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Sportsman

California

Emphasis on Quality Accent on Innovation

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 6 • Issue 3 PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles

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We are a complete center with repairs, supplies, sales of both home style vacuum sealers and commercial industrial vacuum packers. www.vacupack.com and www.vacupack.ca Phone Toll Free 1-800-227-3769

CONTRIBUTORS Brittany Boddington, Steve Carson, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Tim E. Hovey, Luke Kelly, Jeff Lund, Al Quackenbush, Bill Schaefer, Mike Stevens SALES MANAGER Brian Lull ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Neelam Bowers, Becca Ellingsworth, Mamie Griffin, Steve Joseph, Mike Nelson, Mike Smith, Heidi Witt, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Dawn Carlson, Beth Harrison, Sonjia Kells PRODUCTION MANAGER John Rusnak PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker

INBOUND MARKETING Jon Hines OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn CIRCULATION MANAGER Heidi Belew ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@calsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to ccocoles@media-inc.com.

ON THE COVER The Sea of Cortez, the glorious inland gulf separating the Mexican mainland and Baja California, is full of exotic species, including bull dorado like our writer Tim Hovey holds. (TIM E. HOVEY) TOP INSET Brittany Boddington scored a mule deer in the frigid cold near Bozeman, Mont.

(BRITTANY BODDINGTON) BOTTOM INSET It’s winter steelhead time on Northern California rivers such as the Smith and American. (TIFFANY HAUGEN) MEDIA INC PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com 8 California Sportsman JANAURY 2015

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 3

113

TANTALIZING TROUT JIGS

Chat a few minutes with energetic Orange County angler Craig Adkinson, and he’ll inspire you to greatness. Grab some gear, head for one of the Southern California lakes with a tackle box full of jigs, and then attempt to trick the giant rainbows that swim in productive fisheries such as Irvine Lake (right) and Santa Ana River Lakes. Craig shares his strategies for scoring a winter trophy. (CRAIG ADKINSON)

FEATURES 31

THE CASE FOR CROSSBOWS

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Many California hunters frown upon hunting with a crossbow during archery seasons. “Most of the arguments I hear are that they make it too easy to hunt. How so?” writes Al Quackenbush, our SoCal Bowhunter columnist. Al explains that he’s become a believer in the weapon for specific hunts, like feral pigs. Read his reasoning and decide for yourself.

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If it swims, runs or flies in California, Tim Hovey will likely fish or hunt for it. But hearing stories and reading legendary author Ray Cannon’s prose about the Sea of Cortez in Baja California convinced Hovey to head south to the azure-blue waters off the Baja Peninsula and get in on some epic fishing for species like dorado, yellowtail and marlin. Ride along on a trip to La Paz and quaint Baja fishing villages with Hovey as he channels Cannon.

HUNTING WITH BRITTANY Our Urban Huntress, Los Angeles’ Brittany Boddington, rarely has a dull moment while hunting throughout the West and around the globe. She shares highlights from 2014 that included shivering through frozen feet during a Montana deer hunt, stalking a Cape buffalo in crocodileinfested swamps of Mozambique, plus her memorable visit with actor and fellow outdoor enthusiast R. Lee Ermey, aka “The Gunny.”

A FIESTA IN MEXICO

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SMITH STEELHEADING Recent rainy conditions have fueled excitement that the early days of 2015 will trigger steelhead to bite on NorCal rivers. The first of our four steelie stories this issue kicks off with Luke Kelly picking the brain of Smith River guide Kevin Brock, who thinks the famed stream will produce some great results this season.

DEPARTMENTS 13 27 27 28

The Editor’s Note The Dishonor Roll: Sea lion shootings Outdoor Calendar Browning, Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw Photo Contest winners

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 15 25 47 69 75 83 87 93 101 107 119

Relocating rare bighorn sheep December’s heavy rains a start to easing drought woes DIY Wyoming pronghorn hunt Best options for long-range trips Time is now for San Diego bonito American River steelhead Field to Fire: Jig-rig trick for steelhead, plus crab-stuffed steelie recipe A winter fishing obsession Sacramento Delta for stripers The booming biz of customized lures Bassin’ in newly flooded cover

California Sportsman goes digital!

Read California Sportsman on your desktop or mobile device. Only $1.89 an issue. Go to www.calsportsmanmag.com/digital California Sportsman is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Send address changes to California Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues are available at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card.

Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2015 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A. 10 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE San Luis Reservoir got a boost from a massive December storm, but more rain is needed to help California’s drought issues. (DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES)

e needed the rain, but wasn’t this too much, too soon? That was my first thought when I saw photos of Safeway shoppers literally kayaking through the parking lot to get to the store in Healdsburg, in Northern California. In my hometown of San Bruno near SFO, El Camino Real was flooded just a few blocks from my dad’s house (he was staying as dry as he could).

Around Los Angeles, Southern Californians were bracing for mudslides, with fire-charred hillsides now full of a steady downpour from one of the worst December storms to hit the Golden State that anyone could recall.

Still, I have to say it: We needed this, and it’s only a start.

Hopefully, everyone made it through OK, but California needs to fill its dried-up lakes and waterfowl refuges and water its shriveled wildlife habitats. Farmers in the Central Valley are begging to the rain gods to quench their crops too. I talked to Sacramento and Feather River guide Manuel Saldana for a couple of stories this month, and he reminded me that while the surge of storms provided a needed soaking, the drought is far from over.

“After three consecutive dry years, we have a deep hole to climb out of,” Ted Thomas of the California Department of Water Resources told the Riverside Press-Enterprise, which also reported a statement from the State Water Project that read: “California’s extreme drought conditions have evolved over several years of rainfall deficits, so it will take several more storms during this wet season to significantly reduce California’s drought conditions.”

Over Thanksgiving, I drove from the Bay Area to the San Joaquin Valley to see a football game at my alma mater, Fresno State. On the trip home, I drove Highway 152 past San Luis Reservoir and couldn’t believe how a lake once full of water had dropped so much since the last time I had passed this way.

Praying for more rain to fall – albeit at a gentler, but steady pace – should be part of all California sportsmen’s and Golden State residents’ New Year’s resolutions. –Chris Cocoles

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TALES OF A BIOLOGIST

The author (right front) and biologists with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, attempt to keep a bighorn sheep comfortable while performing research and eventually releasing the animal back into the wild.

(TIM E. HOVEY)

MANAGING AN ENDANGERED SPECIES WORKING HARD TO MAINTAIN BIGHORN SHEEP POPULATION

By Tim E. Hovey he main reason I pursued a career in biology was because I wanted a job where I could be outside. As I focused my discipline, I started to become very intrigued in fisheries and fisheries management.

I have been fishing since I was 5 years old and have always been fascinated with where fish live, how big they get, and, most of all, how to catch them.

When I joined the California Depart-

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ment of Fish and Wildlife, I discovered that other opportunities were available to the staff to experience monitoring and research in other disciplines. Over the years, I’ve been able to go on large mammal capture trips, tranquilize a cougar, gather data from a darted bobcat and run the canyons in a helicopter in pursuit of bighorn sheep. It’s this type of diversity that keeps the job interesting.

A few years back, I was invited to participate in a bighorn sheep capture the

large mammal program was planning for the following week. Biologists, be it fish or wildlife, are responsible for monitoring the animals they’re in charge of managing, even the larger ones. Large mammal biologists frequently conduct large critter captures to gather data on the health of herds; I was very excited to help out.

THE DISTINCT SOUTHERN California subspecies population of bighorn sheep was listed as endangered by the United JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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States Fish and Wildlife Service during an emergency action in 1999. The genetically distinct population in the Sierra Nevada had dropped from 300 individuals recorded in the 1980s, to less than 100. The decline in sheep numbers was attributed to mountain lion and coyote predation, plus disease. Since the listing, regular monitoring has been conducted so that biologists can keep track of the population trend of this endangered species.

Early on the first day of the large mammal capture, I was in base camp being trained on what to do when an animal arrived and what to expect. Base camp, where all the important data and processing is conducted, is established in a central location, where the sampling and capture will take place. Mobile labs, transport trucks and support vehicles are placed on any convenient flat piece of ground and prepared for the work day.

About an hour after my training, we heard that the catch crew had captured

a bighorn sheep and was bringing it in. We prepped the work area and organized sample vials, and I prepared to assist in processing my first bighorn sheep. Within minutes, a helicopter maneuvered the canyons and hovered over an open area a few hundred yards away where a pickup truck waited. A yellow bag hung from the copter and was gently lowered into the bed of the truck. Our first customer was in camp.

OF A BIOLOGIST

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com By 1999, the number of bighorn sheep in Southern California had dwindled to around 100 or so, down from around 300 in the 1980s. (TIM GLENNER/CDFW)

BASE CAMP DUTIES for processing the sheep were pretty specific. The one thing I did notice when I first started assisting was that there were two types of data collection; front end of the animal data and back-end-of-the-animal data.

As the new guy, I was assigned backend duties. I was responsible for taking and monitoring the animal’s temperature, taking a hair sample and a fecal sample. The front-end duties involved horn measurement, nasal and throat swabbing, collecting a blood sample, general aging and affixing a numbered

ear tag and a GPS tracking collar.

The base camp duties were routine.

The capture of the sheep was not. A biologist, well trained in firing a net gun and having nerves of steel, is harnessed and strapped into the chase helicopter. The pilot flies through the canyons looking for a herd of bighorn sheep. Once a herd is encountered, the pilot maneuvers the helicopter so that the net gunner can lean out the side of the craft, stand on the skid and attempt to net a running sheep. The pilot communicates the fleeing animal’s location with the gunner through a headset. The focus and precision needed to do this from a speeding and tipping helicopter can only be imagined.

The net gun is a specialized firearm that shoots a blank cartridge and uses the gases produced by the charge to propel four steel pistons that are connected to a square net. When fired, the pistons spread the net out to harmlessly contain the animal. After use, the net is refolded a specific way,

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OF A BIOLOGIST

reloaded into a holder and ready for the next sheep.

Once the animal is netted, the copter returns to base camp, drops off the net gunner and picks up two baggers.

These individuals are flown back out to the netted animal and are responsible for securing the sheep for transport back to camp. They hobble the sheep’s legs with heavy leather straps and place a blindfold over its eyes to calm it down.

After the sheep is secure, it’s removed from the netting and placed in a heavy canvas transport bag. The baggers then contact the pilot, who returns to the capture site to hook up the bagged animal and takes it back to base camp.

We worked up that first sheep quickly and efficiently. During the data collecting, we made sure that the animal

The sheep get blindfolded in the hopes they’ll remain calm in what has to be a very uncomfortable situation, even though research is vital to preventing the species from becoming extinct in the Sierra Nevada. (TIM E. HOVEY)

remained in a relatively upright position to avoid twisting internal organs and causing gas buildup. Bighorn sheep belong to a classification of animals called ruminants. This means that sheep re-

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com gurgitate, rechew and reswallow plant matter to obtain nutrients from what they eat.

The chewed-up plant matter ferments in a four-chambered stomach, a process that produces a great deal of fermented gas. This gas needs to be released regularly or can result in a fatal condition known as bloat. Keeping the animal in an upright position will facilitate the easy release of internal gas.

Once all the data was collected, the sheep was carried in a transport sling to a release site near base camp. Two release staff pointed the sheep in the proper direction and carefully removed the blindfold and leather hobble straps.

The sheep bounded up a nearby boulder mountain quickly and disappeared over the top. Along with the important biological data collected in base camp, this newly tagged sheep will eventually rejoin the herd and send valuable tracking and position data back to the wild-

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life biologists.

After assisting on a handful of trips, I got the opportunity to get into the helicopter and assist as a bagger. A sheep had been netted up on a steep mountain ridge and needed to be prepped for a ride back to base camp.

We squeezed into the back seat, buckled up and lifted off.

The copter tipped and sped through canyons before finally heading towards the mountaintop. Through the headset, the pilot instructed us that he couldn’t land in the rough terrain and he’d need to balance the skids on a steep, canyon ledge. He told us that once he had the copter balanced, we needed to exit the chopper at the exact same time to avoid tipping the craft. My first trip as a bagger and I had to exit the helicopter balancing on the side of a cliff!

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The pilot expertly balanced the copter on the lip of the cliff and gave us the clearance to jump out. He told us to step forward as we exited as a joke. Stepping backwards wasn’t an option, since the cliff dropped off about 150 feet.

We untangled the sheep, got it hobbled and blindfolded. The large ewe didn’t struggle as we loaded her into the transport bag. About 20 minutes after landing, she was dangling from the helicopter transport strap and headed to base camp.

