FISHING • HUNTING • TRAVEL CALSPORTSMANMAG.COM
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California
Sportsman Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource
Volume 13 • Issue 4 PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles CONTRIBUTORS Bjorn Dihle, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Erica Hupp, Todd Kline, Bill Schaefer SALES MANAGER Paul Yarnold ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Jim Klark, Mike Smith DESIGNER Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper PRODUCTION ASSISTANT Kelly Baker DIGITAL STRATEGIST Jon Hines ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Katie Aumann INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER Lois Sanborn ADVERTISING INQUIRIES ads@calsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE Email ccocoles@media-inc.com Twitter @CalSportsMan Facebook.com/californiasportsmanmagazine ON THE COVER A wet January was welcoming news for California’s North Coast steelhead anglers. Rivers such as the Smith, Eel, Trinity and Klamath, plus the Chetco just north of the Oregon border, should have productive fishing this month. (MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)
MEDIA INC PUBLISHING GROUP 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com www.mediaindexpublishing.com
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 13 • ISSUE 4
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RAINY DAYS, STEELHEAD CRAZE Northern California’s coastal rivers got a nice burst of wet weather in mid-January, blowing out a few of the fisheries but giving anglers optimism about a strong February of steelhead fishing. With rivers such as the Smith, Eel, Chetco, Trinity and others potentially solid options this month, we picked the brain of Eureka-based guide Mike Stratman for advice and perspective.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE
(MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)
9 20 22 23 39 53
The Editor’s Note : Terror in the nation’s capital The Adventures of Todd Kline Photo contest winners Outdoor calendar From Field to Fire: Dream Alaska fishing getaway Be aware of potential field mishaps with hunting dogs
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GREAT FISHING IS NO PIPE DREAM HERE Man-made structures offer saltwater anglers some ideal spots to score plenty of fish. Off the San Diego County coast right around the U.S.-Mexico border, there is an underwater concoction known as the “Pipe” that is a popular destination for anglers, as it houses everything from halibut to rockfish to saltwater bass. Our Southland salty guru Bill Schaefer is a regular Pipe visitor and offers up his tips.
FEATURES 10
THE LEGEND OF GRIZZLY ADAMS Television viewers of a certain age recall the series Grizzly Adams, with actor Dan Haggerty in the title role of a mountain man whose best friend was a giant bear. In real life, Midwest shoemaker James Carpen Adams fled to California to strike it rich and become obsessed with the Golden State’s now extinct grizzlies. In an excerpt from his new book, A Shape in the Dark: Living a Dying with Brown Bears, author Bjorn Dihle provides some perspective about this legendary character.
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PAIUTE CUTTHROAT REVIVAL The Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, which covers 6.3 million acres spanning parts of California and Nevada, is home to native Paiute cutthroat trout. A joint project of federal and state agencies to recover these high-elevation fish was challenged by a devastating wildfire, but the transferring of fish from Corral Valley Creek to Alpine County’s Silver King Creek has so far been a success. Erica Hupp of the U.S. Forest Service has the details.
Read California Sportsman on your desktop or mobile device. Go to www.calsportsmanmag.com/digital California Sportsman is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. 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 © 2021 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. 6 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
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THEEDITOR’SNOTE
A 2006 tour of the Capitol and its grand Rotunda was a memory the editor savored – now more than ever after the terrifying events that happened there on Jan. 6. (CHRIS COCOLES)
T
here’s something special about Washington D.C. I’ve been there twice and both times left feeling like I didn’t see enough. And I saw plenty. I particularly remember a 2006 trip with my friend Chris. We had multiple reasons to pick this destination. I wanted to also check out nearby Baltimore for a few days and see my beloved Oakland Athletics play the Orioles. But we also planned to visit with our friend Laura, who was living in our nation’s capital on a Capitol Hill fellowship. Laura’s perks allowed Chris and me to accompany her on a behind-the-scenes tour of the Capitol building. Walking the hallways shared by those serving in Congress was exhilarating, and we were in awe looking up to the ceiling of that spectacular Capitol Rotunda. Watching the Athletics win two games in Baltimore was a great part of the trip. But being in that sacred building was bigger than me. It was transcendent. I felt the same way while checking out the museums of the Smithsonian, remembering American heroes at Arlington National Cemetery, honoring the sacrifices of the past at the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam Veterans Memorials. I haven’t gotten back to D.C. since. But what happened on Jan. 6 in that same Capitol building brought me back to a more peaceful and humbling time; and at the same time, it had me pondering how in the hell could something like this happen here. I watched that same Capitol Rotunda become a rallying point for hate, ignorance and insurrection. It was peak America in chaos and mayhem. And I can only hope it never happens again. As I write this, the new President of the United States is being inaugurated on the steps of that same building. And I really don’t know how the next four years – let alone the next few months while we try to beat down this horrific pandemic – will unfold. I want to go back to Washington and create another happy memory. I’ve had more than enough sad ones lately. -Chris Cocoles
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HUNTING
ADAMS AND HIS GRIZZLY FAMILY BOOK EXCERPT: AN ADVENTURER’S CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCE WITH GRIZZLIES
T
Black bears are now omnipresent in California, but it’s the grizzly that adorns the state flag. While the latter species is considered extinct inside the state’s borders, as author Bjorn Dihle explains in his new book, one man became famous for his interactions with grizzlies when he came to the Golden State. (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE)
