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Recreation
- Details
- Written by: Sue Adams
PETALUMA – Gusty winds may have ruffled a few feathers last weekend at the Westside Aquaduck swim meet in Petaluma, but Lake County Channel Cats stayed smooth and speedy in the water.
Coached by Agustin Merodio, a core team of six Channel Cats raced the clock alongside more than 300 swimmers representing 18 North Bay Area swim clubs in this rewarding long-course competition.
Allison Hanson, 13, took the lead to win first place in 50M freestyle, 200M backstroke, and 200M butterfly. She earned second place wins in the 100M freestyle, 100M butterfly and a pair of third place ribbons for her efforts in the 100M backstroke and 200M freestyle.
Despite aging up to faster time standards, Hanson wasted no time in achieving her first A-time medal for 50M freestyle in the girls 13-14 year old division.
Nikki Hanson, 9, also faced the added challenge of aging up a division, yet swam a neat 50M course of butterfly placing as high as ninth.
Sarah Merodio, 12, picked up her fourth A-time medal in the 100M freestyle. In addition, she earned a rainbow of ribbons representing second place wins in 50M butterfly, 200M breaststroke, 100M freestyle, as well as third- and fifth-place wins for 50M backstroke and the 200 IM.
Lauren Rudnick, 9, kept the competitive spirit and a smile on her face, tackling eight events and taking home five third place wins in the 100M freestyle, 200M freestyle, 50M backstroke, 50M breaststroke, 100M backstroke and the 200M IM.
Matteo Merodio 15, improved upon A-times in the 50M and 100M freestyle, just narrowly missing Junior Olympic designation by the slimmest of .06 seconds in a fast and furious 50M dash to the finish.
Charlie Adams, 8, was awarded a distinctive A-time medal for his quick pace in the 50M backstroke event. He took home four first place ribbons for 50M freestyle, 100M freestyle, 50M backstroke and 50M breaststroke in the boys 8 and under division. He placed third and sixth, respectively, among boys 10 and under for 100M backstroke and 100M breaststroke.
The Channel Cats would also like to welcome everyone to their new Web site at www.lakecountychannelcats.com .
The Lake County Channel Cats swim four evenings a week at the Westshore Pool in Lakeport. For more information regarding the Channel Cats team, swim lessons, or events, contact Jennifer Hanson at 707-263-3131.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
Still, those fishing for catfish have been having a great time. Bass and crappie reports are down this week (less fishermen = less reports). The weather guessers have us in the low 100s through the weekend and cooling into next week. So … Your one “hot tip” for the weekend is: SUNSCREEN!
Bass anglers are finding their best results in water 18 to 25 feet deep. The deeper primary points like Wheeler, Frazier, Henderson and Monitor all come immediately to mind for starting locations.
Start with good deep water in areas that are clear to fish without confronting the algae problems that the smaller and shallower coves are experiencing. For tackle, use Senkos or Brush Hogs. Drop shotting a finesse worm or live bait will also do the trick.
Fishing the weedy north end of the lake is a good bet for night anglers or those folks fishing the very early morning light. Be prepared to contend with the heavy aquatic weed growth – the fish love it and use it as cover. Use a push pole or drift to navigate the shallow water quietly and not deal with entangling the prop on your trolling motor.
The crappie bite slowed abruptly when the high temperatures set in early this week. This may be a temporary slowdown strictly related to the temperature change or it could signal the drop off of the crappie season for the summer. Stay tuned … We’ll keep you posted in next week’s report for any changes.
The catfish action continues to be sensational all around the lake. Boaters and shore anglers alike are doing well. Mackerel and crawdads are my top sellers this week. Clams, chicken livers, anchovies and night crawlers are all on the menu too.
In our events and classes news this week, our hunter safety class runs through the weekend. Lakeport Police Department is sponsoring another hunter safety class at the end of July. And, we’re hoping to bring you another class here at the south end of the lake late in August. Also in August, the Clear Lake Coast Guard Auxiliary is offering a boating safety class here in our store on Aug. 15.
For a complete schedule of classes, visit our Web site at www.994Fish.com , call 707-994-FISH (3474), or drop by the store.
Have a fun and safe weekend on Clear Lake. Drink plenty of H2O and don’t forget the sunscreen!
Bob Rider is owner of Lakeshore Bait & Tackle, 14913-D Lakeshore Drive, Clearlake.
