I’m stunned by the drama and spin the Bay Area media has put on this algae bloom and subsequent decay.

One news channel made the following statements: “toxic algae bloom,” “killing everything in the water,” “officials say not to go into the water,” “has never been this bad,” “Clear Lake’s year of the scum.” They followed such ridiculous statements with closeup video of areas that were most severely impacted by the swamp-like conditions.

Never mind that the lake is California’s largest natural lake. Never mind that there’s some 42,000 surface acres of water here. Never mind that their statements are inflammatory and inaccurate. Never mind that the algae has been here for many years – perhaps thousands. (Oh, did I mention that Clear Lake is considered one of the oldest lakes in our hemisphere?)

Never mind that many of our lake’s fine on the water resorts and restaurants are unaffected by the bloom. (But negatively affected by Bay Area TV News.)

Here are some direct facts.

The most affected areas are Clearlake Oaks, the Keys, an area along the city of Clearlake’s shoreline, and portions of Cache Creek. They’re swampy. Don’t swim where it’s swampy. (Duh!) I believe that Lake County Public Health is recommending folks “avoid contact with the algae”. (Duh, again!) That’s a far cry from “officials say not to go into the water” as reported on the news. Check your facts and don’t exaggerate! (Sorry, I’m pretty fired up.)

Launching a boat? Check the ramps in affected areas. If they’re thick with algae, don’t run your main motor until you’re clear of it. (You don’t want to clog up the flow of cooling water.)

Conditions are improving DAILY right now as a fall-like weather pattern brings cooler temperatures and some wind. If you simply want to avoid the algae, use one of the numerous ramps located on other parts of the lake.

This is simple, folks. There are many (perhaps 40,000 or so, just guessing) acres of water to enjoy on Clear Lake.

The bass fishing is decent. Not great, but not too bad either. The catfish bite has been fantastic all summer long. There are a ton of baitfish in the lake – silver sides, baby bass, crappie, and bluegill.

ALL of this information is a stark contrast to “killing everything in the water” as reported on, you guessed it, TV news. Check your facts and don’t exaggerate!

It is really easy to get wrapped up in what’s wrong with something. But let’s not get carried away – Clear Lake is an amazing NATURAL resource with a life of its own. You can’t compare it to Tahoe, you can’t compare it to Berryessa, Sonoma or Mendocino. They’re all NOT Clear Lake. Heck, we’ve got our own volcano! (Oh goodness … Don’t tell the TV news we have a volcano! Can you imagine the hysteria?)

OK, I’m off the soap box – for now. How about a fishing report …

The bass, as I mentioned above, are doing just fine. Deep water finesse fishing has been the name of the game. Some folks, however are doing well in the early morning hours in a scant 2 feet of water. Once the sun’s overhead, you either need to fish aquatic weed beds or deep water. Drop offs and ledges have also been productive. Live bait – minnows and crawdads – have accounted for the best catches. Finesse baits like 6-inch Maverick or Roboworms have been useful. Jigs and creature baits too.

For the cats, stick with what works. Mackerel and crawdads are simply tops. Lots of other stuff works too. Soak your bait in the areas that are relatively free of the algae. Deep water, mid-depth water and shallow waters have all accounted for action this week.

Come to Clear Lake. Fish. Dine. Stay and visit a while. Drop by our store and say “Howdy” while you’re here. I really enjoy meeting our readers.

Bob Rider is owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, located at 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, telephone 707.994.FISH (3474). Visit the store online at www.994Fish.com .

The algae is breaking up and moving along thanks to the cooler weather, some wind and some additional water moving through the dam on Cache Creek. The catfish bite is still red hot and the bass bite continues to do well in some parts of the lake.

Bass anglers are still working deeper water with finesse gear for best results. Live minnows and crawdads have been doing well for our live bait anglers fishing that deep water also. Most folks fishing shallow water or top water areas are finding limited success.

However, I’ve had a few reports of some guys doing well with frogs first thing in the morning. Once the sun is overhead, that bite is done and they’re moving to deep water again.

Our crappie bite is on summer hiatus. One of my regulars has been watching them on his Aqua Vu and has identified a few areas with structure that are holding crappie and bluegill. Mind you, he’s not fishing them but rather locating them for fall fishing endeavors.

The catfish madness continues. Lots of folks catching lots of fish. Mackerel & crawdads are tops. All of the other baits are in the picture as well. Best depth seems to be 8 to 14 feet near shoreline. Look for areas with some weeds but no algae for best action.

Seats remain open for next week’s Introduction to Handguns class. The class is Thursday evening, Aug. 13, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Cost is $45/person. Register in advance here at Lakeshore Bait & Tackle or by calling 707-994-FISH (3474). We’re running great promotion through the month of August. If you buy a firearm this month, we’ll give you TWO for ONE registration in our Introduction to Handguns class (the class is offered monthly).

Bob Rider is owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake, telephone 707-994-FISH (3474) or visit www.994Fish.com .

ASHBURN, VA — Did you ever wonder how your local parks and recreation program compares with those in other cities and states?

As the voice of the U.S. parks and recreation community, the National Recreation & Park Association benchmarked 3,100 agencies around the country.

While the results make for good reading, the NRPA more importantly expects its 2009 “Operating Ratio Report” to guide community leaders and legislators in their efforts to better understand the importance of parks and recreation in the health and well being of all Americans.

Some of the more interesting facts and statistics on U.S. parks and recreation programs derived from the NRPA survey include:

• 20 – the median number of parks or sites maintained by parks and recreation agencies.

• 450 – the median number of acres of land maintained by parks and recreation agencies.

• 10 – the median number of miles of greenways and trails managed by city and county parks and recreation agencies.

• 20 – the percentage of agencies that passed a bond referendum in the last five years. The last three years have seen a decrease in “yes” votes.

• 128 – the median number of volunteers assisting parks and recreation agencies. Volunteerism is crucial to the livelihood of the vast majority of parks and recreation programs.

• 40 – the percentage of parks and recreation agencies assisted by foundations. A smaller percentage report having advocacy groups to support particular parks or entire park systems.

• 50 – the percentage of parks and recreation programs receiving in-kind support.

Almost all parks and recreation agencies offer instructional classes and festivals/community events. The next most popular are team sports, seniors, and summer camp programs.

When evaluated by jurisdiction type, environmental education is more common for counties while fitness classes are more popular for municipal and special district agencies.

Playgrounds, picnic areas with shelters, and diamond/rectangular fields are the most popular recreation facilities. Less than 2 percent of agencies charge a fee to use playgrounds, while more than half of the agencies charge a user fee for the other areas.

Reports in this study and the accompanying dynamic online database offer baseline data on community demographics, land area, budget, personnel, programs and facilities. They provide broad “yardsticks” against which an agency's operations can be measured.

A free executive summary of the “Operating Ratio Report” is available by visiting www.nrpa.org .

For more information or to purchase subscriptions to the full report, contact Meredith Bridgers at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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The National Recreation and Park Association is a national not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing park, recreation and conservation efforts that enhance quality of life for all people. Through its network of 20,000 professionals and citizens, NRPA encourages the promotion of healthy lifestyles, recreation initiatives, and conservation of natural and cultural resources.

Headquartered in Ashburn, VA, NRPA works closely with local, state, and national recreation and park agencies, citizen groups, and corporations to carry out its objectives. Priorities include advocating favorable legislation and public policy; increasing public awareness of the importance of parks and recreation; providing continuing education, professional certification and university accreditation; and conducting research and technical assistance. For more information, visit www.nrpa.org.

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National Recreation And Park Association, 22377 Belmont Ridge Road, Ashburn, VA 20148 United States