he 1848 discovery of gold in Northern California’s Sutter’s Mill inspired a ragtag bunch of characters, eccentrics, kooks, dreamers and adventure seekers who flocked to the area around Sacramento looking to strike it rich. When James Carpen Adams headed west – bankrupt, broken and battered – his rush proved to come more from up-close-and-personal connections with bears than buckets of nuggets. The man who would forever be known as Grizzly Adams – idolized in memoirs and via a memorable TV title character – found his place in Golden State lore for his experiences with the state’s now iconic and extinct grizzlies, one of which adorns the state’s flag. Adams’ story caught the eye of Alaska-based writer and outdoorsman Bjorn Dihle, who has his own fascination with bruins and compiled many personal and historical stories into a new book, A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears. “I’ve always been drawn to wild country, and no animal better embodies the spirit of the wild than the brown bear,” Dihle says. “I’ve been lucky to get to spend a lot of time in close proximity with them – much of the spring and summer I work guiding wildlife film crews… This book is a project that gestated for 10 years. Probably even longer.” The following is excerpted with permission from A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears by Bjorn Dihle (Mountaineers Books, 2021). calsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2021 California Sportsman
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HUNTING By Bjorn Dihle
I
n 1848, at the end of the MexicanAmerican War, the United States claimed California. Gold was found in the Sierra, and a stampede of more than 300,000 prospectors journeyed to California by land and water. One of these men was a 37-yearold Massachusetts shoemaker named James Capen Adams. He invested all his savings – and likely his father’s too – in footwear to sell to prospectors, then left his wife and children to follow the stampede west. A cholera epidemic was ravaging St. Louis when he arrived. While he was arranging to transport his merchandise to California, a steamboat caught flame, and the city burned. All of Adams’s investment was lost. Soon after, he received word his father had killed himself. The cobbler wandered the charred ruins of St. Louis as wagons passed by carrying corpses – more than 5,000 died of cholera that summer. He was faced with a tough decision: go home ruined or go west to seek fortune. He packed what few belongings he had and began following the Santa Fe Trail west. He suffered hunger and cold, nearly dying twice from disease before arriving in Los Angeles sometime in the fall. AMERICAN SETTLERS HAD COME to California in droves and, being well armed and possessing zero tolerance for anything that contested their dominion over the land, set about systematically killing grizzlies. Adams made and lost fortunes prospecting, ranching and leatherworking, “until at last,” he wrote in his autobiography, “in the fall of 1852, disgusted with the world and dissatisfied with myself, I abandoned all my schemes for the James Capen Adams (circa 1860) was a penniless shoemaker who fled to California in search of a better life. He’d soon become obsessed with the bears he encountered in the state and would forever be known to historians and in pop culture as “Grizzly Adams.” (TOWNE & BACON/WIKIMEDIA)
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HUNTING
Author Bjorn Dihle and his son Shiras walk a bear trail on Admiralty Island in Alaska, where he’s encountered many bears on his outdoor adventures. “When I vacation, I generally go wander in brown bear country,” he says. (CHRIS MILLER)
accumulation of wealth, turned my back upon the society of my fellows, and took the road toward the wildest and most unfrequented parts of the Sierra Nevada, resolved thenceforth to make the wilderness my home and wild beasts my companions.” Adams wasn’t always a cobbler. He’d once worked as a hunter, trapper and trainer of wild animals. His career ended when he made a near-fatal mistake by turning his back on a Bengal tiger he’d been training, leaving him scarred and with a permanent limp. In the Sierra, he reverted to skills he’d developed in his youth and set off on expeditions deep into the wilderness, sometimes going as far as what is today Washington state and the western edge of the Rocky Mountains. He hunted, trapped, and developed a deep affinity for grizzly bears. It’s unlikely that anyone in history has been mauled by bears more times than Adams – one encounter left him with a crushed skull and part of his brain exposed. After a short convalescence, he went back to the business of killing and capturing bears and whatever else walked on four legs. THERE ARE OTHER, MOSTLY forgotten, bear men who fill the history of the West. Two things set Adams apart from his peers. First, Adams would capture cubs after he killed their mothers, and with a firm hand and deep knowledge of animal psychology, he turned several of these orphans into servants and even friends. He’d use the bears as pack animals to carry hides of other animals, often grizzlies. He’d hunt with them – at one point a bear he named Benjamin Franklin saved him by fighting off a mother grizzly he had wounded. After a few years of roaming, as civilization turned places like San Francisco from camps into bustling cities, he took on the moniker Grizzly Adams and cashed in on the menagerie business with his captive grizzlies as the star attractions. Second, in 1859 Theodore H. Hittell, a San Francisco journalist fascinated
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HUNTING by Adams, spent an extensive amount of time interviewing the mountain/ circus man and writing a book about his adventures. That same year, Adams – sensing he was dying and perhaps missing his family – loaded a ship full of his grizzlies and other beasts and, like a modern Noah, set sail for the East Coast. When he arrived in New York City, he was greeted by thousands of curious spectators. He rode a brown bear through the streets. Following behind him, horses pulled wagons of dozens of caged grizzlies and other wild animals from the West. He dismounted in front of a giant canvas tent that P. T. Barnum, “the greatest showman that ever lived,” had set up in advance. For the price of an admission ticket, any New Yorker
Dihle, who was stared down by a curious brown bear sow and her cub in Alaska’s Brooks Range, has plenty of stories of close encounters with one of the biggest and baddest predators of the animal kingdom. (BJORN DIHLE)
Dihle gets a close look at an Admiralty Island bear from the water. “I’ve always been drawn to wild country, and no animal better embodies the spirit of the wild than the brown bear,” he says. (CHRIS MILLER) 16 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
HUNTING Of Adams, whose 1860 death is said to have been an after-effect of a previous bear attack injury, Dihle writes, “It’s unlikely that anyone in history has been mauled by bears more times than Adams. … Night after night, the dying man pantomimed adventures of the Wild West and pretended to fight grizzly bears.” (BJORN DIHLE)
could look into the eyes of a brown bear, hear stories of the West and watch Adams wrestle his bears. For the short remainder of his life, Adams toured New York and New England as part of Barnum’s circus. Legend has it that his already ill health went into full decline after a monkey he was training bit the exposed tissue of his brain. A serious infection spread, but Adams refused to retire. He was bent on getting the full salary and bonus that Barnum had promised him if he finished his contract. So, night after night, the dying man pantomimed adventures of the Wild West and pretended to fight grizzly bears. He fulfilled his contract, gave his wife his money and five days later at his home in Massachusetts, died in a bed he hadn’t slept in for 12 years. CS Editor’s note: Order a copy of Dihle’s book at mountaineers.org/books/books/ashape-in-the-dark-living-and-dyingwith-brown-bears.
