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California

Sportsman Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource

Volume 5 • Issue 8 PUBLISHER

James R. Baker ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Dick Openshaw EDITOR

Chris Cocoles CONTRIBUTORS

Nick Barr, Steve Carson, Michael Condon, Chris Gregersen, Scott Haugen,Tiffany Haugen,Tim E. Hovey, Mike Hancock, Steve Herschbach, Luke Kelly, Frank Jardim, Brian Lull, Jeff Lund, Albert Quackenbush, Bill Schaefer, Mike Stevens SALES MANAGER

Brian Lull ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

Lee Balliet, Maime Griffin, Mike Nelson, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS

Dawn Carlson, Beth Harrison, Christina Poisal 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

Jeremy Wade considers himself a fishing detective, traveling the world’s freshwater rivers and lakes in search of mythical species of fish,some thought to have killed humans and caused major havoc.It’s the thrill of telling such mystery stories that define Wade’s Animal Planet series, River Monsters. (ANIMAL PLANET)

MEDIA INDEX PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com 8 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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MAY 2013 California Sportsman 9

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 8

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A Hiking We Will Go! When the subject of backcountry trout fishing is bantered about, you may imagine a grueling hike through rugged terrain in search of a seldom-visited, glistening trout lake full of hungry, wild fish. Just take the grueling hike away, and our reporter Mike Stevens will show you some Eastern Sierra spots that don’t require you to wear out your boots or wear down your body! (MIKE STEVENS)

FEATURED STORIES 16

THE SPEAR-IT OF THE OCEAN Correspondent Tim E. Hovey loves the California outdoors, but he also appreciates the beauty of free diving under the waters off the California and Mexico coast. And he usually brings a spear gun in search of that night’s dinner.

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Stanislaus River became a getaway spot for he and friends for fishing trips. Lund recently went back for some reminiscing about past fishing trips as a much better fly angler than he was back then.

THE MONSTER MAN Wherever mysterious freshwater fish swim around the world, Jeremy Wade plays both the role of sportsman and fishing sleuth (he prefers the latter).

Wade, the star of Animal Planet series River Monsters, chats with us about his experiences pulling catfish out of the water at nuclear radiation site Chernobyl and taking on dangerous creatures of the Amazon.

27

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE

STAN’S THE MAN FOR FORMER VALLEY FLY GUY Alaska native Jeff Lund returned to the Last Frontier after working as an outdoors columnist in Manteca. The nearby

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PLUMAS COUNTY’S PLUM FISHING SPOTS Many anglers head to massive Lake Almanor, the gem of Plumas County east of Red Bluff. But there are plenty of other spots worth checking out in this sometimes underappreciated but beautiful corner of the state. Local angler Michael Condon leads our tour.

137 LESSONS LEARNED IN THE DESERT Our SoCal Bowhunter columnist, Albert Quackenbush, is a seasoned hunter and outdoorsman. But even he has one of those days out in the field. Quackenbush and a friend went on a scouting hike in the Southern California desert that didn’t go so well. Read what not to do from a humbled hunter.

35 39 45 51 59 67 85 99 105 109 110 113 117 123 125 131 147

Champion shooter John Herkowitz of Pacific Sporting Arms in Azusa State and federal biologists relocate their 1,500th tule elk to new refuges On patrol with the game wardens keeping illegal fish, reptiles out of Cali Lake Tahoe getaways A beginner’s guide to gold panning PHOTOS! Lake Havasu boat show Lower Sacramento trout fishing in Redding From Field to Fire: Trout trolling tips Trying out a new twin-hull fishing kayak on Mammoth Lakes rainbows Jig of the Month: Schlappabou PHOTOS! Recap of last month’s big Clear Lake team bass tourney Lots of largemouth at San Diego’s Lake Barrett Pros Joes: Fishing Senkos San Francisco Bay’s sturgeon, stripers and halibut are biting Ocean salmon season begins Quest for a California barracuda Raahauges Shooting Fair preview

DEPARTMENTS 13 49 49 72

The Editor’s Note The Dishonor Roll Outdoor Calendar Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw Browning Photo Contests winners

California Sportsman goes digital!

Read California Sportsman on your desktop or mobile device. Only $1.89 an issue. Go to www.calsportsmanmag.com/digital CALIFORNIASPORTSMAN 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 MAY 2014

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THEEDITOR’SNOTE Jeremy Wade, host of River Monsters, travels the world’s freshwater rivers and lakes in search of the most infamous fish that swim there. (ANIMAL PLANET)

Subscribe!

MAY SPECIAL

$19.95 I YEAR (12 ISSUES)

A

few months ago when we had a tribute to sharks and shark fishing in this magazine, I explained my admiration for such a remarkable fish. Sharks have outlived many of their prehistoric contemporaries that have vanished from the world’s ecosystems over time. I respect shark oceanographers who are so passionate about researching, understanding and obsessing over them.

Jeremy Wade, who hosts the Animal Planet series River Monsters and is profiled in this issue, also longs to know more about fish, but Wade prefers exploring freshwaters to oceans. He is to a giant Amazon catfish how others are to a California coastal great white sharks.

The 58-year-old Englishman has traveled the world attempting to crack the myths, mysteries and legends of Loch Ness, mutant Ukrainian catfish in radiation-affected Chernobyl and feared maneaters in such far-flung locales as Mongolia, Guyana and Papua New Guinea. He’s found oddities domestically too – lamprey in Oregon’s Willamette River.

“When I was traveling for the pre-River Monsters, I would go to just one place per year and do that in some depth. Often, I’d back to the same area the next year. What I’m doing now is going to maybe a half-dozen places every year,” says Wade, who has found the world he’s traveled isn’t so different as you might think.

“We’ve gotten to the point now where we’re cross-referencing different places that we’ve previously been to on the other side of the world,” he says.

The quest to debunk or confirm the stories that get passed down from generation to generation is the heart of River Monsters. Aren’t we all curious – intrusive, even? – about learning more about those old wives’ tales the older generation likes to tell? Count me in as someone who’s sold on the Jeremy Wades of the world, people looking to unlock all the secrets swimming in the murky lakes, rivers and swamps of our planet. –Chris Cocoles

FISHING AND HUNTING PHOTOS WANTED! Have you caught a river monster or bagged a monster buck? We’re looking for your pics to display in the mag and for our monthly Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw and Browning Photo Contests! Please send your images to editor Chris Cocoles at ccocoles@media-inc.com. You can also post pics on the California Sportsman Facebook page. You could win great prizes!

calsportsmanmag.com

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When Jeremy Wade was a young boy fishing in the River Stour near his Suffolk, England, home, he caught so few fish he was ready give up. Now he travels the world in search of the biggest, the strangest and the most dangerous freshwater river monsters on his show of the same name. (ANIMAL PLANET) 16 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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THE FISHING DETECTIVE O

By Chris Cocoles

RIVER MONSTERS HOST JEREMY WADE SEEKS THE TRUTH

bviously, South America’s massive Amazon River has defined Jeremy Wade’s career as the host of Animal Planet’s deliciously entertaining show, River Monsters.

Wade fishes for exotic, super-sized and sometimes downright mean species all over the world. He’ll spend most of this sixth season that premiered in April in the 4,000-mile-long South American waterway and its seemingly endless system of tributaries. But Wade’s trip to Norway in search of Greenland sharks in Season 5 might have trumped even his countless visits to the mighty Amazon.

“That was unlike anything I’ve ever done before; we were fishing over a quarter-mile (deep) water. At times we had four lines out, and it was amazing that we did it without tangling them, which could have been a huge challenge,” he says, recalling even when landing (and releasing, as he usually does with all the fish he brings in) a giant Greenland shark, his lines were so far deep, the rod tip barely moved upon the strike. “And hooking something that far down, your first thought is, what’s it going to be?”

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the heart and soul of River Monsters. Wade is first and foremost a storyteller. His episodes feature rods and reels with baited line, not unlike the plethora of sportsman’s shows that fill air time. But this show is also a history class, an anthropology seminar, a study in people and cultures.

We caught up with Wade, a 58-year-old Englishman, and got his thoughts on pulling catfish out of radiation-filled Chernobyl, Ukraine, his search for the fabled Loch Ness Monster and other memories of fishing around the globe.

CHRIS COCOLES It’s great that your show has found a pretty good niche as one of Animal Planet’s most popular shows and is now in its sixth season. How satisfying is that for you?

JEREMY WADE I didn’t think it would be going on for this long. The last couple years have kind of forced us to dig a bit

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CC And I think what appeals to me about your show is, I see this as much more than just a guy who likes to catch exotic fish. I think of you as not just part angler or sportsman, but also part educator and biologist. How do you consider yourself in that realm as host of River Monsters?

JW The things that we always wanted was for each program to be in the form of a story. I do have a certain background in writing, dabbling in that over the years, though not particularly in a successful way. I also was eventually a teacher, and I had a bit of an urge to communicate – to get my teeth into a subject and then put it across in a way that was to be meaningful

to other people, but also interesting.

And I do like to fish, but it also is just waking people up to a group of creatures that haven’t really been featured on TV. Freshwater fish have largely been left alone, despite all the natural history programs that we tend to get. But I think there’s a fascination about many of these fish that look pretty hideous. The field has been left fairly open for somebody to come along with the right sort of formula to apply to this particular habitat.

CC You grew up in Suffolk, England, and you were drawn to fishing pretty early, right?

JW I was probably 7 or 8 when I started, but just catching small stuff. In fact, when I first started, I wasn’t catching anything at all. I nearly stopped then and there. But I had a friend in school who gave me a few bits of advice and lent me some gear. I made some progress on catching fish. I started learning more about (fish) predators. The big thing in England is the fish that’s equivalent to what you call the northern pike. That was a real rite of passage in

Jeremy Wade displays a pirarara, also known as an Amazon red-tailed catfish, from the Padauiri River in Brazil. (ANIMAL PLANET)

18 California Sportsman MAY 2014

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com catching one of those. It was a continuing process of wanting bigger.

By the time I got into my early 20s, there was a point where I was fishing for carp a lot. And I suppose it was a time of the growing popularity of fishing in England, but with not a lot of water to go around. I had this realization that it was no longer the escape that it used to be when I was a kid. And then I had this sort of outof-the-blue experience where I came across a magazine that was talking about fish in India, the golden mahseer, and that just sort of opened my mind up that there are a whole world of other fish out there.

I went to India a couple years later, in 1982, and didn’t really know what I was doing [laughs]. I had a fairly difficult and often miserable time of it. But I managed to catch some fish and haven’t looked back since.

CC So after that, you have traveled all over the world and are now known for chasing giant, mythical fish. I wanted to ask you about some memorable experiences. One that comes to mind is Chernobyl, which is

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JW My background, before I started doing this on TV, was I ended up doing a lot of stuff in jungles and am at home in jungles. But what’s great about our show is it’s not just the diversity of fish, it’s also the diversity of the places. And Chernobyl was a complete one-off. It’s almost a post-apocalyptic backdrop. The cameraman who was with us felt like he was kind of in cameraman heaven. Although, when we had our first briefing, the people there were saying you can’t point (the camera) at any of the structures. Just to be at a place with that backdrop was incredible. The other thing about there, which embodies the whole theme and the messages running through River Monsters, is fear. I suppose it’s sort of the fear of the unknown. Radiation is invisible, and how do we deal with that? One solution would have been to never go anywhere near the place. But actually,

20 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com Wade dives the murky anaconda-filled waters of Bonito, Brazil. “We don’t have the technology to look through muddy water,” he says. “That’s why River Monsters (is a fishing show), because the only way we’re going to know what’s in these places is to put a line in and see what we can pull out.” (ANIMAL PLANET)

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A South American arapaima, which some experts call a “dinosaur fish,” fights on the end of the line in the River Rewa in Guyana. (ANIMAL PLANET)

what we were finding out and understanding, it is possible to visit there safely.

In most parts of the site the radiation level is pretty low with some hot spots. But because we were fishing and poking around in places where people don’t normally go, it was very important to have a real-time (radiation) meter that would go off. I happened to be somewhere where it was a bit hot. Without having done the homework, it could have potentially been very dangerous. But doing it properly, we were pretty safe.

CC And Loch Ness, of course, is such a place of mystery and intrigue. That’s in your neck of the woods in Great Britain, too. So I would imagine that was special to be a part of it.

JW It was such a dramatic place and it is known around the world. What’s interesting about there, the popular imagination is everyone assumes all water is deep and all lakes are deep, when, in fact, all lakes are not deep. But Loch Ness is very deep. There is a lot of water there that you may never know about. Again, in typical Loch Ness fashion, what we were doing there was not trying to solve that whole thing. But that’s our starting point, and every show has a story. Normally, many of our stories are not well known, but the Loch Ness story is known,

22 California Sportsman MAY 2014

and could there possibly be something behind it? In talking to people and seeing where that will take it, you try to be fairly open-minded about it.

CC And the Amazon is such a fascinating ecosystem. Is that where you are most excited about returning to again and again?

JW It’s very hard to comprehend just how big it really is. My way of doing that was to travel (the length) on one of the boats.

You can be on one of those boats for five or six days. It’s such a huge area. The thing about the Amazon is, there is quite a lot of fishing there, both subsistence and commercial that have (taken a lot of fish). I do sometimes wish that I had a time machine and could go back 100 years. But there are still big fish lurking around. The fact that we chose to make an entire season about the Amazon and South America – there are still things to be found and that will surprise you. From my point of view, because I go to the Amazon a lot, I think the great thing about that is it gives me a direct line to the local people, because they are the source of what we do.

CC I have to think it’s been a gift for you to be

able to meet and interact with people of such diverse backgrounds. Have you learned a lot about other cultures?

JW Very much so, although I’m not particularly a people person normally. When I’m traveling, my main interest is the fish. In a lot of these other parts of the world, like the Amazon or the Congo (in Africa), the fish and the river are not things that are peripheral to peoples’ lives. They are very central to their lives. They have to catch fish to survive. Once they’ve gotten over their suspicion of why I come halfway around the world to just catch and normally just put them back – which to them can be very strange – I learned many years ago that fishing is a universal language. You can be on the same wavelengths with people. If you can combine that with learning a little bit of the actual language they speak [Wade is now fluent in Portuguese, the first language of many Brazilians in the Amazon region], it’s going to take you to a deeper knowledge of the fish that are there. But sort of accidentally as well, it takes you beneath the surface of human lives as well.

They open up to you and tell you things they maybe wouldn’t tell other people.

That’s going to include the fishermen’s tales they might be embarrassed to tell

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There’s something about fishing in certain places that makes it a magic key almost.

CC Being English, I would think you’re a James Bond fan. In The Spy Who Loved Me, the villain Curd Jürgens’ Stromberg asks James Bond why does man continue to explore space when so much of the world’s oceans are unexplored? Can you relate to that idea?

JW Absolutely, and there is a distinction between the sea and freshwater. I think the seas (by now) have been pretty well documented, right down to some of the big ocean trenches. But it’s quite something to think about that we’ve seen images of the surfaces of Mars. And yet, we don’t have the technology to look through muddy water. That’s why River Monsters (is a fishing show), because the only way we’re going to know what’s in these places is to put a line in and see what we can pull out.

PRO-CURE BAIT SCENTS

CC And that’s part of what I love about your show – we really don’t know what’s under the waters you explore.

JW Exactly; there’s always the possibility that you’re going to be surprised. I think it’s something that, in a world where everything seems to be very regimented, it’s nice to think that some things don’t yield to easy analysis. There is another dimension out there that makes us feel better about the world.

CC Off camera or on, have you ever fished with fear?

JW Yes, but not so much the actual fish, but more the place, really. Some of the environments that we go to are pretty remote. When you’re off camera and it’s just me, you do feel quite vulnerable. I was in Zaire fishing the Congo, and I was in a situation where if something went wrong, there was no easy way to get any help.

That’s when you just try to deal with it.

CC Since we’re a California magazine, we have some giant sturgeon in our rivers of Northern California. Have you or would you like to fish in California someday, with or without the cameras?

JW I’ve been to California a few times but haven’t fished there. And sturgeon are fascinating. I’ve caught some in Oregon. Sturgeon are quite secretive, and grow very large. They are vulnerable because they have this long life cycle, and it’s very easy to make a sturgeon population crash. It’s very hard to re-establish it again.

CC You’ve been called the Chuck Norris of the water. I kind of think of you more like a Sherlock Holmes of fishing. If you could put a label like that on yourself, how would you label Jeremy Wade?

JW I think one thing people sometimes use is “extreme angler,” which I don’t particularly like. It’s kind of in fashion to call everything “extreme,” even though we do fish in some extreme environments.

I do quite like that sort of fishing detective thing. I think we tell very much detective stories. CS

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DIVING FOR DINNER SPEARFISHING OPPORTUNITIES ABOUND OFF COAST

Jessica Hovey prepares for her dive on the water’s surface. Free diving can be just to check out the world below sea level. But spearfishing is also popular off the California coast and in more warm Pacific Ocean waters off Mexico and Hawaii. (TIM E. HOVEY)

By Tim E. Hovey

F

or as long as I can remember, I’ve been drawn to water. As a kid I would seek out creeks, ponds and lakes for recreation. Growing up near the ocean meant I was always at the shore for fishing, swimming and exploring. And always I wondered what was under the surface. I goofed off with snorkel gear as a kid, but I didn’t really get into actually diving until I was an adult.

My very first official snorkel dive off a boat didn’t go so well. We were floating off the Channel Islands in about 40 feet of water. I was using a friend’s spring suit and borrowed gear. There seemed to be some confusion on how much weight I needed on my weight belt to actually dive with the

buoyant suit. After some basic calculations, taking into consideration my actual weight and suit type, I scooted to the swim step with 28 pounds of lead strapped to my waste. I eased into the water and promptly sank like a stone.

I’m sure that dive could’ve gone better, but I’m actually glad it happened. It instantly taught me that the No. 1 rule of diving is not to panic, no matter what the situation. I can remember hitting the bottom, unable to overcome the weight to make it to the surface. For a brief moment I did panic. I then calmed myself, reached over and flipped the quick release on the weight belt and easily kicked to the surface. Despite that slightly frantic start, the dive did nothing to dissuade my desire to get back into the water. Erring on the side

of life, I cut the weight on the belt in half, and I was back in the water less than an hour later.

