California Sportsman Mag - March 2024

PUBLISHER

James R. Baker

GENERAL MANAGER

John Rusnak

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Andy Walgamott

EDITOR

Chris Cocoles

CONTRIBUTORS

Mark Fong, Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Tim E. Hovey, Cal Kellogg

SALES MANAGER

Paul Yarnold

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Tom St. Clair

DESIGNERS

Gabrielle Pangilinan, Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

Emily Baker

DIGITAL STRATEGIST

Jon Hines

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Katie Aumann

Volume 16 • Issue 5

INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER

Lois Sanborn

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CORRESPONDENCE

Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

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ON THE COVER

Nancy Rodriguez shows off a nice spring turkey from Placer County, a gobbler she worked for multiple days before it finally made a fatal mistake. “He came in so cautious and silent as a falling snowflake!” recalls the Cool (El Dorado County) resident. The 2024 season opens March 30 and runs through May 5.

(NANCY RODRIGUEZ)

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25 TEMPT TAGGED TROUT FOR BIG BUCKS

After a flooding-related postponement affected attendance last year, the Isabella Lake Fishing Derby returns to its usual March dates, hopefully bringing more participants back to this popular Kern River Valley event. Derby director Fred Clark breaks down the details for how lucky anglers can catch tagged trout that can be worth up to $10,000.

31 OROVILLE SPOTTED BASS VS. NEW ULTRA-FINESSE SPINNING RODS

9 The Editor’s Note: A Belize fishing adventure

15 Outdoor calendar

17 The case for kayak fishing

37 From Field to Fire: New rods impress angler: Marinated venison, Nigerian suya style

59 Upland bird estate gun dog hunts

Our Northern California bassin’ specialist Mark Fong took a winter trip to Lake Oroville with his buddy Chris Wegeleben, who owns Tumwater, Washington-based Prolite Rods. Fong and Wegeleben tried out a couple of the latter’s new creations, ultrafinesse spinning rods. Find out how well the new technology handled Oroville’s famed spotties.

53 TIPS FOR HUNTING PRESSURED PUBLIC-LAND TURKEYS

Cal Kellogg is adamant when he says, “Killing public land gobblers in California and elsewhere is easy, or perhaps I should say, easy with a little bit of knowledge.” With spring turkey hunting season opening in the Golden State on March 30, Kellogg provides all the scouting, calling and timing variables you need to bag that oversized upland bird on highly pressured state and federal lands.

THE EDITOR’SNOTE

HOPKINS, Belize–“Good energy, man!”

That was the last reaction I was expecting when I was met on a dock in this charming Central American beach town. On a trip to Belize, I’d signed up for a full day of saltwater fishing and joined a previous group. One of the host guides, a local Belizean named Medz, was a few minutes late, and as I chatted up a Canadian couple who was also waiting for a boat, we mistakenly thought we’d had the same charter lined up.

I instantly was charmed with Medz, who, like just about every local my family members and I crossed paths with in Belize, was gregarious, open and warm. We walked back to his truck parked in front of the lodge we stayed at, and in the short drive down to the nearby marina, Medz told me the whole story of why he was a little tardy.

The leader of the trio who had also reserved a day of fishing with Medz

and his cousin Jeff, who both guide for Get To Know Belize Adventures (gettoknowbelizeadventures.com), had met him at the front gate at Mangrove Marina, but the man – like me, a North American tourist – scoffed when he found some other stiff would be sharing the boat.

“He didn’t want anyone else on the boat with them,” Medz told me on the ride. He gave me bad vibes, man.” (Medz pronounced it like “mon.”)

After some back and forth, the guy finally told Medz he would cancel, Medz referred him to discuss any feasible refunds with his boss, and his and Jeff’s day turned into a solo fishing excursion with the good energy dude.

I initially told the guys we could just do a half day if needed, but Medz said we could wing it. After netting some small herring for bait – we also got a thrill when a mullet spontaneously jumped onto the dock – we got into one of the two fishing

The editor had a memorable day fishing off the coast of Belize for snapper and a porgy. He had the boat all to himself after another party abruptly canceled. (CHRIS COCOLES)

Jeff, the younger cousin to lead guide Medz, drops anchor along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, where the fish are plentiful. (CHRIS COCOLES)

skiffs Medz and Jeff use to run fishing and snorkeling tours. We cruised down the Sittee River, which is surrounded by the marina’s namesake thick red mangrove trees, and headed out to the open sea.

We rode about 14 miles out, and while the ride was a bit choppy and wet, the water was some of the most beautiful I’ve ever encountered (Medz calls the changing colors of the sea Belize’s “50 shades of blue”). On the trip, Medz pointed out one of several small islands off the Belize coast, known as cayes (pronounced keys).

“That’s Bread and Butter Caye. We’ll stop there for lunch,” Medz hollered out.

“Sounds great,” I replied.

We arrived at a popular fishing location known as the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef, which stretches up and down the Caribbean Sea off the coasts of Mexico, Belize, Guatemala and Honduras.

Jeff dropped anchor, baited up a live herring for me and told me to cast between the rocks below and get the bait to the bottom, about 14 feet down.

Medz and Jeff set out old-school

hand lines from the stern of the boat, and predictably the old pros brought up fish more frequently than me. Still, we had action most of the morning, though as I

kept missing subtle bites, Medz jokingly nominated me for president of the “Feed the Fish Foundation.”

I managed to land a couple hardfighting snapper and my favorite fish of the day, a feisty porgy, as part of a nice haul that we stashed in the cooler of the Miss Terina. (Their other boat, the Miss Tina, is also named for a family matriarch.)

But the main event was Medz and Jeff making lunch with our catch back at Bread and Butter Caye, a private island owned by a Minnesota man who has agreements with tour groups to stop for lunch, drinks or fun in the sun 5 miles offshore. It was the closest I’ve ever felt to being Gilligan or the Skipper, but the island actually contains some small buildings, restrooms, comfortable hammocks and – most importantly – an outdoor kitchen.

After using the facilities and washing my hands, I chatted up Medz while he cleaned our fish along the shoreline that featured a natural aquarium below. In the crystal clear water we spied stingrays, needlefish and even a sand shark.

I eventually settled onto a shady picnic bench and watched Medz and Jeff work their magic in the kitchen. They swapped stories with other guides who also work on the caye, switching back and forth between English – Belize’s official language – and the local Creole dialect that many locals also speak.

Simply put, the meal was one of my

Medz, who is a father of four and also the oldest of 11 siblings, with a red snapper. (CHRIS COCOLES)

Medz cleans fish filets along the shore of Bread and Butter Caye, a private island that fishing charters and tours can access. (CHRIS COCOLES)

favorites of all my travels: grilled fish; more filets doused in curry and coconut; lobster tail from a crustacean the guys had caught the day before; rice and beans; banana bread for dessert.

Good energy, man.