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s e r u t n e v d A
W
e’re not ashamed to admit it: Todd Kline has the kind of life we wish we could experience. Kline’s a former professional surfer, a successful co-angler on the FLW Tour and a Southern California bass guide, plus he gets to travel the world as a commentator for the World Surf League’s telecasts. Todd has agreed to give us a peek on what he’s up to each month. For more on Todd or to book a guided fishing trip with him, check out toddklinefishing. com, and you can follow him on Instagram at @toddokrine. –The Editor
This time of year, nothing beats the sunrise on the lake. (TODD KLINE)
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Even in January we had a few weeks of warm weather and some big fish went shallow. (TODD KLINE)
Here are some happy clients with a hawg from Diamond Valley Lake in Hemet (Riverside County). Always a good feeling. (TODD KLINE)
It’s been a good guiding stretch for me. Here we are at San Vicente Reservoir in San Diego County. (TODD KLINE) I really do love days like this. (TODD KLINE)
Diamond Valley certainly churns out some big ones. (TODD KLINE) calsportsmanmag.com FEBRUARY2021 2021 California Sportsman calsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY
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PHOTO
CONTEST
WINNERS!
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Maralee Moore is the winner of our monthly Fishing Photo Contest, thanks to her pic with an eastern Washington walleye. It wins her gear from various tackle manufacturers!
Soren Fontana is our monthly Coast Hunting Photo Contest winner, thanks to this pic of daughter Alexandra and her Oregon blacktail buck. It wins him a knife and light from Coast!
For your shot at winning hunting and fishing products, send your photos and pertinent (who, what, when, where) details to ccocoles@media-inc.com or California Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. 22 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
OUTDOOR CALENDAR
Editor’s note: Because of COVID-19 restrictions, all events should be double-checked for changes or cancellations. Below are events that had been scheduled for February and March, with websites/ phone numbers for you to check for updates.
FEBRUARY
1-MARCH 31 NorCal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association Mad River Steelhead Derby; madriversteelhead derby.com 1 Late-season Imperial Valley white goose opener 6 White and white-fronted goose seasons open in Northeastern Zone 6 NorCal Trout Angler’s Challenge, San Pablo Reservoir; anglerspress.com/events/ norcal-trout-anglers-challenge 6-7 Youth waterfowl hunts in most zone 8 Late-season Imperial Valley white goose opener 8-9 Second falconry waterfowl seasons in most zones 8-12 Late-season whitefront and white goose season in Balance of State Zone 13-14 Veterans and active military personnel waterfowl hunting days in Balance of State, Southern San Joaquin Valley and Southern California Zones 19-21 The Fly Fishing Show, Alameda County Fairgrounds, Pleasanton; flyfishingshow.com/ pleasanton-ca 20 North Coast Canada goose late season opens 20 Bishop Trout Rodeo catch-and-release fishing events, various waters; swcffi.org/rodeo 25-27 Rowdy Creek Fish Hatchery Steelhead Derby; rowdycreek.org/annual-steelhead-derby
MARCH
5-11 NorCal Boat, Sport and RV Show (virtual), Shasta District Fairgrounds, Anderson; norcalsportshow.com 13 NorCal Trout Angler’s Challenge, Lake Amador; anglerspress.com/events/ norcal-trout-anglers-challenge 13 Blake Jones Trout Derby, Pleasant Valley Reservoir and the Owens River; bishopvisitor .com/blake-jones-trout-derby 20-21 Junior wild turkey hunting dates 27 Spring wild turkey hunting season opens 27-29 Lake Isabella Fishing Derby; kernrivervalley.com/2020-isabella-lakefishing-derby San Pablo Reservoir is the first stop for the 2021 NorCal Trout Angler’s Challenge series, scheduled for Feb. 6. (CHRIS COCOLES)
For a list of upcoming bass tournaments, go to nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FishingContests/default.aspx.
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PROTECTING FISHING
WILD CALIFORNIA
Just-released Paiute cutthroat trout swim in Alpine County’s Silver King Creek inside California and Nevada’s Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, the fish’s historic home. Despite a threat from last summer’s Slink Fire, a group project headed by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife has thus far been successful. (RACHEL VAN HORNE/USDA FOREST SERVICE)
DESPITE DEVASTATING WILDFIRE, ALPINE COUNTY PAIUTE CUTTHROAT RESTORATION SUCCEEDING By Erica Hupp
T
he Paiute cutthroat trout made national headlines last year when the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other partners returned this Golden State native to its home waters in Alpine County
for the first time in more than 100 years. The Paiute cutthroat was one of the first species in the nation listed under the federal Endangered Species Act in the 1960s. Recovery efforts continued this past October when fisheries biologists relocated 44 of the trout by pack animals from the nearby Corral Valley Creek into Silver King Creek, the fish’s historic home.
Both creeks are in the Carson-Iceberg Wilderness on the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest. “In 2019, the first translocation effort was completed when 30 Paiute cutthroat trout were moved from Coyote Valley Creek to Silver King Creek,” said Rachel Van Horne, fisheries biologist for the federal forest. “It was a momentous occasion, but
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PROTECTING
WILD CALIFORNIA
CDFW fisheries biologist John Hanson releases the trout into Silver King Creek. (RACHEL VAN HORNE/ USDA FOREST SERVICE)
the translocation efforts into the mainstem of Silver King Creek will need to continue yearly until a self-sustaining population has been established.”
