Outdoor calendar

Goose hunting opportunities take off this month and next, including white and white-fronted seasons running Jan. 1-14. (STEVE MARTARANO/USFWS)

Editor’s note: Because of COVID-19, all events should be checked for changes or cancellations. Below are events that had been scheduled in January and February, with websites/phone numbers for you to check for updates.

For a list of upcoming bass tournaments, go to nrm.dfg.ca.gov/ FishingContests/default.aspx.

JANUARY 1-FEB. 28 Northern California Guides and Sportsmen’s Association Mad River Steelhead Derby; ncgasa .org/2021/11/09/mad-river-steelhead-derby 1 First day 2022 hunting and fishing licenses are valid 1 Online harvest reporting begins for steelhead, sturgeon and North Coast salmon report cards 1-14 Late-season Northeastern Zone white and white-fronted goose hunting dates 12 Last day of duck and scaup hunting seasons in Northeastern Zone 15-16 Northeastern Zone veterans and active military personnel waterfowl hunting days 27 Opener for falconry rabbits and varying hare 31 Last day for most zones’ hunts for falconry take of ducks (including mergansers), geese, American coots and common moorhens 31 Last day for duck season in most zones 31 Last day for most general quail hunts 31 Last day for statewide tree squirrel, rabbit and varying hare hunting seasons FEBRUARY 1 Late-season Imperial Valley white goose opener 5 Second falconry waterfowl season opens in most zones 5-6 Youth waterfowl hunt dates in most zones 6-10 Fronted goose season dates in Northeastern Zone 8 Late-season Imperial Valley white goose opener 12-13 Veterans and active military personnel waterfowl hunting days in Balance of State, Southern San Joaquin Valley and Southern California Zones 19 Late-season North Coast Canada goose opener 19-23 Late-season whitefront and white goose hunting dates in Balance of State Zone 24-26 Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery Steelhead Derby; rowdycreek.org 25-27 The Fly Fishing Show, Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton; flyfishingshow.com/pleasanton-ca 26 Bishop Trout Rodeo catch-and-release fishing events, various waters; swcffi.org/rodeo

A wet fall and early winter should help produce some good steelhead fishing this season on Northern California coastal rivers, including the Smith and Oregon’s Chetco. “Some of our very best fishing the last three years has been in March,” says guide Mike Stratman.

(MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)

MORE CHROME IN THE NET IN 2022?

RECENT STORMS SHOULD BOOST NORTH COAST STEELHEAD FISHING, HELP RECOVERY FROM DROUGHT

By Chris Cocoles

For coastal Northern California steelhead fishing guides like Mike Stratman, the winter storms that swept through in December carried some bad news, but some good news too in the big picture.

“Our Humboldt County rivers could be out of fishable shape for a while if the rain keeps coming,” said Stratman, who owns and operates Redwood Coast Fishing (707-6018757; redwoodcoastfishing.com).

He also offered this counterpoint to the short-term conditions of the steelhead fisheries:

“As you could imagine, I’m rooting for a very wet winter. While this inevitably leads to cancelled days and unpleasant fishing conditions, we badly need to get out of this drought.”

And that’s where most rational residents – even the most dedicated of steelhead anglers – should gladly trade a few unfishable days for more water going forward.

“I think we could be in for an average to good winter season. From what I’ve seen so far, there have been

In past years, sunny days have meant pleasant experiences for steelhead anglers, but they were also emblematic of a drought that may have taken a toll on the long-term health of the run. (MIKE

STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)

COVID PANDEMIC SHOULDN’T HAVE A MAJOR IMPACT ON WINTER FISHING TRIPS

Guide Mike Stratman says the ongoing pandemic shouldn’t affect his business too much for steelhead anglers who want to get in on some winter-run action with an expert.

“To be completely honest, COVID has not affected my business negatively, with the exception of when it first started in 2020. I cancelled a month of striped bass season, which was painful, for sure, especially when we knew very little about the severity of the disease and how it spread,” Stratman says.

However, his salmon and steelhead trips have not been interrupted by the virus, and particularly now with vaccinations and booster shots more readily available, he expects any openings to be filled in 2022.

“People really want to get out of the house and engage in life again. Fishing and being outside is a safe and healthy way to accomplish just that,” Stratman says. “I am booked solid for my 2022 winter steelhead season. However, I do have a couple of excellent guide associates that do have space that I could arrange trips with if people have not gotten their dates yet.”

You can contact Stratman’s Redwood Coast Fishing guide service at (707) 6018757 or email mike@redwoodcoastfishing.com. CC more fish around for this time of year when compared to the last handful of years,” Stratman says. “The Klamath River also seemed to have a pretty robust summer/fall run of steelhead. Hopefully the trend continues and fish keep coming in good numbers.”

SMITH, CHETCO OPEN FOR BUSINESS

North of Stratman’s Eureka base along the California-Oregon border, the Smith and Chetco Rivers were expected to be “in prime shape” starting just after New Year’s Day.

Wherever fishing is available, Stratman prefers to side-drift with eggs, yarn, Mad River Fish Pills and beads. When conditions are good on some rivers, he’ll also run plugs and float presentations.

And there’s always the tried-andtrue method of plunking off the banks.

“Getting out the plunking rods can

“We’ll see. But as of now, I am hopeful for a lot of chrome hitting the net for 2022,” Stratman says. “As you could imagine, I’m rooting for a very wet

winter.” (MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)

be really productive,” Stratman says of a technique that is most effective on the Smith. “I won’t force my clients’ hand on this most of the time, but the potential for a big day on the Smith certainly is there when the water is really big and there are lots of fish swimming by.”

A GOOD STRETCH OF FISH RUNS AHEAD?

You never know what the long-term outlook is for steelhead along the North Coast.

“Are steelhead runs trending up? Hard to say, but I certainly know that steelhead are much tougher critters than most people give them credit for,” Stratman says. “Like all anadromous salmonids, their populations are certainly cyclical. But I’ve always thought that steelhead have a much greater propensity than other species for dealing with adverse environmental conditions.”

Certainly, Stratman is expecting a better winter for fishing than he experienced in 2021, which he called a “poor” run and somewhat surprising given that the few years prior to last year were far better. Stratman wonders if years of drought conditions finally caught up to runs on rivers such as the Mad, Eel and Klamath. Surely the lack of rain for an extended period of time has had to impact the fish, at least in the short term.

But Stratman notes the trend that steelhead run timing has come a little later every winter of late.

“Some of our very best fishing the last three years has been in March. I used to start immediately after Christmas and enjoyed great fishing from the start. But I am starting a little later this year, as the last few years have really been a bust in late December. I really think this trend has been due to the really dry falls we’ve had,” Stratman says. “That may also explain why we’re seeing a decent early run so far, as we had a wet early fall 2021. We’ll see. But as of now, I am hopeful for a lot of chrome hitting the net for 2022.” CS