I EVENTUALLY PURCHASED my own gear and began spending a lot of time free diving the shore. While I was in college I would frequently dive for food, making up to four trips a week to the beach to spear fish. I eventually became scuba-certified, but I quickly realized that this type of diving didn’t offer me the freedom I was looking for. I found it limiting and cumbersome.

While I still scuba dive for work and occasionally for pleasure, most of my time spent in the water is spent free diving.

Free diving is essentially scuba diving without the tank and buoyancy compensator. I use a full or short wetsuit, depend-

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The tools of the trade for spearfishing. Spearguns of various sizes are usually always in the back of the author’s truck when donning a wetsuit with the intention of diving and perhaps finding a tasty treat swimming below. (TIM E. HOVEY) ing on the time of year, and adjust the amount of weight on the weight belt to compensate for the absence of heavy scuba gear. Using just my ability to hold my breath, I’ll make frequent dives to the bottom to investigate kelp beds or rock

reefs looking for fish. Without cumbersome gear and noisy air tanks, I’m essentially silent underwater and able to get very close to the fish I’m hunting.

While I do enjoy exploring the fisheries’ diversity below the surface when I dive,

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com I’m a hunter at heart and seldom in the water without a speargun. I enjoy the challenge of the varied ocean conditions, and trying to get close enough to game fish on a breath hold to take a shot. And I can think of nothing better than going on a dive and bringing home dinner.

With the constantly changing fisheries regulations, and the relatively recent marine enclosures that also impact beach diving, I make absolutely sure that I’m aware of seasons, size limits on fish and area closures whenever I head to the beach.

During family beach trips, I’d jump in the water and explore the coast while the family enjoyed a day at the shore. Last year, the kids, who used to play in the sand while I hunted the sea, decided they wanted to tag along. Both Alyssa and Jessica are pretty adventurous, and I was thrilled to see their interest in the sport.

EARLY ON A SATURDAY, we headed out to one of my favorite dive spots. We suited up and eased into the surf. Despite their ap-

STAYING SAFE, AVOIDING CRITTERS There are inherent risks in any type of diving. For the most part, if you’re comfortable in the water and stay calm, the activity itself is safe and an amazing experience. I would imagine that most new divers are apprehensive about some of the creatures they may encounter while diving.

There are a handful of species that you should be aware of, but my experiences have shown me that most of the hazards encountered while diving can be avoided by using common sense: STAY WITHINYOUR DIVING LIMITS Whether you’re a scuba diver or a free diver, you need to understand your limitations. Staying within your comfort zone is far more important than worrying about any underwater creature. We all want to extend our bottom time, whether using a tank or our lungs. However, staying comfortable and within your physical limits is the key to stay-

28 California Sportsman MAY 2014

ing safe and enjoying the sport of diving.

STAY CONNECTED WITH THE CONDITIONS I’ve been on longer dives where I was greeted with ideal conditions in the morning, only to watch them change drastically and deteriorate over the course of my dive. An easy dive entry may become a hazardous exit if you don’t keep an eye on changing conditions. During your dive, make sure you pay attention to visibility, wave action and swell development. If conditions begin to degrade beyond what you consider comfortable, it may be time to get out of the water.

LET OTHERS KNOW YOU’RE THERE With an increase in ocean recreation, it is very important to make sure that others in the area know you’re in the water. It is extremely unnerving to be on a dive and sud-

Jessica Hovey explores the sea bottom, which is teeming with underwater critters.

(TIM E. HOVEY)

denly hear a boat prop racing nearby.

Whether you dive from a boat or from the beach, displaying a regulation dive flag (diver down) is a simple, effective way to let others know that divers are in the area.

WATCH OUT FOR CRITTERS I’ve never been concerned with creatures I’ve encountered while diving. I’ve seen several species of sharks while in the water, and they simply want nothing to do with divers.

Most will move off quickly and never look back. Other species that may pose a threat, like stingrays, electric rays or moray eels, are not routinely aggressive and will leave you alone, provided you leave them alone. TH

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MIXED BAG prehensions and the questionable conditions, both girls kicked passed the waves and explored the shallow reef just offshore with me. It was a great day. My youngest daughter, Jessica, really took to it, and we ended up exploring the outside of the reef together. The following month, we headed to Hawaii for a family vacation in Maui. We explored close to a dozen different beaches during our trip and were able to dive some amazing areas. Both girls became even more comfortable in the water, which, in my opinion, is the most important aspect of not only enjoying a day diving, but staying safe as well.

I think the main reason I enjoy free diving is the simplicity of the activity. I often make sure my dive gear is in the truck if we head to the beach to fish. If conditions are good, I can just suit up and jump in. Some of my favorite dives have been unplanned and spur of the moment. Most Southern California beaches provide easy dive access and usually have a kelp bed within swimming distance of the beach to ex-

30 California Sportsman MAY 2014

PRO-CURE BAIT SCENTS

plore. I’ve been lucky enough to dive in Hawaii, Cancun and both the Pacific and Gulf sides of the Baja Peninsula, as well as dozens of beaches off California. For me, it’s just a great way to explore the coast and enjoy a day at any beach.

Since my very first dive, I’ve accumulated a great number of adventures and sightings that I’m sure not many others have witnessed. I’ve watched a group of giant seas bass over 100 pounds each, stage at the edge of a kelp bed waiting for baitfish to get close. I’ve had a staring contest with a harbor seal at about 5 feet after he came in to investigate me as I swam through the kelp. I’ve floated over dozens of bat rays, lined up on the bottom like fighter jets resting in the sand. And recently, a 200-pound green sea turtle was my personal escort, never leaving my side for a 30-minute dive in Maui.

UNFORTUNATELY, NOT ALL adventures are positive. I’ve had my share of dangerous moments during dives that could’ve gone

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com differently had I not remained calm. On an island dive a few years ago, I found myself in the wrong place at the wrong time. I was spear fishing with a friend and had just put a nice kelp bass on my stringer when I noticed some debris about 20 feet away. I kicked over and realized that the object was the top half of a freshly killed sea lion. The surrounding area was awash in fresh blood and small sea lion parts.

An electric surge of panic pulsed through me. It’s hard to explain just how completely visceral this scene was. I knew exactly what fed on sea lions, and I didn’t want to be anywhere close while it was eating. I don’t remember getting to the beach, but I do know I got there quickly.

On another occasion, I was collecting fish for a research project in Mexico. After a morning of fishing, we decided to speed up the process and spear the remainder of the samples we needed. I also wanted to spear a few larger fish to cook up back on the beach for dinner.

I dropped down to a muddy bottom,

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MIXED BAG 25 feet below the surface, and spotted a large ray half buried in the sand. We had eaten rays before, so I speared the fish and reached down and grabbed the spear. I yanked the shaft out of the muddy bottom and reached around and grabbed the spear tip, capturing the 20-pound fish between my two hands. I was just about to kick to the surface when I felt every muscle in my body strongly contract. The surge was so strong I actually bit through my snorkel. Getting lightheaded was the last thing I remember before losing consciousness 25 feet below on the bottom.

I somehow made it to the surface, leaving several pieces of gear on the sea floor. The electric ray I speared had succeeded in dousing the surrounding area with enough electricity to make me pass out underwater. Having both hands on the metal spear didn’t help, and probably completed the circuit and intensified the result.

That’s a lesson I think about often.

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com

California divers and spear anglers can find plenty of outstanding fishing off the coast of Mexico for species like the triggerfish. (TIM E. HOVEY)

In over 20 years of diving, I have witnessed many amazing things underwater.

I’ve learned from the close calls and questionable decisions, and I believe I’m a safer diver for it. I’m absolutely thrilled that my daughters are interested in exploring the coast with me, and I look forward to being their guide through that

door of discovery.

I’ve always known of the hazards of the sea and I’ve accepted them. I guess my curiosity and fascination have always overwhelmed any fear or apprehension.

As long as I continue to enjoy exploring the ocean, nothing’s ever going to keep me out of the water. CS

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MAY 2013 California Sportsman 33

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A SOCAL BIG SHOT

John Herkowitz holds court on the floor of his Pacific Sporting Arms store in Azusa. The expertise he and his staff share with their customers make it a great place to shop for a shotgun. (PACIFIC SPORTING ARMS)

HERKOWITZ ONE OF STATE’S PREMIER SHOOTERS

By Frank Jardim AZUSA–If you know anything about shotgun sports in California, you know the name John Herkowitz.

He is an AAA skeet champion as well as a Master Class shooter in sporting clays. He broke his first clay bird in 1988 and ignited a passion in himself that remains unabated 200,000 registered birds and 26 years later.

Herkowitz emerged as a top competitive shooter in the mid-1990s after retiring from the Los Angeles Police Department. His career achievements in the sport include making the California State Team & Western United States Zone 7 open all-star team for 18 consecutive years.

During that same time frame he was a 14-time member of the National Skeet Shooting Association (NSSA) All-American Open Team. His performance has earned him recognition in the California Skeet Shooting Hall of Fame and the Zone 7 Skeet Hall of Fame.

These days, Herkowitz doesn’t shoot as much as he once did. Last year he participated in only 14 matches, but he remains among the top dozen or so skeet men in the country.

Lest those who start lamenting the absence of this California legend, bear in mind that Herkowitz remains as intensely interested as he ever was about shotgun sports.

His personal shooting has taken second place to his business enterprises.

About the same time he began making a name for himself as a top shooter, Herkowitz started a little hobby business in

Azusa called Pacific Sporting Arms (626633-1002; pacificsportingarms.com) to buy and sell shotguns to his fellow sportsmen.

As his shooting skills and knowledge grew, so did his company. He initially thought the little shop might be a fun place to hang out with friends, play a little cards and sell a handful of used shotguns. However, Herkowitz could not help but spread the passion he had for the sport to his new business, and it eventually became so packed with inventory he described it as “a dark tunnel of guns.”

Today, Pacific Sporting Arms Inc. is the biggest retailer of high-end sporting arms in the country, filling a 6,100-square-foot building with nearly $3 million worth of sporting shotguns and rifles from Krieghoff, Perazzi, Blaser, Kolar, Salvinelli, Grulla, Perugini & Visini, Caesar Guerini, Cosmi, Merkel, Fausti, Fabarm, Butler, Benelli, Beretta,

MAY 2014 California Sportsman 35

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Browning, Sako, and Mauser, among others.

Prices start at $1,000 for entry-level autoloading shotguns to tens of thousands of dollars to suit the customer’s preferences. In addition to firearms, everyone from the neophyte skeet shooter to the seasoned African hunter can kit up from their wide selection of clothing and firearms’accessories.

HERKOWITZ HAS SHOT two perfect 500-by-500 matches in his career, and another seven 400-by-400 matches. That sustained degree of perfection is rare in a sport that requires competitors to shoot so many targets.

When you watch shooters at the absolute top of their game perform so flawlessly, they make it look easy. Regardless of how it may look, Herkowitz will tell you that it was hard work to get there because he was not a natural wingshooter. He’s shot 1,300,000 birds in practice!

He shot daily, sought out training and over time found the missing piece to the puzzle. The final element that allowed him to reach the full potential he was striving for was a shotgun with exactly the right fit for him: a gun that shot where he looked.

Despite their spectacular firearms inventory that represents the finest shotgun and rifle makers of Europe and America, Pacific Sporting Arms is not a stuffy establishment for the moneyed elite. It is a shotgun sportsman’s store, staffed by dedicated shotgun sportsmen.

It took Herkowitz years to find a shotgun that fit him right and let him maximize his potential. His Pacific Sporting Arms customers get the service and expertise he could never find when he was starting out.

Herkowitz learned correct shotgun-fitting techniques from master shotgun makers in Europe; he brought that skill and the necessary equipment back to the U.S. where his customers benefit from it.

Ironically, Herkowitz the student became the teacher. The European gun makers whose products he distributed began hiring him as a consultant to guide them in developing their firearms for the American market.

The travel has taken away from his shooting time, but the result is that serious American competitors and hunters now have the widest selection of the best sport-

36 California Sportsman MAY 2014

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com John Herkowitz has approximately 26 years of shotgun shooting awards he’s won through dedicated practice of his craft as a master shooter. (PACIFIC SPORTING ARMS)

ing firearms in the world available to them in one place. When John Herkowitz is not out breaking clays, you’ll find him at Pacific Sporting Arms, sharing his passion for shooting with his customers. CS

Editor’s note: If you can’t get there in person, visit John Herkowitz’s store online at PacificSportingArms.com, or call (626) 633-1002. Pacific Sporting Arms is located at 912 West 10th Street; Azusa, CA 91702.

A CHAMPIONSHIP PEDIGREE A chronological sample of John Herkowitz’s major championshiplevel wins: 1996 - Golden Pacific 28-gauge champion 1997 - Zone 7 doubles champion, 1998 - Comstock doubles champion; Masters 28-gauge champion; Briley Blue Goose .410 champion 1999 - Pan American 12-gauge champion; North-South 20-gauge champion 2000 - Federal Classic High Overall (HOA) champion (with a rare perfect 400-by-400) 2001 - Masters Champion of Champions

2002 - Zone 7 .410 champion; Kachina Open HOA champion; 2003 - California State 12-gauge champion;.410 bore champion and HOA champion; Zone 7 .410 champion and HOA champion with 500by-500 perfect score; California State High All-Around (HAA) champion; Zone 7 HAA champion; Pan American HOA champion; Zone 7, 12Gauge champion, and Motor State HAA champion with 500-by-500.

There have been many more titles; suffice to say that between 2003 and 2013. Herkowitz won twice as many more state, zone and national championships than listed. FJ

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RELOCATING A NATIVE CALIFORNIA SPECIES CDFW, OTHERS COMBINE ON TULE ELK PROJECT

By California Sportsman

S

tate and federal wildlife officials as well as volunteers from a hunting organization helped successfully capture and move 36 tule elk from the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in the San Joaquin Valley, relocating them throughout California earlier this spring.

The collaborative effort included the

Tule elk graze in the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge in the San Joaquin Valley. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service teamed up with partners to collect 36 tule elk from the refuge and relocate the animals throughout the state. (CDFW) MAY 2014 California Sportsman 39

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MIXED BAG Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation as well as volunteers from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife and other agencies who provided time, expertise and other needed resources to help this capture go smoothly.

It’s the latest success in a long series of wins for the iconic native species.

“Seventy years ago, tule elk were on the brink of extinction and down to just a handful of animals,” said senior environmental scientist Joe Hobbs. “Through CDFW’s wildlife management protocols and collaborative efforts with other wildlife organizations, we now have healthy and thriving herds across the state. It’s one the greatest wildlife success stories of our time.”

Tules are one of three subspecies of elk, and are found only in California. The bulls can weigh up to half a ton and cows can tip the scales at 450 pounds.

As you can imagine, catching and moving the critters is a huge job, but according to CDFW, the effort is critical for their

40 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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The health of a tule elk is checked before its release. The animals were set free at ecological reserves in San Luis Obispo, Kern and Santa Clara Counties. (CDFW) long-term survival.

“Tule elk are one of California’s unique wildlife treasures,” said Kim Forrest, refuge manager at the San Luis NWR Complex.

“We are pleased to partner with CDFW in

relocating a portion of the San Luis herd so that other herds throughout the state can prosper.”

Since 1975, CDFW personnel have safely captured and relocated more than

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MIXED BAG 1,500 tule elk using a variety of capture techniques, including chemical immobilization, trapping, baiting and physical restraint methods. As a result, California’s tule population has increased from three herds totaling 500 elk in the 1970s to 22 herds with approximately 4,200 elk today.

CDFW is able to offer over 120 hunting permits for them this season.

In the latest operation, a total of 15 bulls, 16 cows and five calves were captured using helicopters with net guns at the San Luis NWR and released at the Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve in San Luis Obispo County, Wind Wolves Preserve in Kern County and the San Antonio Valley Ecological Reserve in Santa Clara County.

Before setting them free, biologists took hair, measurements, blood and other samples were taken to evaluate the health of the herd. Radio collars were also slipped around the necks of 14 cows to track their movements once they’ve been released.

Tule elk are native to California, live in open country and prefer grassland and

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The animals were transported to various refuges around the state via horse trailers. (CDFW) marsh habitats.

CDFW says that historically, the elk once occupied much of the Central Valley until habitat loss and commercial harvest to feed Gold Rushers nearly drove them to extinction in the late 1800s.

The San Luis NWR in Los Banos is

open year-round and has an easy access auto tour route for unique elk viewing opportunities.

Tule elk can also be viewed at CDFW’s Grizzly Island Wildlife Area, the Tupman Tule Elk State Preserve, and Point Reyes National Seashore. CS

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PET SHOP CONFIDENTIAL

T

PREVENTING ILLEGAL WILDLIFE SALES

By Tim E. Hovey

looking for illegal species. If anything included on the Title 14 list is found, the warden is contacted he trio of slender fish looked in the parking lot and takes care crowded in the unmarked, of the rest.

10-gallon aquarium.

Many of the stranger and As I stared at the fish, I thought more dangerous exotic fish, amhow we almost always find the illephibian and reptile species that gal species in unmarked tanks. The are frequently encountered in aquarium store owner came over California’s creeks and streams to assist. He instantly quoted me a probably began their journey in price of $50 each and said he the pet shop trade. Unfamiliar needed to sell them quickly. with the temperament and Of course you do, I thought. growth of certain species, the I told the owner that I couldn’t public will frequently opt for reafford the price and exited the leasing their unwanted pet into a store. Waiting in the parking lot local drainage. Not only is this ilwas a California Department of legal and punishable with prison Fish and Wildlife warden. I told him time and fines, it routinely spells what I saw and where the tank was disaster for the state’s native located in the shop. Earlier in the species. week I had received a call that this Exotic species brought into particular shop was trying to sell California are frequently larger spotted gar, a species listed in the and more robust than the native agency’s Fish and Wildlife code California Department of Fish and Wildlife warden Travis Vuich carries a species. Consequently, when inunder Title 14, Section 671 as illeconfiscated American alligator that was removed from a pet store, which troduced into native systems, gal to possess in California. Spotted is a common occurrence of illegally selling various wildlife species. they quickly take over as the top gar can grow quite large and are (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE) predator, outcompeting and frenot a native species to this state. quently preying on the natives. Finding few if any predators The California Fish and Wildlife Commission created the list in Title 14 in California’s waterways, most of the non-natives begin to for animals that pose a threat to native wildlife, the agriculture interests thrive in their new surroundings. of the state or to public health or safety.