A GENETICALLY PURE POPULATION of Paiute cutthroat was established in Corral Valley Creek and other suitable waters decades ago to ensure survival of the species while restoration work took place within Silver King Creek to remove introduced nonnative trout, which displaced and hybridized with the native Paiutes. The Slink Fire, which occurred in September 2020, added urgency to the effort. The 26,759-acre wilfirefire burned about half of the Corral Valley Creek watershed, potentially threatening the purestrain population. “I would like to recognize the great job the three incident management teams – Sierra Front Team No. 3, Great Basin Team No. 6 and Nevada Team No.
3 – did to protect the Paiute cutthroat trout habitat during the Slink Fire,” said Bill Dunkelberger, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest supervisor. “Without everyone’s hard work, the Paiute cutthroat trout population in Corral Valley Creek may have been decimated and this would have been a huge loss for the recovery effort,” added Dunkelberger. According to Chad Mellison, USFWS fisheries biologist and Slink Fire wildland fire resource advisor, or READ, the issue with wildfires is that their severity can influence fish populations and their habitat. As vegetation burns, increased sediment erodes into nearby bodies of water. "This material fills in spaces where fish would lay eggs and can, in some cases, damage their gills. Migration routes can also be blocked or altered,” explained Mellison. As a READ, he provides guidance to agency administrators and incident
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management teams to help them develop suppression strategies that best avoid, minimize or mitigate impacts to critical natural resources. Another significant issue is temperature change. Fish with precise habitat requirements, like these high-elevation cutts, are most at risk. When plants that shade cold-water streams are destroyed, the overall water temperature rises. A change of even just a few degrees can have an impact on metabolic and reproductive rates of the fish living there.
ONCE THE AREA WAS deemed safe, Van Horne, who was also a member of the Slink Fire’s Burned Area Emergency Response Team, went out to Corral Valley to see the effects of the fire. The BAER Team is made up of scientists and specialists with expertise in soils, hydrology, natural and cultural resources, engineering and recreation. They conduct assessments of
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PROTECTING
WILD CALIFORNIA
CDFW biologists perform population assessments of Paiute cutts in Corral Valley Creek the week before the lightning-caused Slink Fire ignited (below). These surveys help the biologists determine how many fish can be removed without affecting the population in the donor stream. (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE; CHAD MELLIS/US FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE)
the burned area to determine treatments needed to minimize threats to human life and mitigate unacceptable degradation to natural and cultural resources in an area burned by a fire. “I was nicely surprised with the mosaic burn, which includes patches of burned and unburned areas, that occurred in the Corral Valley,” said Van Horne. Van Horne explained that this type of burning is known to support biodiversity outcomes, but until the area recovers, Corral Valley Creek will need to be continuously monitored to ensure the Paiute habitat is not negatively affected by the fire. Since this portion of the fire was within wilderness and because of the overall positive effects of the fire to the landscape, there were no on-the-ground 28 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
PROTECTING
WILD CALIFORNIA
All the native cutthroat that were collected in Corral Valley Creek were measured and weighed, and genetic samples were taken. After examination, they were placed in fish cans that were placed on mules for transportation to Silver King Creek. (JOANNA GILKESON/USFWS)
Rachel Van Horne, Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest fisheries biologist, photographs CDFW’s Hanson as he releases trout. “Each year that Paiute are moved into Silver King Creek is one step closer to a self-sustaining population,” Van Horne says. (LESLIE ALBER/CDFW)
“Without everyone’s hard work, the Paiute cutthroat trout population in Corral Valley Creek may have been decimated and this would have been a huge loss for the recovery effort,” says federal forest supervisor Bill Dunkelberger. (RACHEL VAN HORNE/USDA FOREST SERVICE)
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landscape treatments recommended for Corral Valley. To ensure that this population of trout is protected until recovery occurs, the national forest worked with partners to come up with the best plan moving forward. CDFW decided to concentrate their relocation efforts from Corral Valley Creek to Silver King Creek in the event that post-fire sediment impacts occurred. “Recovering this iconic trout has been a top priority for CDFW for many years. Continuing to move fish into their historic range is critical for long-term success of the project and for genetics management,” said state fisheries biologist Sarah Mussulman. “I’m very pleased that despite many additional challenges due to COVID and wildfires, we were able to successfully move another 44 fish this year. This is worth celebrating!” The translocation from Corral Valley Creek also served a dual purpose of continuing to build the population in the mainstem of Silver King Creek, while protecting the genetics of the fish in Corral Valley Creek should post-fire effects impact the population as the area moves into the winter. Genetic samples were taken from all fish that were moved from Corral Valley Creek, so biologists will be able to track their reproductive success in the mainstem of Silver King Creek as a self-sustaining population is established. “When we walked up to Silver King Creek to release the fish from Corral Valley Creek, there was one of the fish we released last year swimming in the pool!” added Van Horne. “Seeing that fish thriving in its historic range is what this project is all about!” “Each year that Paiute are moved into Silver King Creek is one step closer to a selfsustaining population. Hopefully next year when we walk to the stream’s edge, we will see baby fish!” said Van Horne. “Natural reproduction within the Silver King Creek would be a momentous milestone for this recovery effort, so stay tuned.” CS Editor’s note: Erica Hupp is a public affairs officer for the U.S. Forest Service’s HumboldtToiyabe National Forest. For more, go to fs.usda.gov/htnf.
