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Sportsman

California

Emphasis on Quality Accent on Innovation

Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 6 • Issue 1 PUBLISHER James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles

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CONTRIBUTORS Nick Barr, Brittany Boddington, Steve Carson, Chris Collard, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Tim E. Hovey, Luke Kelly, Patrick Kittle, Greg Niemann, Albert Quackenbush, Bill Schaefer, Bob Semerau, Dave Workman SALES MANAGER Brian Lull ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES 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 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 On the cover Randy Belles and pal Charlie, a 5-month-old golden retriever/Irish setter mix, enjoyed a successful November outing last year, bagging these Pacific Flyway greenheads and honkers. Waterfowl season is now up and running throughout California. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)

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

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 6 • ISSUE 1

84 KAYAKING THE KLAMATH Respected writer Bob Semerau led a fishing party on a fall trip to one of Northern California’s gems, the Klamath River. Pedaling in kayaks and running the river in jet boats, the anglers cast flies and either side-drifted or back-bounced roe in search of king salmon and steelhead amid a gorgeous backdrop. (CHRIS COLLARD)

FEATURES 51

Looking For Fowl Weather

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 93

Longtime Northern California guide Kirk Portocarrero was encouraged when he saw some rain forecast in his hometown of Redding just a few days before the Balance of State Zone waterfowl season opener. Wet weather is not only badly needed in California, but it equals gold for waterfowl hunters.

Portocarrero provides some insight into how the season could play out.

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Urban Huntress We debut a new column this month with a familiar face. Los Angeles native Brittany Boddington, the subject of our October cover story, joins our writing team with her experience shooting with a new rifle on a Rocky Mountain goat hunt in British Columbia. There was a lot of climbing and some patience required before Boddington was in position to get her trophy.

Finding Trout In A Winter Wonderland Our Eastern Sierra beat writer, Mike Stevens, picks the brains of some of the region’s top guides and lure gurus who insist that some outstanding browns and rainbows can be taken in the chilly highcountry winter in places like Crowley Lake, the upper Owens River and Hot Creek.

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Wahoo On The Prowl The long-range winter season will have Southern California charter and private boats heading out to sea on the search for coveted table fare like tuna. But Steve Carson says not to overlook hard-fighting wahoo, which aren’t as massive as the Pacific Ocean tuna, but Carson calls them perhaps “the world’s most perfect game fish.”

Find out why.

13 15 25 29 37 38 42 55 57 73 81 103 111 115 125

The Editor’s Note Taking wounded vets fishing and hunting Holiday venison cooking ideas Tales of a biologist: a pot bust The Dishonor Roll Browning, Wright/McGill Photo Contest winners Pheasant fall preview Duck hunting opener recap From Field to Fire: Snow geese hunting SoCal Bowhunter: Optics 101 Proper hunting boots care Pros Joes: A bassing Aussie Top swimbaits for giant largemouth Topwater bassin’ in San Diego Yellowtail bite buzzing

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 tax. 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 © 2014 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 NOVEMBER 2014

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Rodgers operates a fleet of 15 top-of-the-line 24- to 28-foot covered Pursuits and Grady Whites. Their guides are second to none, and because of the generous limits, Rodgers will guarantee that you will catch lots of fish.

This will be the lodge’s 32nd year in the sportsfishing business, and their 2015 season opens May 15 and closes at the end of September. If you are interested in fishing for tuna, the season will run from August 23 to September 20.

Along with a custom vacuum-packing service, Rodgers offers direct flights from Seattle to their lodge. Check out some of the reviews that they have had on TripAdvisor. And for more, go to their home page at rodgersfishinglodge.com, give them a call at (800) 429-5288, or send an email to rodgersfishinglodge@yahoo.com.

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE

One of Randy Houston’s prized possessions in his office is a special American flag (top left) that was flown in Afghanistan. (PURPLE HEART ANGLERS) e all have souvenirs we’re proud of hanging on our walls. But my autographed picture of San Jose Sharks hockey player Joe Pavelski was a little less sentimental to me after my discussion with Randy Houston of Purple Heart Anglers.

As you’ll see in my story commemorating Veteran’s Day this month, Houston wanted to honor his now late brother, Jerry, a two-time Purple Heart medal winner who was wounded twice in Vietnam. Randy decided he wanted to do the simplest of gestures and establish a nonprofit, now known as Purple Heart Anglers, and take wounded veterans on fishing and hunting trips throughout California.

“I’m sitting here in my office, and up on the wall I have a plaque and an American flag that’s folded in a triangle. And that flag was presented to me three years ago. It was flown on a rescue mission and signed by the guys on the mission that recognizes what we do here. And that means a ton to me that these guys in Afghanistan heard about us,” Houston told me.

He also has a memento commemorating his induction to the California Outdoors Hall of Fame from a ceremony this year.

“I can stand here all day long and get an award recognizing for what I do. But without those people there, I would just be a guy sitting behind a desk looking at a computer. I have awards from when I was a kid for throwing a baseball. But the flag these guys sent me from Afghanistan – that’s cool.”

Randy Houston, like me, never considered taking a military career like his brother. He was a sports nut and thought he’d be a pro baseball player. He doesn’t “play well with others.” But he has dedicated his retired life to give back through fishing and hunting excursions.

“These guys tell me a lot, one of the things that happens when they’re out there doing what we do, for a brief period of time they have a feeling of just being normal,” he says.

Let’s face the truth: too many of us take our servicemen and –women for granted. We talk a good game and promise to make a difference. But I know I’m not the only one out there who doesn’t do enough to honor them. –Chris Cocoles

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HEALING SACRED WOUNDS Longtime hunter and angler Randy Houston, with his German shorthaired pointer, Pennie, wanted to do something for veterans for his older brother, Jerry, who earned two Purple Hearts for wounds in Vietnam and died in 2011. (PURPLE HEART ANGLERS)

INSPIRED BY A BROTHER’S VALOR, GIVING BACK TO VETERANS

By Chris Cocoles he ultimate goal is not about rehabilitation but recreation.

But Randy Houston is being too humble. His vision for creatingopportunities to take disabled veterans fishing and hunting has accomplished more than he will take credit for.

Houston started Purple Heart Anglers (purpleheartanglers.org) as a nonprofit organization intending for the simplest of gestures to thank those wounded in battle. Four years later, as he arranges fishing and hunting trips all over California (a group was funded to take a fishing trip to Alaska last summer), it’s become a healing place for American heroes to experience the joy of the outdoors.

Busloads of veterans from conflicts as recent as Afghanistan and as far back as World War II, and from organizations like the Veterans Home of California in Napa County’s Yountville, head to New Melones Reservoir and Camanche Lake to

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fish, or Camanche Hills Hunting Preserve in Ione to shoot pheasants.

“They show up and we go fish and then eat. We eat a lot of food,” Houston says with a laugh. “That’s become kind of our mantra: we hunt, fish and eat, don’t talk politics and we don’t do therapy. And that’s just the simplicity of it.”

RANDY HOUSTON GREW up on the San Mateo County coast in El Granada, south of San Francisco, where he dreamed of being a baseball player, not of combat. His older brother by almost 12 years, Jerry, wanted to be a solider and left home for the Army when Randy was just 7.

“I never really got to know him that well,” Randy Houston says. “When I got older, the attitude I had about him leaving home when I was kid had changed.

There was a time when my big brother wasn’t around. He was a soldier and I didn’t know what that was about when I was a kid.”

Jerry Houston went to Vietnam and was wounded twice starting in 1966, once from a sniper’s gunshot and, after going back, when a booby trap exploded. After losing some fingers and his body filled with shrapnel, he was award-

ed two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star for Valor.

In 2009, then 72-year-old Jerry was named the national Patriot of the Year by the Military Order of the Purple Heart and inducted into the Arizona Veterans Hall of Fame after he’d moved there. His younger brother attended the latter ceremony.

“I was looking at a man who was different from the one I knew,” Randy Houston says. “Over the years he had started using a cane and he was becoming a little weak. When I saw him walk into the (building) for the ceremony there was a taller, straighter and stronger man than I had seen before. And I realized that he was amongst his peers. And that’s what he was – he was military.”

It was an eye-opening experience for Randy, who never considered a military career, instead following in the footsteps of the boys’ carpenter-father, Elmer. Randy, 60 and around retirement at the time, thought about it and called his brother. He wanted to help Jerry’s peers, but he had no idea where to start and no contacts. Jerry had some answers.

The Houston’s were an outdoors-oriented family; Randy got his first hunting license at 9, hunting in pheasant NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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The most logical move to do his part for Jerry’s comrades hurt in action involved what he knew so well: fishing and hunting.

Purple Heart Anglers was founded under the umbrella of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, but a couple years later the organization became its own 501 (c) (3) nonprofit outfit. Houston says about 1,000 disabled veterans have participated on various outings over the last five years.

So impactful has this and other organizations around the country contributed to a better quality of life for veterans, in 2014, Randy Houston was inducted into the California Outdoors Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the International Sportsmen’s Expo in Sacramento.

Trips have included the aforementioned Ketchikan, Alaska, fishing adventure (money was donated to secure

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These twin brothers, Marine veterans, enjoyed a memorable day on the Sacramento Delta as part of a program that takes wounded warriors fishing and hunting all over California. (PURPLE HEART ANGLERS)

airfare for a small group, plus part of the lodging costs and fishing trip), deep-sea excursions off the California coast, salmon fishing in the Sacramento River and an upcoming trout trip to Lake Tulloch.

Houston says his organization always seeks funding from outside sources and is always willing to listen to corporations willing to provide sponsorship opportu-

nities to help with costs.

“Without the donations, it’s tough,” Houston says.

But he’s adamant about making sure Purple Heart Anglers is about the veterans, not he or anyone else behind the scenes. The only banner that currently flies during events is the group’s purple-themed logo featuring an outline

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Volunteers like fishing guides and food vendors have offered their time to host fishing trips and feed everyone at the end of the day. For pheasant hunting trips at Camanche Hills, Purple Heart Anglers supply the birds themselves, but the fee to hunt on the land gets waived by the owner (Houston’s beloved German shorthaired pointer, Pennie, “is our No. 1 pheasant hunting volunteer”).

When this was just a fledgling idea, Houston set up shop with a tent in front of a Bass Pro Shops store in Manteca and sold raffle tickets to help fund fishing and hunting events. But many disabled veterans shopping there also found their way to the booth. Over time, 500 would sign up to be a part of the fun. “(Bass Pro Shops) was good to me to allow me to sit outside in my little

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tent,” he says.

In those early years, Houston rarely went on the boat or into the field with the veterans and the volunteer fishing or hunting guides located around Northern or Central California who took them out. He wants to be in the background, and even now he’ll many times stay behind to help prepare the usual meal lakeside or near the hunting land when the groups return.

“My wife would ask me, ‘Why aren’t you going?’ And I would say, ‘It’s not for me. It’s for the guys.’ If I take a space on the boat and I’m not taking a space of someone else who can go, then maybe I’ll go.

It seems funny for me to be on the boat when there’s a veteran somewhere who could be there,” Houston says. “I’ll wave at the dock when they leave and welcome them back when they get home.”

And though it’s obvious this is cathartic for those who went through such tragic circumstances that left them wounded in action, Purple Heart Anglers tries to

stay away from trying to reinvent the wheel and play psychologists.

“I’m not there to fix anybody; I don’t know how. The only thing we do is create a space where the veterans and the people they’ve served and protected can get together,” Houston says. “We can say thank you that way.”

AMONG THOSE BRAVE men and women who Purple Heart Anglers have thanked: a 92-year-old World War II bomber pilot, a 96-year-old who also fought in WWII and 20-somethings who recently served in the Middle East and came home with combat injuries. There are Navy and Army vets, Air Force pilots and Marines, both men and women.

“As long as they have a disability rate of 1 percent, that’s all we ask,” Houston says, though an October fishing trip on the Sacramento River included 14 active-duty Marines.

Chats during downtime and meals

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MIXED BAG don’t always bring up stories about how the vets suffered their wounds. But occasionally, the subject comes up. In Alaska, a small group of four veterans was sitting at the dinner table literally swapping war stories. At one point, Houston had the sensation of square peg in a round hole.

“Wait a minute: I don’t belong in this conversation. I don’t know; I never was there and I don’t understand,” he says. “It’s like if you never jumped off the bridge you don’t know what it’s like to hit the water. I’ve excused myself from conversations because of that. They open up because they feel comfortable in that environment with each other.”

Houston and some of the men and women have talked about their experiences – the soldier in a Humvee talking to a colleague, and minutes later that friend is no longer there.

What overwhelms Houston is that when the day of fishing for bass at New Melones or hunting upland birds in a

Central Valley field is completed, the wounded warriors go home to their lives and families and try to carry on the best they can.

“That’s why (post-traumatic stress disorder) is such an important issue. Those in Vietnam came back with it; those in World War II came back with it. We had a young guy who was blown up 12 times, and they didn’t let him go back,” Houston says. “And he was angry. His friends were still there doing what he was supposed to be doing.”

But an impact, small or not, is being made. During many events, Houston will sit in a corner and relax after a successful outing. But periodically one of the veterans will walk over to him.

“They say to me that I’ve changed their lives. I’m thinking, ‘How serious can that be?” he says with a laugh, knowing his intentions are just to be a small relief among a far more complicated picture considering what they’ve been through.

“It becomes way overwhelming.”

One disabled vet who once tried to commit suicide now volunteers to help cook up lunch after his peers go fishing or hunting. The program has affected many lives for the better. Houston and his volunteers are not miracle workers, just people who like to be outside and want to share the experiences with those who are trying to put their lives as well as their bodies back together.

And having a sense of humor can go a long way to cope with some unimaginable tragedy.

“We did a fishing trip out of Brannan Island (Rio Vista on the Sacramento River) with some disabled vets. One of the old guys from Yountville hooks a fish and starts to reel it in. And about two-thirds of the way in he starts to run out of gas,” Houston says.

“And he’s in his 80s. At that particular moment any good fishing buddy will start giving him a hard time, which I did.

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MIXED BAG I said, ‘You act like an old man out here.’ He finally gets it in and says, ‘Oh, that was hard.’ And he says, ‘I can’t help it. I just had a stroke three months ago.’ We’re laughing and he’s laughing. I almost fell out of the boat. We’re all laughing hysterically and he’s having a great day of fishing.�

JERRY HOUSTON, WHO was also exposed to Agent Orange during his tour of duty, passed away at 75 on April 21, 2011. One trait his little brother admired about Jerry was the honor and pride he took and protecting and serving, whether it was his country or family. “It’s funny, I’ve discovered my brother had a lot of other brothers when you’re talking about the military brotherhood,�

Houston says.