Piranhas, snakeheads, ferrets, caimans, snapping turtles, cobras, and mambas are just a few of the species listed as detrimental. Section 671 A COMMONLY SOLD illegal species in the pet shop trade is the also states that it is unlawful to import, transport or possess any of the red-bellied piranha. This vicious, freshwater terror is a populisted animals alive. It is documented that many of these species make lar species for aquarists unconcerned with legality. Piranhas their way into California through the pet shop trade. are highly aggressive and, in the right conditions, would be In full uniform, the warden walked into the store and headed for an absolute nightmare if they were released into California the tank containing the gar. Sensing trouble the owner quickly folwaters. lowed him. I stayed near the door, unnoticed and out of the way. After About a month after we confiscated the spotted gar, I rea brief discussion, I could hear the owner state that he did not know ceived another call from a concerned citizen. He wanted to what the fish were and that they weren’t for sale. The warden motioned report that a local pet shop was selling juvenile piranha for a me over and introduced me to the owner – the same guy that offered price of $25 each. The caller stated that the owner of the shop to sell me the gar just five minutes earlier. He was caught. had over 100 fish for sale. The man on the other end of the line seemed to know quite a bit about the illegal operation. I FOR SEVERAL YEARS now, fisheries biologists have been working closely asked him how he knew all the details. “That’s easy,” he said. with wardens to intercept non-native aquatic species by inspecting “I just bought 10!” He then hung up. local pet shops and aquarium stores. We refer to these coordinated efLater that afternoon I stopped by the shop with a warden. forts as pet shop stings. The biologist enters the store in plain clothes, Instead of walking in and looking around alone first, we de-

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cided the amount of store. These large holding Piranha! B-grade movies have made these feared South American fish as somewhat iconic, fish reported being tanks are usually placed but also highly illegal to sell or keep in California. These adult red-bellied piranha seized sold warranted an agbelow the display aquarifrom a private owner were originally purchased from a pet store as juveniles. (TIM E. HOVEY) gressive search. As ums, or out of the way. soon as we entered, And they’re the perfect the store owner came spots to place something out to meet us. We inyou don’t want anyone to formed him why we see. were there and asked During a routine check him if he had anything of an aquarium store in to show us. He deLos Angeles, I was walking clined and allowed us the rows of tanks looking to look around the shop. for illegal animals. I hadn’t We checked every spotted anything on the tank in the store and special list, but I had been found nothing. I figured in this store before. either that the informaI made a quick check tion was incorrect or he of the recirculation tank, had already sold his illelocated below the display gal stash. I was leaving aquariums, and noticed the store when I spotted something. Inside the a large plastic trash can large tank were a halfat the back of the shop. I dozen plastic critter carridon’t think I would’ve ers with colorful pink lids. given it a second look, Inside each container was but I noticed a clear plasa single, adult red-bellied tic airline feeding into piranha. The illegal fish These 30 alligator snapping turtles were confiscated from a local aquarium shop. These little the container and a were confiscated and the guys, no larger than a playing card, can reach in excess of 200 pounds as adults – not exactly green dip net resting on owner was cited for trying an ideal pet size. (TIM E. HOVEY) its edge. to sell the illegal species.

I walked back and looked into the container.

I’ve assisted in the confiscation of alligaIt was half-filled with water and the air stone tors, tiger fish, African clawed frogs, alligator was bubbling so hard I couldn’t see anything in snapping turtles, gar and more piranha than the can. I lifted the airline and a dead, half-eaten I can remember. All these illegal species were juvenile piranha floated to the surface. collected from pet shops or aquarium stores The shop owner had 50 red-bellied piranhas accessible to the public. in that small tank, and ended up being charged The idea behind this collaborative effort per fish, an offense resulting in a hefty fine. is simple. By working together, biologists and When I asked how many he had started with, wardens can intercept these illegal species at he said that he originally had 150 fish but had the vendor level before they get into the sold all but the 50 remaining in the container. hands of the public, and ultimately released into California’s waterways. We also want to FOR THE MOST part, the individuals selling the ilillustrate that dealing in illegal species is not legal fish understand they’re breaking the law. profitable, since the fines for violations can They will go through great lengths to hide the be far greater than what the sale of illegal andifferent species in unique ways. If the fish or imals can bring in.

CDFW warden Travis Vuich assists in the inspecamphibians are on display, the aquariums will tion of tanks during a pet shop sting. (TIM E. HOVEY) An occasional, unannounced visit from a usually be placed in the back of the shop and team from Fish and Wildlife should also send the tank won’t have any information printed on the glass.Those looka clear message that we actively inspect stores that sell fish, aming to buy something illegal know to be discrete when inquiring. phibians and reptiles, looking for anything suspicious. And we Hiding fish in a store full of water isn’t tough to do. All store know exactly where to look. CS aquariums rely on recirculation systems. That means all the water in the entire shop will eventually drain into a larger holding tank, Editor’s note: The author is a fisheries biologist for the California be filtered, re-oxygenated and then re-circulated throughout the Department of Fish and Wildlife.

46 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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MAY 2014 California Sportsman 47

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By Chris Cocoles

MIXED BAG

CALENDAR MAY 1

CA HUNTERS ILLEGALLY KILLED COLORADO, NM DEER

Three California hunters pled guilty to illegally killing nine mule deer and other species on private property in Colorado and New Mexico. (TOM KOERNER/USFWS)

T

hree California hunters agreed to a lesser sentence in exchange for admitting guilt to the illegal killing of nine mule deer and other species during hunts in Colorado and New Mexico.

The Colorado Department of Parks and Wildlife conducted an investigation involving hunters Anthony Bauer of Palm Desert, Frank D’Anna of San Diego and Hank Myll of Palm Desert. They were found to have illegally killed nine mule deer, one bull elk, one turkey and one blue grouse, while hunting on private property in Colorado and New Mexico from 2011 to 2013.

According to a press release, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials also determined the men removed only some of the animals’ head, cape and antlers from the kill sites, or abandoned the entire animal and left the meat to waste. Such charges are a felony and could result in time in prison.

But the men agreed to plea bargains and reduced sentences.

Bauer got the stiffest punishment. He was convicted of felony willful destruction of big game wildlife in Colorado, four counts of hunting without a proper and valid deer license, and illegal take of a mule deer. Bauer was ordered to pay $5,474 in fines, make a $10,000 donation to a local outdoors organization in Colorado and forfeit evidence seized, including personal computers and hunting gear. Bauer, according to the press release, owns an “outdoor-themed hat and clothing company,” Live2Die. He also pleaded guilty to a New Mexico charge of an illegal take of a bull elk.

D’Anna and Myll pleaded guilty to hunting mule deer without a proper and valid license and illegal take of a mule deer. D’Anna paid a citation for hunting blue grouse and mule deer without a license, illegal take of a mule deer and blue grouse, and hunting

Ocean salmon fishing from Horse Mountain to U.S./Mexico border continues.

3 This date in 2001: state record for spotted bass (10 pounds, 4 ounces); caught at Pine Flat Lake by Brian Shishido of Lindsay 3-4 Bass Lake Fishing Derby Southern California (basslakeca.com/derby) trophy bass angler Joe 4 Closing day of spring general wild Everett with a 12-plusturkey season pounder, one of many big bass Everett will land this 7 This date in 1992: state record for spring. (JOE EVERETT) striped bass (67 pounds, 8 ounces); caught in O’Neill Forebay by Hank Ferguson of Soquel 8 This date in 1972: state record for white bass (5 pounds, 5 ounces); caught at Ferguson Lake by Milton Mize of Chula Vista 9 This date in 1985: state record for American shad (7 pounds, 5 ounces); caught in the West Branch of the Feather River by Craig Stillwell (hometown not listed) 15-17 FLW Series bass tournament in California Delta (flwoutdoors.com) 22 This date in 1979: state record for Sacramento perch (3 pounds, 10 ounces), caught in Crowley Lake by Jack Johnson of Carson 30-31 Raahauge’s Shooting Sports Fair, Corona.

Raahauges.com

JUNE 1 6-8 7-8 14 21

22

30

Raahauges Sports Fair concludes Hangman’s Bonus Derby, Convict Lake (760-934-3800; convictlake.com) Fishin’ For $50K Trout Derby; Big Bear Lake (800-424-4232 bigbear.com) National Get Outdoors Day (nationalgetout doorsday.org) This date in 1974: state record for lake trout (37 pounds, 6 ounces), caught at Lake Tahoe by Robert Aronsen of South Lake Tahoe This date in 2008: state record for bluegill (3 pounds, 14 ounces), caught at Rancho Murrietta Reservoir by Michael Holoubek of Elk Grove Final day 2013-14 hunting license is valid

If you have an event coming up, send info to ccocoles@media-inc.com.

on private property without a license.

“These individuals showed complete disregard for the wildlife laws of several states in a brazen and arrogant manner,” said Ron Velarde, Northwest regional manager of Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “Citizens have every reason to be outraged by their destructive behavior, and we, along with the other agencies we worked with on this case, are satisfied to see that these individuals have been brought to justice.”

MAY 2014 California Sportsman 49

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MIXED BAG

TRAVELS IN TAHOE RETURN ROAD TRIP CONJURES MEMORIES

The road from South Lake Tahoe to Emerald Bay can be tricky, as the author discovered. But the views are worth the trouble. (CHRIS COCOLES)

By Chris Cocoles SOUTH LAKE TAH0E—Was it always this curvy?

There we were, a 40-something son riding shotgun with his 80-something dad, wondering how in the world did we make this drive so many times during so many road trips around the basin of Lake Tahoe. But that was many years ago, and my father’s arthritis was kicking in as he navigated what seemed like a sharper hairpin turn than on the Formula 1 course at the Grand Prix of Monaco.

All we were doing was taking an innocent side trip from our South Lake Tahoe hotel last summer to snap a few

photos at nearby Emerald Bay so I could send them to a friend. My dad, clearly also forgetful about that Highway 89 stretch between the Highway 50 junction and the Emerald Bay vista point, only about 8 miles. And here was my poor pops, still stubbornly driving his Ford 150 truck with a manual transmission, looking frazzled as he attempted to steer us up the hill. We made it there and back, but we were both shaking our heads later that night over a predinner cocktail.

Was it always this curvy?

THE DRIVE TO TAHOE Bay Area residents like my family

long to get away to Lake Tahoe. What’s not to like? The fresh Sierra air and mountains protecting the gigantic lake with its Danube-colored blue water, not to mention casinos on both North Shore and South Shore to throw away some money at.

So looking back, while I constantly complained when our family kept going back every year when I begged to visit somewhere else, I understand why making the four-hour trip to Tahoe is so popular with Northern Californians. The road to the north side of the lake was a mostly easy drive. Interstate 80 provides plenty of lanes to jet past the 18-wheelers that regularly shuttle between the

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The Truckee River, which features some outstanding trout fishing as well as river rafting, flows in and out of Lake Tahoe.

(CHARLENE KING)

PRO-CURE BAIT SCENTS

Harrah’s hotel and casino is a popular resting point for those drivers attempting to drive the 72-mile loop around Lake Tahoe.

(CHRIS COCOLES)

West Coast and into Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, etc. And once you get through the sometimes traffic-clogged Sacramento area, the drive is a pleasant one as you quickly climb from just above sea level up as high as the 7,057-foot mark at Donner Pass.

Before then, you usually need to make a pit stop for gas and a bite to eat.

We’d always stop in Auburn, in the Sierra foothills just east of Sacramento. But many can’t wait and get out in Sacramento or one of the endless suburbs that, through time, added to the state capital’s population and traffic woes.

But you’re eager to get to the lake and pick your passion, which could very well be fishing. I caught my largest fish

52 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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MIXED BAG ever there, a giant Mackinaw, while trolling with Mike Nielsen of Tahoe Topliners (530-721-0593; tahoetopliners.com). But years earlier, I was just as proud with a Mack a fraction of that one my dad and I caught in a rickety boat we rented out of Tahoe City.

THE LAKE LOOP After making the drive from various points in the state, with so many Lake Tahoe opportunities for fishing, hiking, golf, and blackjack tables, the last task on your mind is getting back in the car again and driving. But for first-timers or those of you veteran Tahoe travelers who have haven’t done it in years, it’s probably worth the time and gas to do a complete loop of the lake. When we were younger, on our annual trips to the mountains, we didn’t always “drive around the lake,” as we called it. But when we did, it was always an experience. It was usually an all-day thing, though the drive only covers about 72

54 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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TAHOE RV OPTIONS Lake Tahoe has the usual assortment of mom-and-pop motels, luxury resorts and hotel/casinos on the Nevada side of both the north and south ends of the lake. But renting an RV is also worth a look.

South Lake Tahoe can be a traffic nightmare going to and from the Stateline area at the border. But staying in an RV park provides a nice alternative if you don’t plan on doing a lot of driving.

Tahoe has several campgrounds throughout the area, many that also contain RV hookups and electricity.

“Combine the amazing views of Lake Tahoe, the star-filled night sky and the fresh pine air, and you’ve arrived at ‘camping paradise,’” declares the website, tahoeactivities.com.

“Whether you are hiking into the backcountry or RV camping near the beach, South Lake Tahoe camping can be an amazing experience.”

Here are a couple of options for renting an RV in California.

Adventure in Camping (760-935-4890; adventureincamping.com) Located in Bishop, Adventure in Camping provides trailer rentals and trailer sales.

Lance Campers (661-949-3322; lancecamper.com).

Lance Campers is based in Lancaster, northeast of Los Angeles, but has dealers throughout the state selling its truck campers.

When planning your trip, consult Just Map It (406-861-8880; justmapit.net), which makes hunting, hiking, lake and fishing maps. CS

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Lake Tahoe’s relatively easy drive – about four hours – makes it a popular trip for residents of the Bay Area and Sacramento. (CHRIS COCOLES)

miles of road. You see something different on all sides: the sleepy western end; the business of Tahoe City, where a must-stop is at the lake’s only outlet, the Truckee River, where schools of trout swim protected from fishing near the dam. As you head towards the quieter North Shore, you eventually hit the stateline and the Cal-Neva hotel. Again, when you’re 12, you don’t realize the casino had mafia ties. Ditto that I had no idea about the Godfather, Part II’s connection to Tahoe. Back then, all you thought of was if the casino had an arcade to hang out at while your parents were downstairs playing keno.

The Nevada side of the lake was significant for my family, since my sister’s wedding was at Zephyr Cove. But you’ll surely keep yourself entertained making the drive around and, at worst, taking in the views. If you haven’t been tempted by stopping at Stateline in South Lake Tahoe to pull a few slots at Harvey’s, Harrah’s or the Montbleu (formerly Caesar’s), you eventually get back where my dad and I slalomed our way aroud.

Emerald Bay is a gorgeous spot.

But as my dad and I figured out, expect your arms to get a workout steering your way through. Yes, it was that curvy. CS

56 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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calsportsmanmag.com or call 800-332-1736 MAY 2013 California Sportsman 57

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MIXED BAG

STRIKE GOLD A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO GOLD PANNING

By Steve Herschbach

trike it rich! Many people would like to find a little gold. To find gold, a beginner needs nothing more than a gold pan and some basic tools.

The best way to learn how to pan for gold is to first get the right kind of gold

S

pan. The steel gold pans of old are still made, but most actual miners and prospectors these days use plastic gold pans. The colored plastic pans show the gold better than the shiny surface of a steel pan, and plastic pans can be molded with “cheater riffles” that make it easier to pan and still not lose the gold.

In general green is considered one of

the best colors for a gold pan, as it contrasts well both with the gold and the sand from which the gold is being liberated. A 14-inch gold pan is about the right size for most adults, while most children would probably be better served with a 10-inch pan.

In good hands, the pan is one of the most efficient devices available for gold

A gold panner gets up close and personal in a stream hoping to strike it rich. Very few tools are needed to look for gold, but searching for the prized substance takes some patience and tedious steps. (STEVE HERSCHBACH)

MAY 2014 California Sportsman 59

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MIXED BAG A green-colored pan makes for a good choice since the gold contrasts well on the green, both with the sand and gold that is being panned from the ground.

(STEVE HERSCHBACH)

60 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com recovery. There is some skill involved in gold panning, however, and the big mistake most people make is in not learning how to pan before going out for the first time.

Find a tub large enough to move the pan around inside the tub. Obtain a few flakes of gold, or lacking gold, and use a small flattened lead shot. The gold or lead flakes should be about 1â „16 inch in diameter or smaller. Fill the tub with water, and fill the pan level to about 1 inch short of the top with sand, gravel, and small rocks.

Some actual stream gravels are best. Carefully count out a number of lead or gold pieces and push them into the material in the pan. This is the key thing about this process.

It is necessary to start with a known number of pieces in order to gauge

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MIXED BAG how well the panning process is going.

Ten flakes is a good number to use.

THERE ARE LOTS of ways to pan, but all that is important is getting rid of that sand and gravel while keeping those sample pieces.

Submerge the pan just below the surface of the water, and allow the water to soak into the material. It may be necessary to stir the material up somewhat to wet all the material in to pan. Pick out any larger rocks at this time. Then shake the pan vigorously side to side and front to rear, all the while keeping it just under the water and basically level.

The goal is to get all the material in the pan moving vigorously and very soupy. The gold or lead is much heavier than an equal size piece of sand, and so with all the material moving around, the test samples will quickly sink to the bottom of the pan.

The next step involves taking the pan of material and tilting it forward, away from the panner, and scooping some water up out of the tub. The goal is to try and make a wave similar to that seen on a beach. Scoop

the pan into the water and then lift the pan while tossing the water away. The water should ride up the tilted pan, and then as the water flows back out of the pan it will carry some material out with it.