FISHING The sun was shining on this youngster the day he caught his steelhead, and despite the wet weather the North Coast has experienced this winter, fellow anglers have been finding reasons to smile as well. (MIKE STRATMAN/ REDWOOD COAST FISHING)
RAIN, RAIN, COME AND STAY NORTH COAST STEELHEADERS’ ‘FEBRUARY PROSPECTS LOOK GOOD, ESPECIALLY IF WE KEEP GETTING WEATHER!’
By Chris Cocoles
E
ureka-area fishing guide Mike Stratman said he was planning to spend a couple quiet days at home while a storm blew in from the Pacific. As a steelhead angler, he couldn’t be more excited to see the rain tumble down. “All in all, we need all the water we can get, so this storm was more
than welcome,” said Stratman, who owns and operates Redwood Coast Fishing (707-601-8757; redwoodcoastfishing.com). At that point in mid-January, most of the rivers in the area – including the Smith south of the Oregon border and the Chetco just across the state line – were blown out and a bit brown in color, but a rainless stretch had them dropping back into fishable
shape by later in the month. Humboldt County rivers such as the Trinity, Klamath and Eel received less rain than fisheries further north, so Stratman is hopeful for a solid stretch this month. “Our February prospects look good, especially if we keep getting weather!” stated Stratman, who admitted that January, which in the past has produced some good fishing, started
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FISHING
BETTER LATE FISH THAN NEVER
S
teelhead anglers used to count on Christmas miracles in the form of steelhead arriving just in time for the holidays. From rivers as far north as the Chetco across the border in Oregon down to the Eel south of Eureka, the fish were the ultimate stocking stuffers in late December. “However, in the last five years or so, that early component of the run has been slow,” guide Mike Stratman says. “Now it seems that the run doesn't really get going until the second week of January or so.” What Stratman and other anglers are now pondering is why the steelhead are
arriving later and later from the ocean. “At this point, no one knows, but I have to believe it has everything to do with the fact we haven’t had many wet Novembers in the last five years,” he says. “While it’s a bummer the early fishing has been slow, late February and March have seen really good numbers of bright steelhead, so it seems as if the run has been pushed back a few weeks.” But while the holiday tradition of side drifting or pulling plugs has been a bit soured for steelie chasers in recent years, the later runs have offered some great late-season fishing. On his site, redwoodcoastfishing.com,
There are several good options for steelheaders – from the Chetco River across the border in Oregon all the way down to the Eel south of Eureka. (MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING)
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Stratman says that March offers some of the most underrated fishing opportunities for steelhead. Part of the allure of this time of year is the fishing pressure tends to decline as spring approaches. Postspawn fish will start appearing by the end of February. “When you simultaneously have fish coming up and down, you can see some pretty fantastic fishing in uncrowded conditions. So, late February and March can be a really pleasant time to go fishing, in my mind anyways,” Stratman says. “While on average the fish aren’t as pretty late in the season, the numbers can be good, and we do see some gorgeous fish this time of year too.” –CC
FISHING slowly (see sidebar, previous page). “But that has been the case the last few years,” he added. “Our runs have really started peaking in late January through February, and I expect that to probably be the case this year as well.”
“STABLE” STEELIES Runs come and go, but Stratman believes the region’s prime steelhead rivers have remained “pretty stable” over time. He cited the relatively low human population in Humboldt and Del Norte Counties as contributing to a mostly healthy run traditionally. “But like any anadromous fish, they are subject to lots of variation in the environment, and thus their runs show quite a bit of cyclical variation,” he said. “In my opinion, a run of steelhead in our rivers can be relatively predictable by looking at the conditions a particular year-class of fish was spawned in.” Stratman mentioned the very
wet winter in 2017 – after California suffered through an extended drought throughout the middle of the decade – that brought back a large number of spawned fish last year. “If they were hatched in a wet winter, they usually thrive,” he said. “In a drought winter, they usually have a downturn.”
LOTS OF OPTIONS Most anglers have their favorite spot or go-to rivers they rely on, but Stratman is a guide who likes to mix up the destinations. “In reality, any river in the area that is green should be productive on a given day. That’s why I don’t limit myself to one or two rivers,” he said. “It pays to be versatile and be willing to travel a bit to get in the best conditions.” Still, with a possible wet winter looming, he anticipated heading north of Eureka to the Smith and Chetco, as those waterways tend to clear rather fast. “Conversely, if a dry stretch
“Our February prospects look good, especially if we keep getting weather!” forecasts guide Mike Stratman. “Our runs have really started peaking in late January through February, and I expect that to probably be the case this year as well.” (MIKE STRATMAN/REDWOOD COAST FISHING) 36 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
of weather has set up, I could be anywhere on the Eel system or even over on the lower Trinity or Klamath,” Stratman added. “The Mad is another top producer in Humboldt County, but I try to leave that to the bank fishermen – at least until March.”
(MOSTLY) A SIDESHOW Much of the steelhead fishing approach in Northern California is done via side drifting bait, yarn and a Fish Pill or bead. “In certain situations, we also run plugs if there aren’t a bunch of boats on the river,” said Stratman, who will also plunk from the banks of highwater rivers. The Smith is usually the river Stratman will try his luck from the shore. Plunking can be a bit of an underappreciated if unspectacular technique for coaxing a bite. “It’s certainly the least glamorous way to catch steelhead, and I don’t force my clients’ hand to do it,” he noted. “But some of the biggest number days can happen while plunking. (There are) lots of traveling fish on high-water days.” CS
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38 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
FISHING
FROM FIELD...