Jerry was a man of few words while managing to say a lot with his actions. His widow has told her brother-in-law many times how proud Jerry was of his baby brother for being so gracious to fellow

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wounded warriors.

Randy has learned more about his brother since he passed from getting to know so many others who were like Jerry: the ones who suffered on battlefields thousands of miles from home. “When he was still alive, the program was becoming more active. I’d call him and say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re doing.’ And in his simplicity it was, ‘Yeah, proud of ya, boy.’ He was not a rah-rah cheerleader. It would bring me back down where I belong. He had a way to put things in perspective for me.�

Purple Heart Anglers takes the approach not to magically heal and repair, but to just do what they can to create a few smiles. “It’s not hard not to stay engaged in this program. I had a man in a wheelchair who was 6-foot-4, 250 pounds, was paralyzed by a gunshot and in a chair for eight years. The first thing he was telling me was to thank me for what I’m doing,�

Houston says. “He had it backwards. What it does show me is those people appreciate what we’re doing as an organization. It means something to them that we care.

You know, I’m a rather egotistical guy and always have been. But this has kind of put me on my knees. I have been completely humbled by the participants. I’ve seen legs missing, limbs missing, blindness, deafness. They’ve gone through things I couldn’t even have imagined.

And they’re coming out and having a good day. How can you not participate in this?� CS Editor’s note: To contact Purple Heart Anglers to donate or for more information, email Randy Houston at randy@purpleheartanglers.org. Write them at Purple Heart Anglers, PO Box 1621, El Granada CA 94018. You can also find them on Facebook (facebook.com/pages/Purple-Heart-Anglers/120269434661712).

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HUNTING HOLIDAY FEASTS MAKE VENISON PART OF YOUR THANKGSIVING MENU The author’s son, Kazden Haugen 10, has been helping butcher wild game since the age of 4.

Involving youth in the entire process – from the hunt and field dressing to butchering and cooking – is a tradition hunting families share.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

By Scott Haugen uddling around the small wood stove, the day was winding down. Braxton, our 12-year-old son, chopped wood and got the fire going; Kazden, 10, made everyone hot chocolate, while Tiffany and I unloaded the truck and cut the loins out of a mule deer she’d arrowed.

The two-room cabin was cozy, and soon the smell of butter-fried venison filled the air. Tucked away in remote hill country, there was no TV, no cell coverage. As we gathered around the tiny dinner table to feast on fresh venison, snow began to fall outside. There was

H

no better way to spend Thanksgiving dinner.

November is a time when many deer and elk seasons are in full-swing throughout the West. Even if your tag did get filled earlier in the fall, now is a great time to grab some packages of meat from the freezer and enjoy the rich flavors.

Like many outdoor families, we live on wild game and fish. Of course, venison is a favorite, thanks to the many ways it can be prepared.

Since they were 4 years old, our sons have helped us skin, butcher and process our game meat. We’ve never taken meat to a butcher, as we see this pro-

cess as valued family time and an important part of the hunt process.

When Braxton gets a deer or bear, he wants a lot of it made into jerky. As for Kazden, he loves canning venison.

The last deer he got, we cooked up the backstraps and tenderloins and canned the rest. We love canned venison this time of year, as it’s easily added to soup, stew, chili and stirred into rich gravy.

The smell of fried backstrap is hard to beat and one everybody enjoys sinking their teeth into. The slow-cooked neck and hocks are tender, tasty and can be served many ways.

To optimize the flavor of venison, be sure to clean it of all bloodshot, trim the NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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MIXED BAG fat and properly age it. Cut away all silver skin (best done after the meat ages) and keep it clean. To preserve, either smoke, can or freeze in either vacuum sealed bags or double-wrapped freezer paper.

Slow-cooking is great around the holidays as dinner can be tossed in the Crock-Pot and kept warm for long periods. One recipe that’s always a crowd pleaser is coconut red curry venison. In the morning, simply brown a large roast in olive oil, put it in a crock pot with a can of full-fat coconut milk, sliced fresh ginger, a quartered onion, a few tablespoons of red curry paste and a tablespoon of fish sauce. You will have something delicious to put on rice for dinner that night.

Memories of the hunt go beyond pulling the trigger, especially when the family is involved in the whole process.

It’s why we do this from field to table thing. After all, that’s what the holidays

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com Tiffany Haugen (second from right) filled a late-season mule deer tag and that night cooked fresh tenderloin for the family’s Thanksgiving dinner. It’s this kind of family adventure that hunting allows us to take enjoy. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

and hunting are all about – family togetherness. CS Editor’s note: Author Scott Haugen and his wife, Tiffany, are regular contributors to California Sportsman. For signed copies of the Haugens’ popular cookbook, Cooking Big Game, send a check for $20

(free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489, or order online at scotthaugen.com. This book offers more than 100 great recipes.

Phantom GOOSE HATS

Get your head down and don’t peek, was the order by your caller for the hunt. There were four of us, we had turned a small flight of geese with calls and flags. Our caller said, get ready they have set their wings and dropped their feet don’t move get ready TAKE EM! We all started shooting, we only dropped six. We Sent Rambo our black Lab, he took the nearest goose the first one to go down, that two of us had claimed after our first shot. Now, it looked like most of us indeed had hit the same goose. Does this remind you of some of your Hunts? With all the confusion and rush when you come up BLIND on the call TAKE EM, and you hadn’t been able to watch those birds come across the field set their wings and drop their feet to land. Only the caller had that adrenalin pumping thrill and was able to see those birds come across the field set their wings and drop their feet to land. Does this remind you of some of your hunts?

Check Us Out At phantomgoosehats.com or Call 406-821-0004 FREE SHIPPING & HANDLING (On All Phone Orders Only) 26 California Sportsman NOVEMBER 2014

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com Drug Enforcement Agency and United States Forest Service law enforcement teamed on the marijuana bust near San Mateo Creek in San Diego County. The two trucks were full of harvested pot plants. (TIM E. HOVEY)

TALES OF A FISH BIO

GRASS AND GUNS POT BUST INTERRUPTS FISH RESEARCH

By Tim E. Hovey

A

huge part of my job as a field biologist requires coordinating with interest groups to help with larger projects.

In all honestly, I seriously could not accomplish some of these projects without the assistance of volunteers.

One of my bigger projects involved removing non-native fish species from the headwaters of a Southern California creek. In the late 1990s, endangered southern steelhead were discovered in the creek after a 50-year absence.

Unfortunately, during their absence several species of fish not native to California had taken up residence in the creek. Evaluating historic surveys, biologists agreed that the invasive species

were introduced in the headwaters of the stream, and that any fish removal should start there.

We were scheduled to meet a large group of volunteers at a parking turnout near the headwaters of San Mateo Creek in San Diego County early one morning. The idea was to spend the entire day using nets, seines and electro-shockers to remove non-native fish species. Concentrating on the larger pools at the top of the drainage would severely impact the population of fish that weren’t supposed to be there.

Biologist Jenny O’Brien and I drove past a hiking trail parking area at the top of the ridge on our way into the canyon. At that early hour the parking lot should’ve been vacant, but several large trucks were parked, front end out,

at the back end of the lot.

While I did notice the vehicles, I really didn’t think too much about it.

The one-lane road leading into our meeting area was narrow, windy and littered with hairpin turns. Despite the slow travel, we were making good time and I was confident we would meet the volunteer group at the trailhead within minutes. The unreal scene around the next bend would change all that.

I SLOWED THE truck around a sharp left turn and noticed an SUV parked halfway off the road. I stopped suddenly to avoid hitting the vehicle. The driver’s side door was open and a man dressed in camo, facing away from us, was standing in front of the vehicle in the center of the road. Carrying an AR-15NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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The marijuana camp was isolated in U.S. Forest Service land, which has become a frequent hiding place for growers since the area is remote with thick tree cover and sparse crowds. (TIM E. HOVEY)

crime scene and that we could not go through. I tried explaining that we just needed to pass through to our meeting destination only a few hundred yards up the road, but he wasn’t budging. He said that we’d have to turn around and find another way to get there.

The alternate route, one I was barely familiar with, ended up taking us another three hours. We finally met up with the volunteers, who graciously understood our delay. As we worked in the creek, a sheriff’s helicopter would occasionally appear overhead, airlifting a large green bundle of pot plants out of the canyon.

OVER THE LAST decade, I’ve encountered

style rifle, he pointed it at two individuals, dressed in street clothes and lying sprawled on the ground in front of him.

Two handguns lay in the road nearby, well out of reach of the two men on the ground. A massive bag of marijuana sat near the two men.

Another truck, facing us with its doors open, sat at the other side of this scene. Two more men, both in military-style camo and also carrying AR15s, posed threatening looks at the two people lying in the road. These aggressors both had their hats on backwards and were lined up on their weapons ready to shoot. Every single part of this scene looked aggressive and appeared to have just unfolded.

From our point of view, it was very clear that we had stumbled onto a pot bust. What wasn’t apparent, to me anyway, was who the good guys were and who were the bad guys.

The closest man standing to us turned his head and saw us parked there. He held up his left hand and made a fist to indicate that we should stay put. I had another idea.

Unclear on the identity of the play-

ers, I slammed the truck into reverse and started backing out quickly. I had every intention of driving like a maniac – backwards – out of the canyon.

At the first turn, I glanced back as the closest armed individual kicked the door to the first vehicle shut, displaying a U.S. Forest Service enforcement decal on the side. Almost at the same time, one of the other standing men turned to reveal large letters spelling out DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) on his cap.

My panic diffused instantly. The USFS officer approached our truck, the barrel of his assault rifle dinging the front panel as he came over. In the background, one DEA agent covered the second as he handcuffed the criminals, who were now sprawled out on the ground.

If our untimely arrival had happened a few seconds sooner, the outcome may have been different. Both sides had weapons, and I still think to this day that the distraction of our arrival, if we had appeared a few seconds sooner, would’ve been a disaster.

After a brief discussion, the USFS officer stated that the area was now a

quite a few illegal pot grows in the areas I frequent for resource surveys. For the most part they’re vacant and I ease out of the area quickly. The unnerving part about this plantation is that I’ve conducted a dozen night surveys in this area, walking within feet of the illegal crop.

I remember one specific time where another biologist and I were in the creek at night; we both thought we had heard voices. We quickly finished up the survey and left, both convinced that we were being watched.

California’s national forests provide a perfect hiding place for this illegal activity. Many of the areas are remote and seldom traveled by the public. Illegal grows are easily hidden in the thick growth of the forest and their placement is usually placed in canyons far removed from anyone. These areas are difficult to locate, even when you’re looking for them.

Small campsites are set up near the grow, complete with food for the farmers, pesticides and animal poisons that are liberally dispersed, making sure the crop is not disturbed by animals. The plantations are almost always placed at or near the headwaters of drainage so that water is readily available. Black irrigation lines are strung from the water source and threaded down to each individual plant. Individuals will camp

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com on site and tend the crop from the initial plant, until harvest, only leaving to gather supplies.

When the crop is ready to be harvested, it is done quickly and absolutely everything, other than the plants, is left behind in the creek. All the trash, chemicals and poisons eventually wash down the creek, contaminating the water and killing animals that call the creek their home.

I’ve had the misfortune of stumbling on a few of these camps, and the garbage and debris left in the pristine forest is disgusting. I’ve seen tents, sleeping bags, stoves, backpacks and mounds of trash and empty poison and fertilizer containers just walked away from.

THE HELICTOPER STOPPED flying at The author (left) and biologist Jenny O’Brien conduct research in San Mateo Creek. They were expecting to meet up with volunteers to help remove non-native invasive fish species. They did not anticipate running into a tense marijuana bust with AR-15 rifles pointed at the suspects. (TIM E. HOVEY)

around 3 p.m. Our group had completed our survey, so we spent the next hour packing up and hiking back to

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MIXED BAG the parking area. On the drive out, I stopped by the enforcement staging area. The group had cut down two truckloads of marijuana plants and they had arrested a third individual, who was cuffed and seated in one of the SUVs. The mood of the group was upbeat and victorious.

This type of illegal activity adds a rather sinister tone to the field surveys I conduct in the backcountry. Long gone are the peaceful hikes I used to take to collect resource data.

Now, I make absolutely sure that I take several individuals with me on remote surveys and let others know where we’ll be and when we should return. I personally carry a SPOT device, a personal GPS locator, that allows me to send instant messages to several individuals should trouble occur.

I’m sure this won’t be the last time I run into pot grows in the areas I

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travel. That doesn’t really bother me.

What I absolutely can’t stand is the aftermath of the process. Once they’re done with the area, grows leave trash, chemicals spills and have a complete disregard for the beauty and natural surroundings of the area. They use it like it’s disposable.

Out of necessity, I will continue hiking the back hills to collect species data. I have become a lot more aware over the years due to the new threat out in the wilderness. To me, having to be cautious of human activity in a place I used to roam carefree is unfortunate. In a lifetime of hiking and hunting the backcountry, the only animals that I’ve ever been wary of are human beings. CS Editor’s note: California Sportsman correspondent Tim Hovey is a field biologist for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Empty bags of fertilizer were among the items officers found at the scene of the alleged crime.

The author has done plenty of solo research hikes in his career, but incidents like this convince him to usually work with at least one other biologist or volunteer for safety reasons. (TIM E. HOVEY)

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ABALONE POACHER TO STATE PRISON Abalone poaching violations have been widespread throughout the Northern California coast. A Sacramento man who was a repeat offender will be sentenced on Nov. 11 and faces a lengthy prison term. (TIM E. HOVEY)

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OUTDOOR CALENDAR NOVEMBER

1 Start of statewide scaup season 1-2 Morrison’s Bonus Derby Weekend at Convict Lake (800-922-2260) 8 Start of general pheasant season 8 Start of fall wild turkey season 8 Start of late mourning and white-winged dove season 15 End of inland salmon and trout fishing in several areas 21This date in 1979: state record for Chinook salmon; 88 pounds, caught in Sacramento River in Shasta County by O. Lindberg of Red Bluff

DECEMBER

6 Start of American crow season 6 Start of most bighorn sheep seasons 7 End of fall turkey season 20 Start of Northeastern Zone late scaup season 21 End of general pheasant season 22 End of late dove season 22 This date in 1976: state record for steelhead; 27 pounds, 4 n September, we had a report about the widespread problem of abalone poaching.

BY CHRIS COCOLES Considering that the black market price for single abalone is $100, the following story is hardly surprising.

Forty-one-year-old Dung Van Nguyen of Sacramento pled guilty in Mendocino County Municipal Court to one felony count of forging his California Department of Fish and Wildlife report card, plus a misdemeanor charge of taking abalone for commercial purposes.