The secret is in keeping the material and letting the water wash off the top layer in the pan. Do not dump the material out of the pan; wash it out of the pan.Three or four of these “scoop and toss” washing actions take place. Then the pan goes back to the level/submerged position for another round of vigorous shaking.Then back up, tilt forward, and scoop/wash the material. Repeat this action until only a few spoonfuls of material remain in the pan. You can be vigorous at first, but get more careful the less material remaining in the pan. Watch the material carefully while washing for a glint of gold or lead. If a piece is seen, stop and shake it back down into the bottom of the pan. If the pieces are seen often, it means the shaking action has not been vigorous enough to sink the samples to the bottom of the pan.

More care must be used when washing as the last bit of material remains in the pan.

One wrong move and everything in the pan will go in the tub! When only a spoonful of material remains, swirling the material around in the bottom of the pan with a small amount of water will reveal the pieces of gold (or lead).

A very handy tool at this point is the snuffer bottle, which is a plastic squeeze container with a tube inserted into in such a fashion that small items can be sucked into the bottle but can’t escape. This makes it easy to spot the flakes, and then suck them up while getting as little sand as possible.

When all the pieces have been captured, dump material still in the pan into the tub.

Then take the cap off the snuffer bottle and dump out the captured pieces back into the pan. It should now be easy to separate the test samples.

Now count them! All the original test pieces should be captured. If not, rinse everything out of the tub back into the pan and start all over. The first goal is to get to

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MAY 2014 California Sportsman 63

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MIXED BAG where all the test pieces are reliably recovered every time. When that point is reached, the next goal is to try and pan faster, to speed up the process. Beginning panners take incredible amounts of time on a single pan when they are learning, sometimes 15 to 20 minutes or more. But with practice it should take no more than a few minutes to work a pan of material.

Gold-panning championships are measured in seconds, not minutes.

If this kind of practice does not take place before going out to do some actual gold panning, the chances for any kind of success are very minimal. The new prospector will have no idea if there was gold in the material they have chosen to pan. When nothing is found, they will be unsure if it is because of poor panning technique or just because there was no gold to start with. It is very important to have confidence so that when a particular spot is sampled with a pan a few times and nothing is found, the decision can be made to try panning some-

64 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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where else.

Other items handy for gold panning are rubber gloves for protection from cold water, rubber boots, a small shovel or large scoop, a small pry bar and, of course, a snuffer bottle. Be sure to have a bottle to put the gold in. Do not use glass, as it can be too easily dropped and broken. An optional item that can be a real aid is a 1â „2-inch screen. Screen the material into the pan while underwater, carefully washing, and then discarding the larger rocks. This speeds things considerably and makes panning easier.

Dump the rocks next to you where you can spread them and look for a large nugget that did not go through the screen. Large nuggets are rare, but it could happen!

open to the public, or that permission is obtained from whoever has jurisdiction over the property. For most visitors with limited time, it will be best to stick with public sites. These are found online.

When panning, it usually will make more sense to spend extra time and effort filling the pan with quality material.

For example, splitting bedrock crevices and cleaning them thoroughly can take some time, but the material produced will usually have a better chance of producing a good showing of gold than simply filling the pan with a couple shovels full of bank material. Panning can produce substantial amounts of gold, but the material must be chosen carefully for good results.

Good luck, and good panning! CS

NEXT IS THE question of where to go gold panning. Always attempt to go where gold has already been found, as stumbling on an unknown gold deposit is not likely to happen. Be sure that the area is

Editor’s note: Steve Herschbach has a lifetime of experience as an expert in prospecting and metal detecting. Check him out at detectorprospector.com. Email: contact@detectorprospector.com.

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SPEED TO BURN AT HAVASU BOAT SHOW Photos by Bob Brown

T

he Lake Havasu Boat Show brings together fans of fishing boats, leisure house boats and gearheads who love fast and sleek vessels. The show completed its run in April, and here is a photo gallery to remember it by.

Miss Geico is one of the elite boats of the show.

Pirate Cove Beach Bar is one of the most popular local bars for show-goers to slake their thirst – we can’t imagine why.

Wouldn’t you want to get behind the wheel of one of these boats, just once?

The Stars and Stripes makes for a patriotic theme with this sleek craft.

MAY 2014 California Sportsman 67

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Betcha this boat would have a heck of a hole shot at a bass tournament.

68 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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Not much room for ’riggers, but you sure could get around the lake fast in this boat!

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS!

Kari Armstrong, who went fishing with her fiancé, Eric Tallman, joined what Eric referred to as “part of the club” with Kari’s first-ever steelhead. This 8-pounder was caught in the Eel River on March 23 while sidedrifting a pink puffball, yarn and eggs. Kari wins our May Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw Photo Contest. We’ll send her a $50 prize package that includes Lazer Sharp hooks, pliers and a Lazer Sharp hat. Congrats, Kari!

T a y l o r Spady’s pic of son Ashton and his first deer is this issue’s Browning Photo Contest winner. It scores dad a Browning hat and puts him in the running for the grand prize, a Browning Buckmark pistol!

For your shot at winning Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw and Browning products, send your photographs 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.

72 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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The author spent many days learning how to fly fish the Stanislaus River below Goodwin Dam in the San Joaquin Valley. It wasn’t always the most productive place, but during a recent trip back to California, he couldn’t resist going back to rekindle some old memories. (JEFF LUND)

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FISHING

RETURN TO TRAINING GROUND STANISLAUS RIVER REUNION ALL ABOUT LEARNING

By Jeff Lund

OAKDALE–If there was a “get out of Dodge” river during the time I lived in Manteca, it was the Stanislaus. It became this out of proximity – the section below Goodwin Dam was 45 minutes away – and I could get out there for an evening hatch if my job had turned on me during the day. Work does that from time to time.

So when I returned to California for a visit in March, I wanted to hit the Lower Sacramento River for big rainbows, the Truckee for big browns, the Upper Sac because it’s my favorite, and the Stanislaus River to thank it.

MAY 2014 California Sportsman 75

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AUTHORIZED

HEWESCRAFT DEALERS ALASKA Compeau’s (Fairbanks) 907-479-2271 or 800-478-7669 Dewey’s Cook Inlet (Anchorage) 907-344-5092 River & Sea Marine (Soldotna) 907-262-2690 or 907-262-7402 Rocky’s Marine (Petersburg) 907-772-3949

CALIFORNIA Boat Country (Escalon) 209-838-2628 Harrison’s Marine & RV (Redding) 530-243-0175

Knights Ferry, located roughly between Oakdale and Sonora off Highway 120, usually has more rafters than anglers. But on quiet days, this stretch of the Stanislaus has some big trout that will swallow various caddis flies, nymphs and midges. (JEFF LUND)

IDAHO Idaho Marine (Boise) 208-342-0639 Mark’s Marine (Hayden) 888-821-2200 Valley Boat & Motor (Lewiston) 208-743-2528

ILLINOIS Calumet Marine (Calumet City) 708-862-2407

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MONTANA Dream Marine (Libby) 406-293-8142 Gull Boats & RV (Missoula) 406-549-6169 Wallace Marine (Great Falls) 406-453-9392

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WASHINGTON Clark’s All Sports (Colville) 509-684-5069 Northwest Marine & Sport (Pasco) 509-545-5586 Tom-N-Jerry’s Boat Center (Mt. Vernon) 360-466-9955 Westside Marine (Port Townsend) 360-385-1488

76 California Sportsman MAY 2014

HUMBLE BEGINNINGS My first pathetic piles of fly line fell in the Stanislaus current years ago when I first decided fly fishing wasn’t just a way for people who couldn’t catch fish to stay interested. It’s not really a lifestyle, because that would be to equate it to a brand or stereotype; but in a way it is. Those first trips to the Stan were rather frustrating, what with hooking trees, bushes, grass, vests, and anything but fish, then losing fish thanks to casting knots or not knowing what to do. But looking back, the hours I spent next to and in the river would be some of my favorite fishing memories.

When I first started to get things figured out my buddies and I added fly fishing to our camping trips to flee the oppressive San Joaquin Valley heat of late summer. We wet waded through the chilly mornings and threw flies that were too big at stocked fish that ate them anyway.

When the temperature dropped in the fall, so did we, and instead of making the runs all the way to Brightman Flat or Kennedy Meadows near the headwaters, we settled for a day trip to Knights Ferry and a burger at Hula’s in Escalon on the drive home.

The section from Goodwin Dam to Oakdale closes October 31, as the remaining runs of Chinook salmon

push their way upriver. It is an impressive reminder of what once was, and a sad realization of what’s left.

The coming of the kings effectively ended our season on the lower section of the Stanislaus.

We then preferred the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus where it dumps into New Melones Lake. The first time I heard about this section I met up with an 18-inch brown trout and was smitten thereafter. It was a longer drive, and harder to coordinate a larger group of friends because camping wasn’t allowed, which further complicated things. It was worth it whenever we went, though, especially just before it closed in November when the browns and rainbows were running up with the kokanee.

There’s nothing legendary about the river. You don’t hear about the sponsored fishermen going there, or see fly fishing adventures shot there.

But for the weekend warrior, the everyday angler, the Stanislaus is the type of river the neophyte and the expert can enjoy.

Literally all of these memories came back to me as I waded into the water just up from the covered bridge in Knights Ferry. The water was up a bit and I didn’t have dry flies, so I added some weight to make sure my nymphs got down and wound up cleaning or-

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FISHING

HIT A HOME RUN PLAYING SMALL BALL

If you have small tackle, small trout like this brown make for a fun fishing experience on small California streams. (JEFF LUND) Let’s face it. You are a fisherman, so you are familiar with the myriad of ways to put something in front of a fish and make it bite. Such a case might be the reason you became a fly fishing junkie – you wanted more art and less science. You wanted feathers and thread rather than baits and scents, and, when it came to the fight, you wanted to feel it in a way you hadn’t.

78 California Sportsman MAY 2014

Which, of course, is why rod builders have begun selling smaller outfits for smaller fish. Mathematically it makes sense: small creeks, small fish, small rod, right?

Taking a 9-foot, 5-weight into the mountains to chase 6-inch brookies or goldens in the Sierra Nevada hardly sounds like fun. Well, it of course sounds like fun, but it won’t feel as fun as it could unless you were armed with a light 1-weight.

That was my rationale behind getting a 1-weight Sage TXL-F and a Click II reel. The bucolic headwaters of many Sierra Nevada rivers have pretty, feisty little trout, and I wanted to gear down to them.

At 7 feet, 6 inches, there is enough length to allow a roll cast under those bushes that hang over the water, providing cover for skittish trout, and it’s still long enough to nymph. But let’s be honest: If you’re spending the money on a 1-weight it’s because you want to sneak up onto a boulder in the middle of cold mountain

creek. You want to see the little sucker rise and take your No. 20 Elkhair Caddis or Adams. When wet wading has taken the heat out of the thin air, you want a light, short rod that creates tight loops with little effort; and you want it to bend to the cork if you get a footlong brown.

It is probably just a way to justify my purchase, but I swore I was better in-tune with subtle takes and fly placement after a week of 1-weight casting. Again, there is no science involved in this claim. It’s merely the reasoning which comes with being an angler looking for fun ways to catch fish; not out of boredom, but as a way to keep things fresh.

Most fly rod makers have specialty rods, from 3-weights to 000 for those who, using a baseball analogy, want to play the smallball game. Orvis makes a Superfine Trout Bum 1-weight, and the Temple Fork Outfitters Finesse series goes down to a 1-weight.

St. Croix offers its own version of fly-fishing delicacy in its Imperial and Avid lines.

So if the change you’re collecting in the old coffee mug isn’t ear-marked for something else, consider a small rod for big fun. JL

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FISHING ganic matter off my hooks every other cast.

It didn’t matter too much that I had to waste a lot of time getting my rig cleaned to fish or that I didn’t catch any fish. I was back on that river I loved for many years with my buddies, who so thoughtfully put their ungraded papers on hold one afternoon after school during the recent visit from my native Alaska.

Tons of people have a ton of different spots on the Stanislaus. So below are not necessarily the best three on the river, but rather simply easy for the less experienced or the uninitiated.

LOWER FORK AT KNIGHTS FERRY Outside of Kennedy Meadows, this stretch receives the most traffic. However, unlike there, many of the people around aren’t anglers. During summer, rafters will offer you everything from fishing advice to Jell-O shots as you

wait for them to paddle through. If you want solitude, hiking around the corner, or getting closer to Goodwin Dam, makes for the best plans.

I’ve met plenty of fishermen who drive here from the Bay Area, knowing the trout aren’t huge. However, in the canyon below Goodwin, it’s quiet, the river is wild and there are some big fish that will take a Zebra Midge or rise to a caddis. Blackbirds Nests, blue Copper Johns are effective nymphs, but my favorite way to get at fish with a Griffith’s Gnat or Elkhair Caddis. Don’t worry about just fishing dead drifts, because I’ve hooked just as many fish on the swing or even stripping in a Griffith’s.

MIDDLE FORK AT CAMP 9 ROAD The terminus of the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River is not pretty, especially when New Melones is low. But if you drive up past the deep arm to

where the water moves, and you hike down the steep embankment and get on the water, you can forget about the muddy shores that make the lake look tidal, but without any of the creatures and growth that make a beach fun.

Most of the anglers I’ve seen at the end of Camp 9 Road have been spincasters, which means that in the riffles up river from the marriage of the two bodies of water, there are plenty of spots with ample room for you and a buddy.

As is frequently the case, nymphing with an indicator is the most productive way to go.

Blackbirds Nests, Prince Nymphs with smaller midges like RS2’s worked fine on both browns and rainbows.

The Middle Fork of the Stanislaus doesn’t close until mid-November, and this is the time of year when things can get busy. Thousands of kokanee paint red streaks in the water, and mixed in are some hefty rainbows and browns.

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FISHING A big Blackbirds Nest dropped off a black AP, or Prince Nymph with a red tag, can get you into memorable fish for sure. Of course, since it’s spawning season, egg patterns are a must as well.

The author with a California rainbow caught in the Sacramento River, one of many trout he’s landed during his stint in the Golden State. But it was in the Stanislaus near his then Manteca home where he learned how to fly fish. (JEFF LUND)

UPPER FORK AT KENNEDY MEADOWS When the heat of the Valley makes you feel like you’re living in an armpit, the headwaters has what you need. The cool, thin Sierra air and a mixture of both native and non-native rainbows provide the perfect reprieve. If you’re not into crowds, then there are pullouts all along the highway before you reach the pack station at Kennedy Meadows. Some spots are obviously hit very hard and marked with well-traveled trails and beaches; but pockets near some of the fast water can be really productive when dabbing dry flies.

The best days are the ones when

82 California Sportsman MAY 2014

you bring a fish to hand and see that it’s not the confused, pellet-fed stocker, but a wily brown or brook trout. It’s best to book in advance if you’re heading up to Kennedy Meadows, but the campsites at Boulder Flat, Brightman Flat, Dardanelle and others along the Highway 108 usually have spots if it’s not a holiday weekend.

The Clark Fork is also a very productive area which receives much less pressure. If you happen to have a specialty rod such as a 3- or even a 1weight fly rod, this would be a great place to boulder-hop your way into epic battles with much bigger than you expected. Even for those of us returning to where we once learned how to do this stuff. CS

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FISHING

ARE YOU SHORE ABOUT THIS? A FLY FISHING EDUCATION ON THE LOWER SAC

By Jeff Lund REDDING—There are exceptions to pretty much every rule. This happens a lot in fishing because no one can interview a trout and get its side of the story to make a proper assessment of the angling skill used to catch it.

It’s also why anglers such as myself can love the peace and tranquility of a lonely run on a river tucked away from the eye of civilization, yet still itch to get on a river in the middle of 90,000 people.

My buddy Chris had never fly fished before, so when I told him we’d be fishing in the middle of Redding on the Lower Sacramento River, he was a little surprised. I could also see him wonder how a No. 18 Dark Lord that is best measured in millimeters would find its way through all the water of the river and into the mouth of a trout. He’d grown up fishing shad, striper and sturgeon but never had a reason to pick up one of those flimsy fly rods.

I showed him a roll cast, the upriver flick for nymphing rigs, how to mend, feed line and let him be, because as a friend, it’s sometimes better to give the instruction and get out of the way. Leave the guiding to a guide.

NARROW THE FIELD

Anglers fish the riffle area of the Lower Sacramento River within the Redding city limits. This fast-moving stretch of water has some excellent opportunities for fly fishing. (JEFF LUND)

One of the first times I fished the Lower Sacramento from shore I stood and watched a pair of guides position their clients to make casts 10 feet beyond my own cast.

Hookup. Hookup. They floated downriver with a double while I casted to the opposite side of the same edge, but my nymphing rig, which hit the strike zone for a few seconds before lifting up and out, went unnoticed again and again.

My other favorite California rivers fished well between 500 and 700 cubic feet per second. The Lower Sacramento was at 3,500.

The drift boats came back, I was jealous; they hooked up, I was pissed. Then, hours later, just before I was about to leave, a benign cast fell differently and dropped my nymphs into the feeding lane. Fish on.

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FISHING I looked down at the fish in the net and wondered why, if there is so much water out there, why would this rainbow be so close to shore?

But it’s not about distance from shore; it’s about food and safety. That’s why it’s more important to spot color,

spring day, with your waders making you feel like a high school wrestler trying to cut weight, you’d prefer to be exposed to this river on your own terms – maybe just when you reach into it to scoop out a fish.

We worked down from the Highway

The author’s fly rods are ready to take on the Lower Sacramento. During a return spring trip to fish in California, the experienced fly angler introduced his newbie friend to shore fishing the river, with mixed results. (JEFF LUND)

rather than cast for distance. On the Lower Sacramento, there are a plethora of areas where the water turns a different shade of blue, thanks to a dropoff or seam. Fish can post up there and wait for tasty things like thread and dubbing to float by. The best part is many of these spots are accessible from the path that runs up and down from the Sundial Bridge in the heart of Redding.

I see water differently now thanks to that first fish. I stopped noticing the far side, because I can’t get there, so why worry about it? Make it the Upper Sac, make it the Stanislaus, make it your favorite river. Fish the riffle that drops off just like on the Tuolumne. Find the section that’s at 700, subtract the rest and fish it accordingly.

