The older one gets the less you are surprised. But I have to admit that I am amazed that not a single youngster has entered our contest for the free guided fishing trip on Clear Lake. For those who don”t know, the Record-Bee, in cooperation with local fishing guide Ross England, Lakeport Safeway and Tackle It in Lakeport, is sponsoring a free guided fishing trip for two people.
The contest is open to youngsters from grades three through eight and all he/she has do is write a short letter of 300 words or fewer on why they want to take their father, mother, grandparent or guardian on a fishing trip for Father”s Day. The actual trip doesn”t have to take place on Father”s Day. It can be scheduled anytime during the summer.
In addition to the free fishing trip, one that”s valued at $400, the winners will receive lunch and drinks furnished by Lakeport Safeway and a quality fishing rod and reel and a tackle box full of fishing tackle donated by Tackle It tackle shop. The entire package is worth more than $500. In fact, Ed Clarke of Tackle It has even gone so far as to say that he will donate a rod and reel combination to each of the two runners-up in the contest.
Record-Bee sports editor Brian Sumpter says not a single entry has been received to date and there hasn”t even been a phone call about the contest. Times have obviously changed. Back in 1990 the Record-Bee ran a similar contest and received more than 200 entries.
Recently I spoke with three youngsters who were fishing from the docks at Library Park in Lakeport. I asked them if they were going to enter the contest. All three said they had heard about it but weren”t going to enter. One said that if he needed a new fishing rod, his father would by it. Another said he couldn”t spell very well, so he didn”t want to enter. The other just said he was more interested in playing video games than going fishing.
There is still time to enter the contest. To enter, all the youngster has to do is write a letter of 300 words or less on why he/she wants to take their father, mother, grandparent or guardian fishing.
Send the letter to the Record-Bee Sports Editor, P.O. Box 849, Lakeport, CA 95453. E-mails can be sent to RBSports@aol.com. The letter can be handwritten, typed or sent by e-mail. For more information on the contest, call the Record-Bee sports editor at 263-5636, ext. 35.
The contest is open to all youngsters who are in grades three through eight. Include your name, age, address, telephone number, grade in school, school you attend, and the person you want to take fishing. Only one entry per youngster and the entries must reach the Record-Bee no later than June 4.
On the fishing scene, the bass action has slowed a bit at Clear Lake although it”s still rated as good. One problem has been the windy conditions, especially in the afternoon. The other problem is that the spawning carp have really dirtied up the water. This is especially true in north end of the lake from the state park to Lakeport.
Topwater action has been good for fishermen casting either Skitter Pops or plastic frogs. The trick is to cast back in the pockets in the tules.
For those using plastics, the hot lure is a Senko rigged without a weight. Just cast the lure back in the heavy cover or beneath the docks and allow it to sink slowly. The best color has been either root beer or watermelon.
For those who want to fish from shore, the docks at Library Park in Lakeport are producing a fair number of fish. Most of the successful fishermen are drop-shotting a plastic worm.
None of the local lakes are scheduled to be stocked with trout this week. At Upper Blue Lake, a few holdover trout are being caught by trollers. And a few trout are being caught in the East Branch of the Russian River.
Lake Pillsbury will be wall to wall with fishermen and campers for the Memorial Day weekend. Bass fishing at the lake has been very good with bass to 7 pounds being caught. Trout action has been slow.
Ocean salmon action off Fort Bragg has finally kicked into high gear with most of the party boats limiting out. The best action has been about four miles out from the Noyo Harbor.