What will send Nguyen behind bars is that he’s a multiple repeat offender.

In 2013, Nguyen took 35 abalone, 17 above the annual limit of 18 of legal size. An investigation was conducted by the CDFW Special Operations Unit, which investigates the black market sales of the state’s fish and wildlife. Tom Stoen, Mendocino County’s deputy district attorney in charge of the prosecution, praised the unit’s investigation.

“Our team exists to stop people from stealing the state’s fish and wildlife for profit, and to stop people like Nguyen from engaging in this type of behavior,” added the special operations unit team leader, Capt. Nathaniel Arnold.

Nguyen’s sentence would, in theory, dissuade potential repeat offenders of further poaching. CDFW reported Nguyen’s Nov. 11 sentencing as a part of a plea bargain will include a 32-month state prison term, $15,000 in fines and a lifetime revocation of his fishing license.

Of the 18 legal-sized abalone that can be taken in a year, only nine can come from the abalone hot spots of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties. The CDFW’s abalone report card has been an effective way to keep up with catch rates since its inception in 2000.

I

ounces, caught in Smith River in Del Norte County by Robert Halley of Crescent City 31 End of fall rockfish, cabezon and greenling season for boat-based anglers in Northern, Central, Southern and Management Areas

Scaup season begins on Nov. 1 for most zones in California. (USFWS)

NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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INFIDEL COMBAT SYSTEMS

PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS! CIVILIANS GRABBING UP BODY ARMOR tŝůů LJŽƵ ŵŝƐƐ LJŽƵƌ ŽƉƉŽƌƚƵŶŝƚLJ ƚŽ ŽǁŶ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ďĞĨŽƌĞ ŝƚ͛Ɛ ŽƵƚůĂǁĞĚ͍ U.S. Rep., Mike Honda, of Silicon ValůĞLJ ; Ϳ ĂŶŶŽƵŶĐĞĚ ŚĞ ŚĂƐ ƐƵďŵŝƩĞĚ ůĞŐŝƐůĂƟŽŶ ƚŽ ŽŶŐƌĞƐƐ ƚŽ ŽƵƚůĂǁ ƚŚĞ ƉŽƐƐĞƐƐŝŽŶ ŽĨ ŵŝůŝƚĂƌLJͲŐƌĂĚĞ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ďLJ ĐŝǀŝůŝĂŶƐ͘ /ƚ͛Ɛ ŚĂƉƉĞŶŝŶŐ ĂŐĂŝŶ͘ &ŝǀĞ LJĞĂƌƐ ĂŐŽ ĨĞĂƌƐ ƚŚĂƚ KďĂŵĂ ǁŽƵůĚ ŽƵƚůĂǁ ĂƐƐĂƵůƚ ƌŝŇĞƐ ůĞĚ ƚŽ ƚŚĞ ďŝŐŐĞƐƚ ďƵLJŝŶŐ ƐƉƌĞĞ ŵĞƌŝĐĂŶƐ ŚĂǀĞ ĞǀĞƌ ƐĞĞŶ͘ EŽǁ͕ ƚŚĞ ĨĞĚĞƌĂů ŐŽǀĞƌŶŵĞŶƚ ŝƐ ĐŽŶƐŝĚĞƌŝŶŐ ďĂŶŶŝŶŐ ƚŚĞ ƐĂůĞ ŽĨ ŵŝůŝƚĂƌLJͲŐƌĂĚĞ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ƚŽ ĐŝǀŝůŝĂŶƐ͘ ZĞƉ͘ ,ŽŶĚĂ ŚŽƉĞƐ ƚŚĞ ƌĞŐƵůĂƟŽŶ ǁŝůů ƉƌĞǀĞŶƚ ĐƌŝŵŝŶĂůƐ ĨƌŽŵ ƵƐŝŶŐ ĂƌŵŽƌ ŝŶ ďĂƩůĞƐ ǁŝƚŚ ƚŚĞ ƉŽůŝĐĞ͘ /Ŷ ƚŚĞ ĨĂĐĞ ŽĨ ƚŚŝƐ ƐƟůůͲƉĞŶĚŝŶŐ ƌĞŐƵůĂƟŽŶ͕ ƉĞŽƉůĞ ǁŚŽ ĚŽŶ͛ƚ ǁĂŶƚ ƚŽ ďĞ ĐĂƵŐŚƚ ŇĂƚͲĨŽŽƚĞĚ ĂƌĞ ƌƵƐŚŝŶŐ ŽƵƚ ƚŽ ƉƵƌĐŚĂƐĞ ďŽĚLJ ĂƌŵŽƌ ǁŚŝůĞ ƚŚĞLJ ƐƟůů ĐĂŶ͘ /ŶĮĚĞů ŽĚLJ ƌŵŽƌ K ĂŶĚ ŵŝůŝƚĂƌLJ ǀĞƚĞƌĂŶ͕ ŚĂĚ ŽŽƉĞƌ͕ ƐĂLJƐ ƐĂůĞƐ ĂƌĞ ƐƚƌŽŶŐ ĚƵĞ ƚŽ ƚŚĞŝƌ ĚŝƐĐƌĞƚĞ ƐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ƉŽůŝĐLJ ĂŶĚ ůŽǁ ƉƌŝĐŝŶŐ͕ ͞tĞ ŽīĞƌ ϭϬϬ ƉĞƌĐĞŶƚ ƵŶĐŽŶĚŝƟŽŶĂů ŐƵĂƌĂŶƚĞĞ ŽŶ Ăůů ŽƵƌ ƉƌŽĚƵĐƚƐ͖ ĂŶĚ ĂƌŵŽƌĞĚ ǀĞƐƚƐ ƐƚĂƌƚ Ăƚ ũƵƐƚ Ψϯϳϰ͘ϵϵ͕ ĂŶĚ ŝŶĐůƵĚĞƐ ƐŚŝƉƉŝŶŐ ƚŽ Ăůů ϱϬ ƐƚĂƚĞƐ Ͳ ŝŶĐůƵĚŝŶŐ ĂůŝĨŽƌŶŝĂ͘͟ ͞/ ŚŽƉĞ / ŶĞǀĞƌ ŚĂǀĞ ƚŽ ƵƐĞ ƚŚŝƐ ŐĞĂƌ͕ ďƵƚ /͛ŵ ŐůĂĚ / ŚĂǀĞ ŝƚ Ͳ ũƵƐƚ ŝŶ ĐĂƐĞ͕͟ ƐĂLJƐ Ă ƐĂƟƐĮĞĚ ĐƵƐƚŽŵĞƌ͘ >ĞǀĞů /// ĂŶĚ /s ĂƌŵŽƌ ĂƌĞ ĚĞƐŝŐŶĞĚ ƚŽ ƐƚŽƉ ƌŝŇĞ ďƵůůĞƚƐ ĂƐ ǁĞůů ĂƐ ƉŝƐƚŽů ƌŽƵŶĚƐ͘ tŝƚŚ ĂŶ ĂƉƉĂƌĞŶƚ ŝŵƉĞŶĚŝŶŐ ĞĐŽŶŽŵŝĐ ĐŽůůĂƉƐĞ͕ ŝůůĞŐĂů ŝŵŵŝŐƌĂƟŽŶ ƐƵƌŐĞ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐŽĐŝĂů ƵŶƌĞƐƚ͕ ƚŚĞ ƐŵĂƌƚ ĐŚŽŝĐĞ ŝƐ ƚŽ ĂƌŵŽƌ ƵƉ ǁŚŝůĞ ǁĞ ƐƟůů can. /ŶĮĚĞů ŽĚLJ ƌŵŽƌ͘ĐŽŵ ŚĂƐ ĂƌŵŽƌ ŝŶ ƐƚŽĐŬ ĂŶĚ ƐŚŝƉƐ ŶĞdžƚ ďƵƐŝŶĞƐƐ ĚĂLJ͘ ƐŵĂƌƚ ŝŶǀĞƐƚŵĞŶƚ Ăƚ Ψϯϳϰ͘ϵϵ͕ LJŽƵ ŐĞƚ ƉĞĂĐĞ ŽĨ ŵŝŶĚ͕ ĂŶĚ ƐĞĐƵƌŝƚLJ ĨŽƌ LJŽƵƌ ĨĂŵŝůLJ͘

Rod Paul is this issue’s Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw Photo Contest winner, thanks to this pic of his wife Janielle’s walleye, caught in Washington this past summer. It wins him a package worth $50 of fishing tackle!

Our monthly Browning Photo Contest winner is Chad Zoller.

He shot his big muley on his family’s private land last season.

It scores him 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.

38 California Sportsman NOVEMBER 2014

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HUNTING

THE PLEASANT PHEASANT DOGS, YOUTH HUNTS MAKE FOR MEMORABLE BIRD EXPERIENCES

By Tim E. Hovey

T

he German shorthaired pointer stood stone still, nose pointing at a small bush no larger than a basketball. His stubby tail was still, but quivering. His left paw was off the ground and slightly curled. His head did not move in the slightest.

For a brief moment, I pushed aside the hunt and admired the scene. This dog was the definition of "on-point," and it was truly an amazing sight to see.

The dog’s handler stood to my left and nodded to me, letting me know that his dog had located a bird. The dog whined, waiting for the command, quivering briefly and then composing itself. Every muscle in that dog was coiled to react, and it was clear to me that he wasn’t going to wait much longer.

The handler approached the small bush and kicked at it gently. The small plant exploded in a cloud of dust, feathers and the cackling sound only a flushing pheasant can make. The bird peeled to the right and started gaining altitude.

I followed its path, lead it and fired.

The bird’s right wing folded and it fell to the ground with a thump. The dog was on it within seconds, carefully grabbing it and proudly retrieving it for his owner. My first pheasant was in the bag.

A passion for birds The author assists in a pheasant planting for one of several youth hunts put on by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. (TIM E. HOVEY)

That hunt occurred over a decade ago and I still remember everything about it. Not because that was my

first pheasant, but because it was the first time I was able to hunt over a well-trained dog.

My most vivid memory of that day was the amazing interaction and coordination between the dog and the handler. Before that hunt I figured that a hunting dog was let loose to search for birds, and the handler was there to make sure the dog just didn’t run off like a wild mutt. After participating in this team event, I discovered that the handler’s dog was far more trained than I was.

I’ve always enjoyed watching hunting dogs work. I think spending the time to train one animal to assist in the pursuit of another is fascinating.

There has to be such a complete trust between handler and dog – especially if the handler is going to override the instinct for one animal to just chase and grab the other. To me, it demonstrates amazing dedication.

The tradition of hunting over a meticulously trained bird dog is something every hunter should experience. Observing the close coordination between dog and handler during a hunt is a true privilege. I’ve had the honor of watching and hunting with superior bird dogs over the years, and the entire event itself just adds so much more to the experience of hunting.

Pheasant specifics Despite being well established in states in the Rocky Mountain, the Midwest and the Plains, it may surprise most to know that pheasant are not native to this country.

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HUNTING this time Alyssa wanted to help out instead of hunt.

We were designated as the planters; about an hour before the hunt began, we jumped into the bed of a truck already loaded with caged pheasant. We traveled the hunting area, placing birds in assigned fields.

A total of three birds per field were released in preparation for the junior hunt.

The birds aren’t just released in hopes they’ll stay within the boundaries of the field. Pheasant are gallinaceous birds, which mean they’re similar to chickens. A certain amount of manipulation is required to adequately place the birds into the hunting fields.

Holding a pheasant firmly by the

A bird dog is ready for business during a California pheasant hunt. Watching these trained retrievers and setters work during a hunt can be just as exciting as the harvesting. (TIM E. HOVEY)

Ring-necked pheasant were introduced into Oregon from China in the 1880s. From there they were introduced into other Western states. In areas where quality habitat existed, pheasant did well and readily expanded their numbers. This ease of adaptability has given sportsmen all over the country a well-established and carefully managed species of game birds to hunt.

Male pheasant are large birds, weighing in at about 2 to 3 pounds, making them the largest flushing bird hunters can pursue. Just because it’s a bigger bird doesn’t mean it’s easier to hit.

Almost immediately after a flush, escaping birds reach top speed and, despite their larger size, can be tough to bring down. Successful wingshooters give the flushing bird a healthy lead before the shot is taken.

As far as shot size, leave the small dove loads at home. Bigger birds require more shot energy to knock down. I’ve had good luck with highbase shells with a shot size of 4 or 6.

And as far as taste, you can’t beat pheasant. Of all the game birds I hunt,

I believe pheasant tastes the best. Just like most game birds that spend more time on the ground than in the air, pheasant meat is lighter in color and absolutely delicious.

Planting for the future Since that first successful hunt, I’ve hunted pheasant in the lowlands of El Centro in Imperial Flatland, in the flatlands of Montana and at state-run events on ecological reserves. I’ve also participated in family or junior hunts using planted birds geared towards getting young and new hunters into the activity of hunting. Participating in these planted pheasant hunts allows new and junior hunters the opportunity to not only hunt but interact with experienced hunters and dog handlers in a somewhat controlled hunting environment.

All involved are happy and eager to answer any questions young hunters may have.

A few years back, my daughter, Alyssa, and I got the opportunity to assist on a hunt for newly licensed California junior hunters. We had hunted the event once before, but

PHEASANT SPECIFICS The general pheasant season in California runs from Nov. 8 to Dec. 21.

The daily bag limit is two males a day for the first two days of the season, and three males a day for the rest of the season. The possession limit is triple the daily bag.

New for 2014-15: The late pheasant archery season has been re-established, extending for 28 days after the general pheasant season, and in addition to the early pheasant archery season. The late archery season begins Dec. 22 and runs until Jan. 18.

Here are some outstanding options for pheasant hunts: California Knights Landing (Yolo County) Knights Landing Sportsmen’s Club (530-662-3372; klscpheasants.com) Corning (Tehama County) Clear Creek Sports Club (530-5209464; clearcreeksportsclub.com) Tehachapi (Kern County) High River Hunting and Labs (661847-8900; highriverhunting.com) Hilmar (Merced County) Rooster Ranch Wings and Clays (209667-0483; roosterranchonline.com) South Dakota Glenham Pheasant Cove Outfitters (605-7623325; pheasantcove.com) CS

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HUNTING legs – in an upright position – the head is gently guided and placed under one of the wings. Once the head is pinned, the entire bird is then glided through a series of figure eights in the air for about 20 seconds while being held.

The pheasant is then placed in cover, resting on the wing holding the head.

The disoriented bird will usually sit for awhile under the brush, gathering its bearings.