FEELS LIKE THE FIRST TIME The glacial hue of the water of the Lower Sacramento lapping at mine and Chris’s waders looked friendly, but it’s just part of a massive flow. On a warm 86 California Sportsman MAY 2014

A decent-sized Lower Sac rainbow. In spring, the river can be crowded with both drift boats and those casting flies from the shore, which the author and his fishing buddy did, catching a couple of nice fish. But there were more trout to come another day on the river. (JEFF LUND)

299 Bridge toward the Sundial Bridge.

A few drift boats motored up near us, turned, flopped out their rigs and drifted through the strike zone for minutes. I explained to Chris that our rigs would only be in the strike zone for a few seconds before lifting out. The boats had a decisive advantage.

It’s times like these that can tempt you to be apologetic. You convinced your buddy to drive you three hours to learn a new type of fishing on a packed fishery and maybe get skunked. That probably wouldn’t fly.

And then: Boom!

My indicator rolled over a little ledge, and, as it started to swing out, I was grabbed. I set the hook and the fish took off. Chris, locked in his meticulous world of proper execution, was oblivious to my success downriver, as he should have been. What’s the point of using an indicator to indicate strikes if you’re going to be looking at geese or the dude who hooked a fish next to you?

It wasn’t a big trout, but it had nice blushy cheeks and was around 14 inches. Well below the river’s capability, yet still nothing to dismiss.

We fished down that section of the river until it became stagnant thanks to the low flows, skipped over the redds as to not disturb the spawning rainbows, and settled in at the base of the riffle just up from the Sundial Bridge.

The riffle is where the Lower Sac really starts looking like a doable river.

Most of the flow is consolidated into a fast run, so while the water in the middle is a torrent, the edges are great for picking up trout before the bottom deepens and the flow slows again.

The guys on the other side are close enough that you can almost make out wader brands. Chris was picking up the whole process quickly, so I added some nameless minutiae. It’s more important to do a stack mend than it is to know what it’s called, I figured. Eventually you get down the terminology and start to see the water differently. You no longer think there’s no chance to catch fish unless you’re in one of those drift boats.

Though Chris was shut out, he looked like he had things figured out, and should he get into a fish the next time he tried, I’d welcome him to the fly-fishing vortex.

Plus, we were going out in a drift boat the next day, so he’d be ready. CS Editor’s note: This was the first of a twopart series, which will continue with the June issue of California Sportsman. The author, an Alaskan native who lives in Klawock on Prince of Wales Island, was formerly an outdoors columnist for the Manteca Bulletin.

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FISHING

SIERRA TROUT OFF THE GRID GETTING INTO BACKCOUNTRY FISH IS CLOSER THAN YOU THOUGHT

By Mike Stevens BISHOP—When the subject of back-

country trout fishing comes up, one can’t help but visualize a pack train schlepping you and your gear dozens of miles into the sticks and camping on a high-country moonscape all for a shot at wild – if not native – fish.

Looking over a map of the area, or even just talking to a guy in a local tackle shop, would reveal that such a labor-intensive trek isn’t required to achieve a rewarding experience in the Eastern Sierra backcountry – and your options are endless. The easiest to get to are the drive-up lakes you might already frequent. But many of these have at least one trailhead marking the beginning of a trail peppered with small lakes teeming with trout. These fish are more aggressive than their stocked cousins due to a shorter window of time to feed sinche backcountry lakes typically take longer to thaw, plus a lack of fishing pressure.

“Many Eastern Sierra visitors don’t realize that in virtually every road-accessible canyon from Lone Pine to Bridgeport, there are trailheads that lead to spectacular wild trout lakes and streams in pristine wilderness often overlooked by the masses,” says Jared Smith of Parchers Resort (760-873-4177) on Bishop Creek.

One example of this lies about halfway between Bishop and Mammoth near the popular Rock Creek Lake, where the trailhead marking the beginning of the Mosquito Flats trail lies near the parking lot. Here, the road to Rock Creek Lake termi-

Greenstone Lake has a population of brook trout that are eager to strike just about any dry fly you cast in their direction. (MIKE STEVENS)

nates at an elevation of 10,300 feet.

This is a perfect spot for the first-time backcountry angler to try, because the aptly named trail is very tame in terms of elevation gain as you make your way into Little Lakes Valley.

Mack Lake is less than a mile from the trailhead, and since you only gain about 200 feet in altitude from the trailhead to this spot, you should arrive there with the bare minimum of huffing and puffing. While this is one of the easiest backcountry lakes in the Eastern Sierra to reach, it still gets low fishing pressure, since most hikers whip right past on their way to lakes further up the line.

Like most waters up here, Mack is chock-full of 7- to 10-inch brook trout that swallow just about anything you throw at them, and there

is also a small population of browns and wild rainbows to be had. The deeper water at the west end is a good spot to get away from anyone else who might stop at Mack, and puts you on one of its most productive spots.

At 1.5 miles from the trailhead and only another 200 feet of elevation gain, Heart Lake comes next on the trail and is one of my personal favorites. I catch about as many fish there as I do at Mack, but every time I fish here, I see a trophy brown patrolling the shallows. The key word there is “see,” because I have yet to catch one, but knowing they are in there is quite the motivator. The trick at Heart is getting away from the areas near the trail that get the bulk of the fishing pressure.

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FISHING If you are staying in the Mammoth Lakes area, the Duck Pass trail – which begins in a parking lot near the Coldwater campground by Lake Mary – can get you away from it all with a short hike too.

Arrowhead comes first along the trail, and while you’ll have to endure 550 feet of elevation gain to get there, it’s only about a mile from the trailhead. Thus, even a slow pace should get you there in about 30 minutes. The little logjam at the outlet is great for brook trout on orange trout worms fished on a splitshot rig, and there is also a respectable population of Kamloop rainbows that could be a nice surprise.

Skelton Lake is next on the Duck Pass trail, and it’s a bigger lake as backcountry ponds go. Like Heart, it’s best to avoid the areas next to the main trail. The narrow area toward the outlet end of the lake is very good for brook trout on small spinners and any classic dry fly. As you get closer to the outlet, the lake gets shallow and weedy in spots, but it’s pretty entertaining to see brookies darting after your offerings in that clear, skinny water.

If you would like to try a different area like this near Mammoth, McLeod Lake is reached from the trail that starts in the parking lot at Horseshoe Lake at the end of the Mammoth Lakes basin. A very short hike – essentially a straight line up to the lake – brings you to a very scenic spot where you will likely not encounter another angler, and you also have a shot at cutthroat, which are not widely distributed across the east slope.

The shore is easy to navigate, and fishing your way around the entire lake is very realistic, but you should find that the shoreline opposite the one you arrived at has the best fishing. The key here is long casts into the deeper water, which is easy to see because there is a distinct line where the shallower “green” water gives way to a deeper blue. You can catch them from the shore, but it’s best to don 90 California Sportsman MAY 2014

McLeod Lake in the Mammoth Lakes Basin has a population of cutthroat trout at this catch-andrelease fishery where only barbless hooks are allowed. (MIKE STEVENS)

waders, wade out as far as you can and cast along that dropoff. For even better results, haul a float tube there.

It should be noted that McLeod is a 100-percent catch-and-release lake, and you must use single, barbless hooks.

The 20 Lakes Basin near Saddlebag Lake (Tioga Pass) is very popular for hikers and backcountry anglers fishing all along the 5-mile looped trail. The best way to get to the trail is to take the water taxi to the inlet end of the lake. There are two entrances to the same trail, and if you mosey up the one on the left near the main inlet, a 10-minute stroll and only 60 feet of elevation gain brings you to the scenic Greenstone Lake. Greenstone is a perfect place to gain confidence fishing with flies, as the brook trout will fall for about any standard dry you can think of. I have had a lot of success here with Adams and Elkhair Caddis flies in size 18 or 16, but just about everything I have tried has worked here at one time or another.

If you were to head up the other trail on the right, you’ll happen upon the unassuming little puddle called Hummingbird Lake. Take the halfmile walk to a lake teeming with

smallish brookies that commit suicide on trout worms, jigs and small spinners. If you keep going up the trail for another ¼ mile, you’ll discover Odell, a good-sized lake that boasts a respectable population of golden trout. That’s right, after driving to Saddlebag, you are a boat ride and a ¾-mile hike for one of the most sought-after and difficult-to-reach trout in the entire state.

“I think the misconception about backcountry fishing is that any time you step on the trail you’re going to spend all day on a grueling hike, which isn’t necessarily the case with a host of angling opportunities within just a few miles or less of the parking lot,” says Smith of Parchers. CS

TIPS FOR BACKCOUNTRY TROUT FISHING Give yourself a chance to acclimate to the altitude by fishing close to camp for at least a couple days before heading up a trail.

Drink more water than you feel you need – you dehydrate quicker as you gain elevation Use light but long gear. Sometimes the fish in these lakes congregate a bit offshore, but they can be reached with a 6- to 7-foot ultralight rod and a small Kastmaster on 2pound test.

Once you feel you are ready to venture further into the sticks, grab a map and simply hump further up any of the trails mentioned here and dozens of them that weren’t. They all hold a lot more water that you can do some damage in.

Get your hands on the book Fishin’ Trails, by Jared Smith. It details dozens of hot fishing spots that don’t require killer hikes to reach.

Ditch the tackle box. Bring a small Plano Stowaway box with a few Kastmasters, Rooster Tails, trout jigs and flies. Also, leave the bait at home.

You’ll get quicker action on artificials.

Bring a spare spool or extra line.

If you get a tangle and lose most of your line fixing it, you are too far away from home to replace it. MS

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FISHING

PLUMAS COUNTY A FEATHER IN CAP ALMANOR, LAKES BASIN AMONG TROUT OPTIONS

By Michael Condon GRAEAGLE—Hiking up a long grade, the

late morning sun is warmer at midslope than it was when we started down in the cool canyon bottom. We reach the top of the ridge and look back down into the beautiful granite canyon below, but only briefly. The trail beckons us into a thick stand of shady red fir.

After a short walk through the trees, we break out onto the shore of a pristine high-elevation lake, bordered by a dense stand of lodgepole pine growing right down to the water line. On the far side of the lake a granite cliff juts upward from the lake reaching nearly 100 feet into the air.

The hike is worth it. I inflate my little backpackable raft and string my fly rod. All the while I am studying the lake trying to solve the puzzle. Where will the fish be feeding?

This little gem of a lake is in the Lakes Basin area, just a few miles out of Graeagle, an area known for golf and outdoor recreation.

I fish every chance I get. I have lived in Plumas County for more than 20 years, and yet I have never been to this lake before. How can that be?

Plumas County has more than 100 lakes and 1,000 miles of streams. Any given lake or any stretch of river or stream can take many visits, or even many years to learn to fish well. What that adds up to is a lifetime of fishing opportunities right on my doorstep.

Gold Lake is the largest lake in Lakes Basin. In addition to rainbow trout, Gold Lake boasts mackinaw up to 20 pounds. (MICHAEL CONDON)

Whether I want to explore new waters or visit waters that are as familiar as old friends, I have all I need right here in Feather River country. Let me tell you about some of my favorites.

UPCOMING

MIDELEVATION LAKES

May 17

In my mind, our lakes fall into two categories: large midelevation lakes and the smaller high-elevation lakes.

Lake Almanor is without a doubt my favorite. It’s a large lake and it is fishable all year long. Almanor is one of California’s premier trophy trout lakes. Many rainbows and browns over 10 pounds are caught every year.

Almanor is not an easy lake to fish for the uninitiated. Its size alone can be intimidating. The primary feed source of interest to the angler is the pond smelt. It is a light-colored minnow about 1½ to 3 inches long.

Trollers use Speedy Shiners or Rapalas to imitate them. Fly anglers do well with Jensen’s Minnows and similar streamer patterns.

Water temperature is another key to fishing Almanor. In spring and late fall when the water is cooler, the fish can be found in shallow water, especially around stream inlets. In the heat

PLUMAS COUNTY

FISHING EVENTS Junior Fishing Day; Graeagle Mill Pond June 14 Lake Almanor Trout & Salmon Derby; Lake Almanor (almanorfishin gassociation.com) June 14-15 Lake Davis Fishing Derby; Lake Davis (greaeagle.com) July 5 Free Fishing Day; All of Plumas County Aug. 9 Fish For A Wish; Big Cove Resort, Lake Almanor (bigcoveresort.com) Aug. 9 Almanor Fishing Assoc.

Fundraising BBQ; Lake Almanor (almanorfishingassociation.com) Sept. 6 Free Fishing Day; All of Plumas County Sept. 6 Youth Fishing Derby; Round Valley Reservoir Feb. 7, 2015 Ice Fishing Tournament; Lake Davis MAY 2014 California Sportsman 93

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FISHING of summer they seek out cooler water.

Fish the deeper water and near Almanor’s many springs to find summertime trout.

Almanor also has landlocked king salmon. They tend to stay in the deeper water year-round. The best place to find the salmon is the deep water along the east shore and near the dam.

A big attraction for fly anglers at Almanor is the Hexagenia (or “hex”) hatch. Hexagenia are large yellow mayflies that hatch from the muddy lake bottom and emerge from the lake surface late in the evening from midJune to early August. They are found along the west shore of Almanor. The trout, salmon and even smallmouth bass feed very aggressively on these 2inch mayflies.

There is also a decent hex hatch at Butt Lake, a long, shallow reservoir just a few miles west of Almanor. It has the same species and fishes somewhat similar to Almanor. The big difference is the Butt Lake Powerhouse.

Many pond smelt get caught in the Almanor water intake, and wind up getting delivered to Butt Lake via the powerhouse. When the powerhouse is running the trout in Butt Lake, it’s best to congregate just below the powerhouse to enjoy the abundant feed.

Antelope Lake lies in the east-central portion of Plumas County. This is a beautiful lake with many coves and small islands making for some great fish habitat. A canoe or kayak is the perfect way to explore the lake. What the trout may lack in size they make up for in abundance. There are also bass and catfish at Antelope.

Bucks Lake is a short drive from Quincy, in the center of the county.

The granite peaks surrounding the lake make for a very scenic setting.

Bucks Lake has an excellent kokanee salmon fishery. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife introduced brown trout to help keep the kokanee from overpopulating. The result was bigger kokanee and some big brown trout.

94 California Sportsman MAY 2014

Lakes Basin offers dozens of lakes in a sub-alpine setting for the angler. Many of these are reachable by car, and some a short hike to. (MICHAEL CONDON)

But they didn’t stop there. They added Mackinaw to the mix. The result was even bigger kokanee and some real trophy-size Mackinaw.

Many 10-pound-plus fish are caught each year. Twenty-pounders are not unheard of. And if somehow that isn’t enough, there are also loads of rainbows and brook trout in the lake.

Frenchman Lake and Lake Davis are in southeast Plumas County. Unlike the other lakes that are in more forested ecosystems, Lake Davis lies in a transitional ecosystem: part eastside pine forest and part sage desert. Frenchman is in a true Great Basin desert ecosystem.

They both offer excellent fishing for rainbow trout. Davis is shallow, weedy and very fertile. The shallow lake is full of damselflies and blood midges, making it a real favorite with those fly anglers. Fly fishing is also popular at Frenchman Lake, but most fish are caught by trollers and from the bank. Both lakes are popular spots for ice fishing.

HIGH-ELEVATION LAKES The high lakes of the Feather River region offer a much different experience. These are not typically lakes holding trophy trout. Some are accessible by road, and many require a hike, but all are beautiful.

The most popular are the lakes found in Lakes Basin, nestled under the

spectacular Sierra Buttes. This area was sculpted by glaciers and has the feel of the high Sierra. Lakes Basin Highway delivers visitors right to the shore of some of the more popular lakes. A surprising number of lakes are just a short hike off the road.

Gold Lake is the largest lake in the area. It is noteworthy for the predictable afternoon winds and for some large Mackinaw. Packer Lake, Lower Sardine and Gold Lake all offer very good fishing and easy access.

There are a few high-mountain lakes scattered around the Bucks Lake Wilderness and above Indian Valley. North of Chester are Echo Lake, Silver Lake and Caribou Lake.

These all fish well.

STREAM FISHING Deer Creek parallels Highway 32 for several miles, providing easy access. I like to cast flies at Deer Creek, but this is also a perfect stream for a salmon egg and splitshot rig. The easy access and plentiful trout make it perfect for kids.

In the Almanor Basin, Hamilton Branch and the North Fork of the Feather offer great fishing opportunities. The North Fork can be accessed by road at several points. If you want some solitude and maybe some better fishing, try hiking away from the road access points.

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FISHING another favorite. It begins as a classic spring creek and then changes to a freestone stream as it leaves the valley.

The crown jewel of the local streams has to be the Middle Fork Feather River, a designated wild and scenic river. The upper portion of the Middle Fork has some very good trout fishing, but for those willing to make the hike, the fishing in the canyon is world class.

There are too many more streams to mention here. Maybe the best thing to do is get a map and go exploring. If you want a little help getting pointed in the right direction, try one of the many local sporting goods stores to find out what is going on. There are also some excellent guides who can put you in the right spot and teach you all about the right tackle and techniques. Check out the Plumas County Visitors Guide (530-412-1195; plumascounty.org) for a list of fishing guides and facilities. CS

96 California Sportsman MAY 2014

CHICO HOSTS HOOKED ON FISHING DAY To kick off National Fishing Week, the city of Chico, in Butte County, will be welcoming kids to an outstanding free “Hooked On Fishing, Not On Drugs” event on May 31. It is one of the largest single-day children’s fishing events in the United States.

Kids 14 and under are invited to come to Horseshoe Lake in Upper Bidwell Park from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 31, for a chance at the 8,000 pounds of channel catfish that will be planted for the event. Admission is free, along with all tackle, bait and instruction (limit one fish per child). Kids can even have their catfish cleaned for free.

Since this is a “kids only” lake, no fishing license is required for anglers under 16. Expert local anglers will be on hand as coaches. There will be a separate area for the youngest anglers, ages

1 to 5.

