Brief relief from high temps came early in the week, but a warming cycle has us creeping back into the 100's again as we move towards the weekend. A pair of distant wildfires is burning placing a veil of heavy smoke over our lake and surrounding areas. Local media reports that smoke could affect air quality to unhealthy levels for some. With any luck, the winds will shift and blow the smoke out before the weekend. As for the fishing?Ķ Most (but not all) would say it has been tough.

Experienced bass anglers report reasonably good success on jerk baits, some crank baits, and spinner baits. It seems, according to most reports, that the bass want a fast moving bait. The fish are coming from depths of 15 ??? 20 feet to whack that fast moving bait running in the 4 to 8 foot range. A couple of bass guys have reported having their premium bass lures mauled by aggressive catfish in the process. Shore anglers are having a tough time finding water deep enough to be productive. Minnow fishermen are the exception to the rule as they are experiencing a surprisingly good bite on extra large minnows while fishing the drop offs and ledges near deep water.

The crappie bite is about as off as it gets. I've had one accidental angler (he was fishing for bass) tie into a couple of nice crappie over near the Rock Garden in Jago Bay. But most folks are not able to put together any sort of comprehensive crappie bite information. Bring on the cooler weather!

The catfish are out hunting for food like the bass are. Live minnows have accounted for some strong success. Others are fishing more traditional baits (clams, shrimp, mackerel, & livers) in deeper water areas with varied success. Five year old Jacob Johnson and his dad Carl of Sacramento nailed a 17.5 pound cat a Konocti Harbor Resort on a live minnow. Way to go guys! Our next CatFest event is being planned for Saturday September 22nd. Stay tuned for more details in future weeks.

Lastly, our Gun of the Week is a neat Marlin 336W 30/30 rifle with sling. Here's what Marlin has to say about this rifle: Created for the no-nonsense deer hunter, the Model 336W lever action has a 6-shot capacity, in 30/30 Win. The 20" Micro-Groove?? barrel features an adjustable semi-buckhorn folding rear, and a ramp front sight with brass bead and Wide-Scan hood. The receiver is tapped for a scope mount. It features a gold-plated steel trigger and a blued steel barrel band. The walnut finished hardwood stock has cut checkering and comes with swivels and a padded nylon sling. I'm offering this gun at just $399. I have only one in stock at this price! Our Gun of the Week promotion runs from Thursday to Thursday each week and features something different each time. ??