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
“Bees – Tales from the Hive,” a NOVA production, provides amazingly up-close footage, filmed with specially developed macro lenses, brings you the most intimate- and most spectacular- portrayal of a working bee colony ever filmed. It’s not frightening – it’s fascinating. See things you never imagined. Hear things only bees hear. Discover newly found facts about the strange and complex life of bees.
Did you know it takes nectar from 10 million flowers to create a single liter of honey? No wonder they’re called worker bees! Tales from the Hive exposes a bee colony’s secret world- detailing such rarely seen events as the life-or-death battle between a pair of rival queens, a bee eater's attack on the hive, a scout bee’s mysterious dance that shares special "nectar directions" with the rest of the hive.
There is no entrance fee to the park for attending scheduled programs, walks or visiting the museum. The visitor center, including the gift shop, will open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday throughout the summer. Guided walks take place on the second and fourth Sunday at 8:30 a.m.
Visit www.clearlakestatepark.org for great photos, activity schedule and park information.
Clear Lake State Park is located at 5300 Soda Bay Road, Kelseyville.
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- Written by: Jennifer Hanson
UKIAH – The Lake County Channel Cats, coached by Agustin Merodio, showed 18 strong at the Ukiah Dolphin’s swim meet held on the July 4 weekend.
The team, composed of dedicated swimmers from ages 5 to 15, was fit and ready to race the clock alongside 200 competitors representing 17 various clubs from the Redwood Empire, Bay Area and North Coast regions.
The Channel Cats, sporting the new catfish logo on suits and caps, were a visible presence in more than 70 events at this three-day event. In fact, the Channel Cats finished third in team points for this highly competitive meet. This is the highest team finish for the Channel Cats in recent years.
Friday’s competition highlighted open events which tested speed and stamina.
Sarah Merodio, 12, and Allison Hanson, 13, tackled the 1650 yard freestyle, swimming 66 laps of the pool, finishing first and fourth, respectively, in their age divisions.
Teammates, Kim English, 10, Lauren Rudnick, 9, and Koren English, 10, competed in the 200 yard freestyle and took home third, fourth and fifth place awards, respectively, for their efforts. In addition, Kim picked up a 1st place win for a speedy 25 yard freestyle dash.
Distinctive A-time medals were awarded to Kelly Strong, 14, in the 100 yard freestyle, Kim English, in the 200 yard freestyle and Allison Hanson, in the 50 yard freestyle. Sarah Merodio earned two new A-time medals for her efforts in the 100 and 200 yd freestyle events.
Achieving new B-times were Sarah Merodio in the 100 yard fly and 1650 yard freestyle and Lauren Rudnick for the 100 IM, 200 IM, and 200 yard freestyle.
Kelly Strong, Allison Hanson and Kim English all earned new B-times in their age divisions for the 500 yd freestyle. Kim English also made B-time in the 50 yard breaststroke and 100 yard backstroke while her sister Koren, swam a B-time in the 200 yard freestyle.
Matteo Merodio, 15, who has been training with the Santa Rosa Neptune Swim team this summer, rejoined the Cats for the weekend competition, bringing his speed and good humor to the team. He placed first in the 400 IM and 2nd in the 200 yard breaststroke and 500 yard freestyle.
Nadine Bradley, 14, raced to second place in the 100 yard breaststroke, while Kelly Strong won first place in the 200 IM and second place in both the 200 and 500 yard freestyle.
Lauren Rudnick, swam a 400 IM then took to the pool two events later to swim the 100 IM for a fourth place finish. Youngest competitor, Charlie Adams 8, snapped up four first place and two second place wins in freestyle and backstroke events while sister Robin Adams, 5, made a determined dash to the finish for second place and a pair of third place wins in the girls 6 and under division.
Demonstrating solid teamwork, the 9-10 year old girls relay team of Kim and Koren English, Lauren Rudnick, and Shannon Fronsmon charged to a 1st place finish. Likewise, the 13-14 year old girls relay team of Allison Hanson, Nadine Bradley, Sarah Merodio and Kelly Strong, won their heat, leaving their competition in a wake of bubbles.
New to the team, Jazmin Uribe, 12, diligently swam four events to log official times. Nikki Hanson, Shannon Fronsmon, Noe Urquiza, Candace Clayton, Mariah Rudnick, Flora Ellington and Megan Perry, all gave strong performances, improved their best times, and added to team points.
The Channel Cats practice four evenings a week at the Westshore Pool in Lakeport.
For more information on the team, swim lessons, or Channel Cat events, contact Jennifer Hanson at 707-263-3131.