There will be plenty of rods and reels available to use free, but all are encouraged to bring their own if they have a rod and reel. Bring your favorite“secret”catfish bait as well, but no lead sinkers are allowed at Horseshoe Lake.

With all that help and all those fish, it will be the closest thing to a guaranteed “first fish”for the little ones. To donate, volunteer, or obtain more information, call (530) 891-4757.

“Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs” is a program of the American Sportfishing Association This is the largest youth sporting event of any kind in Butte County. Previous years events have drawn well over 4,000 kids, plus an estimated 2,000 adults. The catfish will be stocked at the lake between noon and 1 p.m. on Friday, May 30. –Steve Carson

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FISHING

FROM FIELD:

STAYING IN CON-TROLL OF THE TROUT TIPS FOR SPRING BOAT FISHING

An array of the many, many products to catch trout with.

(SCOTT HAUGEN)

By Scott Haugen

S

pring is here, and so is trout season. While there are many ways to fish trout in rivers, small streams and pond settings, when it comes to lakes, trolling is a go-to method for many anglers.

Trolling is a great way to cover water and a very efficient approach in terms of searching for fish. Because so much water can be covered when trolling – both in depth and surface area – it’s considered the most practical way to locate fish.

Once found, trout can be fished in many ways.

At a recent fishing event, I was able to spend time with good friend and noted salmon, steelhead and trout legend, Buzz Ramsey. He enlightened me with some details relating to trolling for trout, advice I’m eager to share.

Growing up, I vividly recall trolling small lures and FlatFish for trout in big lakes. Today, both are still very effective, and here’s what to look for: “Trout can sometimes be finicky about the size of plugs they strike,” begins Ramsey. “The rule of thumb that anglers have been relying on for years when trolling plugs – and it’s pretty reliable – is achieving a desired speed of ½ mph or less. This will pro-

vide the best action on these plugs, and produce the most strikes.”

As for which color plugs to troll for trout, there are a lot to choose from.

“Silver, gold, black and darker perch patterns are all good,” says Ramsey of his company, Yakima Bait’s FlatFish. “A favorite plug of trout trollers, however, is the bleeding frog pattern. The spring frog pattern is also very productive. Frog patterns are an all-time favorite of anglers, and have been for years.”

One of my favorite attractions to trolling FlatFish is the fact they can be flatlined, when the bait is trolled with no flasher, diver or weights attached. This provides direct anglerto-fish contact, where so much of the thrill of fishing lies. I especially enjoy holding the rod while trolling, so I can feel the hard strike when it happens. Add to that the battle, and it’s simply a fun way to fish.

Of course, if you want to reach deeper depths, you can easily add splitshot sinkers to the mainline or rig a diver, trolling flasher, or even hook it up to a downrigger. The options and diversity are what make this approach so productive.

“If you want to spice things up,

add a pinch of PowerBait or a grub to the trailing treble hook of the plug,” offers Ramsey. “White is the best color for this.”

Adding scent and color to a plug is another bonus that comes with this fishing method, something that can make the difference between catching fish or not.

In addition to trolling plugs behind a Ford Fender, Cow Bell or small Fish Flash, they can be pulled behind a Rooster Troll.

“On the silver, four-bladed Rooster Troll, drop the leader back about 30 inches or so,” Ramsey says. “If the water is really clear, drop it back about 40 inches or so.”

“The Rooster Troll comes with a rudder, which a lot of anglers like,” Ramsey continues. “You can attach a trolling sinker ahead of it and run it deeper later in the day, or as water temperatures warm, if you’d like.

Triple Teasers are great to troll, and spinners work well when trolled, as well, and are very popular with some people. Some folks think spinners will twist the lines, but that’s likely because they’re trolling too fast. If MAY 2014 California Sportsman 99

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FISHING

To find out what trout like the one Tiffany Haugen (right) is holding are biting on, anglers should troll an array of lures and attractors set at different distances behind their boat. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

you’re experiencing line twist, try slowing down and/or tying a swivel midway down the leader. You can also tie the rudder directly to the mainline, and the leader off the back end of that, and then tie the swivel midway down the leader. Another option to prevent line twist is to switch the leader to flu-

100 California Sportsman MAY 2014

orocarbon, which is a stiffer line.”

Give trolling a try during this trout season. It’s a relaxing way to fish and a lot of fun when the bite comes. Don’t be afraid to experiment with presentations, trolling speeds and depths, as that’s all part of the joy and challenge that comes with trout fishing. CS

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, Bank Fishing For Steelhead & Salmon, send a check for $16.95 (free S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489. This and other how-too books, including cookbooks, can be order online at scotthaugen.com.

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COOKING FISHING

TO FIRE:

WALK THE PLANK TO TASTY TROUT

By Tiffany Haugen Whenever plank cooking comes up, usually people think of cedar-planked salmon. Although it is one of the easiest, moistest, tastiest and cleanest methods of cooking salmon, don’t limit plank cooking to only salmon. Most fish and many other foods benefit from the plank method. Plank cooking can be done on a grill, by an open fire or even indoors in the oven (plank will not flame or smoke if kept under 400 degrees).

When picking out a plank to cook on, just make sure the wood is non-resinous and untreated. Great planking woods include cedar, alder, hickory, pecan, cherry, apple, maple and oak, among others.

Trout, in particular, take on an amazing smoke flavor when grilled on a plank over direct heat. Placing the trout whole and slightly butterflied, skin side up, cooks them in a way that makes bone removal simple and effective.

102 California Sportsman MAY 2014

Whole trout can be marinated or seasoned with a dry rub prior to planking. When seasoning a piece of fish, simply sprinkle it with salt and pepper or a favorite fish seasoning rub. If you have one, raid the herb garden and add fresh lemon balm, chives, parsley, oregano, rosemary, etc.

WHOLE PLANKED TROUT 1 cleaned trout Herbs and/or spices of choice 1 alder or cedar plank soaked two hours in water or other liquid If using herbs, place them in a bunch down the center of the plank. Salt, pepper and season fish as desired. Open fish and place fish skin side up on the plank. Push fish down so it balances “open” on the plank. Slice down one side of the backbone if needed; try not to pierce skin.

Place plank in a preheated 400-degree grill. Close lid and wait for plank to begin to

smoke or ignite on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Extinguish any flames on the board with a spray bottle of water. Reduce grill heat to medium-high and cook until fish reaches desired doneness (135 to 140 degrees). Continue to control smoke/flames with spray bottle as needed.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s new book, Cooking Seafood, send a check for $20 (free S&H), to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489. This and other cookbooks can also be ordered at tiffanyhaugen.com.

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D EA L W ER EL IN C Q O UI M RI E! ES

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Why Dig When You Can Glide?

Visit us at: www.gullwingpaddles.com or follow us on: 104 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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PADDL ES

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FISHING The author tries out his new twinhulled fishing kayak. (MIKE HANCOCK)

TRYING OUT A NEW STYLE OF ’ YAK

TESTING A NEW TWIN-HULL KAYAK

By Mike Hancock MAMMOTH LAKES—Question: Can you fish out of a twin-hulled kayak nearly 2 miles up?

Yep; I had no problem with being able to do so when I visited Mammoth Lakes and worked waters at elevations as high as 8,892 feet.

Just as at much lower elevations, the craft prove very stable, very comfortable and provide a great fishing platform for lake fishing.

By the way, the trout I caught out

of mine ranged from 16 to 22 inches.

Recently, I became a distributor for WaveWalk 500 Kayaks (781806-5261; wavewalk.com) in the Ventura County area. My trip was actually a combo test run and Mammoth Lakes weekend camping trip. I wanted to test the fishability of the kayak on mountain lakes.

Because my wife doesn’t fish, I took the kayak out and went fishing alone. I could not row the kayak, fish, and operate a camera in any combination of two things, so one regret I had was not being able to take more pictures of the trip.

The kayak has a unique, patented design. It has twin hulls with a

Rainbows caught from the kayak included fish measuring from 16 to 20 inches. (MIKE HANCOCK)

raised 12-inch-high center hump for its seat. It’s more like sitting on a wide motorcycle seat rather than sitting down in a conventional “sit-in” or “sit-on-top” kayak. In this kayak, your lower legs (from the knee down) can actually go down at a 90degree angle and rest flat on the MAY 2014 California Sportsman 105

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EASTERN SIERRA TROUT DERBIES Looking for a good reason to head to the Eastern Sierras this late spring and into summer? How about fishing derbies? Here are three upcoming events to add onto your calendar: Hangman’s Bonus Derby at Convict Lake, June 6-8 (info: 760-934-3800; convictlake.com) Convict Lake offers some of the best fishing in the region, with plentiful numbers of rainbow and German brown trout.

The Hangman’s Bonus Derby has a $15 entry fee, and all anglers will receive a commemorative pin. Fish need to be at least 14 inches long to be registered for the derby.

Twelve Alpers-stocked trout will be tagged for that weekend worth as much as $2,000 (one fish at $1,000, one for $500, and 10 at $50 apiece).

Page 106

Robinson Creek, Bridgeport Reservoir and Virginia Lakes: The tournament commences at 6:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. These are some productive areas for trout in the Eastern Sierras.

Three divisions – men, women and kids 15-under – will be contested. Award categories include heavy stringer and biggest fish for all three divisions. Overall, the biggest fish and heaviest stringer, regardless of division, will also be awarded.

Entry fees are $50 each for men and women, and $30 for kids.

An official weigh-in will take place at Ken’s Sporting Goods in Bridgeport, and anglers can weigh as much as the regulated five-fish limit.

Mono Village Fourth of July Fishing Derby, June 28-July 6 (info: 760-932-7071; monovillage.com) This is a simple derby: fish must be caught in Upper Twin Lake. It’s a $7 entry fee, and $150 will go to the angler with the most total weight of fish caught.

Whatever derby you choose to enter, head up to the mountains this spring and summer and enjoy some fantastic trout fishing. CS

rience the Great O e p utd x eE oo m r o

Bridgeport

in the Eastern Sierra Nevada of Mono County, California

BridgeportCalifornia.com (760) 932-7500

106 California Sportsman MAY 2014

s

C

Bridgeport Trout Tournament, June 24 (info: 760-932-7525; bridgeportfishenhancement.com Fishing for this tournament will take place at Upper and Lower Twin Lakes,

9:07 AM

The author is also able to stand up and paddle in his new kayak. (MIKE HANCOCK)

The author’s basset hound, Rufus, approved of the fishing. (MIKE HANCOCK)

bottom of the hull, or be at any angle within about a 45-degree arc backward or forward rather than having to always being extended out in front of you like sitting on the ground.

You can put your legs up on top of the saddle too if you desire, as the kayak is stable enough to all allow it. In addition, if you’ve got good balance – sea legs – you can stand up to fish and even row standing up.

This allows easier, long-distance casting. Standing also gives a steeper view angle down into the water, which cuts out a significant amount of glare. The twin hull proved to be comfortable, relaxing and very stable, even in the wind.

I caught and released several smaller trout and kept three nice ones, between 16 and 20 inches, from the kayak. The next day, I caught two more from shore on a point along the back side of the lake where I beached the kayak in a spot away from easy public walk in access.

It was a good test of the fishing potential of the kayak, and an overall great trip. CS

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CROSSROADS MINI MART Lake Isabella is the largest freshwater lake in Southern California and is the recreational focus of the Kern River Valley. Each year in early spring, the local chamber of commerce sponsors their highly successful and generous fishing derby. In additon, Lake Isabella offers a wide variety of year-round family fishing, from native crappie, bluegill and catfish to the literally thousands of pounds of trout stocked on a regular basis. The warm summers bring fishing to a peak with trout fishing improving in the cooler weather.

Campsites are abundant around the lake with many available at water’s edge. The advantage of beaching your boat at the shoreline and pushing off again at sunrise can’t be beat. Afternoon prevailing winds make Lake Isabella one of Southern California’s most popular wind-surfing havens.

With something for everyone, the combination of the Kern River fishing and rafting, giant Sequoias within an hour’s drive, and the many recreational activities of the lake, you have to look far and wide for a more perfect choice for your family vacation.

While staying in the area, you can get everything you need at Crossroads Mini Mart. We’re located at 155 and Lake Isabella Blvd; you can reach us at (760) 379-8170.

MAY 2014 California Sportsman 107

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‘SCHLAPPABOU’ STYLE

JIG OF THE MONTH

Article and images by Chris Gregersen

T

he Schlappen Jig – and similarly, the palmered marabou jig – are classic killers that should be in every jig box.

These jigs have been around forever, and are great for both salmon and steelhead – especially where you have a shot at both (well, hello, springer!).

Simple to tie, these jigs give a rounded profile and possibly the most action underwater of any jig, and shine in nearly any river condi-

tion. Schlappen feathers are a wide and soft type of hackle, and though similar to marabou, their slightly stiffer fibers resist matting, therefore keeping a more robust profile underwater. Marabou on the other hand is more delicate, but in the right applications have more action.

While often used separately, I like to go for the “Schlappabou” style, incorporating both types of feathers. Any color can be used, though I prefer more subdued ones like purple and black for low, clear water.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED Schlappen feathers, marabou, flashabou, leadhead jig head of choice.

1 A FLASHY FOUNDATION

Tie in a small bundle of flashabou fibers for the base, then wrap in a schlappen feather tip first for your base.

3 FANCY COLLAR

2 SCHLAPPEN THE BOD

Wrap the feather forward slowly, making sure not to catch any fibers underneath your wraps. Once you get towards the base of the feather, tie it down and trim the end off, then add another. Two schlappen feathers wrapped in a row will make a good body – just be sure to leave enough room for a marabou collar.

Tie in a marabou feather by the tip, and with the same method, wrap it up to the jighead. The marabou will give good action while the schlappen will make a better body. Tie, cement, and you’re done.

4 VARIATIONS

NEW CONTEST! If you tie one of the jigs that Chris Gregersen will feature on this page this year and catch a steelhead with it, email awalgamott@media-inc.com a photograph with the jig in the fish’s mouth and you could win a full set of Chris’s jigs featured here in 2014!

Get crazy with your color combinations – peach marabou over flashabou.

MAY 2014 California Sportsman 109

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FISHING

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM C

CLEAR LAKE HOSTS TEAM BASS TOURNAMENT

Photos by Brian Lull

alifornia Sportsman was one of the main sponsors for the Clear Lake Team Bass Tournament, held at Konocti Vista Casino in April. Our Brian Lull covered the two-day event on one of the state’s premier bass fisheries and came home with this photo gallery. The total weights and big fish weren’t as high as hoped, but it was still a successful weekend of bass fishing, especially for the team of Marvin Dixon and Roy Desmangles, who weighed in a total of 51.05 pounds to earn the championship.

Tournament winners Roy Desmangles (left) and Marvin Dixon weighed just over 51 pounds worth of Clear Lake bass.

TOP 10 RESULTS 1. Marvin Dixon/Roy Desmangles, Jr. 51.05 pounds 2. Paul Durbin/Franklin Velarde 49.14 pounds 3. Adam Martin/Chris Dabbs 47.65 pounds 4. Paul Bailey/Jackson Juarez 45.84 pounds 5. Doug Jones/Jeff Bitker 42.94 pounds 6. Robert Higgins/Steve Consalvi 36.79 pounds 7. Jeff Otani/Phil Leazer 35.33 pounds 8. Kevin Hall/Jimmy Ghiorso 34.07 pounds 9. Jon Hagen/Ryan Schmidt 32.89 pounds 10. Gary Collins/Tory Mihalenki 32.18 pounds

BY THE NUMBERS 32 219 219 820.36 3.75 25.64 7.81

Total teams that fished in the tournament Total number of bass weighed Total number of weighed fish successfully released Total pounds of weighed fish Average fish weight in pounds Average total weight in pounds per team Largest bass caught (by team of Adam Martin and Chris Dabbs)

110 California Sportsman MAY 2014

Competitors head out of the narrow channel on day one of the two-day tournament.

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Anglers fish with a backdrop of Mount Konocti in the background.

Clear Lake is the state’s largest natural freshwater lake located entirely within California.

Tournament official Shaun McCorkle (left) and an assistant await the first day’s weigh-in rush just before the anglers returned.

A participant waits to get his largemouth weighed at the marina dock.

The rain that fell in the days and week before the event raised the lake a muchneeded foot or so amid California’s drought, but water temps suffered a bit. Most bass were in prespawn, but anglers worked dropshot rigs and big swimbaits off the north end of the massive lake.

Fifth-place finishers Paul Bailey and Jackson Juarez did manage a 7.47-pounder as part of the 10 total fish they weighed in.

A low fog hanging over the lake greeted anglers.

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FISHING

DON’T SLEEP ON BARRETT’S BASS

The Yamamoto Senko is probably the most popular choice for bass anglers at Lake Barrett, a catch-andrelease-only lake requiring a special permit to fish.

(BILL SCHAEFER)

DAYS OF 30 TO 40 FISH STILL COMMON

By Bill Schaefer SAN DIEGO—The San Diego lakes have

good fishing almost year-round, and most are open three days a week, like Lake Barrett is. But the City Lakes Fish Report creel counts show anglers average only about three to five fish per open three-day period at most.

Barrett, on the other hand, averages in the 50- to 60-fish-per-angler range, with some catching upwards of 100 a day in spring and summer.

That’s part of what makes this lake so special. The other part of the equation is that restricted access only allows 100 anglers on the water a day, making for relatively light pressure.

The lake has gone through some phases of up-and-down fishing over the years, but the action here always eclipses any other lake in Southern California. The days of 100 fish, of solid 2-pound fish with many 4- to 6pounders mixed in have come and gone, but good lake management has the lake near those ol’ glory days again. As I said, you can average 30 to 40 bass easily, with some anglers landing 50 to 60 fish per day – and some even pushing 100 fish in a day.

Barrett is a strict catch-and-releaseonly lake, with anglers required to pinch down the barbs on their hooks.

You do not have to flatten the barbs on everything in your tackle box while on the water, but you do immediately if you tie it on one of your rods. And don’t get tied up in the excitement of fishing and catching all those fish without following these guidelines. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife patrols the lake

and will write you up if they find you with barbed hooks on your line.