Practicing on clay pigeons is a great way to practice hunting speedy and elusive birds such as pheasants. (TIM E. HOVEY)

Guiding youth The close proximity to handlers, dogs and other hunters allows new hunters to practice and reinforce gun safety. And make no mistake: every member of this pheasant team is watching for how these young hunters handle their firearms.

Flushing birds or not, the priority is to make sure everyone has a safe and enjoyable time.

In these tight hunting situations, positive reinforcement is just as

important as corrective statements.

Last year, I was taking photographs of a state-run hunt and decided to follow one young hunter out to the

field. Halfway across his assigned hunting area, the bird dog located a bird and was on point.

The handler kicked the brush

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HUNTING and the pheasant exploded in a cloud of dust and feathers. Instead of flushing straight away, the bird banked left and started flying back near other hunters.

The young hunter followed the bird with his shotgun and then instantly disengaged when he saw the other hunters. Two accompanying adults and the handler all went over and gave the hunter praise for making a safe choice.

The young boy’s smile was ear to ear as he received the accolades. After the hunt, I made a point of getting a few photos of him and his birds and letting him know that his attention to safety was admirable.

Keeping traditions alive There is a long and strong tradition in hunting pheasant. The choreography between handler and dog adds a special experience to the hunt. The explosive and sudden

This young hunter shot his first bird on a state-run pheasant hunt that allows kids to get introduced to both hunting and dog training.

(TIM E. HOVEY)

flush of an adult bird will leave even experienced hunters startled and excited.

New hunters will find guidance, excitement and plenty of advice during a well-organized pheasant hunt. And you don’t need to be a hunter to enjoy the event.

I heard it best described by one of the dog handlers at a state-sponsored hunt last year. I don’t think I could have said it any better.

“I haven’t shot a pheasant in over 20 years,” the handler admitted. “I get more joy watching new hunters experience the entire scene.” CS

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HUNTING Waterfowl hunters wade through the Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge that straddles the California-Oregon border.

There is some optimism that the area around Redding and the Northeast Zone of California will have a good season. (USFWS)

OPTIMISM GOES A LONG WAY HOPING FOR BAD WATERFOWL WEATHER

By Chris Cocoles

REDDING—Most waterfowl hunters understand the need to be optimistic. As this California drought is their witness, oh do they need to be optimistic.

But for veteran guides like Kirk Portocarrero, November marks the first full month of waterfowling in rain-starved California. Portocarrero, of Sac River Guide (530-221-6151; sacriverguide.com) is – wait for it – optimistic after his part of California did see productive hunting.

“I always look at it like it’s going to be a good year,” Portocarrero says. “That’s what you have to look forward to. Yes, it’s important to be an optimist.”

Of course, it helps that in and around Redding where he’s based, Portocarrero had a very productive

2013-14 season. There was more water in fields on both public and private land than there was further south toward Red Bluff, Colusa, Yuba City/Marysville in the direction of Sacramento.

“We had a lot of water, and when we shot, it went well,” he says.

Some mid-October rain was forecast for the Redding area, providing hope for more wet conditions and hopefully adding some much needed water to those fields that would attract ducks, geese and scaup.

If he has two pieces of advice for first-time duck hunters, Portocarrero says don’t hunt during a full moon, and try to plan your hunt around impending stormy conditions.

“The better the weather, the bigger the migration,” says Portocarrero, though in his world, “better weather” is worse weather – rainy, chilly and breezy are all keywords duck hunters want to hear. “The more winds from

the south, it blows more birds in from Oregon, Washington, Canada and Alaska. If there’s no weather, there are no birds coming to California.”

“You can have the best piece of property with lots of water, but if you don’t have any weather pushing birds down, it’s not going to happen.

The worst weather outside is the best weather for ducks.”

Portocarrero, who also guides for king salmon, steelhead, trout and other species on various Northern California rivers and lakes, splits his time between both public land in various national wildlife refuges and public marshes, and at private ranches around Redding and into the Northeast Zone, which opened its season earlier in October.

“Last year, a lot of the private ranches didn’t have any water since we didn’t have any rain. So I had to do a lot of public (land), but we did very well,” he says.

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HUNTING Portocarrero, who says public hunting land allows him to use his custom boats with the blinds built around them.

“You can see birds from far away.

If they’re not there you can pull up and reset at another spot. It’s a lot of work, compared to just going out and jumping into a duck blind,” Portocarrero says of using boats to hunt. “And we’re not putting out a massive amount of decoys; maybe a dozen to two-dozen decoys. You need a lot of decoys further south in the (Sacramento Valley). You have to have numbers to draw them compared to the guys next to you.”

“We set up around shorelines, river bottoms and lake bottoms, wherever the birds seem to be feeding and where they might be coming into, like corners or coves where the birds are getting away from the wind. Some days we’ll

set up for divers, some for geese and some for puddle ducks; it just depends where we’re at.”

The end of October and beginning of November is an exciting time for duck hunters. Much like spring training for baseball teams, the possibilities are endless. That optimism thing takes over, and duck hunters prepare for what they expect to be a great season.

Around Redding and to the north and east, November generally is the best month of the season. To the south, December and January should be the peak time, depending, of course, on the hope for a winter deluge and that positive outlook.

“I’m excited right now for ducks. We’ve been getting all of our shotguns going, looking through our decoys and setting up our blinds, making sure they’re all ready,” Portocarrero says. “We’re all dialed up.” CS

BATTERYOPERATED DECOYS OK After some confusion among the hunting community, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife clarified it is indeed legal for waterfowl hunters to use battery-operated swimming decoys, though it is prohibited for hunters to use electronically powered spinning wings or other simulated devices.

“The prohibition is only for spinning wings or spinning wing simulated devices. All other battery-operated decoys that cause swimming, dabbling, and other nonspinning wing movement are not prohibited and may be used all season long,” the CDFW said in a letter to G&H Decoys (1-800-443-3269; ghdecoys. com), which sells its Navigator model automated decoys in various duck species like mallard, drake, pintail and others, plus a variety of geese. CS

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HUNTING

SOLID OPENING WATERFOWL WEEKEND COLUSA NWR REPORTS RECORD TAKE; MORE WATER NEEDED

By Patrick Kittle

COLUSA—Northern California waterfowl hunters are as relentlessly and eternally optimistic as ever, and it paid off for mid-October’s opening weekend in the Balance of State Zone and other spots.

Everyone I spoke with after the Saturday morning shoot was successful. Our store, Kittle's Outdoor & Sport, was buzzing with hunters gathering everything from replacement reeds for their duck calls to blind grass, decoys, more ammo and new shotguns.

As predicted, the fields with water really saw the action on the opener.

The Colusa National Wildlife Refuge posted a record harvest for the weekend with a better-than-five-bird take per hunter. This was reportedly the best average in the nation for refuges on this opening weekend.

Still, California’s drought is a reason for concern with the state’s waterfowl hunters over the course of the entire season, which runs through mid-January in most zones. Some heavy rainstorms would be welcomed, presumably bringing much-needed water to rice fields where ducks and geese would likely be congregating.

Many of the rice fields around Sutter and Yuba Counties had not been flooded, according to the Marysville Appeal-Democrat.

“What’s going to happen is there will only be a handful of rice fields that are going to see a certain percent of (decomposition) water,”

Waterfowl hunters had some success on the opening weekend of the Balance of State Zone season in midOctober. How much rain California gets over the next couple months would provide needed water for rice fields. (SACRIVERGUIDE.COM)

guide Aaron Zanocco of Yuba City’s River Guide Service (530-751-7466; riverguideservice.com) told the newspaper. “There is not going to be as many hunters. The number of guys who get to have their private blinds this year is way down.”

Brian Jeremiah, president of the Yuba-Sutter Ducks Unlimited chapter, told the Appeal-Democrat that the problem isn’t a lack of numbers – there are birds around the Sacramento Valley – but where to hunt them.

“The west side of the valley is dry because of a lack of water,” Jeremiah said. “It hurts us across the board as there aren’t as many places for hunters to go.”

The crystal ball still has not

shown us what is in store weatherwise for the rest of the season, but the waterfowl have arrived. The taxidermist/bird-processing shop located next to our store reported an estimated 500 birds were brought in for the weekend. Interestingly the number of teal harvested was very high for this time of year. Usually the teal are the late comers, when it gets colder. Mostly teal and specklebelly were the duck species taken early in the season. CS Editor’s note: Patrick Kittle is the general manager of Kittle’s Outdoor & Sport in Colusa, a go-to spot for Northern California waterfowlers’ hunting needs.

Contact the store at (530) 458-4868, or check out its website, kittlesoutdoor.com.

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HUNTING

FROM FIELD: JOYS OF HUNTING SNOW GEESE

By Scott Haugen

G

uided by the beam of my flashlight and heading toward the edge of where a grassy field met dense rushes, the sounds of snow geese echoed in the distance.

With daybreak less than an hour away, all I wanted to do was reach my hunting spot, sit in silence and take in the alluring sounds.

Hot under my neoprene waders, I finally made it, and couldn’t get settled into my natural blind fast enough.

Hearing thousands of snow geese honking in anticipation of morning’s

LET IT SNOW arrival also revealed a nervous vibe about them, a nervousness I’d hoped would send them skyward and in my direction as daylight neared.

Sure enough, not long after legal shooting light, the snows took wing.

Clouds of white formed over distant fields as thousands of snows circled to gain altitude. When they did start coming my way they were high, too high to shoot. But after the first several flocks passed, subsequent flocks dropped lower. Soon, I was holding a limit of snows and heading back to camp, eager and hopeful to repeat the action the following morning.

On this hunt I was pass-shooting and ended up with limits of birds on

both days of the hunt. The day prior to that hunt I’d scouted the area, found where birds were flying and studied their flight path. Being habitual feeders this time of year, getting set up in the path of travel of the geese paid off.

There’s no worse feeling than setting up in a field birds have been using, then having them switch feeding areas, literally, overnight.

Spend enough time hunting geese and this is will happen, but it doesn’t negate the importance of scouting.

One morning more than 20 years ago, a couple buddies and I floated a raft across a flooded field into the middle where we’d seen countless

Targeting snow geese in feeding areas is key to consistent success. Find where the birds are working, then set up to intercept them on their way to or from those spots; better yet, hunt them in their kitchen if you can.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

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HUNTING geese feeding the prior afternoon.

Figuring we’d need no decoys, we instead crafted a mirror blind and floated it out on the raft.

Getting all four sides of the heavy blind set up in the middle of the field was work, but we knew it would be worth it. Sure enough, not long after daylight, here came the geese. Before they reached our field, they veered off and settled in another rice field a few hundred yards away. Thousands of geese poured into that field, a new one they chose to start feeding on that morning.

We didn’t fire a shot that day.

I doubt decoys would have even worked, as the birds were set on this new food source, but you never know.

On another snow goose hunt, my dad and I set out over 300 white paper bags to serve as decoys. A few days before we’d bought the bags from a local bakery, the only place in town we could get white bags at the time.

The author admires a trio of snow geese. With healthy populations, now is the time to experience world-class snow goose hunting action. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

We carried the bags in backpacks out to a grassy field, blew air into them, placed rocks and dirt clods inside, wadded the end shut and placed them on the ground.

It took some time, but it worked, and pulling in birds from a long way away resulted in limits for both of us.

In fact, we’ve had great success over the years using white bags as decoys, especially when getting the attention of birds from afar.

Some decoys today look as real as the birds themselves. If this gives you more confidence than bags or rags, go that route, especially if you have a

way to get them to your hunting area.

You don’t always have to invest in dozens of decoys to find success. Many hunters are filling limits by setting six to 12 shell decoys out to simulate the initial gathering of a flock that’s found a food source for the day.

This fall and winter, if you want to experience the fun of snow goose hunting and how great these birds are to eat, plan ahead. Scout the area you want to hunt, figure out what decoys, if any, might work and go for it. There may be a learning curve, but that’s why it’s called hunting. Sometimes, just seeing and hearing these birds is all that’s needed to call the day a success. CS Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is the host of Trijicon’s The Hunt, on the Sportsman Channel. Watch for him on Alaska Outdoors TV on the Outdoor Channel, starting in 2015. For more infromation, go to scotthaugen.com.

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HUNTING

TO FIRE

EAT GOOSE LIKE AN AUSTRIAN

By Tiffany Haugen

F

or hunters who bag loads of geese throughout the course of the season, they’re on the never-ending search for new, tasty recipes. In our house, goose schnitzel with gravy is an alltime favorite. Many people like it for the cooking method (“tastes like chicken fried steak”); I like the variety of gravy options.

The gravy in this dish offers a great, complimentary flavor and puts the perfect finishing touch on the crispy, crunchy steaks. Whether looking to clean out the freezer or do something with those fresh birds, this is a dish everyone will enjoy.

Goose Schnitzel 2 to 3 skinless goose breast halves 2 eggs ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated 2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped Meat tenderizer (optional) Salt and pepper to taste 1 cup plain breadcrumbs 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil Between two layers of waxed paper, pound breasts to ¼ inch. Sprinkle goose with salt, pepper and meat tenderizer if desired. In a medium bowl, whisk eggs, cheese and parsley. Put breadcrumbs on a dinner-size plate. One at a time, dredge breasts in egg mixture and coat

with breadcrumbs. In a large skillet, heat butter and olive oil on medium-high heat. Fry schnitzel, three to four minutes per side. Serve with caper gravy or mushroom gravy.

Caper Gravy 2 tablespoons butter ¼ cup onion, minced 2 tablespoons flour ¼ cup capers 1½ cups beef broth ¼ cup parsley ½ teaspoon white pepper Salt to taste In a medium skillet, sauté onions on medium-high heat until soft, four to five minutes. Add flour and sauté an additional minute. Slowly whisk in broth and add remaining ingredients. Simmer on low heat until thickened. This gravy is also excellent with big game.

Mushroom Sauce 1 tablespoon olive oil 2 cups mushrooms, chopped 2 tablespoons onion, diced 1 tablespoon flour 1 teaspoon fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried ½ cup dry sherry or red wine ½ cup turkey stock or chicken broth 3 tablespoons sour cream or whipped cream 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped

In a medium skillet, heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Sauté mushroom and onion until tender. Sprinkle flour over mushrooms and sauté one to two minutes. Add thyme, sherry and broth and bring to a boil until slightly thickened. Turn heat to low, add cream and parsley. Simmer until warm throughout.

Editor’s note: For 150 more delicious bird recipes, and a signed copy of Scott and Tiffany Haugen’s popular cookbook, Cooking Game Birds, send a check for $20 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489 or order online at scotthaugen.com.