Back at Mangrove Marina, I said my goodbyes to Jeff and Medz, who gave a few extra fish to the marina’s security guard, and we revisited the story from the beginning of the day. I don’t know about that guy who canceled because of me, but like the rest of my time in Belize, this day was special. And delicious. -Chris

Cocoles

A feast of the day’s catch was one of many lasting memories of Belize for the editor. (CHRIS COCOLES)

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

MARCH

1-3 Bart Hall Shows Pomona Boat Show, Pomona Fairplex; hallshows.com

1-3 NorCal Boat, Sport and RV Show, Shasta District Fairgrounds, Anderson; norcalsportshow.com

9 Kokanee Power Fundraising Dinner, Elks Lodge, Sacramento; email info@kokaneepower.org

10 Last day of North Coast Special Management Area Canada geese and Northeastern Zone late white and white-fronted geese seasons

16 NorCal Trout Angler’s Challenge, Lake Amador; anglerspress.com/events/norcal-trout-anglers-challenge

16 Recreation 4 Veterans Fishing Day, Collins Lake; (530) 692-1600

17 Last day of falconry rabbit and varying hare season

23 Blake Jones Trout Derby, Owens River and Pleasant Valley Reservoir, Bishop; bishopvisitor.com/event/ blake-jones-trout-derby

23-24 Junior wild turkey hunting dates

23-25 Isabella Lake Fishing Derby; kernrivervalley.com/ isabellalakefishingderby

30 Spring wild turkey season opens

APRIL

5-6 4th Annual Trout Derby, Blue Lakes, Lake County; thenarrowsresort.com/activities

6 Bullards Bar Team Kokanee Derby, Bullards Bar Reservoir; kokaneepower.org/derbies

6-7 Redding Sportsmans Expo, Redding Civic Auditorium; reddingsportsmansexpo.com

6-7 SMUD Trout Derby, Rancho Seco Recreational Area, Sacramento County; anglerspress.com/events/ smud-trout-derby

13 NorCal Trout Angler’s Challenge, Collins Lake; anglerspress.com/events/norcal-trout-anglers-challenge

20 K.A.S.T. For Kids, Collins Lake; (530) 712-8099

20-21 NorCal Guides & Sportsmen’s Association Striped Bass Derby, Colusa State Park launch ramp; ncgasa.org/ product/striped-bass-derby-2024

27 Statewide trout opener

27 Fish of the Month Derby, Gull Lake; (760) 648-7539

27 Fishmas Day Derby, Tom’s Place, Crowley Lake; (760) 935-4239

27 Mono Village’s Fishing Opener Derby, Upper Twin Lake, Bridgeport; (760) 932-7071

29-June 2 Round-Up at the Lake Spring Fishing Derby, Convict Lake; (800) 992-2260

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

California’s spring wild turkey season gets started on March 30 and runs through May 5. (HARRY MORSE/CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE)

GO PEDAL TO

THE PLASTIC

THE CASE FOR GETTING INTO KAYAK FISHING

By Cal Kellogg

Like many anglers in the Golden State, I started my fishing career from the bank at an early age. I caught plenty of trout, bass, catfish and such with my feet firmly anchored on the shoreline.

I didn’t get a boat until I was in my early 20s. I started out small with a 12-foot aluminum skiff. As time went by and I became a full-time outdoor writer, a whole new world opened for me. I went through a parade of sponsored boats. Each alumi-

num sled I ran was bigger and faster than the last.

Toward the end of my stint as a “sponsored” angler, I picked up my first kayak. I’d been interested in exploring the world of pedal kayak fishing for a long while. I quickly fell in love with kayaking.

These days, I operate my own guide service and spend a lot of time targeting trout and salmon from a big, comfortable pontoon boat, but I also have a fleet of kayaks and offer guided kayak fishing trips.

So, with these experiences under

my belt, I can give you an honest assessment of kayak fishing and how it measures up against both bank and boat fishing.

EFFECTIVE FISHING CRAFTS

My first kayak was a 14-foot pedal-drive Hobie Pro Angler. On my first few trips getting acquainted with the kayak, I stuck to bass fishing, but as time went by, I outfitted the Pro Angler for trout trolling.

When I started trolling, I almost immediately started catching more and bigger trout using the same lures

and approaches I’d always used. At first, I wondered if I was becoming a better angler, but since I hadn’t changed my presentations or basic strategy, it made no sense. I concluded my uptick in success was due to the kayak itself.

This belief was driven home to me when my partner Wes Ward and I started running both kayak and boat fishing guide trips at Collins Lake several years ago. Wes would often be guiding three green anglers who had never kayaked before on our fleet of pedal-drive Hobies, while I guided from our powerboat. Using the same presentations, Wes and his greenhorns often outfished the boat! Why?

For starters, kayaks are much stealthier than a boat. They displace far less water than a boat and cut through the water more quietly. They are also more maneuverable than a boat. When it comes to trout trolling, I always tell my clients that once they find the fish, they’ll want to cut the lake down and work the area that’s producing.

In a kayak it’s possible to make a 50-yard loop and stay in the strike zone all the time, be it an area off a point or in a cove. In the boat with trolling gear out, the loops I make are a few hundred yards long; as a result, I’m only in the strike zone part of the time.

As a kayak grinds on an area holding feeding trout, it doesn’t tend to spook the fish. In contrast, when I find shallow fish in the boat, I typically boat a handful, and then the big footprint of the boat puts the remaining fish off the bite.

A kayak also has the edge when it comes to working in tight to the shoreline. Game fish like trout will often move into shallow water only a few yards off the bank. If I want to troll for these fish from the pontoon boat, I’ve got to run a side planer up next to the shore, while a kayaker can troll the same zone with a pair of rods with no fear of hitting a submerged rock or spooking the fish.

Do you dream of battling big trophy trout like this monster? If you do, a kayak’s stealth and maneuverability will help you accomplish your goal. (CAL KELLOGG)

CONVERTING THE DOUBTERS

Over the past few years, I’ve had the pleasure of introducing a growing list of anglers to kayaking who have gone out and bought their own kayaks.

The latest are Pete and Christine, a couple who live in Washington state and love trout fishing. Pete has a beautiful North River boat, but after I took the pair kayaking for cutthroats in the Sierra last summer, Pete picked up a pair of Hobies because of the effectiveness and simplicity of the platform compared to his big sled.

When it comes to trout and landlocked salmon trolling, I’m firmly convinced the kayak has the edge over a boat in terms of effectiveness.

How about bass fishing, or really any sort of fishing that requires casting, such as using spinning lures or flies for trout? Here again, the kayak option shines due to its stealth and nearshore maneuverability. I’m not a huge bass fisherman, but I do enjoy catching bass. I’ve found when targeting bass from the kayak, I can typically make much shorter casts, since I can move in tighter to the fish without scaring them.

It’s fun when you can flip out a worm or tube and hook bass 15 feet from the nose of your kayak in 2 feet of water. It’s even cooler when you find a pack of postspawn spots blitzing shad on the surface. You can inch right up to them in a kayak and enjoy outrageous, prolonged topwater action at close range.

In a boat you can only get two or three of those bass on a popper or walking bait before your presence chases the bass and the bait back into the depths.

TALKIN’ SPECS

I’ll begin with a disclaimer: Everything I’m about to say is heavy on opinion and your mileage may vary!

You’ve seen the bargain-basement kayaks at the local big-box hardware or department stores. If you’re serious about fishing, what you get with one of these cheapo boats is $99 worth of

While many kayaks, especially when filled with gear and human cargo, are heavy, they still offer a lot more flexibility

frustration and a free dunk in the water if you attempt to stand up to cast or answer the call of nature. A dunk might be fun in summer; in the winter, it could be deadly.

If you’re serious about fishing, you need a serious fishing kayak. There are a lot of models available from a lot of different manufacturers. Some are paddle-propelled units and some feature pedals.

You can certainly catch plenty of fish from a paddle kayak, but for me, a serious fishing kayak must have a pedal propulsion system. Pedaling frees your hands for fishing, and your legs are stronger than your arms anyway. This means you can pedal longer and more efficiently than you can paddle.

If you want to troll, pedaling is 100 percent the way to go. I tell people not only do I catch trout trolling, but I also catch a nice zero-impact, calorie-burning workout!

You might be wondering about the new generation of kayaks that feature electric trolling motors. To each his own, but utilizing a motor

just isn’t for me. I enjoy pedaling, and if I were using a motor, I’d constantly be worried about running out of juice and being stranded far from my vehicle.

There are also regulatory considerations when it comes to running a powered kayak in California. For starters, you’ll have to pay fees and get CF registration numbers on your kayak if you utilize a motor.

