The Black Forest, one of the interesting features of the area. Courtesy photo.

CLEAR LAKE STATE PARK – Geologic changes are taking place in Lake County every day, but nothing as dramatic as 200 million years ago when Pangaea broke apart to form our continents.

To check out some of these dramatic happenings, join docent D. A. Butts in the Clear Lake State Park Visitor Center Auditorium at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30, for a bit of history of our land.

Butts will share some intriguing facts about our matchless world right down to our small plot of ground. His enthusiasm about his subject will certainly add to your appreciation of the unique landscape of Lake County.

There is no entrance fee for visitor center programs.

Learn about the natural history of Lake County by touring the museum and inspect unique items in the gift shop.

The last summer Junior Ranger program for children 7 to 12 will be 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday at the Visitor Center. For information please call 279-2267.

Clear State Park Interpretive Association (CLSPIA), sponsor of all summer visitor center programs, will keep the visitor center open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Saturday and Sunday, through September and through Saturday, Oct. 4.

The pinnacle of the season will be on Oct. 4 with A Wild Affair in Your Park. This will be a wine tasting event with hors d’oeuvres, speakers and music from 3:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $35. This is a CLSPIA fundraiser to complete the funding for the Education Pavilion to be built across from the visitor center. We all fought to keep our Clear Lake State Park open for the public use and now we ask your support in completing the final phase of the Education Pavilion. Please reserve now by phoning 279-4395.

Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.

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While we’ve had some pretty warm days this week (90s), the nights are cool with cloud cover. Overnight Wednesday night we saw the onset of a pretty stiff wind – you know the kind that blows your bedroom door shut with a SLAM just after you’ve finally fallen asleep. That kind of gusty wind.

The weather guess for the weekend has it warm and a bit more calm. The bass bite is unchanged from the last couple of weeks. Most would call it tough. The catfish are still biting readily. And, we’re seeing the occasional crappie or bluegill. Here’s what we know …

Like I mentioned above, the bass bite is generally regarded as tough right now. Explosive weed growth coupled with an abundant baitfish population seem to have had a synergistic effect on the bass’ lack of willingness to take artificial lures. Some savvy folks are on the water well before daybreak and are catching bass until the sun comes up over the horizon. Generally, the bite drops off sharply around the 8 am. to 8:30 a.m. mark. Moving deep, downsizing your offering, and moving slooooowly can help your cause.

There is good news, however, on the minnow front. We received a load of Extra-Large Minnows for the first time in weeks. For most of this season we’ve only been able to get the smallish “large” minnows. The XL’s should help us get bit down deeper for improved mid-day action.

The crappie and bluegill are still widely scattered. Daytime action has been virtually nonexistent. However, we’ve heard tell of a decent night bite along one popular area near Clearlake Park. (Four Poles, perhaps.) The party that fished this area was keeping their cards pretty close to their chest so there isn’t a whole lot of detail to share. One could surmise that the crappie bite is following the bass bite and is at its best late at night or very early in the morning. Live medium minnows would be your best bet for finding hungry slabs. If you get into a tear of ‘em, please let us get some pictures!

And for catfish – definitely a better bite during the nighttime hours. And definitely a better bite from boat that from shore. I mentioned last week that most of the good shoreline areas are choked with weeds – that hasn’t changed. I have heard that the Jago Bay area (a couple of spots over there, actually), the pipeline/Leubow Point area, Indian Island, Windflower Point and Rattlesnake Island have all been productive. Best baits include the ever popular mackerel, the shrimp and marshmallow combination, or good ol’ fashion night crawlers.

With catfish on our mind, this is a great time to mention Saturday’s CatFest being held here at Lakeshore Bait and Tackle. The barbecue starts at 4 p.m., we’ll play games and whatnot until about 6 p.m., clean up and head for the launch ramp. You’ll donate $10 to eat, play, and fish with a portion of the funds going into a “Big Fish” pool.