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GETTING HER GOAT

URBAN HUNTRESS

The author and her dad, Craig Boddington, prepare to take a shot on their mountain goat hunt in British Columbia. She was hunting with a new rifle, so she wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

By Brittany Boddington

E

very now and then something new and awesome hits the market. I got lucky enough to do the first successful hunt with a rifle produced by the new Legendary Arms Works.

The rifle is lovely, but what really sets it apart is the action. To tell you about this I should first give you a little history lesson for those of us who are not gun history buffs. Mark Bansner and his wife started making guns in 1980; Bansner built quite the reputation in the gun industry and has joined forces with Trop Gun Shop (717-367-5585; tropgun.com) owner

Dave Dunn.

Mark is the legend behind Legendary Arms Works. What makes this gun special to me is the controlled-round feed action. This action grips the bullet casing and feeds it into the chamber. Cartridges come up from the magazine, and the case rim slides into the slotted bolt-face rim and is held there as the bullet is chambered. When closed, the bolt rotates and supports the cartridge from underneath.

This makes a seriously sturdy and reliable combination. I got the opportunity to try out the system in a .280 for my Rocky Mountain goat hunt in Canada in September; it did

not disappoint.

THIS WOULD BE a unique opportunity to hunt the elusive white goat in British Columbia with my dad, Craig, because he did the same with his dad over 40 years ago.

I have not done very much hunting in North America but have always wanted to hunt the Rocky Mountain goat.

They are such beautiful creatures and, for me, they are as close (in looks) to a polar bear as I’ll probably ever get. This hunt was to be the first episode of the upcoming 2015 series, The Boddington Experience, a fitting start to a family endeavour.

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URBAN HUNTRESS

We flew into Smithers, B.C., and took a floatplane into the hunting area, where Love Brothers & Lee (604-541-6332; goabc.org) has been operating since around 1970. The area is only accessible by floatplane, and therefore the resident pressure is nonexistent. The area is beautiful and the camp is right on the edge of Duti Lake.

We were just in time to watch the colors change and the mountains were brighter every morning. The plan was pretty basic: spot from camp, spend the day getting up the mountain and hope that the goat spotted from below would still be there by the time we reached the top.

I got lucky on day two when we spotted a pair of goats high up on the mountain to the right, across from the camp. We got our things together and jumped in the little outboard motorboat and headed across the lake to start our climb. Our guide Ron must be part mountain goat; he made the climb look easy, but I struggled to keep my footing as I followed behind him.

I have had the luck of never hunting in an area where I had to walk across loose shale; I hate it and it felt like I was walking on running water, I slipped and slid and ended up on my hands and knees more than a couple times.

My dad tried to instruct me to put my walking stick across my body and into the side of the hill in the shale to help balance, but it is a difficult technique to master without practice.

The rest of the hike was difficult but not too difficult; I used my hands almost as much as my feet to get through the brush and trees and to work my way around rocky outcrops.

We reached an area with giant sharp rocks jutting out of the mountain and saw that the goats were resting just 600 yards beyond them. We had to get around the rocks to get a shot but we would be very obvious if we went

The author was hunting with a new Legendary Arms Work rifle, a controlled-round feed action .280.

The action grips the bullet casing and feeds it into the chamber. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

straight around. It was freezing where we watched the goats for a while; one of them wandered out of sight and the other got up and started feeding.

We waited until the goat had his head down and moved around the rocks one person at a time, freezing whenever the goat looked up. Staying tense and moving slowly for as long as it took for us to get everyone around the rocks was exhausting. Everyone was tired.

THE GROUP KNEW it was only one more push to where we could set up for a shot. It was the last push we had in us.

There was a saddle in the hill ahead and we hoped that we could use it as

a rest. We trudged up the hill, and just as we got near the top, Ron stopped and motioned to us and decided it would be best if my dad and I went to the top together. He thought it would be more meaningful if my dad and I got set up for the shot together, just like he and my grandfather had done so many years before.

We agreed and shimmied up the last few yards to the top and peeked over. My dad slid his pack out in front of me and I steadied myself over it and prepared to take my shot. The goat had fed into a sunny, green patch of grass and looked like a postcard as we got ready. It was perfect.

The closest goat was the biggest –

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URBAN HUNTRESS

another lucky break. My dad sized it up in the binoculars before giving me the green light to go ahead. It was a full-grown billy with long fluffy white fur, black horns and thick body.

We guessed that it was about 120 yards, a perfect distance. I held right on the shoulder and took a deep breath, let it out and squeezed.

The goat took the shot hard and everyone got excited, but those things are tough and I was nervous it would run before it died; I asked if I could shoot again. Ron advised against a second shot, but my dad said I should shoot again.

I hesitated but realized that they couldn’t hear each other’s advice, so I made a split-second decision and took a second shot.

The goat somersaulted down the mountain in spectacular fashion.

I was thrilled but realized that this

The hunters were flown via floatplane from Smithers, British Columbia, to Duti Lake in search of Rocky Mountain goats. (BRITTANY BODDINGTON)

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SEEING IS BELIEVING CHOOSING THE RIGHT OPTICS SHOULD GO BEYOND PRICE

By Al Quackenbush

W

isdom sometimes comes at a price. For me, it was being stubborn and trying to apply only whitetail hunting tactics to hunting mule deer.

Sometimes they work, but often they do not. Utilizing optics, for example, is one I learned the hard way. When I was younger, and hunted primarily whitetails from a treestand, I hardly ever used binoculars. I have truly grown to appreciate the benefits of quality optics for bowhunting. I have been

bowhunting for 30 years, but I never truly grasped the importance of good optics until roughly six years ago.

That’s when I started hunting the foothills and high desert areas of Southern California. The value of my optics far outweighs the price tag and yet it took some convincing.

New York state of mind Hunting whitetails in New York, I didn’t feel the need to routinely use binoculars or a spotting scope. I was 20 feet up in a tree waiting for a deer to walk by. I rarely used binoculars to locate deer in the farmers’ fields in

Bowhunter Michael Giudici glasses for pigs in rugged California terrain. Getting a quality pair of binoculars should take priority over saving money on a less expensive or powerful pair. Save up money and buy a better pair when you have it. (AL QUACKENBUSH) NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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hopes I could set up a stand or ambush them from another direction. I was after meat first and antlers second.

After my move to California, I found out most tags required me to shoot a minimum of a forkedhorn buck. I figured any binoculars would work for glassing up these bucks. Deciding to continue to use my $25 pair, I couldn’t figure out why I would get headaches all the time. The simple truth: you get what you pay for, and there is a reason why quality binoculars are more expensive.

I was experiencing eye strain and eye fatigue due to the poor quality of my optics. I learned quickly that the binoculars I had were useless for hunting out West. Out here, it’s about spotting your animal from a long distance (sometimes 2 miles or more) and then making an approach to spot and stalk. Plus, like many states, we have an antler restriction; having a quality binocular or spotting scope will help you determine if that buck is legal or not. Let your optics do some of the walking for you!

Where to start As I have grown older and wiser, my choice in optics has improved. Most are fairly lightweight, crystal clear and are an incredible tool in helping me effectively spot animals. There are many high quality binoculars to choose from – Swarovski, MINOX, Nikon, Vortex, KOWA and Leica, are just a few. At a minimum, I use a high-quality 10-by-42mm binocular because I don’t get eye fatigue and often glass for hours with them. They can reach out and give you a wide area to scan.

Be sure to try out binoculars before you buy to be sure you are comfortable with them. Carefully consider your choices. If you try a few pair out and the one you like is out

The author’s elk hunt is made a little less difficult with a quality pair of binoculars to glass with.

(AL QUACKENBUSH)

of your price range, save up for them!

You do get what you pay for and you will be thankful you waited for the right pair.

For long-range acquisition, many California hunters find a quality pair of 15-by-56mm binoculars mounted to a tripod work best. Most hunters I know find them extremely useful, and they can help you determine the legality a deer from a long way out.

Unfortunately, the interpupillary distance (distance between the centers of the pupils of your eyes) doesn’t allow me to comfortably appreciate 15-by-56mm.

That being said, most of my long range viewing is through a spotting scope. I know plenty of other hunters that prefer spotting scopes. While I am a believer that you can judge an animal better by using two eyes versus one, in this case genetics forces me to make an exception.

Take care Once acquired, caring for your optics is extremely important. Next to your archery setup, care of your optics should be tops on your priority list. You want them to last for a lifetime. If you are like many who use the manufacturer’s provided neck

strap or a simple harness to carry your binoculars, you should use the lens covers the manufacturer provides.

If you are like me and find them cumbersome, you can remove them for each hunt; just be sure to protect them when in the field.

I prefer to use a fully enclosed chest pack that allows easy, quiet, zipperless access to the binoculars, but also protects them when kicking up sand and dirt. If you do happen to get sand on them (especially in the eyecups), be sure to clean out the dirt and grime after each hunt.

Sand will scratch up your lenses fast!

Don’t use a cloth and try to rub the dirt off! Instead, blow out the debris, before using a cloth as it will help protect your investment.

Due to my genetics, instead of using high-powered binoculars, I use a small 15-30-by-50mm spotting scope. It is smaller and lighter weight than most spotting scopes. It packs easily and is great for verifying the legality of a buck or finding that hog bedded under a distant tree.

There are other great ones that are 20-60-by-60mm or 20-60-by-80mm power that are excellent, too. They just weigh a bit more and take up more room in my pack.

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Although this was not a legal-sized buck in California, spotting this spike was not only a sign others might be around, but also testament to the author’s powerful binoculars. (AL QUACKENBUSH)

The right choice for you You need to decide for yourself what power and brand you will use.

Another factor to consider in buying a spotting scope is, will you use a straight eyepiece vs. an angled one? If you are atop hillsides looking across or down most days, a straight eyepiece is best. If you are in a valley and scanning the rocks and mountainsides up high, then you will want an angled eyepiece.

Utilizing a tripod with your binoculars is a key component when scouting for animals in the West.

Mounting your binoculars to a tripod reduces the “shake” to nearly zero and you can keenly focus on more things.

Handholding your binoculars is fine, but is not entirely steady, causing your eyes to dance around. A mount is a must for hunters having to glass long

distances and for extended periods of time. A tripod will turn a decent pair of binoculars into a more effective pair of binoculars.

Tripod choice is up to the individual, but as a hunter and photographer, I prefer a carbon-fiber tripod. First off, it is a quiet material and doesn’t make a clanking sound if you accidentally hit it. Second, there is little to no glare when the sun hits the legs. Aluminum (silver or black) will cast a glare,

Using a tripod can improve your glassing experience because it cuts down on any “shake” when trying to focus on your line of vision.

(AL QUACKENBUSH)

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allowing animals to spot you easier.

The drawback is that a carbon-fiber tripod weighs more and can be more bulky than aluminum, but I love how it performs in the field.

The best advice I can offer to any hunter looking to purchase quality optics is to try out many different brands. Buy the best optics you can afford! Don’t settle on something cheap. If you have to save for a couple years, do it. You do get what you pay for, and purchasing a high-quality binocular and spotting scope will drastically improve your ability to clearly view animals while hunting.

Take good care of them and they will last you a lifetime. CS Editor’s note: For more on the author, go to socalbowhunter.com.

Glassing unpredictable bears while searching for bucks is an important safety tip for hunters who don’t want to be surprised by a curious visitor. (AL QUACKENBUSH)

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HUNTING

Taking Good Care Of Hunting Boots

By Dave Workman

A

nother hunting season is well underway in the Far West, and conditions have taken a turn for the sloppy. It’s in that kind of environment where hunting boots will either make or break a hunt.

Bad boots suck. I had a pair go wrong on a hunt in Southeast Alaska many years ago, and it will never happen again. About six years ago, I explained how the right treatment will keep your valuable leather hunting boots going year after year.

At the time, my hunting boots were more than 20 years old.

That was the year I finally shelled out for a replacement pair. And I’ve been using those boots hard every hunting season for deer on the Snake River Breaks, and elk hunts in the Cascades. They have seen snow, a lot of mud, dust, rain, a lot more mud, gravel, sagebrush and stuff one steps in now and then, and they are still as good as new despite a worn appearance.

They also stay nice and dry when conditions would suggest otherwise, and I anticipate they will remain good for the trail for many years.

ANY NEW LEATHER boots should be treated, regardless of whether the label says they’re waterproof. I have treated my heavy hunting boots with Huberd’s Shoe Grease, Mink Oil, neatsfoot oil and/or Sno Seal over the years, typically alternating the treatments to keep the leather supple.

Back when I was in junior high school, one of my teachers – as devoted a deer hunter as I ever knew – told me about a process he used for breaking

You’re not exactly trying to get your boots pearly bright, but using an old toothbrush when you apply boot grease, mink oil, etc., allows you to work the compound into the leather. The author also advises paying close attention to the welt. (DAVE WORKMAN)

in a new pair of leather hunting boots.

He would soak them inside and out in warm oil the night before a hunt. He would put them on in the morning after they’ve been near a warm stove and wear them until noon. By then they would have formed to his feet.

He would then take off his socks, which by then would be ruined by the oil residue, and toss them in the fire.

He’d put on a clean pair of socks and his boots would be cured.

My own experience has also involved keeping boots warm and treating them with the melted substance I chose for that particular occasion.

I bought my current pair of boots just in time for the elk season opener.

Right out of the box, I warmed them up slowly near the campfire while a tin of Huberd’s warmed up nearby.

With a cloth and old toothbrush, I got that shoe grease into every seam on those boots, with special attention to the welt and anywhere there is stitching.

Also, pay attention to the boot tongue. This may or may not have

Workman’s four-year-old Cabela’s hunting boots may look trail worn, but because he treats the leather annually with a good oil or grease, they should last for many years. (DAVE WORKMAN)

some sort of insulation on the inner surface, but this section deserves extra care because it is often where trail crud accumulates. In some boots, the tongue consists of thinner leather, and if something is going to go haywire with a boot, it’s right there.

Every year since, there’s been a late-summer treatment, with the boots sitting outside in the sun alongside a can or tub of whatever I use to treat the leather.

IF YOU WANT to get extra fancy, pick up a tin of shoe wax the same color as your boots, either black or brown. Allow it to warm up too, and then apply it liberally to your boots.

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HUNTING Kiwi and Lincoln. Rub this in with a soft cloth and don’t expect to get a shine out of it, but it will restore the color rather well. Leave the boots in the sun to keep warm and then add the mink oil or shoe grease, or some neatsfoot.

It’s important to check the interior of your boots because natural foot perspiration can cause problems with leather. If your boots are damp from perspiration, let them dry slowly.

I’ve often used a Peet shoe dryer to accomplish this, and the results have been satisfactory.

Here’s another thing you should do: Replace the laces occasionally.

