport Fire Chief Ken Wells attributing it to the Flynn Fire.

At one point Lakeport Fire personnel were dispatched to a smoke check in the area of Crystal Lake Way, with firefighters concluding that the Flynn Fire was the source.

Cal Fire said the incident also was having a significant smoke impact on the Ukiah Valley area.

In addition to Cal Fire, cooperating agencies included the fire departments of Comptche, Anderson Valley, Mendocino and Albion, Mendocino County Sheriff”s Office and California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation, with Ukiah Ambulance on standby.
 
Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

LAKE COUNTY, Calif. – A group of cats and kittens offered last week for adoption at Lake County Animal Care and Control remains up for adoption this week.

The group includes cat tabbies, a tortie and a Siamese mix.

Cats that are adopted from Lake County Animal Care and Control are either neutered or spayed and microchipped before being released to their new owner. License fees do not apply to residents of the cities of Lakeport or Clearlake.

If you're looking for a new companion, visit the shelter. There are many great pets there, hoping you'll choose them.

The following cats at the Lake County Animal Care and Control shelter have been cleared for adoption (other cats pictured on the animal control Web site that are not listed here are still “on hold”).

Gray male tabby

This gray male tabby is 2 years old.

He has a medium-length coat, weighs nearly 9 pounds and is not yet neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 11a, ID No. 34357.

Domestic medium hair mix

This female domestic medium hair mix is 2 years old.

She has a black coat, weighs 6 pounds and is not yet spayed.

She’s in cat room kennel No. 11b, ID, No. 34358.

Orange male tabby

This male orange tabby is 5 months old.

He weighs 4 pounds, has a short coat and has been neutered.

He’s in cat room kennel No. 15a, ID No. 34145.

Male orange tabby

This male orange tabby is 5 months old.

He is not yet altered, weighs 3.5 pounds and has a short coat.

He’s in cat room kennel 15b, ID No. 34146.

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is of undetermined age.

She has a short coat and is not yet spayed.

Find her in cat room kennel No. 15c, ID No. 34147.

Siamese tortie

This female Siamese tortie is 4 years old.

She has blue eyes and a short coat, weighs nearly 9 pounds and has been spayed.

She is in cat room kennel No. 31, ID No. 34313.

Domestic short hair mix

This female domestic short hair mix is of undetermined age.

She has blues eyes and a short white coat, and is not yet spayed.

Find her in cat room kennel No. 46, ID No. 34385.

Female gray tabby

This female gray tabby is 4 months old.

She has a short coat and is not yet spayed.

She’s in cat room kennel No. 49a, ID No. 34381.

Domestic short hair mix

This male domestic short hair mix is 4 months old.

He has a white coat and is not yet neutered.

Find him in cat room kennel No. 49b, ID No. 34382.

Adoptable cats also can be seen at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Cats_and_Kittens.htm or at www.petfinder.com .

Please note: Cats listed at the shelter's Web page that are said to be “on hold” are not yet cleared for adoption.

To fill out an adoption application online visit http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control/Adopt/Dog___Cat_Adoption_Application.htm .

Lake County Animal Care and Control is located at 4949 Helbush in Lakeport, next to the Hill Road Correctional Facility.

Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., Saturday. The shelter is open from 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Visit the shelter online at http://www.co.lake.ca.us/Government/Directory/Animal_Care_And_Control.htm .

For more information call Lake County Animal Care and Control at 707-263-0278.

Email Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .

In 1999 I met a man named John Graham, a member of the Lake County Land Trust and treasurer of the Clearlake Bassmasters.

My neighbor also was a member of the Clearlake Bassmasters. I wasn't having much luck catching bass but these two friends convinced me I could learn more by merely coming to the meetings held the first Tuesday of each month.

During that first meeting I learned that the Clearlake Bassmasters were much more than just a fishing organization. As I sat listening they were discussing how to improve the community and fund scholarships for young adults planning to attend college.

During the few meetings that I attended I overheard many conversations about improving lake quality, giving back to the community and creating better access to the lake.

Each year five scholarships are given for $500 each by this fishing club. This year there were 42 applicants. Also, each year $500 is donated to Toys for Tots sponsored by Umpqua Bank.

Many years ago the Bassmasters along with fish and game and other organizations were responsible for stocking the lake with Florida strain bass, as well as crappie in more recent years.

Biologist Greg Giusti is a member of the Clearlake Bassmasters and has helped to focus the club on the prevention of quagga and zebra mussels from entering our precious lake.

They work hard to educate everyone they can about this danger and often have guest speakers to speak out about biology of the lake or new techniques in fishing. They welcome guest speakers.

Local tackle shops have been the mainstay as sponsors for the Clearlake Bassmasters. Bob Higgins of Limit Out has been donating tackle packs, rods and reels longer than anyone. He has attended many of the meetings and helped make the organization what it is today.