HIS FISHING HAPPY PLACE
EPIC SALMON RUNS KEEP BRINGING WELL-TRAVELED ANGLER BACK TO ALASKA RIVER
By Scott Haugen
A
fter more than an hour of watching friends catch coho after coho, I felt the urge to cast. The action had been red-hot, yielding salmon on just about every cast. Then the bite stopped, as it often does when salmon move out of a hole. I walked a short distance upstream, where I’d been seeing dorsal fins splitting the surface of the calmly flowing Egegik River. I baited my hook with freshly cured eggs, and no sooner had the cluster hit the water than a hard-fighting coho attacked. The same results came on the next cast, and the next. Twenty-one casts saw me landing 21 coho, keeping four that were hooked too deep to re-
Author Scott Haugen has been fishing the Egegik River for 15 years, and he ranks it among his favorites in Alaska, for many reasons. Maybe this summer you can join him at his favorite lodge on this Alaska Peninsula stream. (SCOTT HAUGEN) calsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2021 California Sportsman
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FISHING
... TO FIRE
Tiffany Haugen knows what to do with a freshly caught salmon: smoke it. Smoked fish can be kept in your refrigerator for more than a week when you vacuumseal it until ready for serving. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)
Smoked fish can even be “candied” and served as an appetizer or used as a topping like bacon bits. Beyond the smoke flavor, both wet and dry brines can add incredible diversity to smoked fish. When feeling creative, be sure to take good notes on the changes you make to favorite recipes. Once you develop that perfect recipe, you want to be able to recreate it.
FISH SMOKING TIPS
THANK YOU FOR SMOKING BY Tiffany Haugen
T
here’s nothing like the taste of a deliciously seasoned, perfectly textured bite of smoked fish. Whether enjoyed warm, straight from the smoker or out of a vacuum-sealed bag several days later, smoked fish is a treat for everyone.
Since fresh fish has a relatively short shelf life, smoking it will preserve it up to a week under refrigeration and even longer if vacuum-packed. Freezing smoked fish will extend storage even further and makes a great add-in to soups, chowders, pasta dishes, crab cakes and more. Fish is an incredibly versatile protein, as its quick cooking allows for simple, fast meals on the grill, in the oven or fried up in a skillet. When smoking fish there are many options. Use it as a simple salt/sugar wet or dry brine for hot or cold smoking, or season fish for baking and setting a smoker to higher temperatures in order to both infuse smoke flavors and speed up cooking time. Smoking fish not only adds a layer of flavor in the choice of chips you use – alder, apple, cherry, hickory or mesquite, to name a few – it changes the texture of the meat, too. If you desire a moist end product, fish can be smoked at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. Some folks like a drier, chewier fish and may choose a hotter smoking temperature.
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1. Get to know your smoker and read manufacturer instructions and company blogs, watch product videos, and be aware of the difference in the performance of propane, electric and pellet smokers. 2. Take ambient temperature conditions into consideration. In colder climates and seasons, smoking times can increase, while smokers may run hotter on summer days. 3. Wet brines work better on fresh fish and dry brines are better for previously frozen fish. 4. When adding extra spices and flavorings to brined fish, be sure they are salt-free. 5. If the smoker isn’t full, add vegetables like onions and peppers, as these will benefit from time in the smoker, making a flavorful addition to salsas, soups and stews. 6. If your smoker can reach temperatures of 250 to 450 degrees, think about using it as an oven to make a quick fish dinner or even a smokey casserole or side dish. 7. With many smokers, cold smoking is also an option. Once chips are smoking, turn off the heat source and smoke cheese, hard-boiled eggs, seafood or even chocolate. 8. If your smoked fish is overcooked or over-salted, dice it up and use it as a topper in place of bacon bits.
Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Seafood, and other best-selling titles, visit tiffanyhaugen.com.
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FISHING lease. I kept my fifth and final salmon a few casts later.
I FIRST LEARNED OF Alaska’s Egegik River 15 years ago. Having fished throughout Alaska for three decades, and penning the top-selling book, A Flyfisher’s Guide To Alaska, the Egegik is my favorite coho river in the state. I first fished with Becharof Lodge in 2008. In 2019 the lodge sold to two men who are equal partners; George Joy, a longtime fishing and hunting guide I’ve known for years, and Mark Korpi, a building contractor from Oregon. These two are a great team and I love the changes they’re making. The name was changed to Becharof Lodge On The Egegik River (becharoflodgefishing.com), and the team wasted no time erecting multiple cabins, which replaced the tents used for years. They installed more flush toilets and showers and continue improving upon the amenities at the lodge, in-
cluding expanding the electricity. Last August I spent the entire season at the lodge. The new owners and their staff were simply wonderful. Clients came and went, and the positive spirits of most everyone were contagious. It was a happy place all season long, for everyone – men, women, couples, kids and families. We spent mornings taking in the sunrise with a hot cup of coffee or cocoa. Big breakfasts were the norm and dinner menus were incredible and had no shortage of food. The friendly, comfortable atmosphere made it easy for people to help themselves to as much as they liked, including cookies that were baked fresh from scratch each day. No one went hungry, ever.
WHILE THE COMFORTS OF camp play a big part in pleasing many people, it’s the salmon fishing that brought them here. Many serious anglers wake up early and have their coffee and breakfast
downed in time to be catching fish before the sun crests the tundra horizon. There are also those who sleep in, appreciating the freedom to do what they want on their vacation. They catch fish, too – a lot of fish. An average angler can expect to catch 20 coho a day; veteran anglers often catch and release over 75 salmon a day, sometimes more. Last season thousands of coho held close to shore right in front of the lodge. After dinner for nearly half the season, anglers caught salmon after salmon adjacent to the lodge from the bank. And I was surprised at the number of folks who were happy fishing only in the morning. They’d return to camp after catching their five-coho daily limit, enjoy a hot shower and lunch, take a nap, read, then sit atop the viewing platform overlooking the river and expansive tundra. There they’d watch the local wildlife like brown
Becharof Lodge On The Egegik River has been upgraded under new ownership, and the world-class coho fishing is right out the front door. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
42 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
calsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2021 California Sportsman
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FISHING bears, wolves, red fox and birds until the lodge’s appetizers were served.