Boot laces don’t last forever, and if they get all gunked up with grease or something you run into out in the field, they’ll hold dirt and grit. That can cause the laces to deteriorate. You can wash those laces in mild soap and warm water, but eventually, they’ll have to be replaced. CS

NEW .357 MAGNUM LOAD Fans of the .357 Magnum (I own more than one!) should warm up to a new load from Liberty Ammunition that is part of their Civil Defense family. It’s definitely for personal protection, with a 50-grain copper monolithic hollowpoint bullet that fragments. There’s no lead in this pill, and here’s the payoff: That projectile literally warps out of the barrel at a reported Liberty Ammunition’s new .357 2,100 feet per second.

That’s not simply impressive, it’s awesome. I’ve fired some Magnum load. sizzling .357 Magnum loads over the years, always with light bullets, but this round’s reported velocity is in a realm of its own.

The .357 Magnum is a remarkably versatile cartridge, and it can be used for selfdefense, midsized game up to deer with the right load, predator control and target shooting. Whether used in a very stout single-action such as the Ruger Blackhawk, or a double-action from Smith & Wesson, Taurus, Ruger or any of the other handgun makers, the .357 Magnum will get the job done.

I’ve known people who shot black bears, mountain lions, deer, coyotes and other game effectively with a .357 Magnum. I happened across an unopened box of old Nosler 158-grainers several months ago and broke out an old Nosler manual because they’re not offering that bullet weight these days. The loads I cooked up work really well out of my vintage 2½-inch barreled Model 19 S&W, and that’s the handload I’ll be carrying on the trail from now on.

But for, ahem, “social work,” one could hardly find a more devastating fight stopper in that caliber than this new offering from Liberty, if it performs as advertised. –DW

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KAYAK FISHING ON THE KLAMATH

A small armada of kayaks and jet boats gathered in the Klamath River for a fall trip to catch (and release) fall-run kings and steelhead. Smaller crafts like kayaks are an ideal way to ďŹ sh these Northern California waters.

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FISHING

FALL KINGS AND STEELIES IN NORTH COAST JEWEL Story by Bob Semerau Photos by Chris Collard and Greg Niemann

CRESCENT

CITY—For years this lowlander (a Southern Californian) has been itching to run up north to Crescent City, specifically the Klamath River, for the fall salmon and steelhead run.

When an opportunity to fish the Klamath came along in conjunction with a writer’s conference at the nearby Smith River Rancheria, sponsored by Del Norte County Chamber of Commerce, who could resist?

Casting a line in the untamed Klamath, granted National Wild and Scenic Rivers System status by Congress back in 1981, meant doing some online research and tapping into the wealth of knowledge available. A popular option is to hire one of the local jet boat guide services. These slick boats, which are fast and furious, are powered by huge inboard power plants that generate hundreds of horsepower.

They channel water out through a steering nozzle at the stern, and are known for their speed, smooth ride, and ability to turn on a dime; they stop in an even shorter distance.

The advantage of a jet boat is that they can go into skinny water where outboard motors cannot; areas where a short cast can find big salmon and steelhead. Since there is no prop to bust up, jet boat pilots love to show off their abilities to the frightful pleasure of clients. The 20-foot-plus boats also have a small trolling motor that allows the pilot to hold them steady, center-river, for side-drifting or backbouncing roe or lures.

Fortunately, one Klamath River guide, Bob McCray, offers the opportunity to do both jet boat and kayak fishing in the same day. With his decades of experience on the

Klamath and other rivers on the “Wild Rivers Coast,” McCray knows where and when to fish, and which method of transport is best.

“The kayak gets anglers down at water level to fish up close and personal,” McCray said with a wry smile. “But our jet boat can get you there in style and do it right now.”

For a more hands-on approach to getting fish on the Klamath, kayaks can’t be beat. Sitting low on the water in a stable craft that easily glides upstream or down, one gets a sense of connection with the water and the fish within.

Heading to the Klamath An assembly of writers and photographers, who were attending the Outdoor Writers Association of California conference, took McCray up on his offer to fish the Klamath.

Though the date set turned out to be just after the king salmon quota had been filled for the year, anglers in our group were dedicated to catch and release, or fishing for steelhead (two hatchery fish may be kept).

The Klamath has a long heritage with the region’s Native Americans, who have called the area home for thousands of years. For the Hupa, Yurok, and Kurak tribes, plying the 263-mile-long Klamath in canoes and dugouts has been a part of their culture and a way of life. Today, local tribes not only fish the river, but work to preserve its salmon and incredible scenic beauty. Semipermanent fish camps appear along the shores during the spring and fall salmon runs, and from these camps the Native Americans take their share of salmon for cultural, spiritual, and commercial purposes.

For our day on the Klamath, Hobie fishing pro Dennis Farrier and Hobie representative Tom Boyer brought out several Mirage kayaks. The Hobie

Mirage is a unique piece of equipment that works on pedal-power rather than paddles. Its patented MirageDrive drive system is extremely efficient, provides a smooth ride that is easy on the legs, and keeps your hands free to fish. This machine is truly designed with fishing in mind.

With several kayaks loaded onto trailers and roof racks, and two jet boats in tow, the group found its way to the Klamath at a spot known as Blake’s Hole. Unloading and setting up the kayaks took just a few minutes, about as long as it takes to rig up a fly rod. A few of the anglers opted to bounce roe, two climbed aboard the two jet boats, and a couple others opted to fish a kayak. This lone reporter, who intended to throw the fly while “pedaling” the Klamath, settled into a Mirage Pro Angler 12 Kayak.

On the water Like anyone virgin to an experience, sitting down on a kayak for the first time can be exciting and a bit scary. Managing the steering control, a simple hand lever, and getting the hang of pedaling requires a little experimentation and bit of trial and error. But in short order the kayak was beginning to head where directed and continued on course towards a spot McCray had designated to be the start of the day’s fishing.

The section of water here above Blake’s is deep, cold, and clear.

Other boats were already working the breaks and drift line, so getting into position was key. Riparian foliage flourishes alongside the river’s edge, and old-growth forest follow the steep canyon walls upward. Occasional deer and bear find their way to shoreline to drink the cool, fresh water under cloudless NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FISHING Dennis Farrier nets a chrome-bright salmon taken from the Klamath River while fishing roe before removing the hook and releasing the fish back into the river. Quickly releasing salmon allows the fishery to remain healthy and strong for generations to come.

blue skies.

One of the two jet boats headed up

river to a spot known only to associate guide Burt Branch. For anglers Jeff

Parmer and Greg Niemann, Burt’s secret location would produce. The

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FISHING other jet boat, driven by Bob McCray, stayed with the kayakers (a sort of mother ship). McCray drifted by occasionally to coach us on how to fish certain spots.

Dennis Farrier, also in a Hobie, hung back at Blake’s Hole to fish the roe in the deep holes and long runs. Working the run several times over, the kayaks maneuvered easily and allowed for perfect drifts.

Farrier found the right combination and was soon onto the first fish of the day.

With the fish on and the spinning gear loaded with light line, Farrier carefully pedaled across river to quiet water, out of the main flow, to land the fish. A quick smile for the camera and the king was released unharmed. Pedaling back upriver, Farrier began another drift.

Though none were taking a liking to my flies, he found two more fish that would accept his offering.

Up the river Meanwhile, the jet-boat contingent had moved upriver and found pristine waters and hot action. Less traffic upriver meant these guys had the water pretty much to themselves.

Branch set up a holding drift, which allowed the anglers to get their roe down to the fish that were cruising along the river bottom.

With nearly every drift the anglers found action. Several would break off or toss the hook, but both Jeff Parmer, director of the Del Norte Chamber of Commerce, and outdoor writer Greg Niemann, landed more than a lion’s share of fish. Releasing all of their lateseason salmon and steelhead back into the river would go a long way to ensure the future of this incredible fishery.

With the day flying by, guide McCray called for the kayakers

The

FISHING

Perseverance

Servant

to move downriver toward the takeout, which lay a few miles downstream. With the move, this fly angler hoped to find shallower water that might be holding steelhead.

A short distance downstream, representatives of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife appeared along shore and wanted a word with each angler working this stretch of the river. They checked paperwork to ensure that steelhead report cards were in place and properly filled out, and inspected hooks for barbless crimps. The officers were efficient and polite; one even offered some advice on fly selection that proved effective a few moments later.

Taking the advice to heart, flies were switched out, replacing the large red bead with a smaller model as suggested. While others in the party underwent the scrutiny of the CDFW,

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FISHING I made a quick pedal back upstream to take advantage of a few more drifts through shallower riffles.

As the flies bounced along the bottom a steelie soon was taking the pegged bead. With a quick-handed strike the stinger hook cut clean into the fish’s outer jaw as intended, and it began a run upstream. A quick one-two push on the pedals and the Mirage kayak was aimed for maximum control.

The light-leader tippet and upstream drag from the run needed an especially deft hand as the steelie took line and headed for the Oregon border. Running fast, a rapid series of headshakes left loose line drifting back toward the kayak and the steelhead managed an unintended long-line release.

Having found the right combination so late in the trip would mean that fly-fishing the Klamath River from a kayak would need

further exploration another day.

In short order McCray called for the kayakers to convene at a point downriver, requiring a steady pace to make our appointed takeout time. Racking the rods and heading for the barn, the easy action of pedaling while enjoying the splendor of the canyon made the extraction run relaxing and enjoyable.

“We found out a few things today,” said McCray, as we loaded our gear and kayaks. “Next time we’ll work the riffles and runs first for the fly guys, then head up to the deeper holes for those working roe.”

With any luck, that “next time” won’t be too far in the future. The grandeur of the Klamath River, along with fish in big numbers, will soon bring us back to the Wild Rivers Coast to fine-tune our skills and immerse ourselves in the beauty of these waters. CS

FISHING THE WILD RIVERS COAST The wild and scenic rivers that make up the Wild Rivers Coast include the Elk, Rogue, Illinois, Chetco, Smith, and Klamath. Together they comprise some of the most beautiful and carefully protected waterways in the United States. For this reason each of these rivers consistently produces incredible runs of salmon and steelhead.

The Klamath River, which drains the mountainous region of the Cascade Range to the east and northward into Oregon, was once the third-largest producer of salmon on the West Coast.

Resources to remember Klamath Kayak Fishing klamathkayakfishing.com; (949) 433-9184 Wild Rivers Coast: gowildriverscoast.com; (541) 469-3123 Crescent City/Del Norte Chamber of Commerce: delnorte.org; (800) 343-8300 California Department of Fish and Wildlife: wildlife.ca.gov; (916) 445-0411 Hobie: hobie.com/products/kayaks.aspx; (888) Hobie-21 BS

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FISHING

BRAVE COLD WEATHER FOR HIGH-COUNTRY SUCCESS

Upper Owens River trout are caught readily in the winter. “The upper Owens has great rainbow trout that fight like steelhead,” a local guide says. (SIERRA DRIFTERS GUIDE SERVICE)

By Mike Stevens hile the winter trout fishery in the Eastern Sierra is no secret, when it comes to avoiding crowds and enjoying excellent fishing conditions and biting trout it may as well be.

For the Sierra trouthead who can’t get his fill during the general season (April to November), a handful of watersheds were opened to yearround trout fishing in 2007. Those waters included Hot Creek, the upper Owens River and the East Walker River, and they were selected based on the healthy trout populations

they boasted as well as good winter access. These top fisheries joined a smattering of spots in and around Bishop that already had opportunities for the winter trout angler.

Here are your options:

Bishop Even before the new waters opened up in 2007, the Bishop area featured winter trout options. The headwaters – in a sense – for this area are represented by Pleasant Valley Reservoir, which sits just north of Bishop on U.S. 395. At PVR, anglers are free to use lures, flies or bait, and the lake’s position along the Owens

River, paired with continued stocking throughout the cooler months, provides a legitimate shot at a trophy trout in the form of a monster brown.

It’s a California Department of Fish and Wildlife brooder that earned its freedom from hatchery work.

“Bait guys fishing Pleasant Valley should use inflated nightcrawlers, garlic Power Bait and Berkley Pinched Crawlers,” said Greg Bynum of Reagan’s Sporting Goods (760872-3000; hunt-fish-sierra.com) in Bishop.

“Lure tossers should throw gold Panther Martins and Sierra Slammers jigs in their ‘matchstick’ and ‘king NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FISHING In winter, fishing in locations like the Upper Owens River and other Eastern Sierras' fisheries is finding slow-moving water and deep pools where trout congregate. (MIKE STEVENS)

crimson’ colors.”

The wild trout section of the lower Owens River flows, from the PVR dam downstream to Five Bridges Road. In this area, use of artificial lures with single, barbless hooks is mandatory in this 100 percent catchand-release environment.

“For fly fishermen wanting to fish the wild trout section, Pheasant Tail and El Diablo nymphs have been working the best lately,” Bynum added.

It should also be noted that through much of the winter, a blue-winged olive hatch occurs like

clockwork almost daily from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Keep an eye out for that to pop off for a shot at excellent dry-fly fishing in this area as well as the rest of the “Lower O.” Moving downstream, the rest of the Owens through Bishop and southward is open to fishing with

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FISHING flies, lures, bait and even driftboats.

So pick your poison.

Fishing soft plastics continues to pick up steam during the general season, but their effectiveness during the low-flow cooler months is becoming more and more obvious with each passing year.

“I have always done best casting downstream at about 2 o’clock toward the opposite bank,” said Jared Smith of Sierra Slammers Custom Baits (sierraslammers.com). “Let the bait drift across the river and into the target hole or eddy, and retrieve just fast enough to give a lifelike action to the bait.”

According to Smith – who also manages Parcher’s Resort on Bishop Creek (760-873-4177; parchersresort. com) during the general season – the most popular jig colors on the river are the more natural-looking ones for wild rainbows and browns. But the brighter colors will nail stocked

Big brown trout, plus trophy rainbows, are both on the winter menu when fishing the lower Owens through the winter. The lower East Walker River is also full of browns in the colder months. (MIKE STEVENS)

rainbows and the occasional trophy Alpers fish.

For lure tossers, standbys like Rooster Tails, Mepps spinners and minnow baits such as size 5 or 7 Countdown Rapalas all will produce, but should be fished “slower and lower” in the water column this time of year. Also, while not known as a great moving-water lure, Thomas Buoyants can also be deadly in the Owens, provided the current is nice and slow.

Bait anglers looking to catch an

easy limit should deploy crickets or salmon eggs, according to the staff at Reagan’s. Eggs should be split-shotted along the bottom for rainbows, and the crickets typically produce a mix of rainbow and brown trout.