MONITORING ALL SENSITIVE species, especially endangered animals, is a very important part of maintaining their population health. The data collected is valuable in assessing individual health and is important in determining herd health. The field biologists who set up these wildlife stations and collect this crucial data are at the forefront of maintaining the numbers of this endan-

A bighorn sheep arrives back at base camp, where important data is collected to allow biologists to know more about wildlife. (TIM E. HOVEY)

&

HUNTING CONSERVATION

SACRAMENTO

SAFARI CLUB P R E S E R V I N G W I L D L I F E , P R O M O T I N G C O N S E R VA T I O N E D U C A T I O N & P R O T E C T I N G H U N T I N G I N T E R E S T S F O R T O D AY & G E N E R A T I O N S T O C O M E • Actively promote conservation of our wildlife resources by funding conservation/education projects, supporting legislative action and offering manpower for special wildlife projects.

• Educate its members and the public about critical conservation and hunting matters.

• Protect the rights of gun owners and teach firearms safety.

• Raise money to fund worthy conservation and education programs that benefit the general public.

• Offer opportunities for fellowship to people who share concern about or interest in wildlife and hunting.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE:

JOIN US TODAY!

Our chapter was founded in 1978 by a group of hunters who became concerned with the future of hunting in California. We came to realize that we had to present a visible and united image to those who would see all hunting banned. Over the years we have raised well over one million dollars, which has funded conservation and habitat projects throughout our state. We also support projects nationally and internationally. We are one of several chapters in California who has enlisted the services of a legislative advocate (lobbyist) to represent us on hunting, firearms and land issues in the California Legislature.

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OF A BIOLOGIST

gered species.

During those animal captures, I felt privileged in assisting. It was definitely one of the high points of my career. It was also great to see non-biologist volunteers participating in the capture.

These events are a window into how biologists gather scientific data that support species management.

Having a subset of the public there to see how this is done is important in educating others in the process.

It were these monitoring efforts that first indicated in 1999 that the bighorn sheep was in serious trouble. Without the science, without the dedication of biologists willing to hang out of helicopters and take blood samples, this subspecies may no longer be around. CS

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A sheep is released back into the wild. The hope is that by learning more about a species’ issues and obstacles will ultimately keep bighorn and other endangered California wildlife from disappearing altogether. (TIM E. HOVEY)

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MIXED BAG

CALLING ON THE RAINMAKER DECEMBER STORMS DRENCH CALIFORNIA, BUT NOT ENOUGH (YET)

Historically low Lake Oroville got itself a soaking in early December, but the important watersupply reservoir was still just above 30 percent capacity. (KELLY M. GROW/DEPARTMENT OF WATER RESOURCES)

By Chris Cocoles t wasn’t anywhere near enough to feel as if California’s drought crisis is getting significantly better anytime soon. But when your backyard fishing river was beginning to look closer to a creek than one of the state’s major salmon streams, Feather River guide Manuel Saldana Jr. was going to brag a little bit about a December rain storm that drenched Northern California.

“We got 2.9 inches in about 24 hours,” Saldana, who guides out of Marysville, said in mid-December. “And the Bay Area got pounded even more.”

That was some good news for a state that’s been the feeling the pain of the drought that’s affected the fishing and hunting community, but had a far more wide-ranging net of issues for the economy, water supply and overall ecological footprint of California.

Some of California’s most important reservoirs were in bad shape. As of Dec. 16, Lake Shasta was at 32 percent; Trinity Lake at 29 percent; Folsom at 38

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percent; and Oroville at 33 percent. Further south, Lake Don Pedro was at 38 percent and New Melones was at only 22 percent. All were at least 15 percent below their historical averages.

But that also included a major boost from what was known as the “Pineapple Express” storms that swept through both Northern and Southern California the second week of December.

According to KXTV in Sacramento, Folsom Lake rose 4 feet and Shasta Lake, a crucial drinking-water and irrigation reservoir for the entire state, rose nearly 12 feet from the deluge.

That’s not nearly enough, for now, though with this being an El Niño cycle, continued record-setting rain would help the cause greatly going forward.

Anything less and the state will be in a continued drought crisis.

“Even if we get average precipitation, we’re still a year behind,” U.S. Geological Survey hydrologist Michael Dettinger told world resource crisis website Circle of Blue (circleofblue.org).

Added Roger Bales, a hydrologist at

UC Merced, to the site, “It’s going to take more than one good year of precipitation to refill the subsurface soil and the reservoirs, let alone groundwater.”

For fishing guides like Saldana, their livelihood is made or broken by enough water on their rivers – he also fishes the Sacramento River, which after the first big storm of December expected to peak to about 47,000 cubic feet per second. It’s simply a case of fishing what water you can and hoping Mother Nature unleashes enough rain this winter to begin the restoration of California’s vast natural resources. Saldana understands his main rivers’ fishable waters are byproducts of what happens at Shasta (for the Sacramento) and Oroville (Feather).

“This will add a little bit to it,” he said during the December storms, with another one blowing through the week before Christmas. “But by no means can we say, “Hey, we’re out of the drought.

But we’ll take it any way we can get it right now. Hopefully, this was the start of something else to come.” CS JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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Six California sea lions were shot in the last few months around the San Diego area. None survived their wounds and were euthanized.

(DR. MRIDULA SRINIVASAN/NOAA)

WHO IS SHOOTING SEA LIONS? an Diego’s coastline is teeming with wildlife. Unfortunately, someone

BY CHRIS COCOLES or some people have taken it upon themselves to illegally shoot sea lions.

According to multiple media outlets in the San Diego area, a total of eight sea lions have been found shot on beaches, six since the fall; all six had to be euthanized due to the severity of the wounds.

“Harming a sea lion is a violation of the federal Marine Mammal Protection Act, and can result in huge fines, criminal penalties and jail sentences,” Jane Cartmill, president of San Diego Animal Advocates, told newspaper U-T San Diego.

“There is no excuse for the abuse of these animals, and the perpetrators must be identified.”

The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration’s division of law enforcement has established a hotline for any tips or leads that could lead to catching the shooter or shooters (619-557-5494; 800-853-1964). A reward of $2,000 was set up for information that would lead to a resolution in the case.

U-T San Diego reported anyone violating the Mammal Protection Act is subject to civil fines of $11,000 and criminal fines that could reach $100,000. Let’s hope that this case gets solved. It’s simply an inexcusable act.

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR JANUARY 1 New fishing license required 1 Opener of Topaz Lake trout derby (topazlodge.com) 1 Online harvesting reports available for spiny lobster, North Coast salmon and steelhead 3 This date, 1959: state record for coho salmon; 22 pounds, 0 ounces, caught at Paper Mill Creek (Marin County), by Milton Hain of Fairfax 3 This date, 2006: state record for domestic rainbow trout, 28 pounds, 5 ounces, caught at private lake in Butte County, by James Harrold of Cohasset 8-11 International Sportsmen’s Exposition, Sacramento (sportsexpos.com) 10 Yucaipa Trout Derby, Yucaipa (http://cms.sbcounty.gov/ parks/Activities/Fishing.aspx) 10-11 Junior and family pheasant hunts in Los Angeles County.

16 End of Northeastern Zone duck and scaup season 17 Prado Regional Park trout derby, San Bernardino; (cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Activities/Fishing.aspx) 18 End of late-season pheasant archery season 23-Feb. 7 Mad River Steelhead Days, Fortuna and Rio Dell; (madriveralliance.com) 25 End of waterfowl season in most zones FEBRUARY 6-8 Eureka Crab Crawl, Eureka. (eurekamainstreet.org) 7 Glen Helen Regional Park Trout Derby, Devore (cms.sbcounty.gov/parks/Activities/Fishing.aspx) 14-18 Late-season geese season for Balance of State Zone (white-front and white geese) 14 This date, 2014: State record for Sacramento pikeminnow; 13 pounds, 13 ounces, caught in Pardee Reservoir by Charles Brown of Orangevale 27-March 1 Central Valley Sportsman Boat and R.V. Show; Kern County Fairgrounds, Bakersfield (calshows.com)

Sentenced Last year we shared a story on a Santa Barbara man who was charged with stealing other fishermen’s crab catches and then selling the crustaceans to local fish markets. John Wilson was sentenced to six months in the Santa Barbara County Jail and faces three years of probation. Deputy district attorney Kevin Weichbrod prosecuted the case.

“I was the biggest fish in the harbor,” Wilson, who pleaded no contest to multiple charges, told the Santa Barbara Independent newspaper. “I’m very sorry for what happened down there. My reputation has been ruined.”

Three youth pheasant hunts will take place in Los Angeles County on Jan. 10 and 11. (CDFW) JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS! Scott Hensley is this issue’s Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw Photo Contest winner, thanks to this photo of Jessica Hughes and her big rainbow trout. It wins him a package worth $50 of fishing tackle!

In 1968, Hollister’s Rick Cooper purchased a Sako .30-06, known as the Golden Bear and made for Dickson-Howa, for $100. It’s been a productive hunting rifle for Rick, who scored this nice buck in Central California from 450 yards out.

For winning our Browning photo contest, we’ll send Rick a Browning hat and sticker!

For your shot at winning Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw and Browning products, send your photos to ccocoles@media-inc.com or California Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications.

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THE CASE FOR CROSS TRAINING The author with his first California pig, taken with a crossbow. Some hunting purists may say crossbows provide too easy a way to harvest an animal. But the author has learned to embrace the style of hunting.

(AL QUACKENBUSH)

USING A CROSSBOW DOESN’T HAVE TO BE TABOO FOR HUNTERS

By Al Quackenbush

I

n this day and age, we have enough challenges to overcome.

Hunters need to stick together. I want you to say something with me – crossbows.

Did it make you cringe? Did

you smile? Does it rile you up? Ask yourself why? Why the animosity toward crossbow hunters?

I’ll be the first to admit, I used to feel the same way. From the outside looking in, I was totally against having someone use a crossbow during archery season. In fact,

when I lived in New York, I didn’t even want to have it as part of the allowed weapons. I was ignorant and incredibly short-sighted. Since then, I have changed my tune after learning a bit more, talking with crossbow manufacturers and listening to other hunters.

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Crossbows are often associated with medieval wars, but their history stretches as far back as the 5th Century BC. Nowadays, they’re being adopted by some hunters, such as the author.

(AL QUACKENBUSH)

Most of the arguments I hear are that they make it too easy to hunt. How so? My thoughts are to not judge, and that hunters should support hunters, period. I would note that some rifle hunters will shoot out to 1,000 yards on an animal.

Personally, I feel like I need to get closer to the animal to make it a hunt.

That doesn’t mean I am against longrange shooting. It is just my personal desire, and I won’t push that on anyone. In fact, there are many who need to fill their freezers for winter, and that style can provide sustenance.

I don’t need to hunt for my food like I used to, but I enjoy hunting and, even more so, I enjoy eating wild game. With a crossbow, you still have to get close to an animal to shoot it. You might be able to shoot a longer distance with a crossbow versus a compound, but how is that “easier?” You still have to make an 32 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

ethical kill shot.

What about using a compound bow versus a traditional recurve bow?

They are both considered archery equipment, but doesn’t the let-off in a compound give the hunter an advantage over a traditional bow?

Sure it does!

I personally prefer a compound over a recurve. It is my personal preference. I will never push that ideology on anyone else. If someone wants to hunt with me and they use a recurve, I welcome them. I think they are at more of a disadvantage than I am. I have sights, a stabilizer, a dropaway rest, 75 percent let-off, and I use a release.

Does that make me better? Worse?

No. In fact, it makes me a hunter.

If they want to use a crossbow, and it’s legal, bring it and hunt with it! I want you to hunt and have a good time while trying to fill your tag.

PROS AND CONS In general, crossbows are faster shooting, but are also heavier and more cumbersome. Many weigh double what a compound weighs.

They are less maneuverable when stalking, and also take longer to reload.

On the plus side, they allow disabled hunters to hunt more – isn’t that a good thing? In California, you can hunt deer with a crossbow during regular (firearm) season, if you have a tag valid for the regular season. Did you know that? I didn’t until this year.

You can also hunt wild pigs with a crossbow. With the pig population so large, I think that offers more opportunities to hunters.

Where I draw the line is classifying a crossbow as strictly archery equipment. It’s not. Some slingshots shoot arrows too. They are not archery tackle. They are also not a firearm.

Crossbows use different technology to

JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

33

store energy to send a bolt downrange.

So where does that leave them? I feel that crossbows are in a category all by themselves. Shooting one takes skill, no matter what anyone says. They utilize similar technology from both archers and firearms.

I have heard hunters say that the technology in a crossbow makes the hunter lazy. What about the wheeliebows versus a recurve then? Many of the arguments against crossbows come from people who have never even shot one before. They just see the person shooting and assume it’s easy.

Crossbows are another tool that allows hunters to go after wild game.

Think about the fact that in many areas firearms are prohibited, especially in many areas of Southern California.

Yet, crossbows are allowed, depending

34 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

Chris Turgeon took down this 180-pound Southern California feral pig. Whether hunting with a crossbow or other weapon, hogs are one of the more challenging species to stalk. (AL QUACKENBUSH)

on the regulations and ordinances for that area. One of the animals anyone can hunt with a crossbow is the feral pig. Recently, I put my crossbow to the test and ventured out in search of some wild pork on public land.