Ron Snead, former owner of Maverick Bait and Tackle had long donated many door prizes. More recently companies like Tackle It and Clearlake Outdoors have stepped up and donated more of their fair share to benefits the the club sponsors and to the annual Christmas party. Konocti Vista Resort and Casino has been a major sponsor of the organization as well.

An unsung hero of the organization is Phil Copas, who has served as vice president, treasurer and tournament director year after year and usually takes top position of non-boater each year.

Non-boater is a term used to define a member who does not own a boat but loves to fish and is a member of the organization. Another term is “back seater,” as they fish out of the back of a boater's boat.

I really never expected a group of fishermen to be so community minded. It's almost like fishing was on an equal basis with improving fishing and surrounding community.

I found every October they held a bass derby to raise money for their scholarships program. During the summer they teamed up with Big Brother Big Sister organizations to take children fishing for 27 years.

These were spearheaded by John Graham, a former county planner in the counties of Sonoma and Lake. The members wrote letters to national tackle companies and local tackle companies to support their endeavors and the children fishing with them always left with some great new tackle.

Since the acquisition of the release boat the derby has been halted as the release boat brings in more money for scholarships than did the tournament.

This organization was formed in the late 1970s with John Graham and Gary Musset being a couple of the many founding members. Now don't get me wrong, because mostly this organization is about fishing. The first Tuesday of every month is the meeting followed that next Saturday by a club tournament.

As I sat in Renée’s diner recently speaking with Terry Pyers about the history of the bass club he mentioned in recent years the club had become more family-oriented, with fathers bringing sons and daughters and husbands bringing wives.

After meeting with Terry I stopped to see a former member and tournament fisherman named Steve Kelly who was instrumental in rejuvenating the release boat, which I'll talk about later.

While at Steve's I met a man whom I'd met earlier at a Clearlake Bassmaster Christmas party. His name was Lyle Valabor, who travels all the way from Ukiah to fish with this group.

He volunteered, “Do you know why I like the Clearlake Bassmasters? It's because it gives me quality time with my wife Cathy. We love spending the day together fishing and it really brought us closer together. She loves the meetings. She loves the people, and she loves fishing with me.” It was a perfect exclamation point to what Terry had said minutes earlier.

The club used to fish Lake Shasta, Lake Sonoma, Lake Berryessa, Lake Mendocino and Clear Lake. When gas prices took a hike a few years ago they had to settle on cutting back to just Clear Lake. Once again the club has expanded its lakes and this year will fish Lake Mendocino and Lake Sonoma.

Each year the Bassmasters have two picnics started with what bass fisherman call a shootout. To bass fisherman a shootout usually means bringing in their biggest fish to weigh instead of five fish that most tournaments allow. Also, shootouts are sometimes a less competitive and more friendly environment.

What I consider to be the most important move made by the Bassmasters was the acceptance of an old beat up release boat from the American Bass Association in 2004. The release boat was a very inadequate shape when they took it in, but the club saw the potential and raised $4,000 to completely strip the boat down to the pontoons and rebuild it.

It was a 32 foot pontoon boat and after it was completed it held four, 125-gallon oxygen injected tanks on his deck. I asked Pyers if he had ever seen any miracles happen aboard the boat, meaning had any fish they thought were dead brought back to life.

“Many times – every time we go out,” he said. “One of the keys to the fishes survival is learning how to 'fizz' them. Fizzing fish is the process of inserting a needle into the fish that has been brought up quickly from deep water. Their air bladder expands quickly leaving them floating on the surface. The correct insertion and withdrawal of the needle at the proper place and length of time will give the fish the proper buoyancy to once again swim to any depth it desires.” The volunteers on the release both are experts at this.

Now for the good part about the release boat. For $250 you get a crew of experts to bring the release boat to the lake, launch it and care for your tournaments fish. Imagine what the price would be if these good people didn't volunteer. The success rate of keeping fish alive has been phenomenal.

By now, if you're an interested bass fisherman you might be asking, “How do I become a member.”

First you must attend a meeting. Meetings are held the first Tuesday of every month at Kelseyville pizza in Kelseyville at 5285 State St. at 7 p.m.

Iif you own a boat your boat must be at least 14 feet in length, have a 40 horsepower engine or more, a working live well, a kill switch attached to a PFD (personal flotation device) and you must wear your PFD at all times while underway. You must also have  liability insurance on your boat. If you do not have a boat he may still join the club as a non-boater.

If you want to join you may contact Scott Strugnell at 707-688-2979 or visit www.clearlakebassmasters.com .

Many a prominent tournament fisherman has used this organization as a stepping stone to bigger and better tournament, many even winning brand new bass boats.

Greg Cornish lives in Nice, Calif., and can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .