Amid Valley heat, fishing looks good but air quality looks bad

With triple-digit temperatures lasting through the weekend, Merced County residents have many bodies of water to turn to for relief – and possibly for dinner, too.

Fishing reports from across the area indicate fishermen have a good chance of catching catfish this time of summer at reservoirs with muddy, sloping banks and after the sun goes down.

Catching remains relatively slow at Lake McSwain, which hasn’t seen a trout plant since May. And though water continues to be released from Lake McClure, fishermen reported catching 7-pound spotted bass recently. The McClure Point and Barrett Cove South boat launch ramps are open, but the Barrett Cove North ramp is under construction.

There’s a chance the trout will bite at New Melones Reservoir or Don Pedro Reservoir. But, if you plan to fish for trout at New Melones, trollers will have better luck. Don Pedro also provides fair chances for king salmon, which are holding at the deepest parts of the lake.

Two Atwater boys didn’t need to go to a lake to get the fish to nibble this week. Marioni Belmonte, 11, and Ignasio Rodriguez, 12, tried their luck on an irrigation canal along East Bellevue Road in Atwater on Thursday. The boys said it’s a spot where they’ve caught fish before.

The National Weather Service predicts Saturday’s high will be 103 with a calm 5 mph wind in the afternoon. The temperature will dip to less than 70 after sundown, with a low of 67 predicted.

Sunday won’t be much cooler than Saturday, with a high of 101.

The beginning of next week will cool slightly, with Monday and Tuesday’s highs at 99 degrees.

The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued an alert Friday due to smoke in Valley counties from the Soberanes Fire burning north of Big Sur on the Central Coast. The alert will last until Monday, when forecasters will check conditions.

The Valley is experiencing a “double whammy” from high ozone levels and particulate matter in the air, said Cassandra Melching, an outreach and community representative for the air district.

Exposure to the particulate pollution can aggravate lung disease, cause asthma attacks and acute bronchitis, and increase the risk of respiratory infections, the air district said.

The district advises residents to use caution. Specifically, people with heart or lung disease should consult with doctors on how to deal with unhealthy air. Older adults and children should avoid being outside and participating in strenuous activities for too long.

For more information and real-time updates on air quality, visit the air district’s advisory network at www.valleyair.org/raan or download the iPhone app for free by searching for “Valley Air.”

This story was originally published July 29, 2016 at 3:31 PM with the headline "Amid Valley heat, fishing looks good but air quality looks bad."