CALLING ALL HOGS Hunting pigs is incredibly fun, but is quite a challenge with any weapon.

I have been unsuccessfully chasing pigs for a couple years with my compound bow. Recently, my friend

JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

35

Chris Turgeon and I sat along a travel route that we were sure pigs would cross through. Chris knows pigs, and has made it his mission to help me learn pig behavior and set trail cams to find them. In fact, he had been disappointed that he hasn’t been able to help me shoot a pig.

A couple weeks ago, both of us went about our daily routines and then we saw the weather report – rain! With a significant storm in the forecast, we immediately came up with a game plan. If I could make the drive up to meet Chris, we could be on pigs on that afternoon.

When Saturday came, I decided I would bring the crossbow this time.

It was another challenge and I had never taken an animal with one. I loaded up the car and hit the road

36 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

as early as I could. Chris and I both knew the pigs would be on the move.

It was much cooler, the ground was wet, and we hoped the pigs would be foraging all day.

It was just a matter of choosing the right spot to ambush them.

We discussed ideas and paid close attention to the wind, as that was what had busted us numerous times before. We wanted our scent to be blowing in the right direction and not swirling. The wind was perfect for only one location, and we knew where we had to go. We began our long hike around the woods to a natural blind to avoid detection.

I knew I wanted a pig really bad, so I was strict on my scent reduction.

My clothes had been in an ozone tote prior to leaving home. I’d sprayed everything down with a scent-killing spray at the vehicle and had brought extra on the hunt. Once we hit our ambush point we both sprayed everything down again. We probably

Blood on leaves told the author that the shot from his crossbow had hit the mark. (AL QUACKENBUSH)

overdid it, but we didn’t care. I’d rather go over the top and increase my chances. It was now 2 p.m., so we sat down and waited.

Through the binoculars, we could see two sets of fresh tracks through a clearing. We made an educated guess that they were pig tracks. We hoped the rest of the group would come the same way. The wind was perfect and we continually sprayed down.

We wouldn’t have to wait long.

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I looked down at my watch: 3:06 p.m. As I looked up, two black shapes silently appeared in the clearing. Both of us saw them at the same time, and Chris said, “You’re on!” My body felt different than on other hunts. The adrenaline was controlled and I was focused. One pig stopped broadside at 12 yards. I ever so slowly raised my crossbow and settled it on the pig’s vitals. As the hog dug up the muddy ground, I took the shot.

Fewer than 30 seconds had elapsed between the moment the pigs had come in and when I took the shot. My Scorpyd Ventilator crossbow sent the bolt so fast that we didn’t even see where it went. We heard the pig hitting some saplings, and then came a crash. Surprisingly, I was super calm and focused. I

38 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

turned to Chris and smiled from ear to ear. We had done it!

If I had waited a few more seconds, the other pig may have turned for Chris to get a shot, but after hunting wild hogs for so long, I was not about to give up the opportunity.

We talked about the shot and knew it was a kill shot. I pulled up the binoculars to look through the brush and could see blood on saplings and undergrowth. It was going to be a fun tracking job.

We opted to wait an hour to see if any other pigs trotted through the area. It was a shot in the dark as they probably busted out of there when I shot my pig. As predicted, nothing happened, so we set off to trail my pig.

The blood trail was easy to follow as the broadhead had cut through both lungs and left a wide spray of blood. Even with the excellent shot, the pig ran nearly 100 yards.

Those animals are tough! We found the dead pig in a small clearing and

estimated it to be around 80 pounds, a perfect size for eating. And no matter what, it was the perfect pig for my first one ever.

NO REGRETS Some people have asked me if I regret not using my compound bow to take my first pig. Not at all!

In fact, I am glad to have had the opportunity to use a crossbow. Plus, I now have wild pig in my freezer, and that is a great thing. Hunters need to support hunters, period. We all have different methods, tactics, and use different weapons.

We shouldn’t be elitist about one weapon over another when trying to encourage more people to start hunting. Whether they are young or old, male or female, it shouldn’t matter. If it is legal and they want to hunt, welcome them into the fold. CS Editor’s note: For more on the author, go to socalbowhunter.com.

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The author’s trip to frigid Montana was no picnic, but the cold conditions were more tolerable when the hunt paid off with a mule deer as part of a DIY adventure. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

URBAN HUNTRESS

A LOOK BACK BEFORE LOOKING AHEAD

By Brittany Boddington

LOS ANGELES—It’s time to welcome a new year full of new and exciting adventures, but first let’s not forget the highlights from 2014!

Here is the rundown on some of my most memorable hunts and my hunting equipment must-haves: D.I.Y. IN THE BIG SKY First up was my DIY mule deer hunt in Montana, my first real do-it-yourself outing – and a good lesson on cold-weather gear. I was lucky to get a nice four-point muley on my friend’s chunk of private land, but this Los An-

geleno was completely unprepared for hunting at 12 degrees below zero.

On one morning we set out looking for elk on public land and it must have been around minus 18. As we crossed a wooded area my feet literlaly started to freeze – I always have cold feet, but this was a whole new level. They went numb, then felt painful and eventually reached feeling-brittle status. I stopped and told my cameraman what was going on; he immediately started building a fire. It may sound wimpy that I had to stop to warm my feet, but they were actually frozen solid with a mild case of frostnip, or prefrostbite.

I have never been in a climate that

cold before, so I did not know the warning signs.

A GOOD PAIR OF BOOTS That brings up the first item on my list of favorite new things from 2014: Schnee’s Extreme Pac Boots (schnees.com/product/2613/schneeboots) saved my feet. Luckily, the Schnee’s store in Bozeman, Mont., was close to where I was hunting, so I gave up an afternoon afield with frozen feet in favor of driving to town and getting a new pair of boots.

These boots are made to withstand extreme cold, and they have great grip for side-hilling.

The next favorite item on my list JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

41

URBAN HUNTRESS

is the Healthy Traveler Clinic in Pasadena, east of Los Angeles (healthytraveler.com/travelsuppliesan.html).

If you are heading overseas, it is worth the drive. They had all the vaccines I needed – and some I had not even thought of! The doctor on staff is knowledgeable and had even read books by my dad, Craig Boddington.

I got vaccinated for diphtheria, yellow fever, typhoid, hepatitis, and tetanus, and I picked up a mosquito net and got some great repellant.

This place is a one-stop shop for prehunt vaccinations if you happen to be in Southern California.

AN AFRICAN ADVENTURE This was all in preparation for my trip to Mozambique, in southeast Africa, for a swamp buffalo hunt. This was one of the coolest things I’ve done in my life! Yes, the idea of wading through leech- and crocodile-infested waters to get into massive herds of Cape buffalo sounds miserable – and it was at certain points – but it was completely worth every moment.

We took amphibious vehicles as far as we could, but they make a lot of noise, so eventually we had to get out and trudge through the swamp to get to the buffalo.

The dry areas were a breeze, but the wet ones were nasty. The mud sucks your feet down, and the suction holds them tight to the bottom of the black, mucky water. There were obvious signs of buffalo, hippo, elephant and crocodile activity at each crossing, and the sawgrass rips at your face and hands as you struggle through. To add to the intensity was the dense vegetation on either side of the water, so thick that a hippo or buffalo could easily hide just a meter or two away. My feet kept getting stuck in the mud and I tripped over and over as I tried desperately to keep my .416 Blazer and my pack over my head and out of the water. I was unsuccessful of that.

The Blazer got a little muddy and the pack was pretty much soaked, but it didn’t matter. Just as we got to the edge of the sawgrass and spotted a herd of buffalo, it started to rain.

There was literally nothing taller

This amphibious vehicle made it possible for Brittany to access a swamp area in Mozambique that was full of crocodiles and leeches. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

42 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

than a blade of short green grass between us and a herd of over 1,500 buffalo, so we were forced to crawl over 400 yards to get close enough to spot a bull through the rain.

Luckily, I had my next favorite item of 2014: kneepads! It sounds silly even to me, but these pads saved my knees.

Crawling on dried, uneven and cracked swamp ground for over 400 meters would have completely stripped the flesh from my knees – I know because the apprentice guide with us forgot his kneepads, and the blood stains were obvious through his pant legs by the end of the day.

I had never used kneepads before on a hunt, but my dad suggested that I pick some up before heading to the swamps, and it was great advice. I got a simple pair of volleyball-style pads – cheap, easy and efficient! They are never leaving my pack again.

WARM HANDS IN KIWI COUNTRY The next item on my list came in very handy on my hunt in New Zealand.

Pursuing Himalayan tahr and chamois on public land, we set up a spike camp in subfreezing conditions. To keep my hands warm, I had brought a pair of Cabela’s heated gloves (cabelas.com), which were a little bulkier than what I was used to, but I figured they might come in, er, handy.

The first time I used them was directly after shooting my tahr. We skinned the animal, and as I washed off my hands, I suddenly realized my error: the water was ice cold. As the sun started to set, my hands began to get very cold. Then I remembered to turn on the battery pack on my gloves. Instantly, the little wires throughout the pair started to heat up and stayed warm for the whole hike back to camp. And unlike the batteries in my camera and cell phone, the batteries didn’t seem affected by the cold. They’re now a must-have for cold-weather hunts!

THE GUNNY SHOW My year also included a memorable

JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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URBAN

visit with actor R. Lee Ermey. You know him more as “The Gunny” from his iconic role as Gunnery Sgt. Hartman in the 1987 film, Full Metal Jacket. But I discovered a lot more about Ermey in an interview at his Palmdale home for a cover story in California Sportsman’s sister magazine, Western Shooting Journal. Ermey was quite the character!

That wraps up my list of favorites from 2014, but I would love to hear about some of your favorite gear and hunts from this past year. Feel free to share tips and stories around the Campfire on the Global Sportsman’s Network (campfire.globalsportsman. com). This is the spot to watch all kinds of hunting videos, and to social network with other hunters. CS

HUNTRESS

Our Urban Huntress bagged a massive old swamp buffalo in Mozambique during an adventure-filled 2014. Note that the tips of the animal’s horns do not wear down like Cape buffalo in other areas with harsher vegetation for them to scratch on. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

Editor’s note: Brittany Boddington is a Los Angeles-based hunter, journalist and adventurer. More information can be found at brittanyboddington.com and facebook .com/brittanyboddington.

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HUNTING Darrin Bergen scopes out for antelope in a Wyoming field. States like Wyoming provide California hunters with affordable tags for various species, and plenty of antelope opportunities. (TIM E. HOVEY)

GO WYO FOR ANTELOPE WYOMING OFFERS AFFORDABLE HUNT OPTIONS

By Tim E. Hovey

A

s a California hunter, I’m always looking to extend my season by traveling to other states to hunt. There are quite a few out-of-state, big-game opportunities for Golden State hunters willing to put in the time to investigate.

Some states have over-thecounter tags for nonresident hunters, or high-percentage draws for just about any species you’d want to hunt. Knowing someone in the state you’re headed to helps, but it isn’t mandatory.

If you don’t mind traveling a little and putting in some effort, and

I don’t, you can easily expand the land you hunt and the species you chase by putting in for these hunts outside California. The tag prices for big game in other states are usually very affordable, and the amount of land available to the public will seriously leave you in awe.

Wyoming bound In the spring of 2014, my good friend, Darrin Bergen, gave me a call. He was putting in for an antelope tag in his home state of Wyoming and wanted to know if I wanted to put in as well. He didn’t have to ask me twice.

I had been to Wyoming a few times to hunt before, and as far as opportunities for sportsmen, you can’t beat it. Nonresident hunters

can put in for a number of different antelope options for a reasonable price. I ended up putting in for an either-sex landowner tag, plus a second doe tag for just over $300.

I arrived in Wyoming a few days before the opener of my zone. Darrin and I had put in for the same two zones but ended up getting drawn for different hunting areas. We spent the afternoon pouring over a few maps and making a general plan.

With the exception of the maps and a quick aerial view of the zone on Google Earth, neither one of us had ever stepped foot on the property I’d be hunting.

An early start The morning of the opener we arrived at the area before sunrise. We JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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HUNTING encountered a couple of other hunters, but we had already decided that we were going to get off the beaten path and hunt where others wouldn’t.

After a brief discussion, Darrin and I decided to hike to a bluff 1 mile from where we parked and glass the area as the sun came up. We loaded up our large packs and headed out, single file.

As we eased to the edge of the bluff, we positioned ourselves in the shade of a large tree. From our perch, we had an amazing view of the surrounding valley that was still in early morning shadows.

Almost immediately we began spotting antelope. A pair stood on a ridge a mile out, slowly feeding their way uphill. Another buck was bedded a few hundred yards from the first pair, facing our way. More to the north we spotted a large group feeding in an agricultural field. There were in total approximately 30 antelope, mostly does and young animals, standing or bedded in an open field.

“Too many eyes there,” I said, looking through the binoculars.