“Look for spots on the river with a lot of ripples on the surface which translates to more oxygen in the water,” said Bynum. “Fish always congregate there.”

Mammoth area While

Bishop

holds

the

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FISHING watersheds that have had yeararound access forever, a pair of the (relatively) recently opened areas meander between Crowley Lake and the city of Mammoth Lakes. Hot Creek is well-known as a world-class trout fishery, and five years of winter accessibility has shown that’s still the case in the “offseason.”

Low flows and clear water are the rule on Hot Creek, and that combined with the fact that you are already targeting some of the spookiest and well-educated trout in the region makes it the ideal location of a challenge is what you are after.

“The name of the game for winter fishing is locating the slow-moving water,” said Doug Rodricks of Sierra Drifters Guide Service (760-9354250; sierradrifters.com).

“The shallow, fast water that holds fish in the summer will not hold fish in the winter. Food is scarce, oxygen is low, and cold water temperatures will

cause the fish to hold in the deepest pools and runs.”

In the winter, weeds in this flyfishing-only creek experience a slow death, which improves the conditions quite a bit. The bite gets pretty predictable this time of year with two midge bites – at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. – sandwiching a mid-day baetis bite. Usually, you can count on an hour’s worth of dry-fly action per day as well.

Adams, stimulators, Elk-hair Caddis and blue-winged olives are good to have handy for when surface activity is evident, while Prince Nymphs, Copper Johns, Disco Midges and WD-40s are standards for nymphing on Hot Creek. These patterns cover a lot of your flyfishing needs for the general season as well as the winter, but as with all fly fishing, you should check with the local shops and guides for ultraspecific bugs that are getting it done

over the last day or so.

When runoff stains the water and slows the bite to a crawl (plan on it when a few days of unseasonably warm temps causes some snow melt), grinding it out with a “meat and potatoes” approach using San Juan Worms, egg patterns, or swinging a purple Woolly Bugger can save your bacon on Hot Creek.

The stretch of the upper Owens upstream of Benton Crossing also opened to year-round fishing in 2007, and one of the best things about this spot is the fact that the best fishing occurs mid-day between 10 and 2, so you can actually sleep in and get away with it. If you are out there at the crack of dawn, fishing midges until it warms up enough to switch to a baetis is the way to go.

As Crowley Lake ices over (right about now), some of the lake’s better model fish will make their way up into this area and into anglers’ nets all

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FISHING up to April’s general season opener.

Regarding the fly box for this stretch, the standards mentioned for Hot Creek will work here, but dries like Parachute Caddis Emergers, Henrysville Specials, Outrigger Caddis, and even signature summer terrestrials like Chernobyl Ants and foam Hoppers will produce all winter.

Nymphs like Lightning Bugs, Rubber Leg Copper Johns, and Glo Bugs will handle your subsurface needs on this stretch of the upper Owens.

“Presentation is very important.

Winter fish want to expend as little energy as possible while acquiring the largest meal available,” added Rodricks. “They key is being able to read the water and identify where the fish will be holding. From there, the angler must present his offering within inches of a trout’s lie to trigger a strike.”

East Walker River A tailwater, freestone stream

originating at Bridgeport Reservoir, the East Walker is an officially designated “trophy trout” fishery all the way to the Nevada border. It is characterized by long runs, fast riffles and many of the larger trout are caught in its deep pools and pockets. The river allows artificial lures with barbless hooks only, and from November 16 to the last Saturday in April (the general trout opener) it’s a zero-limit fishery.

Much of the fishing quality here is governed by the flow, which can range from 20 to 500 cubic feet per second, and also the temperature in general, as the trout get downright sluggish when temps teeter on single digits. That said, when you do find fish in the East Walker they are typically wild trout, chunkier models or a combination of both.

Like Hot Creek and the Owens, the fishing typically peaks midday when the warmer temps activate the fish a bit, and, if you are lucky, will set off a short but productive blue-winged

olive hatch. If you are going to bang it out before and after the mid-day activity, downsize your midges and nymphs and make it your mission to fish the best holes on the river when water levels are low.

Your East Walker fly arsenal should include extended-body blue-winged olives, Parachute Adams and Sierra Brite Dots on the dry side; Copper Johns, Hare’s Ears and a variety of midges are for nymphing, and streamers like leeches, Punk Perch and Woolly Buggers for swinging through deeper holes and around undercut banks.

“All three fisheries produce excellent fishing in the winter. The East Walker can give up some of the biggest browns in the Eastern Sierra, and the Upper Owens has great rainbow trout that fight like steelhead. Hot Creek can challenge and reward anglers of all skill levels and all three waters can produce some epic winter dry fly fishing as well,” Rodricks said. CS

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FISHING

PROS

BASSIN’ FROM DOWN UNDER AUSSIE JOCUMSEN CHASES PRO DREAMS IN U.S.

By Nick Barr

C

arl Jocumsen, a calm and collected 29-year-old from Queensland, Australia, followed his bass fishing dream to America via California. He’s now the newest qualifier for the 2015 Bassmaster Elite Series, and we caught up with Jocumsen as he looks toward a whole new experience of being a rookie against the biggest names in bass fishing.

Nick Barr Carl, what is the tournament fishing like in Australia, and what made fishing professionally such an obsessive dream of yours?

Carl Jocumsen The tournament format in Australia is nearly identical to Bassmasters, but on a much smaller scale. There’s a tournament each year called the “Grand Final,” which is basically the Bassmaster Classic for Australia. The top prize is a trip to America to fish in the tournament of your choice as a co-angler. Since I was 16, I always wanted to compete against the best in the world. You can’t just fish tournaments for a living in Australia, so I had to look abroad. I won the Grand Final event and chose to fish the U.S. Open on Lake Mead.

At the U.S. Open I took second in the amateur standings, which jumpstarted my success here, but the most influential part of that tournament was fishing with Elite Series pro Fred Roumbanis. I’ve been very close to

One of the adjustments Carl Jocumsen had to make from fishing for barramundi to largemouth in the U.S. is where to find his quarry. “(Australian fish) require finesse presentations and they school up on reefs and points instead of burying in deep cover,” he says. (CARL JOCUMSEN)

JOES NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FISHING him since, and he has been such a huge supporter of mine.

NB How did the process go making the jump to America? I’m sure it wasn’t very easy.

CJ No, it wasn’t. In 2010, I ended up in California after selling all of my worldly possessions and jumping on a plane with nothing more than a backpack.

The only friend I had in America was based there, so it was my only choice on where to head. After five months of fishing local events, I knew I had to do something. Understanding it is very tough to launch a fishing career from California, I needed to head east.

I drove cross-country to a Bassmaster Elite Series event on a whim. On arrival I watched the final weigh-in and knew that was where I needed to be. All the while, I was in the middle of still trying to learn how to fish for American bass, which is much different than back home. You can call it quite a whirlwind.

amil

wne & perate n Spar s,

Jocumsen (right, with an Australian barramundi), knows he has to catch up on his fellow competitors who have fished the same waters for a lot longer.

“I pride myself on being on the water longer than anyone else,” he says.

(CARL JOCUMSEN)

NB How have your Australian and Californian roots helped you qualify for the Elite Series?

CJ Australian bass are like a cross between a smallmouth and a white bass here in the U.S. They require finesse presentations and they school up on reefs and points instead of burying in deep cover. All my life, I’ve fished for barramundi and

Australian bass, which is considered a bream species Down Under. If you cross all of those species together they basically make a largemouth. Fishing in California compared to Australia; the crossover to the open-water techniques was not very hard. When I headed to the South, now that was a huge adjustment. I had to learn on the fly how to power fish against some of

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FISHING the best anglers with a flipping jig or crankbait in their rigs. I can never get back the 30 or 40 years of experience that a lot of these guys have on me, but I believe the basis of catching so many different species in Australia has helped me be versatile and adapt to whatever conditions are thrown at me.

NB How ready are you to take on the financial responsibilities of the 2015 Bassmaster Elite Series?

CJ I luckily have had a ton of support from back home in Australia, with plenty of anglers there supporting me. My sponsors there have upped the commitment to help me fulfill my dreams in the states. While I have been here in America, I’ve been working with their U.S. counterparts to help make this Elite Series dream a reality. Once you qualify, it is only the beginning. I’ve been on my laptop nonstop attempting to raise funding

for the $35,000 in entry fees, plus all the travel expenses. Skeeter Boats, Shimano, Hobie Kayaks, and Miller Rods have been some of my biggest supporters. I’m hoping to find some nonendemic support as well to make sure I can fish my rookie season worry-free. The worry of fishing check to check can have a hamper on any angler. I don’t think I’ll be touching a fishing rod very much until the season starts – I can guarantee you that.

NB How has fellow Western pro, Fred Roumbanis, helped you on your quest?

CJ Fred is family to me. He has been a lifesaver and taken me under his wing. From the day I fished out of his backseat at the 2009 U.S. Open, he has been such an amazing supporter.

I’ve lived and traveled with him while trying to learn the ropes. Fred cut my learning curve down so much, as I would not be nearly this competitive

this early on in my American career if it wasn’t for him. You can only learn so much by reading in magazines or on the Internet, but having a fishing mentor here in the states is priceless.

He has also shown me how to be a great representative for sponsors and fans alike.

NB The Bassmaster Elite Series is the cream of the crop; if you have one advantage coming into your rookie season, what would it be?

CJ I know that moving up to the Elites will be a struggle, but I’m prepared for the massive challenge. The drive I’ve had since I was a teenager fuels me to be on the water as much as possible, as well as continuing to be detailoriented. I’m absolutely meticulous when it comes to my tackle, and I pride myself on being on the water longer than anyone else. At the professional level everyone is at the top of their game, but I hope that my preparation

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will separate me from the pack. I don’t think there will be much of a shock factor, as a lot of Elite Series guys come down and fish the open level on a regular basis, but the competition will definitely be much higher.

NB In five years, where do you see

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CJ I dream of having the Bassmaster Classic trophy high above my head.

I’ve dreamed about it since I was a kid, and nothing will stop me from living that dream. It may take longer than five years, but I’m shooting to make an impact right away and strike while the iron is hot. There is no better time than now while I’m young to take a chance and chase my dreams. CS Editor’s note: For more information on Carl’s journey onto the Bassmaster Elite Series, follow CarlJocumsen.com. For more information on the author, visit NickBarrFishing.com.

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FISHING

TAKE A WINTER SWIM BASS GOBBLING TROUT SWIMBAITS

By Luke Kelly

TUSTIN—As winter approaches and many of Southern California’s lakes are stocked with trout, adding a swimbait – or a handful of them – to your repertoire can be just the ticket to landing quality bass as the seasons change.

“When the temperatures start dropping in the lakes,” says Orange County-based guide Rusty Brown (rustybasshook.com), professional bass angler and winner of the 2013 U.S. Open, “the trout stockings are very important. It gets the bass going. It gets them actively keying on trout.”

And with bass looking to feed specifically on trout, a swimbait, which mimics the trout, is a logical choice.

Be color-coordinated Brown explains that the lakes are often stocked in early November, and that, coupled with the cooler water temperatures, makes November through February the ideal months to throw a swimbait. Exactly which type of swimbait you choose depends, to a large degree, on the type and color of the trout on which the bass are feeding.

“I like to match the hatch,” explains Brown. “If you can see the color of the trout that are feeding in the water, you can go into your box, and pick out a color that matches.”

Brown points out that the color of the trout will vary from lake to lake. If the trout appear to be lighter, choose a lighter colored swimbait; if they seem darker, choose darker baits.

How does one get a look at a lake’s trout? Brown recommends looking at the trout that shore fishermen

Rusty Brown caught a pair of “Lake Isabella fatties” on an Optimum Baits Original Trout swimbait. Brown says anglers wanting to throw trout swimbaits should ascertain what color and type of trout bass are feeding on when choosing a bait. (RUSTY BROWN)

have caught, watching as the trout are stocked, or simply by observing the trout that tend to congregate by the launch ramps in Southern

California’s lakes.

Color aside, the retrieve and size of a swimbait will also play a major role in its productivity, as does the NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FIVE SWIMBAITS THAT CATCH FISH Do a quick YouTube search for Butch Brown (no relation to Rusty), and you’ll find an array of videos depicting the expert angler landing monstrous bass - many of them well over 15 pounds. In one such video, Brown, using a Huddleson Deluxe swimbait, sets into a 19.3-pound beauty (youtube.com/watch?v=FSu2Y4L_aQ4).

It’s enough to get your adrenaline going from the computer chair as he brings it to the net. No wonder the video has nearly 500,000 views.

Brown is no stranger to using swimbaits in Southern California, his expertise on full display for all users of the Internet to see. “I’ve been doing this a long time,” he says.

We asked Butch Brown for his top five swimbait choices for catching big bass in the wintertime.

Here’s what the experienced fisherman recommends, noting that these baits are highly productive in the cooler months, but will produce year-round depending on the retrieve and depth at which they are fished:

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weather. In the cooler months, Brown recommends fishing on “rainy days, with dark clouds,” in the clear lakes of the Southland.

“Those days help you because it gets the sun off the water, and the bait singles itself out better in the water instead of having the bright, sunny sky.”

As far as retrieve goes, “I don’t reel the thing real fast,” says Brown. “If I’m in a shallow bay, I’ll keep the bait up off the bottom.

I’ll work it and lift the rod, kind of slow-roll it around the cover and bounce it off the bottom.”

In deeper waters fishing out off of the points, Brown advises using a slow-to-medium retrieve.

“I do a lot of killing the bait, which is where I let it free-fall a little bit, and then I’ll pull on the rod tip to make it look like the bait came to life again,” Brown says.

Many times, this will trigger a strike because it gives the impression of an escaping trout.

Watch your depth Equally as important is varying the depths at which you fish the swimbait.

“You want to mix your depths up,” says Brown. “In the wintertime, the rule of thumb is typically working from mid-depth to deeper water columns, depending on what points and area of the lake you’re fishing.”

Brown explains that a good time to fish is right after the trout have been stocked, and the bass are keying on them. “You can throw it out there and mediumretrieve it back. But mix it up, like anything else.”

Winter is an exceptional time to catch big bass on swimbaits because the bass have gained their weight all summer by feeding, preparing for their metabolism to slow down in the cooler months.

“I especially like fishing in the wintertime,” says Brown. “You’re not going to get as many fish in the winter, but the ones you do catch are dandies.” CS

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FISHING

FIREWORKS FRENZY IN NOVEMBER SOUTHLAND BASS CHASING SHAD

By Bill Schaefer

SAN DIEGO—Freshwater bass fishing this time of year is about as exciting as it gets, as topwater action is going strong at almost all the Southern California lakes right now.