You’ll also become subject to snail and mussel inspections. I’ve heard a lot of stories from anglers in boats and motorized kayaks being turned away from lakes because an inspector discovered water in the craft.

I talk a lot about Hobie kayaks because I’ve always run Hobies. I want to make clear that I have no skin in the Hobie game. There are a lot of great pedal-drive kayaks available designed for serious fishing.

Pedal-drive fishing kayaks come in a lot of different sizes and weights, but most of them have one thing in common: They were all designed with bass fishing in mind, and why not? Black bass is the most popular

game fish in the country.

Maybe you’re a bass angler or maybe a trouter like me. The point is this: think about bass fishing. Bass guys like to stand up and flip and rip and pitch and stuff like that. The key part of that phrase is “stand up.” Modern fishing kayaks are extremely stable and designed for you to stand on.

Everyone I take kayaking with has questions about stability. None of my clients or myself have ever come close to flipping or falling out of our kayaks.

The stability of a modern fishing kayak results from intense engineering. Fishing kayaks, compared to old-school whitewater kayaks, are extremely wide. For example, my Pro Angler is 46 inches wide in the cockpit area. Width lends stability for the angler who wants to stand up, but hull design is also a major factor.

Most fishing kayaks boast modified catamaran-style hulls. If you lean, the kayak will list to the side a bit, but the enlarged portion of the hull resists going below the surface, so there is a very positive “locking point.”

There are many videos on YouTube showing anglers not only standing in their kayaks, but actually walking around on them from bow to stern.

RANGE AND SAFETY

During a mild day of trolling, I cover 10 to 12 miles, and I’ve covered 20-plus miles many times. Obviously, pedal kayaks offer the ability to cover a lot of water. Due to the hull design of modern fishing kayaks, pedaling at a medium rate of speed in the 2- to 2.5-mph range requires little energy. Kayaks want to slide through the water, so pedaling them isn’t tiring. Very often when the conditions call for slow trolling, I must mentally force myself to slow down.

With an efficient pedal drive, you’ll be able to cover a small- to medium-sized lake in a single day. Larger lakes typically feature multiple launch ramps. Let’s say you’re up

than the big aluminum boat on your trailer. (CAL KELLOGG)

on the Sac Arm of Lake Shasta but decide you want to check out the area near the dam. No problem; load up your kayak, jump on the freeway and drop back into the water at the other end of the lake.

The question begs: Are pedal-drive kayaks safe to use on large bodies of open water? Absolutely! I have been out on Eagle Lake when 30-plus-mph winds came up unexpectedly and was still able to safely navigate 3 miles back to the Gallatin Launch Ramp despite whitecaps rolling into my kayak’s self-bailing cockpit multiple times.

Of course, you wouldn’t plan a trip when the wind was gusting to 30, but I mention the incident to illustrate just how capable pedal-fishing kayaks can be in adverse conditions. Winds in the 10 to 15 mph

range shouldn’t keep you from effectively fishing, and neither will chop and small whitecaps.

Most fishing kayaks with a pedal drive can take on ocean waters, so fishing your local reservoir on a breezy afternoon isn’t a problem.

When the weather is cold, I’ll often wear waders when fishing from my kayaks just to stay warm and dry, but during most of the year I wear water shoes and a pair of cargo shorts. The one thing that both my dog and constant kayak copilot Lucy and I wear on every outing without fail are lifejackets. As I said, I’ve never even come close to falling out of my Hobie, but every time we go out, I assume disaster will strike and we’ll end up in the water. Drowning isn’t part of our retirement plan, so wearing life jackets is nonnegotiable!

CONVENIENCE AND TRANSPORTING

As a guy who owns a big pontoon boat, I can attest that kayaks are easier to store, easier to launch and require less prep time than a boat. Once you’ve got your kayak dialed in to your needs, which is an ever-evolving process to some degree, your ’yak will feel like part of your own body. You’ll be one with the watercraft, and that’s a great feeling.

I told my buddy Pete up in Washington that now that he has a kayak, his big North River is going to get less and less use. So far, my prediction has been correct.

How you transport your kayak comes down to the size of the craft in question. My big Hobie Pro Angler 14, when loaded with a full range of camping and fishing gear, weighs in at over 200 pounds, hardly the sort

Kayak angler Christine caught several handsome cutthroats at Prosser Reservoir last summer and fall, including this dandy fish. (CAL KELLOGG)

of thing you are going to tuck under your arm and load on the top of your Prius. My Pro Angler rides on a modified utility trailer and I launch it just like I’d launch a boat.

On the other end of the spectrum, I have several 11-foot Hobie Lynx kayaks in my guiding fleet. The

Lynx is a kayak with the soul of a paddleboard. It has no internal space or storage. It has an extremely stable 36-inch-wide deck, just like a paddle board, but it features a seat, rudder and Mirage Drive pedals. The hull weighs 45 pounds.

The Lynx can easily ride atop a

and his fishing partner Lucy – always clad in lifejackets for safety –teamed up to smack this limit of pansized trout during an early-summer outing at Lake Almanor. You won’t find two stronger advocates for fishing out of kayaks than these two. (CAL

small car or in the bed of a truck. It’s also a kayak you can attach wheels to and push or pull it to small, outof-the-way lakes and ponds.

For my purposes, I’ve attached a lumber rack to my utility trailer. When guiding my Pro Angler, the “mother ship” rides on the deck of the trailer and the three Lynx kayaks are stacked and strapped on the lumber rack above.

FINAL ARGUMENTS

I never answered the question of whether kayak fishing is for you because only you can answer that question. Serious pedal-drive kayaks do represent a financial investment, so I would advise you to get out on the water on one before you make a purchase.

There are guys like me who offer introductory kayak trips and most kayak shops feature events that allow prospective kayakers to explore various models out on the water.

I will tell you that I’ve never taken out a person with an interest in trying a fishing kayak who didn’t like the experience, and as I mentioned, I’ve had several clients who have gone out and bought their own kayaks.

I’ll leave you with this warning: If you’re an avid angler and you try kayaking, there is a very good chance your wallet will get a little thinner, because you’re going to want a kayak of your own! CS

Kellogg

KELLOGG)

Fair warning: If you give kayak fishing a try, there’s a “very good chance” you’ll soon be investing in a craft of your own. (CAL KELLOGG)

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CA$H IN ON TAGGED TROUT

AFTER 2023’S MOVE TO MAY DUE TO FLOODING, ISABELLA LAKE DERBY RETURNS TO LATE MARCH

By Chris Cocoles

Last year, when concerns about flooding and debris at Kern Valley’s Isabella Lake prompted the postponement of March’s trout derby to May, angler turnout was affected negatively.

“It was horrible. The delay really shot us in the foot and screwed up a lot of plans,” says Fred Clark, president of the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce, who oversees the trout derby as its chairman. Rescheduling the tournament to May 20 saw participation plummet to about 1,300

anglers who bought tickets.

“That’s bad for us. If you go back to 2008, there were over 8,000 anglers,” Clark said.

Granted, Clark understands that as a whole, California is down in terms of fishing license sales these days from the more robust numbers seen

A happy Isabella Lake Fishing Derby contestant shows off a $100 winner. Tagged trout up to $10,000 will be swimming in the Kern River Valley reservoir the weekend of March 2325 for the 33rd annual event. (ISABELLA LAKE FISHING DERBY)

in past decades, but it’s still a frustrating trend to see fewer and fewer anglers buying tickets to what has been one of Central California’s most popular annual events. The 2024 Isabella Lake Fishing Derby is scheduled for March 23-25.