I scanned a few more of the smaller hills below the field of eyes and spotted a lone buck bedded as a lookout. My tag was good for either sex, but I told Darrin if I had an opportunity to take a buck, I’d like to give it a try.

The buck stood, chased off another smaller buck and then began feeding down our side of the small hill. He was about a mile away, but I felt like I could sneak in closer and get a shot. Darrin was not convinced.

I decided to give it a try anyway.

Darrin would stay on the hill and guide me through hand signals if I needed it.

The chase The buck was slowly feeding his way down to the flatland. I eased down to the valley, hidden in the crease of a dry drainage. Once I got to the valley floor, I glassed the buck’s position, trying to figure out the best path from me to him. The area was 48 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

Darrin Bergen glasses the Wyoming countryside. (TIM E. HOVEY)

essentially flat and covered with small sage bushes. There were some slight undulations in the terrain, but for the most part the area was as flat as a pool table.

I stayed low and checked on the buck frequently. Each time his head was down feeding, I’d crouch down and trot towards him in any low spot I could find. As I made my way, I started to realize just how far out he was. Even through the binoculars, he looked tiny.

After 45 minutes of slowly stalking towards the buck, I had cut the distance to 800 yards. I took a break, drank some water and took

off my sweatshirt. When I was ready to head out again I checked on the buck. He was essentially in the same spot, but bedded down and looking away. I quickly grabbed my gear to take advantage of the situation.

Staying low, I started trotting towards a low spot I had spotted near the buck. I had gone about 100 yards at a low run when I happened to glance towards the bedded animal. When he was bedded, I could only see his horns. Now I was looking at his whole body; he was looking straight at me. I stopped and knelt down.

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HUNTING see the buck staring my way and he was stone still. Despite my camo clothing and the brush covered terrain, he had spotted me moving from over 700 yards away.

We stared each other down for 10 minutes. Sweat dripped into my eyes as I stayed as motionless as gravity allowed. Neither of us moved. Finally the buck shifted his gaze from me and started looking around. I knew he was getting comfortable again and he wasn’t sure what I was. After another minute, he started feeding again and then bedded down.

At the 90-minute mark, I ditched my pack and started crawling on my hands and knees the last 100 yards. I finally got to the low spot I had spotted near the buck and set my .30-06 on my shooting sticks. I slowly rose up and noticed the buck was now quartering towards me and looking at me from 140 yards away. I settled the rifle, placed the crosshairs

50 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

The Wyoming countryside provided plenty of open spaces for the hunters to find both bucks and does. (TIM E. HOVEY)

to break the far shoulder and slowly squeezed the trigger.

I heard the impact of the bullet and the buck trotted off another 20 yards, stopped, stumbled backwards, and then tipped over. It had taken

over 90 yards to crawl within range, but my Wyoming antelope buck was down.

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HUNTING later, we took some photos and began field dressing the buck. We were now about 3 miles from the truck and had a heavy load of meat to hike out.

We loaded up our packs, cleaned up and started hiking.

Back at the truck, we put the meat on ice and grabbed lunch. Darrin’s tag was for a yearling depredation hunt on a piece of agricultural property nearby. We both thought that chances were slim that animals would be moving this late in the afternoon, but we decided to stop by and at least check it out.

After pulling on to the property, we spotted a small herd of antelope feeding in the alfalfa. Darrin walked out on to the field, steadied his rifle on his shooting sticks and dropped a yearling antelope to fill his tag. The entire hunt, from entering the property to leaving, took all of eight minutes.

Wyoming offers over 100 dif-

52 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

The author’s crawling on hands and knees for 100 yards and staring down his buck paid off with a Wyoming antelope. (TIM E. HOVEY)

ferent antelope zones available to nonresident hunters. The nonresident application period for antelope runs from Jan. 1 to March 15.

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Besides that, all you have to do is get there. I already have plans to put in for next year, and both my daughters have stated that they’ll be coming along. That’s just fine with me. CS

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FISHING The author’s wife, Cheryl Hovey, fights a pargo off the coast of Baja California in the Sea of Cortez. Some spectacular big-game species swim these warm waters. (TIM E. HOVEY)

VIVA BAJA! HOW TO PULL OFF A D.I.Y. TRIP FOR THE EXOTIC SPECIES OF THE STORIED SEA OF CORTEZ

By Tim E. Hovey

LA PAZ, Mexico—As a boy, I used to listen to my grandfather talk about Baja California – specifically the Sea of Cortez, also known as the Gulf of California – frequently.

At the time, I thought he had been there. As it turned out, all he knew of the desolate peninsula and the beautiful blue sea came from a book entitled The Sea of Cortez, written by Ray

Cannon, and published in 1966.

My grandfather would talk of huge fish being caught from the beach, and devil rays weighing close to 1,000 pounds leaping from the blue waters and smashing back to the surface with a thundering slap. I would pour through that book every time I visited him, marveling at the size of the fish that swam the gulf.

Even as a young boy, I knew I wanted to go there.

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FISHING

You don’t have to find luxury resorts to stay at during your fishing trips, but sometimes rustic inns in small villages are a great place to soak up the local atmosphere and experience the solitude of Baja. (TIM E. HOVEY)

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from the calm gulf. Once I became familiar with portions of the peninsula, all I wanted to do was see more.

I learned two things very quickly once I started traveling to Baja: the beaches and surrounding terrain of the peninsula were wide open for exploration, and the fishing in the Sea of Cortez was absolutely amazing.

Once our field work was complete, we’d often fish the shore or take one of the school vessels out and fish the channel. It really didn’t matter where we went on the gulf; we caught plenty of fish.

From the remote Enchanted Islands in the northern part of the gulf, to the brilliant blue waters of East Cape further south, I’ve spent a great deal of time in Baja, fishing and diving in the Sea of Cortez.

I’ve towed boats down the entire length of the peninsula, stopping off at remote beaches to launch and explore the rugged islands off the coast.

I’ve even fished the areas described in

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FISHING THE SEA OF CORTEZ AND ME “Down through the ages, adventurers and poets alike have had their fancies tickled by the mystery of uninhabited islands. Man has traveled the lands and seas, searching out and exploring almost every bit of the earth’s surface, and now is turning his eyes to other planets. But here in the Cortez are fantastic bits of land that have been ignored for centuries. There are a hundred little-explored islands and as many pieces of land of various shapes and sizes that could be called islands. Even those that appear as dots on a map may take half an hour to circle in a boat and even longer to scale.” -Ray Cannon From my first early trips to the Sea of Cortez, I wanted to explore these islands that Ray Cannon described. I’m proud to say that, during my travels, I’ve had the opportunity to have a shore lunch on several of these rugged, untouched offshore land formations. -Tim E. Hovey

Charter boats sail the tranquil waters up and down the Sea of Cortez in search of gamefish like yellowtail, dorado and tuna. (TIM E. HOVEY)

Cannon’s book, feeling a strong connection to that modern day explorer.

I’ve caught almost all the species listed in his book.

PLOTTING YOUR TRIP About 30 miles south of the university field station is the abandoned fishing village of Oke Landing. Little more than a rock-covered cove with several old cement foundations, the remote location is perfect for staging a base camp and fishing the offshore islands. We’d launch our skiffs in the town of Puertocitos and run the coast to the campsite, setting up camp for a week, essentially surviving on whatever we could catch.

Huge schools of yellowtail cruise the offshore island channels, easily teased into striking trolled Rapalas.

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PRACTICAL TRAVEL TIPS IN BAJA Some of the larger cities in Baja, like La Paz and Cabo San Lucas, are reachable by commercial airlines. Most of the smaller coastal towns can only be driven to.

If you’re adventurous and wish to drive the peninsula, here are a few suggestions on traveling Baja California and staying safe: Highway 1, the main road into Baja, is paved and in relatively good condition. There are sections that are seriously desolate, so it is recommended that you travel with other automobiles for safety. It’s also advisable to bring a full set of tools and spare replaceable parts for your car, boat and trailer when you travel.

Try and stay off the highway at night. The road is poorly lit, not as wide as roads in our country and heavily traveled by larger semi-trucks. Larger animals like cattle, mules and deer will walk the road at night, increasing the nighttime hazards.

The last time I was down there, the road was patrolled by the Green Angels, Mexico’s version of Triple-A. They can assist you with any minor car repairs, but depending on someone else to rescue you should you need it is a poor travel decision. Be prepared for every breakdown situation you can think of and you’ll

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FISHING Triggerfish, leopard grouper and spotted sand bass thrived in the coastal waters and were regular fare for camp lunches and dinners for our adventurous group. Armed with spear guns and pole spears, we’d fill our stringers with gray bar grunts and fine scale triggerfish right off the beach. Oke Landing is definitely off the beaten path, but it remains one of my favorite gulf destinations.

Continuing south, inland from the large Archangel Island, you’ll find the Bay of Los Angeles, a small fishing village located at the base of the coastal hills. The town itself has

be way ahead of the game.

If you believe you have certain rights as an American in Mexico, you’re wrong. Despite the close proximity to California, Mexico is indeed a different country and you’ll need to follow their rules.

Familiarize yourself with all the laws before you head down. Bring a passport and required paperwork with you and have it handy. Follow all the laws and rules of the road, be polite and courteous if pulled over or stopped, and your trip will be memorable for all the right reasons. -TH

limited amenities, but five-star accommodations are not the reason you travel to Baja.

The waters surrounding the offshore islands are home to grouper, Dr. Larry Allen with a gorgeous leopard grouper caught in the Sea of Cortez, which inspired a book the author read that made this area destination he’s been to frequently. (TIM E. HOVEY)

yellowtail, dorado, tuna and several species of bottom fish. During the summer, when the water gets warmer, tuna and sailfish can be encountered in the deeper island waters.

For the most part, the ocean conditions are serene and calm in this section of the Gulf of Mexico. However, seasonal winds can descend on the area in an instant and turn the flat, calm seas into hazardous conditions for smaller crafts. Whenever I head to this area and fish offshore in a boat, I keep one eye on the horizon and pay close attention to the activities of the locals. If I see their boats heading in during midday, I head in during midday.

Further south is the small beach town of Punta Chivato. The village offers a clean camping area and a protected harbor. The shallow reefs offshore offer some amazing diving and the standard nearshore species of triggerfish, cabrilla and spotted sand bass are easily caught from the manmade jetties. Offshore species like dorado and yellowtail can be encountered out around the islands or near the shark buoys; baited hooks and anchored floats are set out to catch sharks.

Ready to launch a boat in the Sea of Cortez off Los Angeles Bay, one of many launching points up and down the peninsula.

(TIM E. HOVEY)

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FISHING

Searching for bait off the Cerralvo Island coast, although anglers can troll lures like Rapalas and catch plenty of fish. (TIM E. HOVEY)

THE ULTIMATE FISHING SPOT About three-quarters of the way down the peninsula you hit the fish hook: La Paz. In the early 1990s I started making regular trips to La Paz to fish the fertile waters surrounding Cerralvo Island. In my opinion, La Paz is the gateway to some of the best big-game fishing on the planet.

After a quick stop at the island shallows to collect bait, quality fishing is minutes away.

Sailfish and marlin are frequently seen at the surface, warming themselves in the gulf waters. Dorado and yellowfin tuna are standard species encountered for most of the year.

Massive amberjack swim the deeper waters, taking a firm spot as one of the top predators of the gulf.

Bright red pargo and dogtooth snapper patrol the shallows of the island, and will find the safety of the sharp rocks and cut your line nine times out of 10 when hooked.

64 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

THE SEA OF CORTEZ AND ME “The subject of angling should be treated with profound thought, for it is one of the most vital branches of culture. It is a source of humor, but it also evolves a deep and rewarding philosophy. It is a suspenseful drama, a game of skill, a sport, an art, and a most pleasurable avocation. Angling is all of these and more, for it is an escape from fictitious society to reality, an escape from tensions, grating sounds, and frightening speeds to true, long-lasting serenity.” -Ray Cannon Only true anglers will appreciate this statement. It has never been about the catch, the battle or the number of fish; for me, it has always been about disengaging from responsibility and recharging. -Tim E. Hovey Offshore, boat captains keep a sharp lookout for activity at the shark buoys. Dorado feed at the buoys and are easily enticed to take a live bait or trolled lure. One of the fastest growing game species, dorado are strong fighters when hooked and will often display spectacular jumps in an at-

tempt to escape. And if I had to eat one species of fish for the rest of my life, it would be dorado.

About 50 miles south of La Paz is the coastal town of East Cape. Three main resorts sit right on the gulf, providing access to more fantastic Sea of Cortez fishing spots. Most of the spe-

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The Sea of Cortez is believed to be one of the richest bodies of water on earth, and has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among its many species are jawfish, these caught by Dr. Larry Allen and Danny Warren. (TIM E. HOVEY)

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cies of gamefish are present most of the year.

Pangas and luxury cruisers can be booked and boarded for half-day and multi-day fishing trips only yards from the beach resorts. Marlin, sailfish and tuna can be caught within site of your hotel.

