SPRING STRIPERS CURE DELTA BLUES

Our correspondent Mark Fong picked the brain of one of Northern California’s best striped bass guides, Oakley-based Jeff Soo Hoo, who has been targeting linesides on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for 20 years. Soo Hoo shares where and how to target ’em, as well as the joys of catching these tasty treats on light tackle.

23 GO CRAZY FOR KOKANEE

They may not be the biggest fish in the pond, but kokanee provide anglers with feisty fights and delicious table fare. Guide Cal Kellogg loves targeting these landlocked sockeye salmon that swim in several lakes throughout the Sierra foothills and beyond. Kellogg breaks down tactics and gear choices to enjoy a fun day on the water.

33 BASSER’S PRESPAWN PRIMER

Even as spring beckons, Southland bass anglers sometimes are reluctant to fish for bass in prespawn mode. But don’t tell that to Capt. Bill Schaefer, who doesn’t pass up the chance to test himself and take on the fish. Warmer March weather could kick-start the spawning process, so check out Bill’s tips and get on out there for largemouth!

49 SCORING TIMBER TOMS

Some of Scott Haugen’s best spring turkey hunting occurs in heavy timber, home to very challenging and super-wary birds. Thanks to trail cameras and a lot of his own time spent in the woods, Haugen’s figured out methods for bagging these toms, and with California’s spring gobbler season opening March 25, he shares that mix of mobility, patience and simple calling that should put you in the thick of things. Meanwhile, his wife Tiffany’s corned turkey recipe rounds out the Haugen’s From Field to Fire feature.

Ithink the last fishing contest I had ever participated in – at least an official “tournament” with anyone keeping tabs on catches – was my Crestmoor Elementary School class that went on an end-of-theschool-year outing to my childhood fishin’ hole, Lake Merced in San Francisco.

Decades later, I entered another contest early last month, the first of multiple NorCal Trout Challenge events hosted by Angler’s Press at another of my old fishing stomping grounds, San Pablo Reservoir across San Francisco Bay in Contra Costa County. Needless to say: Both of the competitions didn’t turn out great if you count weighing in trout and having a puncher’s chance at a prize. I got skunked both as a little kid and a middle-aged man!

But I can truthfully say I had fun both times – futile as they proved to be. But congratulations to angler Kevin Garcia, whose 3.66-pound rainbow proved to be the winning fish. I don’t feel too bad, as out of the 125 of us who entered that Feb. 4 event, Garcia’s trout was one of just 11 fish that were weighed in at the Angler’s Press table located at the San Pablo Reservoir’s marina (two youth anglers also won prizes).

While there were a lot of boats out that morning of San Pablo’s opening weekend for 2023, most of us who chose to fish on the shore didn’t have much action. When my sister Charlene and I arrived at the parking lot around 7 a.m., I knew time would be of the essence. Rain was forecast for the Bay Area later that day, but with the NorCal Trout Challenge weigh-in open until early in the afternoon, we expected to stay dry most of the morning.

We did not.

And that was part of the problem that plagued us bank casters that morning. The heavy rainfall throughout this past winter turned the lake muddy and messy, not exactly great clarity for hungry rainbows looking for an easy meal.

As the chilly temperatures eventually sent Charlene back to the car, I kept throwing out different colors of PowerBait in faint hopes a rainbow would take it for a ride. But as I chatted up two ladies fishing next to me along a crowded stretch of shoreline – we struggled to find an open spot near the parking lot – luck wasn’t on our side that day.

In the end we all got wet, thanks to a couple showers that swept through the area. At least it helped with the drought. After a couple hours of absolutely nothing, I did see my rod tip quickly snap forward. I excitedly grabbed the rod and tried to set the hook, but that was as good as it got for me. My PowerBait had been stolen, and while I at least had renewed hope for my next few casts, the optimism quickly faded. After about four hours of trying my luck, I was cold, wet and hungry for lunch.

I stopped by the Angler’s Press booth and chatted up the organization’s vice president, Sheldon Bright (I also met Angler’s Press founder and CEO Vince Harris).

Bright and I talked about possibly working together down the line on projects – Angler’s Press is planning to run a sportsman’s show in the fall, so more on that at a later date – and he told me stories of past NorCal Trout Challenge events that also had slow fishing success until the very last minute of weigh-ins. We also talked about old friends/colleagues in the business.

After we exchanged business cards and shook hands, I told Bright I’d try to head back down in the spring and possibly enter another round of the series of events (the next stop is Lake Amador on March 11, followed by April 8 at Collins Lake and May 6 at Pardee Lake). Sign up at anglerspress.com/events/norcal-troutanglers-challenge and you might have more luck than I did. But I think you’ll have fun either way. -Chris

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