“You know what, even if we hit 1,500 to 1,700 (entries), I’m happy,” he adds. “It takes roughly 1,500 anglers to break even because we still spend a lot of money before anything goes out.”

Clark cites buying fish food and renting out pens for privately purchased trout – roughly 6,000 to 8,000

some young competitors.

fish – that are stored before being released shortly before the derby’s start.

“Everything that we have to do with the trout that we will plant and the (tagged fish), the whole deal, we will spend between $80,000 and $90,000. That’s our problem; the costs have continued to rise. But we choose to not raise our rates. We’re trying to promote tourism, and we want families to fish. I just don’t want Dad fishing. I want everybody fishing.”

KERN RIVER VALLEY’S BIGGEST PARTY

Clark says that even with the beautiful Kern County location of Lake

Isabella, which has some outstanding trout fishing in the spring and fall, and the stretches of the wild-troutfilled and wild-and-scenic-designated Kern River, the Kern River Valley doesn’t consistently get heavy numbers of visitors throughout the year.

“Tourist-wise, we don’t get a lot of traffic, so there’s two big events that take place at the beginning of the year,” Clark says of mid-February’s Whiskey Flat Days in the community of Kernville, which pays homage to the region’s history of gold mining, cattle ranching and trapping, plus the highly anticipated trout derby, celebrating its 33rd edition this month.

Clark is hoping that with good weather and the fact the Kern River Valley is not only easily accessible for San Joaquin Valley residents, but just a three-hour drive from the Los Angeles area, that many anglers will buy tickets. Cash prizes for tagged trout start at $20 and include two each worth $5,000 and $10,000 to the lucky anglers who catch them.

“That’s just a good shot in the arm for all the local businesses,” says Clark, who himself runs an insurance agency in town. “They all get involved and participate and want to see it do well, because it means a lot to this community. And we need that little boost, and the derby does that. It brings a lot of visitors into the valley.”

FOR THE KIDS

Derby tickets cost $40 for adults and $15 for kids under the age of 16, and that younger set is a key part of the Isabella Lake Fishing Derby’s target audience. About 75 rod and reel combos and tackle box gear are “all ready to rock and roll,” Clark says of getting kids who don’t have their own gear set up and able to fish, and to perhaps come back again and wet a line.

It may add to the cost of staging this tournament, but Clark sees the benefit in getting the junior generation more invested in fishing.

“If you don’t get them involved, what happens to that generation?” he asks. “That’s why we do what we do.”

“If you don’t get them involved, what happens to that generation?” derby chairman Fred Clark says of the push to get kids entering the derby. He adds that about 75 rod and reel combos and tackle box gear are “all ready to rock and roll” for

(ISABELLA LAKE FISHING DERBY)

BEST OF CHARTERS

BOBBERS AND BLIND BOGEYING

While the main event is for anglers hoping to catch a lucky tagged trout, there’s also the Bobber Bowl and the Blind Bogey. Anyone who catches one of 100 donated tagged fish worth $100 will also be able to pull a random bobber out of a container that includes a couple $200 prizes sponsored by local businesses and residents, so that would allow the lucky bobber to double their prize money by picking one of those special bobbers.

And any trout, tagged or not, caught over the threeday event will automatically enter the ticket buyer into an additional draw at derby headquarters at the end of each day. Twenty lucky tickets will earn anywhere from $25 to $100.

“It’s our way of trying to say, ‘Look, not everyone is going to catch a (tagged trout).’ Let’s give away some more money,” says Clark, who also expects most ticket buyers to have great success fishing from shore, where PowerBait is a popular option for trying to fool a tagged trout.

“We have plenty of shoreline and plenty of water to have some fun,” Clark says. CS

Editor’s note: To purchase tickets for the Isabella Lake Fishing Derby, go to kernrivervalley.com/isabellalakefishingderby. You can also call the Kern River Valley Chamber of Commerce (760369-5236) or send an email to office@kernrivervalley.com.

Randy Schneider

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NEW GEAR GETS A GO

By Mark Fong

If you are a follower of California Sportsman, you probably know that

I love to fish high-quality, functional gear. Whether it be for trout, lingcod or bass, it seems I am always looking to add a rod or two to my arsenal.

Last year, I ordered a few new bass rods from Prolite Rod Technology (360-485-7584; proliterods.com), a small up-and-coming rod company based in Tumwater, Washington. Chris Wegeleben, the owner of Prolite, specializes in building techniquespecific rods and he was very interested in hearing my feedback.

Over the course of the season, I had the opportunity to fish my Prolites under a variety of different situations, utilizing many popular light-line applications. During this time, I had many conversations with Chris regarding my thoughts on how the rods were performing.

It did not take long for me to realize that Chris and I shared a lot of the same philosophies and principles regarding rod design and fishability. So much so, in fact, that when I invited him to come down to California to fish, he was all in.

TEST-DRIVING NEW GEAR

Last November, Chris made the 10-plus-hour drive from Tumwater to Northern California. We decided to meet up at Lake Oroville for a day of spotted bass fishing.

Prior to our trip, I prefished the lake several times and the bite, while

FISHING ANGLERS TARGET OROVILLE BASS WITH BUILDER’S ULTRAFINESSE SPIN RODS

Tumwater, Washington-based rod maker Chris Wegeleben tries out some of his new technology during a winter trip to Lake Oroville. (CHRIS WEGELEBEN/PROLITE RODS)

not wide open, was pretty consistent, making it the perfect environment to field-test rods and compare notes in real time.

I had asked Chris to build me a pair of ultra-finesse spinning rods that I could use for clear, open-water applications. I set up the Prolite SVX72 UL-S and SVX72 L-S with identical 2000-series spinning reels that I spooled up with 5-pound braided line and 4-pound fluorocarbon leaders.

Both rods are built on Batson Rainshadow RX7 blanks with Alps components, and I set up each with a drop-shot rig consisting of a 3/16-ounce tungsten drop-shot weight, No. 2 DS hook and a 4-inch straight-tail worm.

Once we were on the water, I headed to a series of submerged island tops, where I graphed the area with my electronics. I found several spots with good concentrations of pond smelt and fish marks, so I decided to drop the trolling motor and fish through the area.

This was the first time that Chris had used forward-facing sonar technology to hunt bass. During the morning, the bass were in the 20to 30-foot range and the bite was consistent. Chris and I alternated between the two rods, comparing notes as we went along. Both rods fished very similarly; however, we both agreed that the SVX72 UL-S was a little bit underpowered, but this was to be expected.

SWITCHING IT UP

At midmorning, we ran upriver and switched out the drop shots for a darter head worm, a Ned rig, a small paddletail swimbait and a damikistyle rig. The bite slowed up quite a bit, although our testing observations were pretty consistent from earlier in the morning.

Over the previous few weeks, the bite had been better in the afternoon. With this in mind, I ran back over to the area of the lake that we had fished first thing in the morning. I started

Lake Oroville is one of the state’s better bass fisheries, and one that author Mark Fong has fished plenty of times. (MARK FONG)

Wegeleben with a nice Oroville spottie. The afternoon bite really picked up and the guys found success with drop-shotting. (CHRIS WEGELEBEN/PROLITE RODS)

“Chris and I also got to fish a new prototype rod that he’d brought,” Fong (left) writes. “When we finally returned to the launch ramp, we were among the last boat trailers left in the lot, bringing an end to a fun and productive day on the water.” (CHRIS WEGELEBEN/PROLITE RODS)

graphing around and noticed that the bait had backed out some and was now in 40 to 55 feet of water.

Back to the drop-shot rigs, I started to see more active bass on the forward-facing sonar. Based on what I saw on the graph, Chris and I cast to the target area and it wasn’t long before the fish began to cooperate and the bite became wide open.