After a full day of fishing, snorkeling the crystal-clear waters right off the beach is an awesome way to unwind. I’ve made dozens of trip down the Baja Peninsula over the years, and it is one of my favorite spots to be. If you get away from the border towns, the scenery is absolutely beautiful. I’ve always looked at trav-

eling to some of these desolate areas as all part of the adventure. You can find plenty of local food stands along the way in some of the bigger towns; gas station availability also seems to increase every year.

If you’ve never been south of the border, take the time to investigate all you can about traveling in Mexico.

There are plenty of good tour books that are a must for new travelers.

Ask people who have been there before and be prepared before heading out. If you enjoy new places and amazing angling, the adventure of Baja is worth considering. All you have to do is get there. CS

THE SEA OF CORTEZ AND ME “Somewhere in warm waters of the earth there may be a region where more kinds of game fish occur, or there may be a greater number of one or two species than in the Cortez, but I have heard of no place where so many fine gamesters are so abundant.” -Ray Cannon This sentence would scream to any angler. And as a young boy, the colorful photos and descriptive stories in The Sea of Cortez completely hypnotized my young mind; I seriously had adventurous dreams of fishing the gulf. When I finally began angling here and hooking big fish, I would silently thank my grandfather for giving me Ray’s book – and Ray Cannon for writing it. -Tim E. Hovey

66 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

PREPARED BY CALIFORNIA SPORTSMAN ADVERTISING DEPARTMENT

BRP unveils completely new Evinrude E-TEC G2 Outboard Engines and announces partnership with KingFisher Boats!

BRP has signed an agreement to provide Renaissance Marine Groups’ KingFisher Boats with Evinrude outboard engines. The welded heavygauge aluminum boats, manufactured in a stateof-the art facility in Vernon, British Columbia, are known for their custom-built quality.

“This partnership is exciting for BRP. Showcasing our Evinrude E-TEC technology and innovations alongside a leader in heavy-gauge aluminum boats allows us to continue expanding our presence in the industry, and reinforces our commitment to providing a superior consumer experience across multiple segments and markets,” said Alain Villemure, vice president and general manager of BRP’s Marine Propulsion Systems division. “We’re confident this agreement with KingFisher Boats and The Renaissance Group is a strategic one and we look forward to the mutual opportunities it represents.”

“We’re very excited about this partnership because BRP’s newest offerings with its Evinrude brand bring outstanding technological innovation to our product,” said Byron Bolton, CEO of Renaissance Marine Group and KingFisher. “Our boaters require top performance for that hole shot, and the reliability of Evinrude engines is something they can count on.”

KingFisher and Renaissance have a broad West Coast distribution network of dealers. New to their line-up this year is the KingFisher multi-species boat line offering the next generation of all-welded aluminum fishing boats using their industry-leading Pre-flex hull. Their tougher, more durable performance fishing line is an ideal partner for Evinrude E-TEC engines.

California Sportsman recently had the opportunity to see the new Evinrude G2’s in action on the back of a 29-foot

KingFisher.

This engine is a complete rededication to the innovation Evinrude brings to the two-stroke outboard market. The Evinrude E-TEC G2 outboard engine delivers unrivaled performance with best-in-class torque and fuel efficiency and lowest total emissions. The new E-TEC G2 engine offers the first and only customizable look, the only clean rigging and fully integrated digital controls. These innovations now allow consumers to choose the absolute perfect combination of boat and engine by selecting top and front panels, as well as accent colors that match your boat.

Check them out at your local Evinrude dealer.

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FISHING

GET OUT OF RANGE

Dorado are among the species long-range anglers out of San Diego and other Southern California landings will target this year. (STEVE CARSON)

PLANNING YOUR 2015 DEEPSEA TRIP

By Steve Carson

SAN DIEGO—It used to be that the rule of thumb for making reservations to get aboard a long-range boat out of San Diego was that you needed to make a deposit approximately the same number of months in advance as your trip’s duration in days.

However, the 2014 El Niño and the spectacular catches that resulted got everyone’s attention. Now that there has been an El Niño forecast for 2015 as well, prime space is filling very fast, and few if any open spots will remain when the season gets underway. Just about any trip this year should have a deposit on it by the time the sports show season rolls around, and many of the landings will have booth displays at the events. Breakout dates are Jan. 8-11 for the International Sportsman’s Exposition show at Cal Expo in Sacramento, and the first week of March for the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach.

DURATIONS AND LOCATIONS Three- to six-day trips The staple of the summer season, these “mini long-range” excursions are generally run from late May until late October. Primary targets are school-size tuna, which may be bluefin, yellowfin, or albacore, along with yellowtail and dorado during an El Niño cycle.

Target locations are usually northern Baja California’s islands – including San Martin, San Jeronimo, Cedros, and San Benitos – along with numerous coastal spots and offshore banks.

Seven to 10 days Trips of this length have many options.

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FISHING and Revillagigedo Buffer Zone all winter long.

Favored time of year is early September through early November, but late spring trips often find the largest yellowtail. As they head south, these excursions have the opportunity to visit the same islands as offshore trips.

Usually, the areas targeted by sevento nine-day trips are Alijos Rocks and The Ridge, and the more northerly spots can be visited during the trip going down and then back up. Most trips that run before Nov. 1 are also variety trips.

SPECIES AVAILABLE

10 to 14 days Usually run in the winter, these trips usually target only two species: yellowfin tuna and wahoo. There is also heavy emphasis on looking for yellowfin tuna that are over 100 pounds, and sometimes over 300 pounds. When the big tuna are outside of Magdalena Bay, sometimes from November to January, they can be targeted on 10day trips, but the longer 14-day ex-

The author shows off one of many trophies you can score on a long-range Pacific Ocean trip from Southern California’s sport landings. (STEVE CARSON)

cursions allow more time for running further south to the Hurricane Bank

Although hundreds of species are available in long-range waters, the majority or fishing effort is most often centered on tuna and yellowtail.

Wahoo and larger yellowfin tuna are the primary targets of longer trips.

The further south you go, the larger the yellowfin that are available, with fish running from 15 all the way to 400 pounds. Most long-rangers hope to catch a tuna over 100 pounds, with the 200-pounders, known as “cows,” being valued most. Wahoo are rarely caught aboard trips of seven days, although strong El Niño’s may change that. The speedsters usually run from 20 to 90 pounds.

Bluefin tuna have replaced albacore in the early summer for the

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FISHING past five years, but one species or the other should be within range of the shorter trips from June to early September. Albacore are usually in the 12- to 30-pound range, with the bluefin varying from 12 to over 100 pounds.

Dozens of species are common, depending on location and time of year: dorado, calico bass, white sea bass, rockfish, pargo, grouper, amberjack, rainbow runners, and striped marlin.

LANDINGS The San Diego municipal sportfishing landings operating long-range boats depart from Point Loma on San Diego Bay, only a few minutes from the San Diego airport. Some shorter trips are also run out of Mission Bay. Fisherman’s Landing (619-221-8500), Point Loma Sportfishing 619-223-1627), H&M Landing (619-222-1144), Seaforth Sportfishing Mission Bay (619224-3383) are options.

EL NIÑO 2014: THE FINAL WORD FISH HANDLING The fish are stored below decks, with most vessels using a refrigerated sea water tank, which yields fish that are “sushi-bar fresh.” Upon returning to San Diego, anglers may immediately exchange their catch for canned tuna or make arrangements to have their fish filleted and freezer-wrapped, smoked, or made into jerky.

72 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

It does not seem possible, but the 2014 El Niño catches just will not stop. Even the legendary monster El Niños of 1959 and 1983 petered out by late November, but the 2014 version is like the Energizer Bunny.

Well into the second week of December, boats were still scoring hundreds of yellowfin tuna, along with a few bluefin tuna and yellowtail in California waters at the Cortez Bank

and Tanner Bank. What’s more, yet another exotic visitor from the tropics was landed by a boat out of Long Beach, a shortbill spearfish, which is a small cousin of striped marlin.

Just think, at least some of this will be happening again this year!

Editor’s note: Contact the author at scarson@sunset.net.

R.I.P., MARIO GHIO

Every long-range angler for the past two decades would immediately recognize Mario Ghio, owner of Mario’s Sportsmen’s Seafood and a dockside icon who unerringly met the arriving boats, offering his professional fish-processing services. A true gentleman and friend to anglers, his family has been in the fishing industry for four generations. Mario passed away in early December. He’ll be missed. -CS

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FISHING

BON-ITO APPETIT! HOW TO SPARK A FEEDING FRENZY OFF SOCAL COAST

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

SAN DIEGO—Southern California waters are still a little warmer than normal, but storms are slowly cooling them down.

Fishing at the kelpbeds has gone from working inside the kellp for bass to moving just outside the beds for bonito action. Even a few peanut yellowtail are still being taken – a bonus for the barbeque. Anglers are excited and finding fun light-tackle fishing for these scrappy fish.

The bonito have been fairly thick and easy picking for the last few months, and this fishing should continue for a few more. Bonito can be located by slow-trolling a sardine along the front of visible kelpbeds.

Nose-hook a bait and let it out behind the boat, running in gear just enough to move along on impulse power, as slowly as possible. Once you get a hook-up, throw bait every so often to keep the school around the boat. Doing so can create nonstop action.

The bonito can also be taken trolling hard baits that look like anchovies or sardines – the Rebel Minnow, Rattling Rogue, or Rapala all work well. It’s the same trick: troll along the face of the visible kelp off the larger beds.

There are so many ways to have fun with the bonito. Once the first person gets a strike, whether a hit on bait or on the troll, someone needs to throw out some bait to get

Light tackle and anchovytype lures will score bonito this winter off the Southern California coast. A key is keeping schools of fish around your boat. (BILL SCHAEFER)

the entire bonito school in a feeding frenzy around the boat. Sometimes, agreeing on who will throw the bait beforehand is best, as most anglers just start fishing and lose the school.

Once the school is around the boat to stay, then anglers can fish with bait or throw chrome spoons, iron, or trolling lures to score.

Most of the bonito are only in the 2- to 4-pound range, but they can put up quite a battle on light tackle.

Some even larger fish can be mixed in as well.

Spinning or casting gear in the me-

dium range, such as 10- to 20-pound test, will do, but maybe go a little heavier for your chrome spoons or jigs. Bonito are a little toothy, so keep checking your line and knots for cuts.

Bonito are a blast on the fly rod as well, so if that’s your fancy, an 8-weight rod with floating or slow-sinking line should be perfect.

A Clouser fly is my favorite, but any type of glittery streamer fly will work.

When bonito are in a feeding frenzy almost anything will make them strike. Then, all you have to do is just hold on! CS JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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FISHING The Smith River is one of the last undammed rivers in the state and doesn’t allow motorized boats on much of its 25-mile route through Del Norte County. It can also be a prime steelhead fishery. (PG HOLBROOK/WIKIMEDIA)

STEELHEAD OF THE SMITH DEL NORTE COUNTY RIVER EXPECTED TO PRODUCE WINTER FISH

By Luke Kelly

T

he Smith River has a lot to offer. It is unique in the fact that it is one of the last undammed rivers in the state of California.

With no motors allowed on over 90 percent of the river, it provides quiet and undisturbed views of the

Redwood National Forest. But for those of us who love to fish, perhaps the best thing the river can offer us is the exceptional opportunity to catch steelhead in January, February and March.

“The Smith River, for steelhead, is going to pick up in mid-December, and it is going to be very strong,”

says Kevin Brock (800-995-5543; fishkevinbrock.com), a professional guide widely recognized for his expertise in fishing Northern California’s rivers, the Smith among them.

“This year the fishing will be really good; we have plenty of water,” he says, noting that last season was very strong as well. “It’s catch-and-release JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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FISHING

Smith River guide Kevin Brock hoists one of the fishery’s trophy steelhead. The water level looks good and there appears to be an abundance of steelhead making their way through the Smith. “It’s going to be rocking and rolling,” Brock says. (FISHKEVINBROCK.COM)

78 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

for all wild fish, and there’s lots of fish in the system.”

Once the steelhead run gains momentum in mid-December, says Brock, “it’s going to be rocking and rolling.” The steelhead fishing generally remains solid well into March.

“We usually get between 60 to 90 days, depending on the weather and the season,” Brock says. “I think we only had three skunk days last year, so for steelhead fishing, there’s fish consistent through the whole system.”

In January, an angler can expect the excitement and high volume of fish that come with a fresh run in cooler waters. The waters will warm up a bit in February, but the fishing generally stays consistent. “It goes into March really well too, and we get a lot of post-spawn fish,” says Brock.

The recent rains in California will have a positive effect on the steelhead fishing because it brings them up from the ocean and into the rivers

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FISHING and tributaries. “It triggers them to come up,” explains Brock. “They’re all out in the ocean waiting to come up, and they’re waiting for the rain so that they can come spawn.”

The absence of dams on the Smith allows wild steelhead to access much more spawning habitat than other streams. “They pile upriver and get away from the seals and everything else, and they spawn in all the tributaries,” says Brock. This results in

better steelhead fishing overall.

