The shrill cry of a golden eagle announces the first light of day.

A retort from a bald eagle, declaring his fishing territory, is carried down the shoreline by a light pre-dawn breeze. All the creatures of the forest awaken in these moments, as the sky brightens in the east and the last stars of nighttime fade into the west.

Down at the lakeshore, a gentle splashing is heard. The mirror-calm water near the bank is being disturbed as a frog, or an injured minnow, or some other small creature edges away from shore out into dangerously deep waters. Each enticing movement sends out a ring of ripples across the surface.

A twitch, another twitch, and then ... WHAM!!! The predator bass lurking below has found his breakfast.

Unfortunately for this largemouth bass, however, this supposed breakfast is not really the small creature he thought it to be. It is actually a plastic fishing lure called a “popper,” and the bass is now fighting a losing battle against a nearly-invisible line pulling him towards a previously unseen boat.

The bass is then hoisted by his lower lip out of the water, and the painful breakfast-imposter is yanked from the edge of his mouth. A flash from a camera briefly lights up both fisherman and fish. The bass is then gently eased back into the water, having lost his appetite for now.

Summer bass fishing can capture all of this, and much more. Camping near the shore of a lake can give you instant access to the prime early morning fishing time.

Last weekend, my family and I adventured on our annual camping trip to Lake Pillsbury. Tucked away in the Mendocino National Forest in the far northwestern corner of Lake County, Lake Pillsbury offers excellent camping opportunities and provides some great fishing, water skiing and other activities.

Camping

The north end lake offers some nice campsites right along the lakeshore, maintained by the US Forest Service.

Camping is also available at the Lake Pillsbury Resort (call 743-1581 for info).

However, our annual destination is one of the several boat-in campsites along the Eel River arm.

These are first come-first served, and the only improvements provided are open-air pit toilets.

This is real outdoor camping!

At night, the only lights to be seen are from the campfire and the occasional flashlight or propane lantern.

The view of the stars is stunningly clear — a sight that can’t be found anywhere near the lights of a city. We were fortunate enough to catch the beginnings of the Perseid meteor showers, which are in prime view through mid-August.

Bass Fishing

Largemouth bass were first introduced into the lake in 1986. The hope was that the bass would help control the populations of invasive Sacramento pikeminnow (see below). The bass have thrived in the thick and varied weedbeds and among the forest service-installed brush piles.

Hooking a bass of 5 pounds or greater is common here. Landing one that size through the thick weeds, however, is another story! Fishing with my father-in-law, Reed McDonald, we caught bass up to 7.5 pounds on this year’s trip. We released all but one, which became part of that evening’s camping feast.

Sacramento Pikeminnow

Known in less politically-correct times as “squawfish,” the Sacramento pikeminnow is a voracious, opportunistic predator and may take prey anywhere at anytime. The long, slender, forked-tail fish can grow to over 30 inches, and are common between 17 and 24 inches long.

The story goes that these non-gamefish were introduced to the lake in the late 1970s by trout fishermen using them for bait.

At the end of the day, they dumped the unused minnows into the water, and they quickly grew and took hold from there.

Today they can be found throughout the lake, ravaging gamefish fry and competing with adult bass and trout for food.

The bass also feed on the pikeminnow fry, but not enough to cause a significant reduction in their numbers.

Besides taking a toll on the lake’s bass and trout, the pikeminnow is a serious predator on steelhead and salmon in the Eel River, downstream of the lake.

The fish easily pass over the spillway in the wintertime and are now found throughout the river as well.

Fishermen are encouraged to keep all pikeminnows caught from Lake Pillsbury or the Eel River. An annual “squawfish tournament” was held while we were there this year, during which over 400 pounds of the fish were removed from the lake.

It’s a small dent in the population, but represents the general desire to get rid of the non-native intruder.

Other Activities

During summer, the lake’s surface temperature ranges from 75 to 80 degrees — perfect for swimming. The calm mornings also make it ideal for waterskiing or wakeboarding. Tubing and sailing are popular in the afternoons, when the wind generally picks up.

Nearby Hull Mountain has a launch site for hang gliding, providing spectacular views of the lake and surrounding mountains.

For information on the lake or surrounding areas, call the Soda Creek Store at 743-2148.

Guy Carl is a CPA and partner with BDCo Accountants and Advisors in St. Helena (www.bdco

cpa.com). Contact Guy at GC.outdoors@sbcglobal.net.