On the deeper end of the strike zone, 50 to 55 feet, it became apparent that the SVX72 L-S was better suited to the task at hand, as it resulted in more positive hookups than the SVX72 UL-S. Chris got pretty confident with using the forward-facing sonar, to the extent he started calling his shots.

And before the sun got too low on the horizon, Chris and I also got to fish a new prototype rod he’d brought. When we finally returned to the launch ramp, we were among the last boat trailers left in the lot, bringing an end to a fun and productive day on the water. CS

FILLING IN THE BLANKS

By Scott Haugen

From saltwater to lakes, rivers to streams, Stryker Rods is a small company that’s making a big impact in California fisheries. They’re located in Eugene, Oregon, and I recently paid them a visit.

I asked them one question, the same one I asked two other rod companies I’ve interviewed over the years: “What sets your rods apart from the rest?”

When I asked this to one owner many years ago, his reply was, “Nothing, really; they’re all pretty

much the same.” That story never ran because there was no story. The other rod owner spent over two hours detailing the specs of all the rods, which was great information.

But when I asked Nate Langlo, head of sales at Stryker Rods, what sets them apart, he had a unique

Stryker Rods have been put to the test on multiple species throughout North America, including coho in remote Alaska. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

TO FIRE

BIG INTERNATIONAL FLAVORS FROM BIG GAME

By Tiffany Haugen

I’m regularly inspired by YouTuber Beryl Shereshewsky, who highlights cuisines the world over. One that caught my eye is a traditional Nigerian beef dish known as suya. Wild game marinated in its unique but easy to obtain seasonings produce incredible flavors.

While this recipe uses elk, I’ve also made it with deer and wild boar, and everyone loves it. With fishing season upon us, now is a great time to make sure that that big game from last fall doesn’t get shoved to the back of the freezer, and this sure-fire recipe will keep you making more.

1½ pounds elk

½ cup powdered or creamy peanut butter ¼ cup olive or canola oil

¼ cup minced onion

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon minced garlic or 2 teaspoons granulated garlic

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger or 2

teaspoons powdered ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon red chili flakes

Bamboo or metal skewers

mix peanut butter, oil, onion, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and spices until thoroughly combined. Add meat to peanut butter mixture and massage until all pieces are evenly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for four to 12 hours.

Thread meat strips onto skewers and let sit at room temperature 15 to 20 minutes. Grill skewers on a medium-hot grill three to five minutes per side or bake on a baking sheet in a 400-degree oven 10 to 12 minutes. Suya can also be pan-fried in a large skillet on medium-high heat in a few tablespoons of oil.

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book Cooking Big Game and other bestselling titles, visit tiffanyhaugen.com.

A YouTube cooking influencer has inspired wild game chef Tiffany Haugen to give international dishes a sportswoman's twist. Here, she used a Nigerian recipe to infuse elk skewers with big flavors. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)

Slice elk sirloin or backstrap into long, thin strips. In a large bowl,

comeback. “There aren’t many finished rod companies building their own blanks anymore, and we like providing blanks for people. We saw a void in the industry and ran with the idea of how to meet customer’s needs, and we’re doing it by creating well-manufactured rods of very high quality.”

Interestingly, Stryker Rods is achieving this nationwide one customer at a time. From salmon and steelhead rods to bluefin tuna, speckled trout, kokanee, ice fishing and many other rods, Stryker is creating a range of quality rods, and much of it is at the request of clients.

“It’s all about good customer service, building relationships and a sense of community,” Langlo says. “We want to get anglers the best rod possible, and this comes by working closely with each person. If it doesn’t fit, we’ll exchange it and keep working until we get what you want, even after payment has come through.”

Langlo gave many examples of phone time with customers around the country and how the company has built and rebuilt rods to suit client needs. “Our doors are always open, and we get lots of phone calls, emails and drop-ins,” he adds. “We’re easy to talk to and work with and are dedicated to getting anglers what they want.”

WEST COAST ROOTS

In 2019, three businessmen in the Eugene area bought Rogue Rods. The new owners are avid, knowledgeable anglers. None of them had to buy a rod company, but they wanted to.

“We know we’re not going to compete with the big rod companies out there,” shares co-owner Duane Leavitt. “But we’ve found a niche and it’s gratifying to help so many people across the country find their ideal rod.”

After moving all the rod-building equipment into a warehouse in Eugene and upgrading it, the Stryker owners assembled a quality team of designers, engineers, rod builders and finishers, not to mention a valued support staff.

“We’ve been together three years, and it just keeps getting better,” says Langlo with a smile.

ALASKA FIELD WORK

The past two seasons, I fished with some of their salmon rods and fly rods in Alaska and liked them. Becharof Lodge on Alaska’s Egegik River ordered two dozen custom-made coho rods from Stryker. The rods were fished by over 200 people the last two years and thousands of coho were caught on them. Only one rod broke, and that was the tip someone stepped

Stryker Rods’ custom blanks are proving very popular across the country. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Based in Eugene, Oregon, Stryker Rods is all about building customer relationships, along with high-quality rods. (SCOTT

on. Stryker replaced it.

I could get into the wide range of materials, carbon fiber glass blends, ratios, angles, strengths, colors and finish work Stryker Rods prides themselves on, but you can learn that with a visit to their website. What stands out the most to me is Stryker’s dedication to serving us, the anglers.

“Our blanks have really taken off,” continues Langlo. “Orders range from one person getting five blanks a year to shops ordering a couple thousand a year. There are a lot of rod builders across the country who are just starting out, and it’s really

rewarding to work with them directly. We begin by building lengths people want with their desired specs, then adding colors they like, and before you know it, we have a specialized rod a lot of anglers want.”

GROWING COMPANY

Stryker Rods are in over 40 states, as word of mouth has traveled fast among happy customers. They offer 150 models, with that number continuing to grow.

“A lot of our ideas come from customers,” says Langlo. “I’d say it’s about 50-50, customers and our en-

gineers, but it’s really a team effort of everyone communicating and working together to achieve an end goal. Our designers are always experimenting and customers are always contributing.”

“All I know is,” he adds, “I have the best job and love coming to work every day.” CS

Editor’s note: Learn more about Stryker Rods at strykerrods.us. They’re also on Instagram and Facebook. If passing through Eugene, stop by for a visit; they’re located just west of Interstate 5 and they’ll welcome you.

HAUGEN)

HIGH QUALITY

BALL BEARING EQUIPPED CRANKHANDLE

QPQ NITRIDE

FINISH ON STEEL PARTS

FULL USE AND ACCESS

TO YOUR FACTORY TRIGGER

HEAT TREATED

ORDNANCE GRADE STEEL COMPONENTS

EASY INSTALLATION

WITH NO PERMANENT MODIFICATION TO YOUR FIREARM

STANDARD AR/SR PATTERN GRIP

WORKS WITH MOST AR TRIGGERS

The FG-15 is just a grip when not in use, when the handle is deployed it is a trigger crank, allowing you to fire one shot per 120 degrees you crank the handle.

The FG-15 has been tested on a 20 year old Bushmaster, new Aero Precision, Daniel Defenses, LWRC, Ruger, Bravo Co, to name a few. Aside from the twin stainless Japanese precision ball bearings, the FG-15 is an American made and seriously overbuilt piece of kit. Comprising of nitride 4140 steel machined components, hardened S7 trigger striker pin, and many more high quality components. The FG-15 was mechanically tested for over 1,000,000 shots fired. At that point, the components showed only a light surface finish wear.