The angler with the biggest fish when we return at 11 p.m. wins the pot. We’ve got brand new CatFest shirts that’ll be on sale for $10/each, too. Bring your buddy, bring your boat, and come out to enjoy some good clean fun. Drop by and reserve your spot now so we have a good head count for the food.

And last, but certainly not least, we’ve got a steady stream of new Shimano rods and reels coming in – everything from the new entry level Convergence rods to the new mid-priced Clarus, and a great selection of high-end Crucial and Cumara rods. Reels from the entry level AX series, to the mid-priced Sedona and Sahara models, to the stunning Saros and Stradics.

We have a HUGE supply coming of the completely redesigned Curado reels. These reels are going to knock your socks off. If you’ve been a Curado fan in the past, but didn’t fall in love with what they did on their last release, they’ve listened and revamped again into a smaller, lighter, faster reel that’ll actually cost less and should best most anything on the market in the same price point. I’ve seen ‘em, they’re great! And, the new Curados should be arriving very soon. (As in just before our fall bite kicks into high gear and all the tournament trails go into their TOC’s.) I hope you’ll come by and see our expanded selection.

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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Enjoy the scenic views and learn a little about what a Demonstration State Forest is and what predominate trees and shrubs thrive on this mountain.

Wear sturdy hiking shoes and bring water and a snack. Allow two to three hours, depending on the hike. Meet at the covered kiosk in the main parking area of Boggs Forest. Hikes begin at 9 a.m.

The following hikes will be offered over the next three months.

– Saturday, Aug. 23: A moderate four-mile hike on various trails in Boggs Mountain State Forest.

– Sunday, Sept. 7: An easy-to-moderate, 1.3-mile hike on the forest's interpretive trail followed by a three-mile hike on other trails for those interested in continuing.

– Saturday, Sept. 20: A moderate five-mile hike on various forest trails.

– Saturday, Oct. 4: An easy-to-moderate, three-mile hike on various trails in the forest.

– Sunday, Oct. 19: A moderate four-mile hike on various trails in the forest.

For more information contact hike leader Boone Lodge, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 707-928-5819.

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The forest now has a new Motor Vehicle Use Map available, highlighting the roads and trails designated for vehicle use when visiting the National Forest.

Motor Vehicle Use Maps are free and available at the Grindstone, Upper Lake or Covelo Ranger District offices or the Mendocino National Forest Supervisor’s Office. Maps are also available online at www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino/maps/mvum.

The maps are presented in three parts – North-North Central, South Central and South. The maps only reflect the roads where vehicle use is permitted and reflects what type of vehicle is allowed and the season of use.

Since reference points aren’t shown on these maps, it is recommended that they be used along with a general Mendocino National Forest visitor map, which can be purchased for $10 at the Grindstone, Upper Lake or Covelo Ranger District Offices or the Supervisor’s Office.

For more than 30 years the Mendocino National Forest has had a system of designated vehicle routes. In 2005, the Forest Service published the national Travel Management Rule, which required each national forest to designate roads, trails and areas open to motor vehicle use.

Since then, the Mendocino National Forest has reviewed the designated routes on the Forest, gathered public input, analyzed environmental impacts, and now published the map of available routes.

If there is a route that you would like to see added to the system, please bring it to the attention of the district ranger. The designated routes and related comments will be reviewed annually and considered for further analysis and possible addition to the system.

“The Mendocino National Forest is one of the premier forests for motorized vehicle recreation in northern California,” said Forest Supervisor Tom Contreras. “We are happy to be sharing this first map and look forward to adapting it over the next several years with the help of the public.”

The map contains a brief overview and definitions, as well as operator responsibilities. If a motor vehicle is operated on National Forest System lands off the designated route system on the map, the operator is subject to fines of up to $5,000 or imprisonment for up to six months or both.

While the Forest Service strives to maintain a visible presence throughout the forest, available personnel is limited. Forest visitors are encouraged to help share the information regarding the new designated routes and to report illegal activity.

For more information on the Mendocino National Forest Motor Vehicle Use Map, please visit www.fs.fed.us/r5/mendocino or call (530) 934-3316.

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