THE FISHING HERE IS simple, and the gravel, gently sloping banks easy for anyone to negotiate. If you can’t walk, you can sit in a chair and fish
from the shoreline. The Egegik River is wide and shallow, and very little weight is needed to get presentations into the strike zone. Eggs, jigs, beads and lures are all great for catching coho here. This is also a great place to fish top-
water with a spinning or fly rod. Many anglers use only a fly rod all week long, stripping streamers, moving wogs and swinging surface poppers. Spey rod anglers love the vast amount of prime, open water to be fished. But the true beauty of Becharof Lodge On The Egegik River is its proximity to even more remote places in Alaska. Flyouts take you to captivating streams, where the pursuit of trophy-class Arctic char and grayling, along with rainbow trout, captures the essence of fishing in Alaska. If you want to experience brown bear viewing at famed Brooks Falls, that’s only a 25-minute floatplane flight from the lodge. Watching 1,500-pound bears gorge themselves on sockeye salmon is a sight to behold, something that brings back many anglers year after year.
THE MORE TIME I spend at Becharof Lodge, the less important catching high numbers of coho becomes. Maybe it’s because I’ve grown more aware of all the other things this magical place has to offer. Maybe it’s because I find myself getting more pleasure watching others catch fish. Then again, maybe it’s because I know I’ll be back next year, and the year after that. There are few places I keep going back to in Alaska, as there’s so much to discover in this state. But the Egegik River is an exception. Each year the coho run gets me excited, and the tranquility of this place continually captures my mind. Simply put, it’s the best Alaskan fishing experience I know, and I’ve covered much of the state. Who knows? Maybe you can join me this coming season, as I’ll be up there most of August to enjoy all this amazing place has to offer, for I simply can’t get enough of it. CS
Come for the beauty of Alaska; stay for stringers full of coho salmon after a day on the Egegik River, where the good ol’ days are as good as ever! (SCOTT HAUGEN) 44 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
Editor’s note: To book your trip on the Egegik River, and maybe fish with longtime California Sportsman columnist Scott Haugen, drop him an email at sthaugen@ yahoo.com for details.
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46 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
FISHING
LIVE THE PIPE DREAM POPULAR MAN-MADE STRUCTURE AT THE U.S.-MEXICO BORDER GOOD FOR ROCKFISH, HALIBUT By Capt. Bill Schaefer
I
write a lot about fishing deepwater structure this time of year – both the man-made and natural varieties. And one such place that has always produced well is the area known as the “Pipe” that’s located off the southern San Diego coast, just north of the Mexican border. It’s an outlet pipe constructed to help the border city of Tijuana, Mexico deal with its sewage issues. The Pipe comes out from under the sand at about 70 feet deep and runs another mile out to 90-plus feet deep and then forms a Y on the end, with two extension pipes running north and south for about 100 or so yards.
ON THE ROCKS The Pipe is covered with giant Volkswagen-sized boulders to protect it. This bodes well for anglers, as the location has slowly become an artificial reef over the years, with everything from rockfish to bass to yellowtail living around it. Halibut lie along the sandy sides and are a regular catch. In the giant cracks and crevasses between the rocks lurk giant lingcod and even black sea bass. I think I have caught just about everything you can out of this area. This spot can be good year-round, but the end of winter and spring can
Author Bill Schaefer shows off a nice halibut taken off the side of the “Pipe,” a man-made offshore structure near the U.S.-Mexico border that’s a prime spot to catch flatties, rockfish and other species. Schaefer advises anglers to always drift and fish a bit past the target. (BILL SCHAEFER) calsportsmanmag.com | FEBRUARY 2021 California Sportsman
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FISHING be really productive for rockfish (after the season restarts on March 1) and bass. The bass haven’t quite started to move to the kelp beds and the rockfish haven’t yet shuffled off into deeper waters. Time it right and you can get into weeks of coolers full of fillets and fish-taco fixings for your dinner table.
MAKE YOUR MARK The Pipe will become a favorite fishing spot for you. Mark it on your meter with a waypoint and return at ease. I have marks all the way out to the tip and at both ends of the Y, and I don’t mind sharing them. This mark is just a tad on the south side, so you should cross over the Pipe when headed south to the spot: N32 32 256, W117 10 767. That should get you started, and remember that the Pipe is in about 80 to 90 feet of water for the most part, so even though it sticks up off the bottom 10 to 20 feet, it doesn’t look that big on the 120-foot scale your meter will most likely be on.
BE PATIENT, KEEP MOVING If you see clouds of fish as you pass over, go back upwind and drift over it again. Don’t be discouraged if you don’t see fish; many like to hide in the rocks down there. If you don’t get bit at first, move over a bit and try again. There’s over a mile to drift over. Ocean current plays a big part in whether fish bite. It can be very slow at one moment and then the fishing can go wide open a little bit later. Sometimes the fish at one end aren’t eating like at the other end, so try all over it and mark it as you move. Once you locate the Pipe and go upwind to drift over it slowly, you can vertically jig your lures or cast and retrieve them. Drifting over the area slowly also shows more detail on your meter and more fish within your rig. Always drift a little beyond the Pipe. Halibut hang off the sides on the sand and sometimes the sand bass will too.