In the prone and with your weapon on a bipod, it allows the user to consistently put shots on target without trigger fatigue. Any AR-15 type firearm that has a 1/4-28 thread pitch for the grip screw will accept the FG-15 grip. Which is 99% of AR-15 lower receivers.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

A YOUNG LADY FOLLOWS POPS’ BIOLOGIST CAREER PATH

By Tim E. Hovey

Ifeel extremely fortunate to have had a lengthy career as a field biologist for the state of California. During my time as a marine and fisheries biologist with the Department of Fish and Wildlife, I was able to participate in a variety of diverse surveys throughout the state. Early on, I was involved in a program that allowed me to help other wildlife surveyors in Southern California. For me, it was the perfect career.

In 2004, five years after I started with Fish and Wildlife, I relocated my family to northern Los Angeles County, which put me closer to a lot of the critters I was responsible for monitoring. Since CDFW didn’t have an office in this area, I was approved

Jessica Hovey began joining her fish and wildlife biologist father Tim on surveys when she was 12 years old. About a decade later, Jessica is a college graduate pursuing the same career path as Dad. (TIM E. HOVEY)

to work from my home.

As the surveys and the years piled up, I started to return home with stories of great adventures in the field. One time, just after coming home from helping on a multi-day bighorn sheep survey, I was showing my family pictures of the adventure and I remember my youngest daughter, Jessica, saying that it looked like fun. She was around 12 at the time and I didn’t think much about it.

A few weeks later, I was getting stuff ready to drive inland to check on a reservoir. California was in the midst of a severe drought at the time, and part of my duties was to routinely monitor water levels and fisheries that were being impacted. With my

nets and waders loaded up, Jessica caught me in the garage. She had the afternoon off and wanted to tag along.

That day, the duties were light, and it was great to have her on the survey with me. We talked about school and other things, and she got to see a small piece of what I did for the state. That was the first time that I saw her interest in my job.

From then on, if she was available and I had a survey planned, she volunteered. We’d net creeks for native fish and conduct night surveys for arroyo toads. Twice a year, the reservoir biologist for our region would conduct boat surveys of a lake near our home. This became one of my daughter’s favorite field surveys

to help with.

Both Jessica and her older sister Alyssa netted stunned fish, identified them down to species, weighed and measured them. They were both listed as volunteer surveyors on the final report; Jessica thought that was neat.

IN 2016, I BEGAN a lengthy project that involved identifying a perennial drainage and moving the endangered unarmored three-spine stickleback to the location. Per the federal and state regulations, routine and consistent monitoring was to take place to make sure we had made the right decision in relocating the endangered fish. This meant that I had to hike the mile into the site, conduct a survey and

Jessica measures a fish during a reservoir survey. When she was younger and her dad was working around Southern California on various projects, she’d often tag along and want to continue learning about fish and wildlife. (TIM E. HOVEY)

then hike back out two to three times a week.

Within a month of moving the fish, Jessica was making regular trips out in the backcountry to check on things with me. She’d bring her camera and look for critters along the way. But once we got to the site, she’d dive right in and assist. When I was taking water temperatures and photographs of the area, she’d be taking notes and manning the GPS.

Jessica had learned to run the

device back when she and her sister were 8 and 10, respectively, and we spent a summer traveling the back hills looking for snakes. Jessica took a waypoint whenever we found an animal. Fast forward to the stickleback survey and I remember being surprised that she still knew how to operate the device.

ONE AFTERNOON, WE WERE helping

a group of biologists remove a huge population of nonnative frogs from

an old cement enclosure. Jessica was a senior in high school, and we started talking about what she thought she wanted to pursue in college. At that time, she hadn’t really settled on a path. As we slogged through the muddy bottom, she mentioned how she wanted to do what I do. I remember feeling exceptionally proud when I heard her say that.

After shopping around looking at colleges, we settled on Boise State University in Idaho. She enrolled in the biology, ecology, evolution and behavior program and hit the ground running for the fall 2020 session. Before each semester, we’d talk about what she was taking and how stacked her schedule was. Despite my advice to take it slow and save some of the heavier classes for later, she refused, often taking five and six classes at a time.

At the beginning of 2023, she was having a rough time and feeling the stress of life and school. We’d talk about how close she was to being finished and how this year was going to be a bit easier for her since she had tackled some of the heavier classes earlier on.

I finished the conversation by telling her that 2023 was going to be an amazing year for her. I didn’t realize it at the time, but it would turn out to be far better than I could’ve imagined.

A FEW SHORT WEEKS

into Jessica’s spring 2023 semester, she told us that she had landed a paid biology lab position for one of the graduate students on the Boise State campus.

Before the month was over, she had accepted two more paid positions at the university doing a variety of different lab duties. In the span of a month, she was processing soil samples, reviewing in-field drone footage and assisting with kestrel surveys. She was indeed on her way.

Towards the end of that semester, she started looking at exactly what classes she needed for the fall school period. She called me, a little

Jessica mans the GPS during a fish survey with Tim. “Once we got to the site, she’d dive right in and assist,” Tim writes. (TIM E. HOVEY)

confused. She said that there were no classes required beyond the fall 2023 semester. We always assumed she’d graduate at the end of spring 2024 since she had entered university in 2020. After a little investigating, we learned that Jessica had stacked up so many classes early on that she was graduating a full semester early.

Through her campus exposure of working three different lab jobs at the beginning of the year, Jessica began to hear about other positions available for summer work. She applied for a field biologist position for the Idaho National Guard. She filled out the application and sent it in.

A few days later she called and told me they wanted to talk to her about the position. I told her it sounded like they wanted to interview her. She thought differently. After they called her, she called me back and said that she got the job.

During summer 2023, Jessica worked full time as a field biologist for the National Guard. She was responsible for conducting plant and

animal surveys over a large portion of the base. A month in, the field research group had a booth at a local weekend fair to explain the duties of the group. We stopped by to see the National Guard display. We were introduced to her coworkers and her boss.

Before we left, her boss pulled me aside. He knew I was a biologist and just wanted me to know that someone else at the university wanted to hire Jessica for the summer, but he had fought to have her work on his team. I walked over and gave Jessica a big hug and told her I was proud of her.

In the fall of 2023, Jessica buckled down for her last college semester. She had saved enough money from previous jobs to concentrate on school and not have to work. Even though she detested her organic chemistry class, she pushed on and breezed through her final session of college.

About a month before her graduation, Jessica was forwarded a job announcement for a biologist position with the United States

Geological Survey. Once again, she filled out the application and sent it in. And once again they wanted to talk to her about the position.

After a lengthy phone call, Jessica was offered the job and told it would be waiting for her after she graduated college.

A FEW MONTHS AFTER graduation, I met Jessica for lunch. We talked about her new job and the people she was meeting. She discussed her lab work and what she’d be doing for USGS in the future. She also told me that the National Guard had contacted her again and wanted her to lead the next round of field biologists for the summer surveys on the base.

As she spoke, I watched her face light up with excitement. I knew my daughter Jessica was exactly where she was supposed to be.

After lunch, we walked back to the cars. I gave her a hug and told her that I was very proud of her. She looked me in the eye and said, “Dad, I couldn’t have done it without you!”

As she drove off, it occurred to me that that was one of the nicest things anyone has ever said to me. CS

Upon graduating from Boise State University, Jessica (here working on a raptor survey) was hired as a biologist for the United States Geological Survey. (TIM E. HOVEY)

“She mentioned how she wanted to do what I do,” Tim writes about what would become Jessica’s destiny as a fellow biologist working in the field. “I remember feeling exceptionally proud when I heard her say that.” (TIM E. HOVEY)

TIPS FOR PUBLICLAND TURKEYS

EVEN WITH PRESSURE HIGH, THERE ARE WAYS TO TAG TOMS ON FEDERAL OR STATE GROUND, AND HERE’S HOW

By Cal Kellogg

Killing public-land gobblers in California and elsewhere is easy, or perhaps I should say, easy with a little bit of knowledge.