Most anglers here throw plastics. It is an easy way to traverse the underwater terrain with a lure. The brush here can be quite thick when the water rises quickly. Yamamoto Senkos and Ikas in any of the watermelon shades or cinnamon colors have traditionally led the pack in the “most popular lure to throw here” category. Just about any plastic will work here rigged in any way. If you need confidence in any bait, throw it at Barrett.

Experiment and find your own favorite. When fish are a little finicky, I drop shot a skinny Senko in a watermelon color.

LAKE BARRETT BASS love to hide in the

brush, so if you like fishing weeds or trees, this is the lake for you. At almost any level, the cover is great in this lake. So make sure you bring at least one extra-heavy rod with strong line.

There are a lot of fish tight to the base of trees and brush. You may find some trees where you will catch 20-plus fish out of a stand. You will find them from 1 foot of water out to 20 feet, provided there is cover. For flipping, you can use everything from creature baits to worms. The Yamamoto Kreature bait in watermelon with red flake is one of my favorites.

The crawdads in this lake have a purple hue to them, so brown or black jigs with a blue or purple trailer can entice some larger fish. The lake is covered with rocky points, and even the most sandy-looking points have rocks on them under water. You can fish anywhere on Barrett and find rocks and fish. Carolina, splitshot or even dropshot rigs will do well with creature-type or crawdad-type plastics in brown, black, purple, or watermelon.

ALL YEAR-ROUND, but especially in the

summer, bass school up into roaming MAY 2014 California Sportsman 113

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FISHING wolfpacks and chase the shad balls around the lake. When they pop up by you, just about anything you cast near them will be taken. You can throw your favorite topwater lure, a crankbait, swimbaits, or even spoons. It’s a ball of crazy, hungry fish. If you can stay on them, the bite will go on forever.

I mentioned earlier that you can throw topwater baits all season on this lake. The bass here just love the shallows. There are weeds all throughout the shallows. Once they grow to the surface, they can be hard to deal with.

Let me give you a few tips to counter the cover: When the weeds are under the water 1 to 2 feet, you can throw both hard and soft jerkbaits. As the weeds get higher, you can go to Pop-R-type baits, Zara Spooks or topwaters. One of my favorite lures at this lake – and it will work year-round – is a noisy buzzbait. The largemouth at Barrett just seem to hate them and want to attack them with reckless abandon.

Weedy areas everyone else is passing by can hold a ton of fish, and you can take advantage of that.

I like the Booyah Counter Strike buzzbait in alpine color (white). It’s extra noisy. It calls the big girls up out of the weeds.

And if you want some more excitement, try throwing frogs over the thickest weeds you can find. For this, try your favorite frog, but mine is the Booyah Pad Crasher in albino. The white-colored frog shows up well against the yellow to green weeds, and gives them more of a visual target. It is a blast to see them explode on the bait.

For tackle, use your favorite, but you can go up in line size. With so many rocks, weeds, and trees in the water, together with how strong these fish fight, you can fish 10-, 15-, or 20pound line. These fish are not really line shy that much. Use a good abrasion-resistant line like Maxima or braid to help avoid breakoffs, and pull those bigger bass out of the cover.

114 California Sportsman MAY 2014

One- to 2-pound bass can be caught all day at Lake Barrett. (BILL SCHAEFER)

Super lines with a fluorocarbon leader do well for me.

If you love to fly fish, then you have come to the right place. Topwater bugs, poppers, or plugs can do great at this lake. Streamers and

Clouser Minnows, they will take anything that looks like a bug, frog, worm, or shad. A 6- or 8-weight is all you need, with either sinking or floating line, depending on the fly and the area you are fishing. CS

IF YOU HEAD TO LAKE BARRETT Lake Barrett’s season is May through September, with entry tickets going on sale the month before each current month’s fishing. Cost of a reservation, which includes boat and motor, is $80, plus Ticketmaster’s fees (ticketmaster.com/barrettlake-fishing-tickets/artist/821868). In addition, each person (16 and older) is required to have a valid California State Fishing License.

All anglers, regardless of age, will also be required to purchase (cash only) a daily fishing permit at the lake on the day they fish for $20 per person. Photo ID will be required of the reservation holder at the main gate to the lake, and there is a

limit of two vehicles per group. So now you know where the “pay to play” comes from. It will run you about $120 to $160 for a boat full of anglers.

You may have to pay a bit to play, but this lake is well worth it. So get a friend or two, head out there and have some fun like you probably have never before. This is also a lake where the weather, road and fishing conditions can change at a moment’s notice.

You can always get more up-to-date information by checking the San Diego City Lakes web page at sandiego.gov /water/recreation/reservoirs/barrett/in dex.shtml. BS

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FISHING

PROS STICKING TO YOUR PLAN RIGGING TIPS AND TACTICS FOR SOFT STICKBAITS

By Nick Barr n May, largemouth are generally found in the shallows rotating around their turn to spawn. A popular and highly effective way to catch the monsters that roam the shallows is with a finesse presentation using a soft-plastic “stickbait.”

The Senko-style bait, otherwise known as a stickbait, stinko, sinko or slinko, has, er, spawned many different versions across multiple brands after the success of the original Yamamoto lure. Itself based off of the original Slug-Go many years ago, the Senko is a simple, cigar-shaped, soft plastic bait.

The ugly sister to the bass world’s more extravagant (and pricey) offeriings, these seemingly do-nothing lures, with their slender profile, enticingly slow fall and hypnotic wiggle, actually make for extremely stealthy and realistic bass catchers.

And they won’t set you back $20 if you lose one.

I

TEXAS-RIGGED WEIGHTLESS SENKO Texas-rigging is a straightforward and weedless way of rigging a Senko.

Using an extra-wide-gap hook and Texas-rigging the Senko devoid of any weight is really where this technique shines. The original Yamamoto version is infused with tons of salt to

add density to the bait, so that there is no need for any extra weight. Different versions such as the Yum Dinger take an alternate approach. All sizes and brands of Senkos will cast on their own, but the most popular sizes by far are the 5- and 6-inch versions. With only a hook, Tournament bass pro and Antioch resident Phil Dutra is adept at the lure hits the water using stickbaits, soft-plastic lures that are shaped like cigars and a and falls lying completely smoking-hot option for catching spring largemouth. (PHIL DUTRA) horizontal with the entire bait producing a seductive wiggle bottom for an extended of period of while sinking towards the bottom. time – deadsticking – can also be exDepending on the brand of sticktremely effective, especially when the bait, the wiggle will be more or less fish are in a negative mood. pronounced depending on design, Phil Dutra, a young Cal Delta density, and softness of the bait. The tournament stalwart, always has a heavier the hook and more dense the Senko on his deck, year-round, no bait produces an increasingly faster matter where the location. rate of fall and improved wiggle.

“The Texas-rigged Senko is great A vast majority of fish hit on the for pitching into dense cover that trafall of the bait, snatching it up as if it ditionally other baits would get hung was a dying baitfish before it ever hits up in,” Dutra says. the bottom. But letting the bait sit on

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FISHING He exclusively uses a baitcasting setup for his Senkos. This usually takes some practice to master casting such light weights, but it is greatly rewarding. Dutra prefers a Phenix 764 Recon2, which is a 7-foot-6-inch medium-heavy rod with a fast tip.

Two other rods within that range are a Lamiglas XP735C and Abu Garcia Veritas 73MH. As for line, Sufix and Seaguar fit the bill for his application.

“I really like using 14-pound fluorocarbon line for all-around Senko fishing,” Dutra says.

He completes his rig with a Gamakatsu 5/0 EWG hook for most of his 5- and 6-inch stickbaits.

For the beginning angler, a spinning setup is definitely recommended.

A solid 7-foot, medium-action fast-tip spinning rod, such as the Lamiglas Excel II 713S or the Phenix MXS72M, is a great starting point.

118 California Sportsman MAY 2014

A Senko isn’t sexy compared to other bass baits, but it can be a very effective, whether rigged wacky style (top) or Texas, thanks to its slow wiggle as it’s fished through bassy waters. To get more use out of the bait, slide an O-ring over it to attach your hook to.

Doing so will drastically improve how many fish you can catch per bait. (NICK BARR)

What really helps is using thin-diameter braided line tied to a fluorocarbon leader. Running 20-pound braid, such as Sufix 832, to a 10- to 12pound fluorocarbon leader using a strong line-to-line knot is highly preferred. The “Crazy Alberto knot” is an extremely effective and strong knot to use when considering tying braid to fluorocarbon. This will reduce your line twist and enable extremely smooth casting for even the most

novice angler.

Another great way to rig a stickbait is called “wacky style.” Placing the hook in the middle of the bait causes the tails to undulate excessively, providing a tantalizing action of a twitching baitfish. This presentation is not extremely weedless like its Texas-rigged counterpart, but provides a different look and much more vibrant action to the Senko.

“It specifically excels in clear water

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FISHING environments and around sparse cover such as tule berms and docks,” Dutra says. “The action inherent to the wacky rig Senko allows it to be twitched back to the boat and entice largemouth that feed visually.”

For wacky rigging a Senko, a softtipped rod is crucial. Dutra requires a 7-foot-and-above medium-heavy action with a medium tip.

“I generally use the Phenix MX74MH, which has a softer tip and is needed for the specific casting situations when using the smaller, lighter Senkos,” Dutra says.

Generally, since it is a more finesse presentation, I drop down to 12pound fluorocarbon line. The Gamakatsu Wicked Wacky hook in 3/0 to 5/0 sizes works extremely well.

To preserve your stickbaits and be able to use them repeatedly, slide an O-ring over the bait and to attach your hook to. It will keep your Senko from getting torn up and

120 California Sportsman MAY 2014

drastically improve how many fish you can catch per bait.

There are well over 1,000 different colors schemed up throughout all of the different stickbaits made, but Dutra’s favorite color selections are extremely simple.

“When it is cloudy weather or stained water I will use a profile color such as black-and-blue. Offcolored water calls for a watermelon with red flake Senko. In clear water I pick up the green pumpkin, but if it is close to drinking water clarity I’ll even throw natural shad or baby bass since they are partially translucent.”

Some people call fishing luck, but seasoned anglers like Dutra know that certain conditions can be conducive to putting luck in your favor, especially with using stickbaits.

“The perfect day for fishing a Senko is on those flat calm days,” he says.

Those fish are the spookiest of all conditions and the subtlety of the Senko provides the right amount of bulk and action to entice a strike.

“When it is cloudy bass seem to hit the Senko on the fall better,” Dutra explains. “When it is sunny, the fish tend to wait till it hits the bottom and take a second or two extra to examine the bait.”

By whatever name you call it, a soft stickbait is an extremely versatile lure that can be fished successfully by everyone from the hardened tournament veteran to a newbie picking up a rod for the first time. It simply catches fish when other techniques don’t. It is a great way to be able to introduce people into the world of bass fishing. CS Editor’s note: For more on tournament pro Phil Dutra, visit DutraFishing.com.

For more on college angler and author Nick Barr, visit NickBarrFishing.com.

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MAY 2014 California Sportsman 121

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FISHING

SAN FRANCISCO BAY’S OPTIONS PLENTIFUL LOW RAINFALL TOTALS AFFECT BUT WON’T DETER STURGEON BITE

By Luke Kelly

SAN RAFAEL —Despite a below-average season last year, and scarce precipitation so far this year, fishing in the San Francisco Bay Area for sturgeon, stripers, and halibut has been strong thus far, and is expected to remain so into May and summer.

Keith Fraser of Loch Lomond Bait and Tackle in San Rafael (415-4560321) possesses a wealth of knowledge and experience when it comes to fishing in the Bay Area. Of the sturgeon fishing in the area, Fraser says, “It’s been a pretty good year. We could use more rain, but it’s a lot better than it could be, considering that we’ve had so little rain.”

The best location for catching sturgeon so far, he says, is the Sturgeon Triangle, with China Camp, the Pumphouse, and Buoy 5 being the apexes of the triangle.

“The best depth [to catch sturgeon] seems to be between 8 and 15 feet,” says Fraser. “The best baits are mud shrimp, number one, ghost shrimp, number two, and then probably a tie between grass shrimp, lamprey and herring.”

San Francisco Bay’s sturgeon bite is on the upswing, but more rain would have really enhanced the results. Still, plenty of big fish are out there. (DAVE SHARP)

If the sturgeon fishing has been good in 2014, then the fishing for striped bass in the Bay Area has been great.

“This is the best winter season of bass fishing on the anchor that we’ve had in many, many years. We’ve been here 44 years, and I can’t remember, at least in the last 10 years, seeing any better bass fishing on the anchor,” says Fraser.

The same baits that have been producing for sturgeon (mud shrimp, ghost shrimp, herring), are also the same ones that are yielding excellent results for catching striped bass, a popular option among Bay Area anglers both in the bay and into the Delta.

Although Fraser points out that the lack of rain will have an adverse effect on the reproduction cycles of the fish in the local sport fisheries in the long run, he still believes that the outlook

for May is favorable, and that includes halibut fishing in addition to the sturgeon and bass.

“Halibut fishing, which started last month, has been better in March and April than at any time last year,” says Fraser. “Last year was a very poor year for halibut. This year, it’s much, much better.”

On top of halibut, striper fishing should remain strong into May as well.

“I expect really good striper fishing [in May]. Last year was a very poor year for striped bass. We had a terrible summer for striper fishing. But right now, there’s bass every place in the bay,” Fraser says. “The bass are definitely here, and they are caught by trolling at the top of the tide, live bait drifting, and on the anchor. I don’t see any reason why it would change.” CS

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FISHING Charter boats like this one out of Eureka will be able to get in on the ocean Chinook salmon fishing soon. The Klamath Management Zone’s season begins May 10. (ANDY MARTIN/WILD RIVERS FISHING)

OCEAN SALMON IN FULL SWING BAY AREA COASTAL AREAS LOOKING SOLID

By Luke Kelly SAN FRANCISCO–Recreational ocean salmon season opened on April 5 from Horse Mountain (Humboldt County) south to the U.S.-Mexico border. So far, the catch has been fairly strong, presenting king salmon fisherman with many opportunities to catch sizable fish.

Fisheries biologists estimate that around 934,000 fall-run kings will be swimming in the waters off the

coast of California this summer.

This, according to the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, is a bit lower than last year’s estimate, but would still be enough to provide for some excellent angling in all areas off of California, including the north coast of the state.

Captain Don Franklin of SoleMan SportFishing in San Francisco (510-703-4148; solemanfishing.com) says that the opener, particularly around Monterey Bay, was especially good.

“People were catching big fish,” he says. “They had a lot of fish weighing in the 20s and high teens.”

Don Franklin of Sole-Man Sportfishing charters said early salmon catches were coming from deep water, around 120 feet. (SOLE-MAN SPORTFISHING) MAY 2014 California Sportsman 125

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FISHING

Projections are a little less than last season, but an expected run of just under one million salmon are expected in the waters off the California coast this year. (ANDY MARTIN/WILD RIVERS FISHING)

126 California Sportsman MAY 2014

The last two seasons provided epic numbers of kings roaming the oceans before heading inland. So far so good in terms of early returns, despite the lower projected numbers of salmon expected.

“It was about the same as last year,” Franklin explains. “Except this year we had better weather. Last year’s opener was a little blustery.”

With a stint of decent weather and a consistent number of salmon in the coastal waters, it is expected that fishing will remain strong into the summer.

“I think our fishing is going be really good actually,” says Franklin.

“We are seeing signs of life with the krill. Last year there were short belly rockfish, and we hadn’t seen those in a while. And usually when we see that, that’s a good indicator that we’re going to get a lot of other big fish.”

In terms of the fishing methods that have produced thus far,

KMZ OPENS MAY 10 Anglers north of Horse Mountain - the waters off the coast of the remainder of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties - will have to wait a little longer to catch Pacific Ocean salmon.

The Klamath Management Zone (KMZ) will have its season opener on May 10 and continuing through Sept. 9. The KMZ area also includes north into Oregon to Humbug Mountain near Port Orford.

It doesn’t to appear to be as productive in the areas around Eureka and Crescent City. According to the Times-Standard in Eureka, 299,282 kings are expected in the coastal waters around the Klamath River, a sharp dropoff from the 727,000 projected in 2013. That’s trending downward after 1.6 million Klamath salmon in 2012.

“The preliminary numbers – and these will likely change – indicate that of the 299,282 Klamath fish in the ocean, 76,952 will return to the river,” wrote Kenny Priest of the Times-Standard. “Take away 40,700 needed for escapement, and you're left with 36,252, of which 50 percent will go to tribal allocations. That leaves roughly 18,000 adult salmon to be divided amongst the Klamath Basin.” CS

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MAY 2014 California Sportsman 127

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FISHING Franklin points out that many of the king salmon are being caught in deep water. “A lot of guys are running Spectra. The private-boat guys are using downriggers hooked up with either wire or Spectra, and they’ll run it as deep as they need to, anywhere from 120 feet and up.”

When selecting bait, Franklin recommends using krill. “These fish are hitting krill, they’re definitely krill fish right now,” he says.

It’s not uncommon this season, Franklin points out, to catch five or six salmon on krill, then to not get a strike for hours, only to catch five or six more. Anchovies, sardines and herring also traditionally catch a lot of fish.

“That’s typical for getting bites on the troll. I would say that as we get into the year, and the fish start taking the beaches, the moochers will get a shot on them,” Franklin says.

“I personally mooched last year and we did catch fish mooching.”

128 California Sportsman MAY 2014

Kings caught off the San Francisco coast. Don Franklin of Sole-Man Fishing says krill is going to be the bait of choice this summer for anglers.

(SOLE-MAN SPORTFISHING)

Franklin strongly recommends mooching for the private boater, because it’s a much more natural presentation compared to other methods.

A lack of precipitation in California has led to comparatively low

water levels, but exactly how this will affect the salmon fishing once they enter the rivers and streams later in the season remains to be seen. What will be equally as important, says Franklin, is the amount of water released by state water managers.

“Of course (the weather) is going to affect the fishing, but some of that is manipulated by man,” Franklin says. “If they choose to release the water, then the fish are going to do well. But that’s up to the water managers. We want as much water as possible. But ultimately, that’s up to the state and the federal government to decide how much water they are going to release.”