As long as it stays warmer than usual, as it has been, the bite should keep going strong. The bass are schooled up and chasing shad all over the lakes; on glassy mornings, the explosions look like the grand finale at a fireworks show. Topwater action pumps up every angler, and all it takes is one explosion to get hooked!

A lot of the Southern California lakes will let you launch right at grey light. Head to the closest bank.

Larger bass are on the prowl and feel much safer in the dark shallows as they hunt during these low-light hours.

I like to throw a noise-creating bait like a Booya Buzzbait if the conditions are right with a small ripple on the water. If it’s glassy, I’ll go to the Zara Spook or one of my other favorite walking baits. I want to present a big meal for a big bass.

Sometimes I go unrewarded, but in other situations I score a giant. You’ll also be amazed how many smaller fish will attack those baits, keeping the morning exciting.

As the sun rises and baitfish slide out into deeper waters you can chase the breakers. The breaking bass are in enough of a frenzy that they’ll chase schools of shad and will eat just about anything in front of them.

Now, I also have to mention that these bass can be just as finicky about what they attack as well. We have all thrown into what seems like

It’s topwater bait time in Southern California lakes this month. Bass are feeding on shad, so baits and plastics like Booya Buzzbaits and Daiwa TD Pencils are good choices to toss at hungry largemouth. (BILL SCHAEFER)

a million boiling fish and not been bit. That leaves us wondering how it’s possible that our lure made it through all those hungry bass.

A lot of the time bass will injure baitfish and leave them swimming stunned or dead on the surface.

Try to match the hatch, as they say, with bait about the same size in the photo above.

There are so many choices when chasing the breaking fish. You can go a little lighter than normal line-wise, because you’ll be fighting them in open water. Lighter line lets you cast small baits further. But the fish are in frenzy mode, so you can also go the other way and use a little heavier line on heavy baits you can toss longer.

I like to use a smaller-weight Maxima braided line in 20-pound breaking strength. It’s about the diameter of 2-pound line. You should be able to catch anything on this.

My favorite lure to throw is the Daiwa TD Pencil. My favorite plastic to throw is a ⅛-ounce dart-head jig with a small salt-and-pepper grub.

Throw it beyond the breaking fish, let it sink a tad and race it back to the boat. It looks like a shad running for its life and will entice the most finicky bass.

The only thing that will end this topwater action is if a few cold fronts move through and the water in your favorite lake turns over. Until then, go enjoy the fireworks show! CS NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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FISHING

WAHOO ON WINTER RADAR LONG-RANGE TRIPS SHOULD FIND BIG FISH

By Steve Carson

A

s the winter long-range season gets underway, visions of cow tuna are dancing in the heads of many anglers. Depending on exactly how good the big tuna season turns out to be will determine how much effort is expended on chasing wahoo.

Tuna are certainly much larger and more glamorous, but wahoo may be the world’s perfect game fish.

Wahoo grow large, averaging around 30 to 60 pounds and occasionally reaching 100 pounds for long-range anglers; the International Game Fish Association world record is 184 pounds.

Wahoo are aggressive biters and will readily hit on a wide variety of artificial lures and live baits. As the world’s fastest fish, they are spectacular fighters, although they lack the endurance of tuna. On the table, wahoo is among the most delicious species in the sea and are called "ono" on restaurant menus.

Range If wahoo have a disadvantage, it is where they usually swim. With the exception of during major El Niño years, wahoo are usually found no further north than central Baja, meaning long-range trips of seven days or longer are needed to get into wahoo country. Trips of seven to 10 days’ duration will normally hit either Alijos Rocks or The Ridge, with the latter spot being somewhat better over the past several seasons.

Longer winter trips of 14 days will really get down into the mother lode of the wahoo population, especially when fishing

The author with a nice wahoo, which during this El Niño season have been closer to U.S. waters than most years, when it’s taken long-range trips well beyond the Mexico border. (STEVE CARSON)

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FISHING at Hurricane Bank (Shimada Seamount) or outside the buffer zone at the Revilla Gigedo Islands.

Occasionally in the upper zone, large numbers of wahoo can also be found under floating kelp paddies in open water. Baja resorts in Cabo San Lucas, the East Cape and La Paz all

RECOMMENDED WAHOO TROLLING COMBO Reel: Penn Squall SQL30VSW or equivalent.

Rod: 5½- to 7-foot rods rated for 50- to 130-pound lines; roller guides optional.

Line: 100-yard topshot of 80- or 100-pound-test monofilament, over 100- to 130-pound superbraid backing.

Note: Fish drags very tight, and set the lures back only about 25 to 30 feet off the transom.

have good wahoo potential.

Trolling

RECOMMENDED WAHOO JIGGING COMBO Reel: Penn Fathom FTH40NLD2 reel or equivalent.

Rod: 7- to 8-foot conventional rods rated for 30- to 60-pound lines.

Line: 100-yard topshot of 50-pound monofilament over 65- to 80-pound superbraid backing.

Advanced-level anglers may opt to forego the long topshot, and tie their jig directly from the superbraid to only 4 feet of 125-pound fluorocarbon or 90-pound wire.

Note: High-speed reel with minimum of 36 to 40 inches per turn retrieve speed is a must. A two-speed reel is not required for wahoo, but is a huge help if/ when a tuna inhales your jig.

If there is an easy way to catch wahoo, trolling is it. The standard 80- or 100-pound trolling tackle tends to overpower any wahoo under 60 pounds, and the forward momentum of the boat helps get the hooks into their rockhard mouth.

Wahoo will hit on any number of trolling lures, but nontarget species like dorado, skipjack tuna and small yellowtail abound in the same waters, taking up valuable time. Large marauderstyle plugs on a 275-pound wire leader catch a minimum of other species; wahoo absolutely love them.

Standard colors are orange/black or black/purple. Anglers fishing out of pangas at Baja resorts do very well trolling Rapala X-Rap XR30MAG

lures in purple mackerel or orange/ gold, trolled on 50-pound tackle and 125-pound wire.

Casting lures Almost everyone’s favorite way to get them, the most difficult thing about catching wahoo on casting lures is getting the hook to penetrate their jaws. The basic presentation is

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simple: cast out a moderate distance, allow the lure to sink 150 to 180 feet and crank it back at absolute warp speed. When you get a bite, do not set the hook; just keep grinding the reel hard until the fish turns and makes a run.

Two different lure styles work well: Wahoo Bombs are very selective and have a higher hookup percentage since the fish bites down directly on the hook. Just about any shiny color works well, and favored sizes are usually 6 to 8 ounces. By nature they are rigged on wire, which can at times spook heavily pressured fish.

The other lures of choice are irontype jigs. Just about any color or size will draw strikes from wahoo, but gold/orange or gold/pink are most popular. Long, skinny jigs like the 5-ounce Williamson Benthos that help keep the lure away from the wahoo’s teeth will lessen but not eliminate bite-offs, since wahoo are often shy about wire leaders on casting jigs.

Live bait Using live bait is sometimes forgotten yet highly effective, especially on heavily pressured fish.

Wahoo hit readily on live sardines, live anchovies and several species of mackerel. This writer has even caught a few on jumbo 3-pound squid intended for tuna. Wire leaders are usually necessary, although some experimentation is being done with from 100- to 125-pound fluorocarbon leaders.

Use the lightest wire you can get by with, although wahoo can still bite through lighter wire if they get the correct angle on it.

Generally, anchovies should be fished on 27-pound wire and No. 2 Owner Gorilla Hooks, sardines on 40-pound wire and No. 2/0 Owner Gorillas , and mackerel on 60-pound wire and No. 4/0 Gorillas or Owner Mutu Circle Hooks. Baja resort anglers fishing out of pangas use the same, but will generally slow-troll their live offerings.

An important trick for anglers to

RECOMMENDED WAHOO LIVE BAIT COMBO Reel: Penn Fathom FTH30LD2 or equivalent.

Rod: 7- to 8-foot fast-taper conventional live bait rod rated for 20- to 40-pound lines.

Line: 50-yard topshot of 30-pound-test monofilament over 50- to 65-pound-test superbraid backing for live sardines, bump the topshot up to 40-pound test if the bait is live mackerel.

Note: A single-speed reel is OK for this, but you will again wish for a two-speed if a tuna happens to eat your bait.

learn is that wahoo often zoom by and chop the bait in half; they then leisurely circle around and come back to eat the remaining pieces. If you feel a bite and reel in cleanly cut-up bait pieces, you blew it. Next time, leave the bait out there and visualize the fish lazily making a 30-foot circle and coming back to slurp in the other half of the bait.

Local wahoo As the historic 2014 El Niño winds down, one prediction from this column definitely came true, and that was expecting wahoo in U.S. waters.

Before 2014, only three or four wahoo had been caught within one-day range of San Diego in the previous 50 years, and none of those were actually inside U.S. waters. Although exact numbers are unclear, it appears that the 2014 total will be a dozen wahoo or more, including several in U.S. waters.

Perhaps most remarkable was one boat that experienced a double hookup on wahoo at the 9-Mile Bank – it straddles the international border – and landed both fish. However, although several blue marlin were also hooked locally, no roosterfish were reported anywhere close within American waters.

Maybe next year. CS Editor’s note: Contact the author at scarson@sunset.net.

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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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LIGHTWEIGHT. The lightest 200-hp four stroke on the market

POWERFUL.

2.8L displacement and Variable Camshaft Timing give it the best power-to-weight ratio of any 200-hp four stroke

COMPACT.

Nearly 120 pounds lighter than our four-stroke V6 F200

THE ALL-NEW F200 IN-LINE FOUR.

FORWARD THINKING. Show the water who’s boss with the new F200 In-Line Four. Incredibly light, responsive and fuel efficient, it serves up plenty of muscle to handily propel a variety of boats. On top of that, its 50-amp alternator offers the power to add a range of electronics, and its 26-inch mounting centers and compatibility with either mechanical or digital controls give you the flexibility to easily upgrade your outboard or rigging. Experience legendary Yamaha reliability and the freedom of forward thinking, with the all-new F200 In-Line Four.

CALIFORNIA LAKEPORT Hillside Honda 707-263-9000 www.hillsidemotomarine.com

CHULA VISTA JP Marine Group 619-346-4495 www.jpmarine.com

SANTA CRUZ Monterey Bay Marine 831-479-6910 www.montereybaymarine.com

VILA BEACH Port San Luis Boatyard (805) 595-7895 www.portsanluisboatyard.com

NEVADA SPARKS Sierra Sport & Marine, Inc. 775-358-5431 www.sierrasportmarine.com YamahaOutboards.com/F200InLine

Follow Yamaha on Facebook® and Twitter™

REMEMBER to always observe all applicable boating laws. Never drink and drive. Dress properly with a USCG-approved personal intended to be an endorsement. © 2013 Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. All rights reserved.

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FISHING

BITE NOT TAILING OFF YET Jeff King caught this yellowtail with a live sardine on a kelp paddy off the Southern California coast. Warm water and good weather should make for another strong month of yellowtail catches. (BILL SCHAEFER)

ANOTHER MONTH OF YELLOWTAIL SUCCESS ON TAP

By Capt. Bill Schaefer

SAN DIEGO—From Mexico’s Coronado Islands – just south of the border off San Diego, to San Clemente Island to the north and everywhere in between – the yellowtail bite for anglers has been out of this world. It just keeps going and going.

As long as the weather holds up and waters stay warm the bite could last another month or so. Half-day party boats to private boaters are scoring on this great action. Check your local fishing landing’s website for the boats that are really on the fish, or watch local fishing websites for hints of where to head.

The yellows are being found breezing in open water, along kelp beds and on paddies. Having a tank of bait will increase your chances greatly, but fish are being taken on the iron as well, both on the surface and yo-yoing.

A good set of binoculars will improve your odds. Watch the horizon for working birds. They may help locate a feeding school. If you find the fish on the surface feeding, switch to the surface iron. If there are no takers, try running that iron deeper and deeper, and end with yoyo techniques.

If you find a kelp paddy, please

remember not to drive right up on it if there are boats on it. Asking permission to join the drift past it goes a long ways in terms of diplomacy. Go to the high wind side and set adrift to go past it if invited in. If there is a sport boat on the paddy I usually keep hunting. Those skippers are working hard to get their customers on fish and can’t run around like you can in your smaller and faster boat. Don’t worry, you’ll find one.

Whether it’s a feeding school or a paddy you found on your own, go upwind of it and drift into the feeding area. Once close, throw some bait and try to get the school to head toward

your boat. Many times the school will stay with your boat provided you take turns throwing some bait every so often, even if all anglers are hooked up.

For equipment, anything from heavy bass-type gear to mediumheavy gear will do. Running braid or Spectra with a leader will do fine for bait. I like the Maxima braid in 50-pound test, with a Maxima 20- to 25-pound fluorocarbon leader on my Daiwa Saltist 30 two-speed reel and bait stick. If I do hook a giant, I have the power to reel it in. Do check your gear before a trip like this, as you don’t want to lose that fish of a lifetime. CS NOVEMBER 2014 California Sportsman

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You Deserve A Honda.

So Does Your Boat.

Honda quality, reliability, power, fuel-efficiency and ease of maintenance define outstanding boating performance.

Our quiet, four-stroke engines offer best-of-class features in models ranging from 2.3 to 250 hp. All are backed by our True 5 non-declining 5-year warranty—the best manufacturer’s warranty in the industry. Choosing the right boat is exciting. Choosing the right engine is essential. Go with the outboard that keeps your boat going strong. Honda.

Available only though the finest boat builders and your local Honda Marine Dealer.

To Find Your Nearest Authorized Honda Marine Dealer, Visit marine.honda.com

SPECIAL FINANCING AVAILABLE! See Your Honda Marine Dealer For Details.

CALIFORNIA DIXON Gone Fishin’ Marine 707-678-1600 www.gfmarine.com LAKEPORT Hillside Honda 707-263-9000 www.hillsidemotomarine.com LONG BEACH Avalon Yacht & Boat Sales 562-495-2130 www.avalonboats.net

OXNARD Specialty Marine 805-984-6538 www.specialty-marine.com SACRAMENTO Buck’s Outboard Repair, Inc. 916-428-3917 www.bucksoutboard.com

SANTA CRUZ Monterey Bay Marine 831-479-6910 www.montereybaymarine.com SEBASTOPOL Guenter’s Outboards 707-887-7708 www.guenters.com OREGON CENTRAL POINT 4 Seasons Marine 541-665-2920 www.4-seasonsmarine.com

© 2014 American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Always wear a personal flotation device while boating and read your owner’s manual. All Honda outboards meet EPA and CARB emission levels.

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