For me, it took roughly 20 years of field experience chasing spring gobblers to get to the point where I was consistently harvesting them. Luckily for you, I’m going to pass along some of the most fundamental rules and field tactics I’ve established for bagging heavily pressured publicland toms.

Whether you are new to turkey hunting or have a few spring seasons under your belt but are looking to increase your success rate, the first thing I want you to do is forget just about everything you’ve gleaned from watching television hunting shows and videos created by prominent celebrity hunters.

Am I saying the shows don’t provide useful information or are in some way fake? Absolutely not, but the thing you’ve got to realize is that most of the instructional turkey hunting videos you see on television or on YouTube are filmed on private property, where the birds are subjected to little hunting pressure.

This lack of pressure makes a huge difference in the way you approach the hunt. Private-land birds likely haven’t been spooked or exposed to calling, and

Longbeards are plentiful on public land in the Golden State, but to score you’ve got to think outside the box. A drift boat was utilized to gain access to the Sacramento River wildlife area where this fine turkey was harvested. California’s spring season opens on March 30. (ALL RIVER FISHING GUIDE SERVICE)

you don’t have to worry about another hunter stumbling into your setup.

Unfortunately, you likely don’t have access to a sweet private-land hunting spot for this spring’s season, so you’re going to be hunting a wildlife area or on national forest land. The birds you encounter are going to be pressured and you’ll be competing against other hunters, so you’ll have to develop tactics to successfully deal with the challenging public-land hunting scene. Let’s dive in!

SCOUTING

Every turkey hunting article you read stresses the importance of scouting, and scouting is indeed an important part of the equation. But if you don’t live near the turkey woods, how realistic is it for you to work in extensive scouting between responsibilities at home and work?

I’m going to assume that if you’re reading this, you’ve identified some areas that hold turkeys but haven’t had the time to pattern any birds before the season.

These days, a lot of preliminary scouting can be done with a computer to identify areas that might offer opportunity to the weekend warrior or the hunter who can take a few vacation days in the spring to hunt during the week.

AVOIDING OTHER HUNTERS

Nothing can shut down a turkey hunt faster than big numbers of hunters roaming around, calling too much and/or calling too loudly. The more famous or renowned the hunting area, the more pressure it will attract, especially on the opening weekend of the season.

For example, I used to have tremendous success hunting the Auburn Recreation Area, but the word has gotten out and the area attracts hordes of hunters on the opening weekend of season. I still hunt the area occasionally, but never during the first week of the spring season.

This brings us to my first rule on public land: If you don’t have

Author Cal Kellogg’s 30-plus years hunting California’s turkeys on public land convinced him that field tactics are more important than calling for spring success. His entire selection of calls include a plastic friction call, a ceramic friction call for windy days, strikers made of wood, carbon fiber and metal, a simple diaphragm mouth call, and a crow call for eliciting shock gobbles. (CAL KELLOGG)

a gobbler pinpointed prior to the opener, don’t go hunting on the opening weekend of the season. The spring turkey season is long and if you don’t have a hot prospect, your time is better spent hunting later.

I’d estimate upwards of 90 percent of casual turkey hunters hit the woods on the opener looking to score an easy bird and then never hunt again the rest of the season.

These hunters will kill some jakes and a few overly enthusiastic gobblers, but they will give the remaining, less vocal gobblers an education that will influence how you must hunt them for the rest of the season and beyond.

Beyond not hunting on the opener, another way to avoid the crowds is to work areas not widely known to hold birds. Most hunters on public land are drawn to the grassy oak-dotted expanses of the foothills. The foothills hold a lot of turkeys, hiking is easy and visibility is good. As a result in California, public land in the foothills draws the lion’s share of the hunting pressure in the spring.

Rather than focusing on areas where I know the pressure will be extreme, I’ve been doing a lot of hunting in higher-elevation areas not traditionally considered turkey country. California’s turkey population is always evolving and expanding. I’d rather hunt a high elevation with a small population of turkeys and no hunters than an area with big numbers of birds and lots of pressure.

I’m also always on the lookout for new ground. I recently saw a friend of mine who lives in a high desert area of California and who was lamenting about the damage turkeys were doing to her yard. She lives in an area where I didn’t think any turkeys existed.

I reached out to her, and she sent me a cell phone photo of three big gobblers standing in her driveway. She related the first birds had shown up about three years ago. Guess where I’m headed this spring?

CALLS, CALLING STRATEGY AND DECOYS

I used to be the guy with a dozen

different turkey calls in my vest. Over time it became six and now three. When it comes to calling gobblers on public land, less is more. These days I carry a plexiglass friction call, a ceramic friction call and a couple diaphragm calls.

The plexiglass call, combined with a wooden striker, is my favorite call. I use the ceramic teamed with either a metal or carbon fiber rod for windy days because of the high-pitched sounds I can make with it.

In terms of the diaphragms, I stay away from the models with three and four reeds and complex cuts and notches. I typically go with a dual diaphragm call. Diaphragms like this are easy to master and allow me to make sweet, low-volume yelps.

I typically start the calling sequence to a gobbler using a friction call. Once he answers me, I know he’s pinpointed my location. At this point I go into stealth mode. I set the friction call down, ready my gun or bow and switch to the diaphragm, because I can use it while remaining rock-steady still.

Never ever use turkey noises to locate a gobbler. Furthermore, it’s time

to clam up once you set up on a bird and he responds to your hen noises. Because he knows exactly where you are, there is nothing to gain by making him sound off again and again. Those gobbles while he’s coming in could attract another hunter and sabotage all your hard work.

When you’re out looking for a turkey, you’ll need something other than turkey sounds to make a turkey shock gobble. You need something that will make him sound off without causing him to move in your direction.

These days, I rely on a crow call and a redtail hawk screamer to illicit shock gobbles. For a long time, I used a silent dog whistle; not the cheap kind you get out of a gumball machine, but a real one machine d out of brass. It cost me about $35 and I ended up losing it. I’ll probably pick up another one someday because it worked so well.

Once you make a bird sound off with a shock call, it’s time to move in on it as quickly and as quietly as possible. Try to set up above the bird in an area of broken cover. Once I’m at my setup spot, I’ll often fire off the crow call again to pinpoint his

Kellogg harvested this spring bird using a combination of friction and mouth calls during an afternoon hunt. (CAL KELLOGG)

location one last time.

Remember that gobblers are closer than they sound. Try to move in that extra 25 yards and you may well find out the bird you thought was 200 yards away was actually only 50 yards away when he flies off.

A good setup offers a tree or rock for you to lean against. Calculate where the gobbler is and where you want to shoot him. This is the spot where you set up a single hen decoy. You want it 20 paces from you.

This is far enough for your shot

Annabelle Lane took her first gobbler with a .410 shotgun while hunting with her father Larry, who employed subtle calling and a decoy to put Annabelle in the position to score. (LARRY LANE)

pattern to open up a bit, but not so far that the pattern will get sparse. With a full choke in your turkey gun, it’s possible to miss a turkey’s head at 10 yards because the pattern is so small. I’ve done it.

Here’s how my calling sequence goes once I’m set up: I make two or three solid yelps on the friction call. If the gobbler answers, down goes the call and up goes the gun. If he doesn’t answer, I’ll usually hammer out a four- or five-yelp sequence louder, but typically the bird will answer the

first series of yelps.

When Mr. Gobbler answers I assume he’s coming. This is when you must stay motionless and use both your ears and eyes. You may hear the bird’s footsteps. Visually, you’ll usually spot the bird’s bobbing head before you see the body.

Hopefully he spots the decoy and comes right in, but he may not see it. The only time I use the mouth call is if the bird wanders by my position without offering a shot. When this happens, I make a couple very quiet yelps and maybe a purr. Generally, the bird will sound off with a gobble and come back in searching for the hen.