March 1 marks the California rockfish opener for boat anglers and as Charlie Thomas displays with a nice red, the Pipe can be a great place to limit out. (BILL SCHAEFER)
GEAR AND BAIT CHECK For tackle, I like to use the same gear I use in the kelp, which for me is my Daiwa DXSB swimbait rods, with a Lexa 300 WN reel. At the Pipe I usually use braided line to feel the deep bite better and be able to pull the
48 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
fish away from the rocks below. You can fish bait here, and any medium saltwater tackle you have will do. A dropper loop setup works well. However, you can score regularly with swimbaits, as well as spoons or small iron. There are a lot of boulders
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FISHING Don’t forget about saltwater bass. Swimbaits are the ticket to enticing bites from calicos and sandies at the Pipe. (BILL SCHAEFER)
down there, so don’t be surprised if you lose some lures. Besides the swimbaits that do very well here, iron jigs and spoons can also be effective. With the swimbaits the hook rides up, so swimming your bait over the rocky bottom leads to less snags on the rocks. Live bait will swim into the rocky cracks to escape predators and cause break-offs. Everything from calicos to rockfish to halibut eat swimbaits.
BE COLOR COORDINATED I like dark colors here, like various brown baits. Tails can vary with companies and give out different vibrations, so carry a few manufacturers’ baits to experiment. Big Hammer, Reebs Lures, MC Swimbaits, Hellafishy Lures, Reyes Swimbaits and LK Lures are popular. Generally, I stay with larger 5-, 6-, 7-, or 8-inch models. A big bait/ big fish approach will often produce a great day at the Pipe. CS
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The question is... Do you want to hunt ducks or be a duck hunter?
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HUNTING
Your hunting dog will work miracles for you, but it isn’t a tank, amphibious vehicle or cliff-scaling mountaineer. Take a moment to consider its safety in the area you’re pursuing birds. Be careful when hunting around cliffs and steep cut banks – one mishap can be irreversibly costly. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
SAFETY FIRST! By Scott Haugen
I
recently made two stupid mistakes on the same day, which both of my dogs suffered for. My duck blind – set in a rice field that flooded when two creeks overflowed – required several hours to repair. To resecure the blind, I had to drive steel fenceposts into the ground and bind the blind to them with turnbuckles. The ends of the posts stuck up about a foot, so I covered them with dead grass and brush so the ducks wouldn’t see them.
Mistake number one. Mistake number two came when I cut several thick thistle stocks to use as cover on the blind. The cover looked great when done, but my mistake was not cutting them close enough to the ground. I left a few inches sticking up, and the moment I shot a duck in that direction, Kona, my male pudelpointer, barreled right through where I’d just cut, scraping his leg on the sharp stubs. I immediately stomped them into the ground. Moments later, Echo, my female pudelpointer, cut the corner of the blind with all intentions of busting
through the brush I used to cover the end of the metal fence posts. She hit one post full speed, putting a ½-inchwide, 4-inch-long deep abrasion on her brisket. Fortunately, neither dog incurred a laceration requiring stitches, putting them out of commission for the season, but both were very close. We only lost four hunting days while they healed, and I learned a valuable lesson. Actually, two.
MANY MISHAPS OUR dogs encounter on a hunt can be prevented by us, their owners. When duck ponds are
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HUNTING toes of one of his back feet, the string was wrapped so tight I had to cut it; thankfully I had a knife handy. It was another bonehead mistake on my part, and now I make sure my jerk cords are elevated for my dogs to swim under. If hunting brushy thickets, watch for big tangles of briars and even poison oak. Briars can be easy for a dog to plunge into, but difficult to get out of. Poison oak doesn’t have leaves this time of year, making it hard to identify. While your dog likely won’t contract poison oak, you might if you come in contact with your dog. When hunting in icy conditions, make sure your dog can negotiate the challenges without risk of serious injury. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
frozen, break them up so a dog can safely retrieve birds; if the ice is too thick for a dog to get through, don’t hunt there. If hunting upland birds along unfamiliar fencelines, don’t do it until you’ve inspected every inch for loose barbed wire. A buddy failed to do this one time on a pheasant hunt, and 30some stitches later, his dog had much healing to endure. If hunting near cliffs, where dogs might focus on flushed flocks of quail or chukar, be sure not to push them toward those sheer dropoffs. Having a dog watch a covey fly away as they run, then plunge over a cliff in pursuit does happen, so be careful. If hunting rivers, watch for fastflowing currents that can sweep a dog away. High river levels are incredibly strong. At the same time, be mindful of downed trees and overhanging brush along river banks, both of which can trap dogs.
the tangled, twisted brush; it worked. A couple weeks ago, I dropped a pair of wigeon in the decoys. Echo retrieved one, while Kona went after the other. Echo’s bird was dead on the edge of the decoys, but Kona’s bird dove, taking him right through the middle of my decoy spread. Kona suddenly stopped, struggled and started whining, something he never does. It didn’t take me long to realize he’d gotten his legs tangled in one of my jerk cords made of heavy string. Quickly I waded out to help, but it took a couple minutes. Around the
MY BEST ADVICE upon the start of any hunt is to stop and think like your dog. Envision seeing the land from their perspective. Imagine having their drive, which can be so strong that they will often risk their life for a simple retrieve. By thinking ahead, and wisely choosing paths of travel, you’ll be on your way to preventing injuries to your dog before they happen. By all means, don’t get complacent, like I did, as it can be a costly mistake for you and your canine hunting companion. CS Editor’s note: To watch Scott Haugen’s series of puppy training videos, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.
ON A RECENT wood duck hunt along a creek, the water was very high. If they don’t hit the water, dead wood ducks are notorious for quickly reaching thick brush. Seeing the potential for this, I removed my dog’s neoprene vest and tightened up her collar. My goal was to make sure she didn’t have any loose gear that could get caught in
If hunting or working your dog along an unfamiliar, brush-covered fenceline like this, be sure there’s no loose barbed wire strewn about, as it could be disastrous for your four-legged hunting partner. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
54 California Sportsman FEBRUARY 2021 | calsportsmanmag.com