Water and weather conditions aside, the king salmon are certainly there for the taking off the coast of California, and should remain so as the summer approaches.

The season will end on Nov. 9. CS

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FISHING

WILL MORE ’CHOVIES MEAN MORE BARRIES? RESURGENT BAITFISH MAY MAKE FOR BETTER BARRACUDA FISHING – HERE’S HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF IT

California barracuda fight hard, but they tire rather quickly, and heavy tackle intended for yellowtail or seabass usually overpowers them. (BILL SCHAEFER)

By Steve Carson SAN DIEGO–All the recent brouhaha about the resurgent anchovy population means that there is a good chance we will see a resurgence in one of the most popular gamefish species that preys on them, barracuda. The long, toothy predators have not exactly been absent of late, but the red-hot bites of the past haven’t often been in evidence.

May is when big schools of the fish begin to move north from Mexican waters. Encountering a migratory school can be spectacular, with aggressive fish grabbing almost anything anglers drop into the water. Good barracuda fishing often means hundreds of fish caught in just a few hours.

A just-legal, 28-inch barracuda weighs a bit less than 4 pounds, and anything over 8 pounds can be considered a “log.” The official state record is a 15-pound, 15-ounce specimen caught in 1957, but a few larger individuals have been reported over the years.

RODS AND REELS Barracuda are quick, slashing fighters, but without much stamina, and often battled with heavy tackle intended for yellowtail or white seabass, they’re quickly overpowered. Live-bait anglers should head out with something like a Penn

Squall SQL12 or SQL15 conventional reel, or a Penn Spinfisher

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FISHING 12-to 15-pound monofilament. Rods should be 7 or 8 feet long and rated for 10- to 25-pound lines.

Jig fishing requires something more substantial to get the needed casting distance. Most anglers opt for a standard “surface iron” type rig.

Line is usually a 100-yard topshot of 25- to 30-pound monofilament over 50-pound superbraid backing.

Fights are short with this gear, but barracuda are still among the toprated “fun” species by jig anglers.

CASTING LURES Casting with iron jigs is almost everybody’s favorite way to catch barracuda. Depending on the size of the fish and the size of bait they are feeding on, the most popular jigs are Tady A1 or Tady C jigs, but larger fish or windy conditions may dictate the use of a larger Tady 45.

Favorite colors are blue/white, black/white, and blue/chrome, but

132 California Sportsman MAY 2014

finding the right swimming action and overall size the fish prefer is much more important than any specific color. A seductive medium retrieve speed is normally the way to entice curious barracuda.

Sometimes huge schools of barracuda will suspend halfway down over 250 to 300 feet of water, and at these times yo-yo jigs are the best way to get them. A moderate-speed retrieve is again usually most productive. An especially good choice is a blue/white Sumo C2 jig. Many kinds of soft plastic swimbaits will fool barracuda, but tooth damage can be substantial, so most anglers don’t use this option.

LIVE BAIT Barracuda will attack just about any species of moderate-sized fin bait, whether they are anchovies, sardines, smelt, or small mackerel. In years past, tackle shops sold thou-

sands of “shorty wire leaders” for barracuda fishing, but these days wire leaders are likely to spook all but the most actively-feeding fish.

Assuming light 12- to 15-pound line is on the reel, a short 4-foot piece of 30- or 40-pound fluorocarbon spliced onto the end will usually resist a single barracuda’s teeth. You will need to cut off a few inches of the fluoro and retie after most every fish, but that’s a small price to pay for the dramatically increased number of bites. The quickest and easiest knot to attach the fluoro to the mono is a four-turn surgeon’s knot.

Some folks claim success using long-shank hooks to combat being chewed off, but most anglers stick with standard light-wire live bait hook styles like the Owner Flyliner.

With anchovies, best hook sizes are usually a No. 2 or 4 Owner Flyliner, and for sardines or small mackerel, move up to size 1/0 or 2/0 hook.

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FISHING TROLLING LURES Barracuda are not often specifically targeted by trolling, but they are a common incidental catch for anglers trolling for other inshore species. Though they will respond to bonito or tuna-style trolling feathers, swimming plugs are a much better choice.

Good choices include Rapala XRap Magnum XRMAG15 or XRMAG10, in black/silver or blue mackerel colors.

Those same lures are also good for yellowtail and other generalduty inshore trolling work.

Favored trolling speeds range between 4 and 6 mph, slightly slower than used for offshore species.

BONUS SPECIES Allowing lures or baits to drop down below the barracuda schools often yields sand bass, sculpin, and even halibut. In many cases, bar-

134 California Sportsman MAY 2014

racuda schools may have a couple of very large white seabass trailing behind them. Dropping down a white/glow Tady TLC with a whole squid or two pinned on below the level of the barracuda may yield a 40-plus-pound seabass.

The occasional bonito or yellowtail may also be mixed in with feeding barracuda.

HOTSPOTS Barracuda can be found almost everywhere at times, and can take over an area, preventing anglers from pursuing larger species. As the population moves north, good catches can be made at the Coronado Islands, Oceanside, Dana Point and Horseshoe Kelp. By late June, the fish could be surging into Santa Monica Bay. Offshore islands like San Clemente and Catalina often hold lower numbers but largerthan-average fish.

TABLE FARE California barracuda are excellent on the plate; the issues with tropical barracuda species that exist in other parts of the world do not apply here.

Of course, some care must be taken with the catch to ensure the best quality. Private boaters should bleed their catch and immediately chill on ice if possible. Party boat anglers should pop a couple of gill rakers, and hang the fish vertically inside a wet gunny sack by the tail using loops of monofilament. Allowing the fish to get a “curve� in it will spoil the meat when it is straightened out.

LIMITS Minimum size in California waters is 28 inches for barracuda, with a fillet minimum size requirement of 17 inches. The daily bag limit is 10, but five in Mexican waters. CS

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Pergson’s Archery is open 6 days a week and offers sales (authorized dealer for a wide variety of archery equipment brands), lessons (level 4 NFAA certified instructor Bob Pergson), and repairs (bows, crossbows, arrows).

For sales, we carry a wide variety of compound and traditional bows, arrows, accessories, as well as hunting apparel. If we don’t have it, we will be happy to order it for you!

Lessons include all equipment and range fees, with scheduling available Monday through Sunday until 5 pm.

Our indoor target ranges offer 10-yard and 20-yard distances at a rate of $5 per hour, your equipment only.

We offer a full range of professional archery equipment repair and services, which include bow repair, bow tuning and arrows (wood/aluminum/carbon).

For more information, call (805) 640-8366 or go to www.pergsonsarchery.com.

136 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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HUNTING

The SoCal Bowhunter

Brett Bumgarner (left) and the author were all smiles as they started their grueling desert hike in search of water sources for area wildlife. It wasn’t blistering hot on this day, but that didn’t make this journey any easier. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

NOT EXACTLY A DESERT A GRUELING HIKE TO FORGET

By Albert Quackenbush

P

ridegoethbeforedestruction.

– Proverbs 16:18

When it is not deer season, many California hunters are still thinking and preparing for it. Usually, I like to participate in the California Bighorn Sheep Survey, but this year the timing wasn’t quite right.

As I researched conservation activities, I came across an article where the Society for the Conservation of Bighorn Sheep was looking for volunteers to clean and report on springs and water sources for the animals.

Seizing the opportunity, I contacted Bill Tuck, the spring coordinator for SCBS, and let him know that I was interested in offering my time to give back.

When the time came for my hunting partner Brett Bumgarner and I to choose a spot, Bill had a great place in mind. It was a secluded spring, deep in the desert, and had the potential for a population of mule deer and bighorn sheep. That would give us bowhunters an awesome opportunity! This trip would double as a conservation and scouting trip.

In preparation, Brett and I planned to camp out overnight after cleaning the spring. We loaded our Badlands OX packs with tents, sleeping bags, food, warm clothes (the desert does get cold at night), and a gallon of water – only to discover that our packs weighed in around 75 pounds each.

We didn’t flinch, as this trip would double as an opportunity to prepare for hiking into the backcountry of Colorado in the fall. An extra 10 gallons of water and food were left at the truck should we need them.

Oasis

Our adventure would educate me in humility and show me how pride can lead to failure; I just didn’t see it yet.

Bill mentioned that I should give him a call to go over the GPS coordinates and the route to the spring. I felt I knew the coordinates well enough and mentioned that I should be good, but thanked him for offering. Call it a blockhead, Charlie Brown-style move.

It was 4 miles from where we would park the truck to the spring itself. Bill had been to this spot before and he was trying to help, yet I got cocky and ignored his advice. None of us are perfect, and even I make mistakes. This would turn out to be a big one.

BRETT AND I knew it would be hot in the desert, so we drove out first thing in the morning. As we parked the truck, we saw the mountains in the distance and knew we had our work cut out for MAY 2014 California Sportsman 137

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HUNTING us, but we also felt we were going to have a great time. Our goals were to clean the spring, glass for sheep and deer, and have fun.

The hike started off with us locating our first waypoint on our GPS units and heading out. Along the way, we found some old military equipment, but left it for others to find (as it’s illegal to take it) and kept hiking. The temperature was in the mid-70s, and the air was comfortable and dry.

It’s amazing the different types of plants you can find in the desert. I have always been told of the beautiful flowers that appear after a rain, but never had the pleasure of viewing them. It may not have rained out here for a while, but the flowers were absolutely beautiful.

Nearly 3 miles into our hike, we found the remains of a mule deer. We also found mountain lion tracks. Not the promising sign we were looking for, but we weren’t oblivious either.

As the low clouds were burned off by the sun, the setting for the men’s Southern California hike was definitely gorgeous. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

We knew cats were in there and would have to compete. Knowing we had to be at the spring before dark, we pushed on.

We should have realized after crossing into the first canyon and back out that we were slightly off track. Actually, we were more than a quarter mile inside of where we needed to be. Having used a GPS plenty of times before, I thought I knew where we had to go.

Unfortunately, I misread my GPS and took an adjacent route. About this time, Brett turned his GPS off to conserve battery, which added to our plight. Following my “expert” skills, we trudged on between two major ridges. The fact is, we needed to be on the opposite side of one of the ridges, but we didn’t find that out until we were 2 miles off course. We reviewed my GPS map over and over and calcu-

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They balance the managing of each ranch’s renewable resources with the participant’s use. Property owners are assured their interest will be protected and in many cases improved via WU’s assortment of habitat improvement programs.

WU primarily operates in California and Oregon, offering yearround sporting opportunities for its members for fishing, big game, upland and waterfowl hunting opportunities behind locked gates.

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WU’s sister organization, the non-profit Wilderness Unlimited Foundation (WUF) has taken over the lead in preserving the future of our outdoor heritage by providing educational and outdoor heritage programs that emphasize participation and in fighting to maintain sportsman’s rights. Together, WUand WUF are a formidable pair deserving of all sportsman’s support. For WU informationcall(877)611-4868orcheckoutwww.wildernessunlimited.com.For WUF information call (916) 952-6460 or check out www.WUFound.org 138 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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HUNTING lated we needed to cross more ravines.

I didn’t remember Bill mentioning this many ravines, but we kept going.

As we climbed out of a major wash, we ascended higher into what seemed like a huge wasteland. That’s when Brett let out a “rattlesnake!” Seeing a big guy like Brett, with a full load on his back, move with the grace of a ballerina in the desert was quite a sight.

The snake was only a foot long, but those Mohave rattlers pack a mean punch! I readied my camera as he slithered behind a small bush into which he disappeared. Keeping my distance and not wanting to antagonize him, I snapped a few pictures before moving on.

After the snake encounter and heightened adrenaline, Brett and I viewed our GPS maps and realized I had led us into the wrong canyon.

Brett pointed over a very tall mountain and explained we needed to head over it in order to get to the spring.

140 California Sportsman MAY 2014

A loaded pack made the author’s trek to the spring a rather arduous task through California’s desert terrain.

(ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

Humbly, I admitted he was right and apologized for my failure. Admitting something like that is not only difficult, but necessary if you want to learn and grow. Unfortunately, it also came at a cost, and neither one of us were pre-

pared to climb a steep, rocky ridge.

Brett made it to the top of the ridge first and I could see the frustration in his face as he scanned the landscape.

The wind was out of his sails, and as I crested the ridge, the same feeling

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In the unforgiving desert area, evidence of deer death was found. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

came over me. Below us was an incredible obstacle. The ridge was a border to a deceptively steep valley, and we had only two choices: 1) Turn around and go back the way we came; or 2) Traverse the ridge, get into the bottom of the valley and hike out to the end.

At this point we were both done with hiking. I’m not ashamed to admit that I said I was 50/50 on actually trying to make it to the spring, the original goal of our wildlife survey. Brett nodded and said he was feeling the same way. We had only a few more hours until sundown and were spent.

We decided to err on the side of safety and carefully hike down into the canyon, follow it out to the end of the ridge, and hike the 3 miles back to the truck.

The hike out was brutal – no lie. Between the weight of the backpack and my aching feet, I wasn’t sure my legs could make it all the way. Our GPS units were on and we knew which way we had to go. One step at a time, we trudged among the cacti and complained about everything. Nearly a mile from the truck, we stopped talking to one another due to lack of water, no more energy, and just wanting to be done with this. We slowly watched the truck come into view, but it didn’t make the hike any easier.

Through more than 10 miles of hiking in the desert, we finally made it back to the truck and collapsed on the tailgate. I was nauseous, exhausted, thirsty, hungry, and my feet felt like they had been through a meat grinder.

142 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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Packs were dropped, jerky opened, and cold Wilderness Athlete Hydrate and Recover removed from the cooler.

It was heaven on my parched throat.

The fear I had at taking off my boots, knowing I would see blisters, was quickly extinguished by the need to allow my feet to finally breathe!

Yes, I had a few blisters.

Brett was also exhausted; when let our feet air out, we each slowly ate some jerky to get some salt and protein back into our bodies. We sipped our drinks and enjoyed the beautiful view of the desert in front of us. The day had been a challenge, and, in the end, the desert won.

THE TRIP WASN’T a complete failure, as we

learned some invaluable lessons. I must embrace, appreciate and accept help, even when I may not think I need it. Brett and I definitely need to learn more about our GPS units, and need to practice with them in the field.

The most important factor I realized only days later. Even though we failed at finding the spring, when faced with the tough decision of getting out of the desert quickly and safely, we worked well as a team. We charted a route to the truck, reconfirmed it, and hiked out as fast as our sore bodies would allow. I think we needed this for both of us to earn the trust of the other, and it made us stronger.

When we returned, I discussed the adventure with Bill Tuck, and he gave us kudos for even attempting this trip. He said it is easy to get lost out there and never once made me feel guilty, even though I know I should have been better prepared. He said this spring was one of the toughest to get to and when I mentioned we were still interested in volunteering, he marked us down to clean a different spring in the fall. We aren’t giving up on this! By the time our next adventure rolls around, I have faith that our backcountry navigation will be second nature. We will have set mental waypoints in place to ensure a more positive experience. CS 144 California Sportsman MAY 2014

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HUNTING

CALIFORNIA’S UNIQUE HANDS-ON GUN SHOW TRY BEFORE YOU BUY AT RAAHAUGES SHOOTING SPORTS FAIR

The big guns are annually among the most popular attractions at the Raahauges show, held east of Los Angeles near Corona. (RAAHAUGES)

By Frank Jardim

F

or the last 30 years, the Raahauges Shooting Enterprises range in Southern California has been the site of an extraordinary shooting sports event unique to the industry. It’s called the Shooting Sports Fair, and it is the only handson gun show in the West. This event is again sponsored by the regional sporting goods retail chain Turner’s Outdoorsman, and oriented toward the general public – especially to new and aspiring shooters of all ages and genders. Firearms manufacturing factory representatives will have displays of their products on hand for visitors to try before they buy.

Outside of the annual NRA convention each spring, your average firearm consumer will probably never get a chance to interact with the factory representatives, much less get to test fire their full product line free of charge. The caveat is that you have to pay for your own ammo. You can’t bring ammo in with you either.

For safety, only ammo sold on site is used on the firing line.

Beyond just an opportunity to pitch their wares, the firearms manufacturers in attendance see this event as an opportunity to introduce new people to the shooting sports. Participants pay an entrance fee of $15, which allows them to attend all three days of the event. Parking costs $5 per

car per day. The event takes place on Friday, May 31st, near the town of Corona, 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, June 1st, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, June 2nd, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Last year, 14,000 people attended.

Visitors can expect to have the opportunity to try out products from Beretta, Glock, Remington, Smith & Wesson, Springfield Armory, Walther, Savage Arms, Taurus, Legacy Sports, Puma Rifles, Verona Shotguns, Magnum Research, Bushmaster, Marlin, Umarex USA, Heckler & Koch, Escort Shotguns, CZ USA, Verona Shotguns, Nikko Sterling, Para, Leupold and Otis.

If you find something you like, this event is a great place to buy, because prices will be lower than norMAY 2014 California Sportsman 147

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HUNTING mal retail.

Though children can shoot under their parent’s supervision, there are other kid-friendly activities, like fishing for catfish in the catch-and-release pond, a dog show, a rock-climbing wall, air-soft and BBgun ranges and an archery range.

Food vendors are on site too.

The range complex itself is extensive. Raahauges is a family-operated business and is considered one of the best ranges in Southern California with facilities for pistol, shotgun and rifle. They have an excellent sporting clays course, a steel-target shooting gallery, and a cowboy action course (for their local SASS club). They also rent guns to shooters.

If you know someone who has an interest in the shooting sports and has yet to jump in, the Hands On Shooting Sports Fair is the place to take them. Bring $100 for ammo and try everything from .22 pistols and ri-

148 California Sportsman MAY 2014

Raahauges is a great place to buy firearms, because prices are lower than at normal retail shows. (RAAHAUGES)

fles to a .50-caliber World War II antitank rifle and a 19th century Gatling gun. The newbie will get to sample nearly all the hobby has to offer, and best of all, you won’t have to clean any of the guns. CS Editor’s note: For more on the event, call Raahauges at (951) 735-7981 or see their website, raahauges.com.

Visitors can test fire large caliber guns for just the price of ammo. (RAAHAUGES)

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