As for the best methods for catching steelhead this winter on the Smith, Brock says without pause that side-drifting is the “number one” technique that anglers should employ.

“There’s a lot of fish caught on Hot Shots and things like that too,” he says. “Back-trolling plugs works really well at times when people aren’t side-drifting.”

Brock points out that you can

HUMBOLDT STEELHEAD DAYS It’s back! Humboldt Steelhead Days returns this month to the Mad River area of Humboldt County. The highlight of this two-week event is a steelhead fishing derby on the Mad and Eel Rivers. The event ranges at the Mad River Hatchery in Blue Lake (catch-and-keep) to the Eel River (catch-and-release only) around Highway 101 to Leggett.

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The steelhead contest begins on Jan. 26, the morning after a kickoff party at the Mad River Brewing Company. The fishing derby will close out at 5 p.m. on Feb. 7. Mad River awards will be given for the biggest and second biggest steelhead caught, plus the first and last steelhead caught throughout the duration of the event.

go back behind all of the people side-drifting and catch a fish on a plug now and then.

Many people also choose to fish from the banks of the Smith as well.

These anglers tend to use roe and spinners when the water level is right.

Whatever method you choose to catch steelhead, all early indications suggest that the Smith should be a good bet from January through March. CS

Since the Eel River is a catch-and-release fishery, anglers should photograph their catches with quick releases, then send their pictures via social media with the hashtag #HumboldtSteelheadDays.

Cost to enter is $25 and includes membership to the Mad River Alliance and entry to the awards dinner on Feb. 7.

For more detailed information on the event and where the fishing locations will be, go to madriveralliance.com. -CS

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FISHING

AN ALL-AMERICAN AGAIN? THANKS TO FALL RAINS, WINTER STEELHEAD PROSPECTS LOOK GOOD ON THE SACRAMENTO-AREA RIVER

By Luke Kelly

Winter steelheading on the American River should bounce back from last winter, when low levels led to a closure of the fishery. (JD RICHEY)

SACRAMENTO—The American River flows right through the sprawl of Sacramento, but don’t let that fool you.

The river is an oasis, allowing a respite from fast-paced city life, but more importantly, it is an excellent destination for winter steelhead.

Anglers should be eager to hit the American in the coming months, because the region’s recent precipitation has caused a bit of a spike in water levels, setting the stage for a stronger run than last winter.

If there’s anybody who knows the rivers of Northern California, it’s guide JD Richey (916-552-1554; thesportfisher.com). Richey guides full time and is a nationally known outdoor author. He also runs an online magazine, Fish with JD, to provide anglers with enough “interesting content to make them hopelessly unproductive at work.” The seasoned guide’s positive outlook for steelhead fishing on the American in 2015 should only add to that reputation.

While fish have been trickling into the American since last fall, “the upper half of the river opens on January 1st, and so that’s really the kickoff,” notes Richey. From the opener, the run tends to be especially strong for all of January and into February.

Although it is difficult to predict the strength of a fishery for any given year, signs so far are promising.

“Even though we’ve been in a drought for the last three years, we’ve got a record December going, water-wise,” says Richey. “So that is going to help us out. I expect the river will still be low, because the reservoir [Folsom Lake] has to fill up JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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FISHING JD Richey with an American River steelhead, which average between 6 and 8 pounds. Side-drifting eggs and back-trolling plugs are favored tactics on the NorCal stream near Sacramento. (JD RICHEY)

before it lets water down the river. It won’t be a real high-water year, but it should be fishable all winter.”

This is favorable in comparison to last year’s season, when extremely low water levels spoiled the fishing for steelhead enthusiasts.

“Last year they ended up closing the river because of the drought midway through the season,” recalls

Richey. He points out that the year before last, the steelhead fishing was “phenomenal,” and while reiterating the fact that it’s hard to say exactly how action will be this winter, he believes the signs are pointing in the right direction.

“The rain can’t hurt anything, and right now the water’s got a little murk to it, and the reservoir’s probably going to be muddy, so that should put some color into the water,” says Richey.

He explains that any time the water isn’t crystal clear, you have a better chance of catching steelhead.

“The fish are much less prone to be spooked when the water’s (murky),” Richey says. “You always want a little bit of color to your water when

you’re steelhead fishing.”

As far as lures and techniques that tend to produce fish on the American in winter, Richey recommends side-drifting with eggs and back-trolling plugs. If you’re fishing from the bank, Richey points out that “the guys do a lot of drifting with nightcrawlers and eggs, and throwing spinners.”

“The fish are going to be 6 to 8 pounds on average,” he estimates.

Richey notes that a No. 4 Blue Fox works particularly well, and reminds anglers that state law requires that every lure used on the upper half of the river be barbless.

If you live near the American, give it a fresh chance this winter.

“It’s a decent river,” says Richey.

“Its real highlight is that it’s right in an urban area, so it gives people the chance to go from these major metropolitan areas like Sacramento, to catch steelhead without having to drive a long way.” CS

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FISHING

FROM FIELD:

SOLVING THIS JIGSAW PUZZLE

The author caught this steelhead on a sunrise pattern Maxi Jig. Note the dropper coming from the jig, which has a Corky on the other end.

The author credits the jig’s increased movement, thanks to the addition of a trailing Corky, for fooling this fish. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

TRICKING WINTER STEELHEAD FROM THE BOTTOM

By Scott Haugen

F

ishing legend Buzz Ramsey knows I’ve been a steelhead jig fishing fanatic for many years, and when he told me of a spinoff to this approach, he caught my attention.

The following setup can be applied to any jig fishing setup, be it on a sliding or fixed float; everything stays the same – the only difference is the addition of a second hook with a bare Lil’ Cork:

TYPICALLY, A JIG is fished 1 or 2 feet off the bottom. Surprisingly, when marabou jigs drift downstream beneath a float, they are very streamlined. The action of the float on the surface will cause the jig to move around a bit, but usually there’s little undulation.

Enter the Corky on a dropper.

The setup is simple and consists

of tying an 18- to 24-inch leader directly to the jig. For steelhead fishing in heavy, turbid water, I pretie my leader to a size 1/0 hook and peg a size 10 Corky an inch or two above the hook. In clear, gentler water, I’ll downsize to a size 1 hook, topped with a size 12 Corky. It’s important to keep the Corky pegged in place with a round toothpick so it doesn’t float up and down the leader. Some anglers who’ve used this setup with success prefer a red colored hook, but I’ve also caught fish on dark colored hooks as well as silver. Since Corkies float, it’s important to compensate for their buoyancy by using a hook that’s large enough to drift below the jig, one that will keep the Corky close to or even occasionally ticking the bottom.

When tying the other end of the leader to the jig, tie it to the bend in the hook. From there, snug the knot and slide it up the shank of the hook toward the jig head. This allows the jig to run in a position horizontal to the bottom.

As the Corky trails below, it will

be tossed around in currents and periodically bounce off of the bottom.

By pegging the Corky a couple inches above the hook, it keeps the point of the hook from coming in contact with the bottom and hanging up.

The buoyancy of the floating Corky is wherein the value of this presentation lies, as other, nonbuoyant presentations like beads and egg imitations can sink and cause hangups. In bedrock-strewn rivers and where excess debris may be collected on the bottom, I’ve had good results in preventing hangups by slipping a foam ball onto the hook.

Slip the foam ball just beyond the barb so it keeps the point of the hook facing upwards as it drifts downstream. From there, fish the setup as you would a regular jig.

What makes this approach so effective is the added coloration and movement. When Ramsey first told me about it, he shared how many anglers were reportedly doubling their normal catches. Many fish were being hooked on the Corky, fish that may JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

87

FISHING not have otherwise responded to the jig.

THE FIRST TIME I fished the Corky dropper beneath a jig, I was surprised and impressed. A buddy and I side-drifted yarn balls through a steelhead hole – multiple times – without a strike. Then we broke out the jig rods.

We made three passes through the same 100 yards of water without a takedown. The river was low and clear and we felt confident fish were holding there; we just couldn’t get them to bite. On the next pass, we added the Corky dropper to our jig setups.

Halfway through the same section of water we’d been fishing, my buddy’s jig got hammered. The next pass, I landed a nice fish. The pass after that, we landed our third fish. Remember, all three of these steelhead came from water we’d just fished with two other approaches.

What surprised me was that each fish we caught was hooked on the jig, not the Corky. No doubt, the addition of the Corky resulted in increased jig movement, something the steelhead couldn’t resist. Later, we did end up catching a couple fish on the trailing Corky.

Tying a dropper directly to your jig, then pegging a Corky above a bare hook, is a great attention-getter. Not only does the Corky add color to the presentation, it creates great jig movement, something fish can’t resist. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

The addition of a Corky to a jig is a testimony to how changing one component to an already proven technique can boost catch rates, and any time that happens, anglers are happy. CS Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, Bank Fishing For Steelhead & Salmon, send a check for $17 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com.

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FISHING

TO FIRE

YOU CAN HAVE YOUR CAKE . . .

By Tiffany Haugen

W

inter steelhead is a mild meat and it nicely takes on the flavors of what it’s cooked with.

While this recipe tastes great with a fresh fish, even if you have a whole steelhead in the freezer, it will turn out great.

This recipe was a discovery from leftover crab cake filling; now when making crab cakes, I always make enough for stuffing fish the next day.

Crab Stuffed Steelhead 1 whole steelhead (6 to 8 pounds) 1 egg ½ cup mayonnaise 1 teaspoon dry mustard Juice from 1 lemon ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley ¼ cup chopped fresh basil ¼ cup chopped green onion or chives 1 cup breadcrumbs ½ to 1 cup shelled crab meat The steelhead can be simply stuffed whole or the bones can be removed prior 90 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

to cooking.* Place fish on a large sheet of aluminum foil. In a medium bowl, mix remaining ingredients. Place stuffing mixture in the cavity of the fish. Seal fish in foil and place on a preheated grill. Grill on medium-low heat for 20 to 30 minutes or until fish tests done (140 degrees). Or bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees, leaving 10 minutes per inch of thickness, including stuffing. *To remove the bones from an already gutted steelhead prior to cooking, place it on its back. From the inside of the fish, cut the ribs where they attach on to the spine.

Sever the ribs on both sides of the backbone, continuing through the pin bones but taking special care not to cut through the skin. Cut through the spine at the base of the head and at the base of tail, and then pull the entire spine out.

Next, carefully fillet the rib bones away from the meat, leaving all the meat you can on the fish. Trim excessive fat and fins off the belly of the fish. To remove the pin bones, find them by running your fingers

The author says a nice whole steelhead makes a great dish when combined with leftover filling used to make crab cakes. (TIFFANY HAUGEN) from head to tail. This will get the bones standing up, which makes them easy to remove with a small set of pliers or special tweezers. You now have a boned steelhead.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular cookbook, Cooking Salmon & Steelhead, send a check for $25 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or visit tiffanyhaugen.com.

JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

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FISHING

RETURNING TO WINTER WATERS STEELHEADING IS A RITE OF PASSAGE

By Jeff Lund

I

t’s finally here.

They might not be, but it’s that time of the year that you won’t know for sure unless you go.

Special care is put into assembling

the suit because you’re a steelheader now. The warm days of summer salmon are over. You dressed warm during hunting season, but you weren’t standing in water in the dead of winter. This is a different program.

The socks are wool – high-quality

wool that will stay put, stay warm and isn’t so thick as to cause crowding in the boots. The boots might be new along with the waders. If not, the holes better be patched because cold water is colder when you have time to notice it. And anyone

California anglers flock to iconic Northern California rivers like the Klamath each winter to get in on the obsession known as steelheading. (USFWS)

JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

93

FISHING When you land a hard-fighting steelhead, you only have a few seconds to admire and then release your trophy. (JEFF LUND)

who has fished for winter steelhead knows all about time.

The excitement of being out slowly wanes after a little while. The initial focus is numbed. You tricked yourself into believing that by being the only, and probably the first, one out there, there was a good chance that there was a chrome hen waiting to be caught. But when that doesn’t happen after the first cast, the first 15 minutes, the first half-hour, the first hour – eventually, the cold becomes more palpable. You were hoping to get lucky. As much as you know and are willing to put in the time, it sure would be nice if you didn’t have to.

You cast and watch your warm breath get overwhelmed by the sharpness of the heatless air.

Then, on an otherwise unremarkable cast to a spot that doesn’t look 94 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

There’s something about winter in one of Northern California’s coastal rivers and casting for steelhead.

Whether it’s the Klamath, Mad, Eel or others, it’s a time to rejoice– and stay dry when it rains. (JEFF LUND)

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The author looks forward to the colder weather, the repetition of cast after cast without a fish and then the rare moments of success, that define steelhead season. (JEFF LUND)

any fishier than the others, comes the tink. Was it bottom? You didn’t hit a rock on the previous swing, so why would there have been that disruption on its path that time? Frozen guide? You cast again. Nothing happens. Maybe it was on a different line. You try to replicate the cast you made two casts ago which is starting to fade into memory. Three casts. Four casts. Seven casts. By cast No. 11, you’re sure that one of them had to replicate the one that hit the rock you now know is a fish.

That was your chance. If you were going to get one pull the entire day, this was it. The hot girl let down her guard for a second, but you asked her for directions to the bathroom rather than her heart.

So you continue to move downriver, maybe a little more careless and sloppy than before. The pressure is off. The chance has passed.

You’re back to the routine when the line stops, then runs. Fish on.

You wonder what you did but don’t have time to analyze because the excited panic sets in.

It’s all happening. It’s now. A month ago you were hunting for deer. You walked for hours, saw one and it was over in a matter seconds. This is taking minutes. There is a fight you feel in your body, not a pull you feel in your finger. You for96 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

got what this felt like and all you can think to do is focus and keep tension.

Nothing is cold anymore; you feel your way over rocks downriver and toward shore in those clumsy boots.

You hadn’t planned a place to land it because it seemed a little presumptuous to do so, as if calling your shot.

The fish leaves the water; it’s heavy and mean below the surface, then it’s running. It works through a variety of tactics, but you’re still connected. The line comes in slowly. Then it leaves. Back in, back out, more in. You’re gaining. The fish doesn’t break, but it does tire. The first grab around the tail is rejected sternly and the swish of its tail sends icy water up your sleeve. You don’t care, at least not yet. You get the line back, reach for the tail and it lets you. You drop the rod, turn the fish on its side and stare at its flanks.

You caught fish during the summer because there were so many around.

You were just hoping for one chance at one fish today; luckily, you got two.

As overwhelmed as you were by the tussle, you know that it can’t stay half-submerged on this sandbar for long. You wanted to catch it, not kill it. So as much as you want to admire it, you only deprive it of water for a few moments, or however long it takes to document the moment digi-

JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

97

Another season is at hand for those of us obsessed with winter steelhead. (JEFF LUND)

SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Visti Us Online calsportsmanmag.com 98 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

tally. You let it slide from your grasp, feeling the slickness as it leaves you.

You follow it move swiftly.

It slows, puts its snout into the current and then becomes part of the river. You keep staring right at it, but can no longer see it.

You haven’t thought about being cold for a long time. Rather than go right back to fishing, you stand for a few minutes or even find a log to sit on. You’re still alone – the only person out, maybe the first one out.

This moment doesn’t happen often.

You catch steelhead, but that first winter fish is always special. You’re a year older, but you’re still at it.

You hope every winter starts like this. If it does, you’ll forever feel like you’re living, not just breathing.CS

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FISHING

A DELTA STRIPER FORCE FISH SHOULD BE HEADING UPSTREAM IN THE SACRAMENTO RIVER

The Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta has been a popular destination early in the winter to catch solid numbers of striped bass. (MSJ GUIDE SERVICE)

By Chris Cocoles

W

hile Sacramento area anglers await movement of striped bass to head up towards the state’s capital city area,

there are lots of fish a little further downstream in the Delta.

Recent rainfall should help the water levels of the Sacramento River system upstream, providing more fish as January moves along.

“We’re all happy, and this is going to be make a huge surge for the Sacramento River, which should pull possibly some striped bass and also some sturgeon up from San Pablo Bay to bring fish into the system,” JANUARY 2015 California Sportsman

101

FISHING says Manuel Saldana Jr. of MSJ Guide Service (530-301-7455; msjguideservice.com). “So everyone’s kind of excited that we’ll be fishing more in Sacramento by the end of January.”

In the interim, guides such as Saldana have traveled a little more out of the area to chase stripers and, at some point, sturgeon. The water temperature around the Delta was staying relatively warm at around 58 degrees, which Saldana referred to as “striped bass water. It the water remains warm and the bass stay there, I’ll just continue on with striped bass.”

Some of the best fishing action has been around Rio Vista, south of the bridge off Highway 12 down to Decker Island. On the north side of Rio Vista Bridge, Saldana likes to fish Cache Slough where it meets Liberty Island.

“I’m staying anywhere from the shallows into some of the deep-water channels,” Saldana says.

102 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

As for techniques, anglers should be prepared for a little bit of everything, including casting live mudsuckers in deeper water, trolling with various lures, and Saldana’s preferred method of casting Optimum Baits in shallow water. The lures are usually 5 inches in length and scented with Pro-Cure gel.

It’s important for anglers to look for moving from deep to shallow water and vice versa, and structure in the water is important to finding stripers.

“I’ll start casting to the banks and toward willows and other trees and weedlines,” Saldana says. “Any kind of shelf is what I’m looking for; because the fish will always try to retreat into deeper water when they come to feed. No matter what they’re going to feed on, typically they’ll push it into the shallows and to the bank, where they have more room to ambush their prey.”

Have all the possible setups in

Various techniques will trigger striper bites, including fishing live bait like mudsuckers, trolling lures and throwing swimbaits in shallow water. (MSJ GUIDE SERVICE)

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103

FISHING These stripers were caught on the San Joaquin River right around the Antioch Bridge with 5-inch Optimum Swimbaits. (MSJ GUIDE SERVICE)

I.S.E. SHOW HEADS TO SACTOWN Convention season is here, when fishing guides, tackle shops, resorts and dealers will show off their shiny new toys for sportsmen and –women throughout the West. One of the first stops on the California circuit is in Sacramento for the International Sportsman’s Exposition, Jan. 8-11 at Cal Expo.

Among the new exhibits is the Outdoor Product Showcase, featuring regular California Sportsman contributors Scott and Tiffany Haugen. An Eastman’s trophy deer display is also among the new features, along with a kayak theater, the Best-of-the-West

your tackle box if possible, as fish will scatter throughout the water.

“I’ll change up if the live bait turns on for a while, especially on the tide.

That’s definitely a tide fishery there,” Saldana says. “On the high tide, if they’re chomping I’ll start off with

elk-calling contest that features world champ Corey Jacobsen, and the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Great Elk Tour.

Returning staples include the fly-casting pond, the sporting dog arena and the archery range. Around 600 exhibitors are expected.

Tickets cost $15 for adults and anyone under 16 is admitted free. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Go to sportsexpos.com or call (800) 5456100 for more information. -CS

the live bait. Then, when it gets slack tide, I’ll try to create a reaction bite.

That’s when I’ll troll. I’m going to take this lure and run it by their faces, irritate and get them to bite it. On the ingoing and outgoing tide we’ll try the swimbaits.” CS

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Sierra Motor Sports 2121 Nevada City Hwy Grass Valley, CA 95945 (530) 273-1384 www.sierramotorsports.com honda.com UTILITY ATVs ARE RECOMMENDED ONLY FOR RIDERS 16 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER. ATVs CAN BE HAZARDOUS TO OPERATE. FOR YOUR SAFETY, BE RESPONSIBLE. READ THE OWNER’S MANUAL. ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET, EYE PROTECTION AND PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. BE CAREFUL ON DIFFICULT TERRAIN. ALL ATV RIDERS SHOULD TAKE A TRAINING COURSE (FREE FOR NEW BUYERS. ASK YOUR DEALER OR CALL ASI AT 800-887-2887). NEVER RIDE UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL, ON PAVED SURFACES, ON PUBLIC ROADS, WITH PASSENGERS, OR AT EXCESSIVE SPEEDS. NO STUNT RIDING. RESPECT THE ENVIRONMENT WHEN RIDING. FourTrax®, Rancher®, and Foreman® are registered trademarks of Honda Motor Co., Ltd. 2012

106 California Sportsman JANUARY 2015

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FISHING

These custom-made lures include one chrome crappie and one yellow perch. Lure designer Eric McIntire didn’t even name the others that were ordered specially by customers. Your imagination can run wild with these items. (ERIC MCINTIRE/FISHHEAD CUSTOM LURES)

GETTING THROUGH CUSTOMS CUSTOM-BUILT LURES ARE AN OPTION FOR FISHING FANATICS

By Mike Stevens

F

ishermen have been tweaking and customizing lures for as long as there have been lures.

From taking a red Sharpie to a lure, to dipping it in glow-in-the-dark dye or even getting brave with the wife’s nail polish, modifying the appearance of a fishing lure is just another outlet satisfying a man’s genetic need to tinker.

In recent years, production lures have become increasingly more realistic. Decades ago, lure companies would have colors like “shad” and “crawfish” and the exotic “black and gold.” These days, companies can have 10 different shad patterns alone, and as many crawfish, and so many other color combinations that the Bass Pro Shops master catalog now directs you to their website to

see the entire list of available colors rather than list them all in print.

They are also getting more expensive, and sometimes, your favorites get discontinued, turning you into a

raving, bait-hoarding lunatic.

Recently, I have noticed a trend in the lure world that is changing the game in terms of getting the right type of lure in the perfect color for

FishHead Custom Lures designer Eric McIntire calls this customized reel the Dorado Curado. You can order custom lures on various Facebook pages and eBay. (ERIC MCINTIRE/FISHHEAD CUSTOM LURES)

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FISHING specific regions, or even, specific bodies of water. Custom lure building, and more specifically, painting, has become “a thing,” and I don’t mean to the tune of grandpa whittling topwater lures on the porch and painting them flat white with a red head.

What I am talking about is this: individuals turning “blank” (prepainted) lure bodies into ultraspecific patterns via an airbrush, and selling them – for our purposes – on the Internet.

SURF ON OVER to Facebook and search for the group, “Bass Baits Buy and Barter,” and check out what I am talking about. The first thing you will see are the basic rules: as a bait maker/seller, you are allowed two auctions in a 24-hour period, and up to five fixed-price sales per day.

Scroll down the wall below that, and you will see post after post of custom luremongers peddling their wares and the terms of their particular auction. There’s a short description of the lure – with a photo – something along the lines of, “Bidding starts at $1, increase bid in $1, PayPal only, shipping is $5, etc.” Then, bidders have at it by entering their bid as a comment under the post, and they’re off and running.

Oh, and at the time of this writing, there were 27,239 members of the group. And that is just one

such group on Facebook. This kind of thing is also happening on eBay, although it seems as though buyers and sellers are gravitating more toward the Facebook version.

Eric McIntire of San Diego-based FishHead Custom Lures (facebook. com/fishheadcustomlures; Instagram: @fishhead15) focuses on custom airbrush jobs on hard baits (there are guys in the group that sell other types of lures, too) and mainly sells them in the Bass Bait Buy and Barter Facebook group.

Basically, he buys blank lures from about four different suppliers after he decided they had the best stuff. McIntire will tape off the diving bill (if it has one), put down a white basecoat, and create the desired pattern utilizing stencils, mesh, and even freehand. Once it is painted, he will apply a clearcoat, then place it on a homemade “drying wheel” for 30 minutes and then let it sit overnight.

After a final inspection of that process, he will add quality split rings and VMC hooks, and it’s ready to sell, auction, or fish with. Typically, his lures will sell for $7 to $17 in an auction, or at a flat rate to someone who might have come up short in the auction, but still wants one – or often times, many – in that particular pattern.

As for the patterns, you could probably imagine how many different things people want out there, but a lot of the time, it comes down to realistic reproductions of actual stuff the fish are eating.

“I have been trying to match forage baits; I really wanted to get bluegill and crappie patterns down first.

I want to be as realistic as possible,” said McIntire. “One guy wanted 10 rattle baits painted in a Tennessee shad pattern. He sent me a photo, and I matched it. Another guy wanted 22 crawdad patterns. I spent a lot of time getting that one dialed in for him, and when I did, he was happy with it.”

To speak of their effectiveness, the proof is already in the proverbial pudding.

“The Tennessee shad patterns were for a tournament guy back East: those patterns have led to 40-pluspound limits on one particular lake,” McIntire added. “The craw patterns were for another tourney guy, and he wanted me to match the crawdads on his lakes in Oklahoma.”

While most FishHead Custom Lures available in the Facebook group are for bass, as a San Diego native McIntire has experimented with lures to use for local inshore, bay, and surf situations as well. These include jerkbaits that are dead ringAfter purchasing quality lure blanks, custom lure makers apply a white basecoat over which they use stencils, mesh or their own hand to create realistic patterns – this one is a mullet Lunker Punker – then they apply a final clear coat. (ERIC MCINTIRE/FISHHEAD CUSTOM LURES)

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FISHING Custom lures are designed to mimic everything from your favorite baseball, football or hockey team, or, in this case, making your refrigerator magnets suitable for casting into a lake. (ERIC MCINTIRE/FISHHEAD CUSTOM LURES)

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ers for local smelt, and a big topwater Lunker Punker painted to look like a mullet to a big San Diego Bay halibut or shortfin corbina.

I personally had McIntire paint a Berkley Flicker Shad to look like the Sacramento perch from Crowley Lake, because even though Rapala and other companies’ perch patterns work there, the perch that they are imitating look nothing like the Sierra fish. A lure manufacturer who tried to replicate it would die on the vine if they did, because the dull, boring coloration on a Sac perch would never catch the eye of an angler weeding through lures in a tackle shop.

Naturally, requests for custom lures that will never see the water also come in. McIntire has made lures honoring favorite sports teams, crankbaits that look like big offshore fish like yellowfin tuna or yellowtail to commemorate someone’s first catch of each species.

And he does plenty of Nemos. CS

BEST OF LAKE ISABELLA BEST of LAKE ISABELLA

Best of Lake Isabella Map

1.

Corral Creek Resort Kern River

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Lake Isabella

Lake Isabella

2.

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3.

Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce

www.kernrivervalley.com

4.

Lake Isabella KOA

www.lakeisabellakoa.com

5.

River Front Family Campground and RV Park www.campjames.net

6.

Rivernook Campground

www.myrivernook.com

7.

Sequoia Lodge

www.sequoialodge.net

See the map on this page for the loactions of these Lake Isabella businesses.

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FISHING

RIG THAT JIG WINTER MEANS GIANT SOCAL TROUT

Irvine Lake’s rainbows are among the targets for Southland anglers this winter. (CRAIG ADKINSON)

By Chris Cocoles

W

inter trout in Southern California lakes can be massive. Just ask Craig Adkinson, a veteran Orange County-based angler who swears by fishing jig setups this time of year.

Adkinson had a productive opener at the Santa Ana River Lakes in November, landing a 10-pound Mt. Lassen-strain rainbow on chartreuse and white Mijos Minnow jig. He hopes for many more big fish to come into 2015.

There are no shortage of options for Southland anglers to dip a line with the prospects of pulling out monster rainbows and browns. Santa Ana River Lakes and Irvine Lake are convenient locations for Adkinson, who lives in the city of Orange. Toward the Inland Empire, try Yucaipa Regional Park and Corona Lake; Adkinson also likes to hit up Jess Ranch Lakes near Hesperia and Lake Poway, northeast of San Diego.

But the common ground of wherever you choose to fish is finding good jig baits. One setup that will help you catch big trout on jigs include a dropshot rig.

“There’s a pencil weight on the bottom with a little loop on top,” Adkinson says of the dropshot presentation.

“The little pinch part (atop the weight) is made really simple to where all you do is stick the line through it and it will hold the line in place.”

Several variations on jigs and worms work well: Berkley Power worms, Shaun’s Smokin’ jigs, Sniper Baits, LGE worms, Lip Ripperz are all staples at Southern California lakes.

Craig Adkinson landed this 10-pound rainbow on a Mijos Minnow jig at Santa Ana River Lakes. Various crappie and mini jigs will catch Southland trout this winter. (CRAIG ADKINSON)

Some kind of garlic- or roe-flavored scent will add some flavor to the lure, and Adkinson likes to add one more appetizer to his setup.

“If you’re using a crappie jig or a tube jig – whatever you want to call it – one thing for certain is getting some jumbo mealworms, the ones they sell for (anglers who) fish for catfish. If you pin the opposite end of the worm on your jig, that mealworm moves around on there after you throw it out. So a lot of times it’ll get bit when it’s falling.”

The addition of a live worm tipped onto your hook only enhances jigs that already provide natural movement that drives fish crazy.

“They call it a reaction strike that you’re going for. For larger fish, they’re aggressive,” Adkinson says, “and though you’ll see big fish when guys throw out a nightcrawler and the occasional guy who will get lucky and catch a big one on PowerBait, but in

schools of fish there are a bunch of little ‘rats.’ But you want to throw a bait big enough so the rats can’t eat it and you won’t get kicked off the lake for catching too many fish too fast.”

The cast you make is only a fraction of the technique needed. How you retrieve your rig back is also crucial to enticing bites.

“When you throw out your jig – whether it’s a dropshot or Carolina rig – if you’re using a spinning rod and reel, take your index finger and put it on the top part where the cork or foam meets the blank of the rod,” Adkinson says.

“Continue to balance the rod to where it’s not moving crazy-style but just move consistently. And at the same time, barely move the handle really slowly. You want to make sure to keep your bait in the strike zone longer and keep it going so it’s shaking in front of the fish’s face.”

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FISHING Craig Adkinson’s collection of jigs and worms will work well this time of year. A key is letting your rig sink toward the bottom and then retrieved slowly through the strike zone. (CRAIG ADKINSON)

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Adkinson thinks it’s effective since the weight of the setup will begin to sink toward the bottom but the dropshot will remain suspended off the rocks. By turning the reel slowly it keeps the bait in the strike zone longer, but at the same time, irritating trout enough that they’ll often react to the presentation.

“But if you’ve thrown it out like 30 times one way and you’re retrieving it slowly and bouncing it and nothing’s happening, that’s when we start throwing it out, jerking it once and then letting it sit there for a second,” he says. “It’s what they call dead-sticking it. If that doesn’t work we’ll do what it’s called speed up and slow down – go super fast like it’s scared and then tone it down for a little bit. Lots of time that gets (trout) to react.”

Adkinson also likes to use a “rattle bobber” with his jigs for early-morning situations.

“That little bobber has lit-

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FISHING COMING SOON: ISABELLA TROUT DERBY Want some cash? Sign up for the Lake Isabella Trout derby, scheduled for March 28-30 at the Kern County Lake.

(KERN RIVER VALLEY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE)

tle shotgun shell BBs inside, and when you fish it, that thing rattles.

So you can have a crappie jig with a (5- to 8-foot leader) and you let that stay on the surface,” Ad-

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Don’t panic yet – you still have a few months to make your plans for one of California’s premier annual fishing events: the Lake Isabella Trout Derby. But time will fly by rather quickly.

Despite concerns about the lake’s water level from the ongoing drought, the 2014 derby was a successful one, with tagged fish worth $2,750 caught, including a $500 tag and two trout each worth $200. The longest fish caught measured 18 ⅛ inches, caught by Thomas Amaro of Oxnard.

The 2015 derby, the 26th overall, is scheduled to return from March 28-30 at the Kern County lake located east of Bakersfield. A guaranteed payout of $18,500 will go to contestants catching the longest trout, with cash prizes ranging from $5,000 for first, $4,000, $3,000 and $2,000 and $1,000 for ensuing longest trout caught.

This year’s entry fees are $30 per angler and a $65 family prize. For more information, contact the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce (760-379-5236; kernrivervalley.com). CS

kinson says. “In the mornings or evenings the fish come up to the surface feeding on baitfish. The bobber keeps the lure up top, and it makes noise.” CS

Editor’s note: Craig Adkinson is the on pro staff for Phenix Rods, Izorline line, Owner Hooks, Skinny Bear jigs, Sea Eagle Boats, Wiley X glasses, Bite-On scents and Cast Mate rod holders, among others.

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GET THE POWER OF THE PROS BEHIND YOU. Professional anglers know the right rig is key to tournament success, whether it’s getting to a hot spot before anyone else, or presenting a lure at just the right speed.

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FISHING

Heavy rains in drought-stricken California are again flooding the cover where bass like to congregate. (BILL SCHAEFER)

PULLING BASS, NOT WEEDS WITH LAKES NOW REFILLING, HERE’S A REFRESHER ON FISHING FLOODED COVER IN HEAVY COVER

By Bill Schaefer

SAN DIEGO—It’s a new year in more ways than one, and bass anglers will most likely find fish up in the shoreline weeds that grew during the drought. A couple of winter storms had already dumped some good rain, and more should be on the way well into 2015. With lakes rising, brush

will be in the water at most, and even if it’s only a few feet deep, the bass will head into the cover.

Baitfish will hide and feed along the shore, and the bass will follow their food. Brush can be a little hard on tackle and line. You should keep this in mind when readying your equipment for this season.

Make sure you go through your reels; lube them up, check the drags and change the drag washers, if necessary. You may need to go with some new line; one idea is to maybe put some strong braid on a reel or two. If you are attacking brush, you’ll want a strong abrasion-resistant line; Maxima and other lines tout this.

Again, a super line or braided line is also a good bet when around brush.

Sometimes the braid will just cut right through the fresh green brush when horsing that big one out.

Different shoreline cover can dictate the use of different lures. New tule growth can be attacked with a spinnerbait. Throw it as far back into the new tule cover as possible. Retrieving back through them, bouncing back and forth and off the young growth, will draw strikes. It’s a fun way to fish.

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FISHING might be attacked with a frog. And, of course, you can always throw a jig or worm in the middle of that mess. Yes, there is a bass in there; all they need is an inch of water over their back.

You might want to go with a little heavier rod and reel for this application. Maybe break out that flippin’ stick that has been collecting dust while all the tules have been 20 feet up on the shore. And as I suggested, go up in line size as well. The rains will have created a lot of brush to fish and you need to be prepared.

When the water rises, bass head into the shoreline cover. They build a new home there and they eat, sleep, and raise their family there. Don’t hesitate to invite yourself in. Don’t be afraid to throw that bait right into the fish’s living room window and wake him up. The battle, once you hook him and the excitement of the fight, will make you forget about the couple lures you might lose. CS

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Kelly Salmons admires a bass he pulled from newly flooded shoreline brush. Anglers who upsize their rods, reels and line can hook up with some big fish in the thick stuff. (BILL SCHAEFER)

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PRODUCT FEATURE THE SHAW BACKPACK DRILL www.backpackdrill.com The Shaw Backpack Drill, made by Shaw Tool of Yamhill, Ore., was invented by Neil

Shaw, patented and first marketed in 2000.

From its first offering, recreational prospectors have strongly embraced it. Sold as full kits, this small but powerful handheld tool has been upgraded many times since its first offering to increase its advantage over bigger drills. Strengths include: • Portability • Self-containment • Fast cutting rate • Ease of use Customers have used the Shaw Drill to sample rock in diverse circumstances: limestone beneath shallow coastal lagoon waters in Samoa; petroleum-bearing reservoir rock high in the Peruvian Andes; ruby-bearing schists near the Arctic coast of Greenland; copper- and uranium-bearing sandstone in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado; and gold-bearing granite for a Gold Rush TV episode that was filmed near Haines, Alaska.

2015 BOULTON SPORT FISHER www.boultonpowerboats.com Style, performance and fishability. The Boulton Sport Fisher addresses the most requested features high on every boat owner’s list: “Get me to the fish and back and give me a fun boat to use with the family when not fishing.”

Sleek looks with the 45-degree raked windshield, 30 inches of interior free-

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board, and a huge rear fish box – this boat says “catch ‘em” all over it. The 20-foot model, with a 175 hp Suzuki, has a top speed of over 50 mph. This type of performance is unique in the industry with a deep V bottom. So for fishing, skiing, or just plain cruising the Sport Fisher has what it takes.

Are you ready for a great fishing boat with something other than the fishing boat look? Then you are ready for the Sport Fisher.

2015 Sport Fisher Specifications • Hull center line length 20 feet • Beam 102 inches • Side height 30 inches • Dead rise 16 degrees • Bottom Thickness .190 inches • Bottom width 76.5 inches • Side thickness .125 inches • Approximate weight 1,500-2,200 pounds • Fuel Capacity 50 gallons • Suzuki 175 hp motor • Free board 30 inches 2015 Sport Fisher Standard Features • Limited lifetime hull warranty • Rod holder brackets on both sides • Two pro angler seats • Forward and rear handrails • Five quantity 6-inch cleats, four turning strakes • Bilge pump 1100 GHP • 50-gallon fuel tank • Water separating fuel filter • 36-inch bench seats with backs • Tandem axle trailer with tongue jack • Large bow storage with hatch lid • Canvas halftop, sides and drop curtain • Dual heavy-duty batteries • Dual windshield wipers • Fish box bow and transom • Electric horn, navigation lights • Step deck with locking storage

• Full side storage trays with trim lock • 12-volt power-point receptacle • Extended transom • Offshore bracket w/fairing • Vinyl over marine plywood floors • Glove box with locking lid and handle • Hydraulic steering and deluxe wheel • Forward walkthrough windshield with latch • 5/16 tinted safety windshield glass • Vinyl contrasting striping • Diamond plate trim package • Water separating fuel filter

HIPERFIRE www.hiperfire.com Hiperfire announces availability on its enhanced duty trigger, designed for law -enforcement department approvals, low-cost, high-performance OEM trigger upgrades, NRA-sponsored, long-range marksmanship competitions, home defense, etc.

The single-stage trigger is unique, sporting user-adjustable trigger weights of 4½ and 5½ or more pounds without compromising Mil-Spec hammer-fall energy.

And it locks up faster than stock triggers.

It’s still a Hipertouch fire control for the AR15 and derivative platforms, featuring only a hint of creep, a smooth, flat stroke that’s equally smooth, and very positive reset that users have come to appreciate.

MSRP is $89. Hiperfire has wholesale and OEM purchase programs. Visit hiperfire.com for more information.

Two more triggers will be introduced at SHOT Show 2015 (booth No. 3016).

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