If you get a gobbler to answer you in the morning but he won’t move your way, you can bet money that he’s henned up. Gobblers are reluctant to leave hens to find hens. You can often kill a bird like this later in the day.

HUNTING AFTER THE MORNING BREEDING BLITZ

Early in the season, most respectable gobblers will be running with a band of hens. These birds will gobble their heads off but will seldom move toward you and offer a shot. Turkeys do their breeding early in the day as they forage. Once the morning feeding and breeding is done, the hens head for their nests to lay eggs and tend to the eggs they previously laid.

Gobblers that were surrounded by eight or 10 hens early often find themselves alone in the early afternoon.

If you sparked up a gobbler with hens early, you want to be back in that spot by noon. Plan on sitting there until shooting hours expire at 4. Very often the now lonely gobbler will remember that sexy hen he was talking to earlier and will come looking for her.

You want to be set up in a comfortable spot with good cover with your decoy positioned in front of you. This work calls for light, intermittent yelps and purrs. You can also do some scratching in the leaves with your hand, simulating the sound of birds scratching around

and feeding.

The gobbler may sound off as he comes in, but don’t count on it. As likely as not, you’ll just spot his head ghosting through the underbrush a few seconds before he steps into the open and puffs up to impress your decoy.

FINAL NOTES: RAIN, CAMO, HUNTING INTO THE LATER SEASON

A lot of guys don’t like to hunt during the rain, but that’s a mistake. Unless it’s really pouring, the turkeys will behave in a business-as-usual manner when it’s raining; so should you. I’ve killed a lot of turkeys on rainy spring days and can almost guarantee you that if it’s raining, you’ll be the only hunter in the woods!

Camo is an important part of turkey hunting. You want both your face and hands covered, but you don’t need the latest and greatest computer-generated camo duds. I’ve killed a lot of turkeys dressed in green work pants and a beat-up old longsleeve cotton camo shirt. Again, good setups and remaining still make for the best camo.

As the season drags on into the second half of April, I tend to do less running and gunning and more sitting, waiting and light calling with my decoy deployed. This is the time of the year when you can hit those uber-popular foothill wildlife areas that were overrun with hunters for the first few days of the season.

The gobblers that are still standing after the opener likely won’t be super-vocal birds, and most of them will have pushed onto private property adjacent to the public land. The strategy at this time is to work the public-private border ground.

Some new housing developments have cropped up right next to a wildlife area in my region, and when I’m coming and going, I’ll often drive into the developments to see if turkeys are using the private property as a sanctuary. If they are, I’ll move into position just outside the private land. Often, these birds will roost on the public land and move onto the

private land as soon as they hit the ground in the morning.

I killed my heaviest ever gobbler, a monster just under 23 pounds, working a fringe area adjacent to private land. He was henned up and roosting on public land with his girls. They would hit the ground and immediately head for a hobby farm a couple hundred yards away. I set up in their travel corridor a full two hours before dawn.

I set up my hen decoy and wrapped a red bandana around its neck to simulate the look of a gobbler. When Mr. Big spotted that

Solid field tactics are a key element to consistently harvesting beautiful gobblers like this on state and federal ground. “The birds you encounter are going to be pressured and you’ll be competing against other hunters,” Kellogg writes, “so you’ll have to develop tactics to successfully deal with the challenging public-land hunting scene.” (ALL RIVER FISHING GUIDE SERVICE)

skinny “gobbler” trying to move in on the ladies, he came in on the run. I took him down with a swarm of No. 6 shot and without making any turkey sounds.

Good callers kill some spring gobblers. Hunters employing solid field tactics kill more. Never forget, spring turkey hunting is chess, not checkers! CS

Editor’s note: Cal Kellogg is a longtime Northern California-based outdoors writer. Subscribe to his YouTube channel Fish Hunt Shoot Productions at youtube .com/user/KelloggOutdoors.

UPLAND ESTATE HUNTS: WHAT THEY HAVE TO OFFER

By Scott Haugen

For many of us, there’s a threestage progression to the end of bird hunting season. It starts with the final days of upland bird and duck hunting in January. If you’re a waterfowl hunter, late winter and early spring goose hunts buy you a bit more time. But for some of us, the end of this month brings a third and final close to the triggerpulling fun with our canine hunting companions, and that’s upland bird hunting on private-land preserves.

Preserves, estate hunts, private sanctuaries – whatever you want to call them, they have a lot to offer, and hunting on them lasts until the end of March in many states. I have several friends who detest hunting on preserves for fear it will ruin their dogs. I know of other seasoned hunters who love this month for the added joy estate hunts lend. “I love chukar hunting more than anything, but my dog and I always have a good time on a couple low-key preserve hunts every March before the season closes,” shared one buddy. “We just go and have fun, just her and I.”

IT REALLY COMES DOWN to what you want from the experience. Early last fall, a buddy invited me on a preserve hunt. His goal was to handle his English pointer pup while I shot birds. If the dog did its job holding point, I shot. If the dog got antsy and broke, I didn’t shoot – that’s what my buddy was trying to fix. By him controlling the dog and constantly

Hunting on an upland bird preserve guarantees encounters, meaning if you need some one-on-one time to fix something with your dog, or work with two dogs at the same time, this could be the place. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

One

communicating with it while on point as I closed in, my friend was able to calm his pup and attain the desired behavior within a few short hours. By the end of the day he was wielding a gun and his pup was hunting wonderfully.

My friend’s pup was highly competitive when with other dogs. To fix it, he knew it had to be just the two of them working together on a hunt, which is where I came in as the shooter. He’d tried planting birds to fix his dog, but it didn’t work. He needed a real hunting situation where the dog was intense, where someone else was pulling the trigger and there was lots of repetition. The preserve delivered just what he’d hoped.

I hunted with another friend last

fall who worked his two dogs. The older dog was 10 and the other one was an 8-month-old pup it had sired. On this hunt, my friend’s goal was to use the older dog to teach the pup.

“I’m a firm believer dogs learn so much by simply watching one another,” said my buddy. “A pup from a good bloodline will watch and mimic what an older dog is doing, and if I can get my old dog to do his thing, the pup will quickly learn what I expect. The fact I can go on a preserve a few times a year and have 20 or more encounters each day greatly flattens the learning curve for us and allows me to reinforce the behaviors I want to see in my dogs.”

PRESERVES ARE IDEAL FOR trying out a new dog vest or e-collar. You’ll learn

rather quickly how pieces of gear fit and how functional they are, and not just for your dog, but for you too.

Last fall, I tried a new pair of hiking boots and some clothes on a preserve hunt. I’ve worn Meindl boots for years and their new EuroLight Hunter was better than I even imagined. I wore the uninsulated boots and they were comfy and durable right out of the box. Very little breaking in was needed and I wore them on multiple hunts from Oregon to Nebraska.

I’d never worn Orvis hunting clothes until last season. I was in need of a new hunting vest and chose their Pro LT, which rocked. It’s so easy to custom fit, has multiple pockets with quick access and it held more gear and birds than I thought it would. I used it on multiple hunts and I’ll be taking it to Alaska with me next fall on a ptarmigan hunting adventure.

I also wore Orvis’s Pro Upland Brush Pant and Midweight Shooting Shirt and loved their comfort and functionality. I hunted in them in the chukar hills, pheasant flats, grouse prairies and deciduous habitats of the Pacific Northwest for quail and grouse, and they lived up to the hype.

Estate hunts are also a good place to try guns and loads. While photographing elk last September, I shredded one of my rotator cuffs. With bird season in full swing, I delayed the surgery. For the first few weeks after the injury, I couldn’t shoulder a gun using both hands. This meant I had to find something I could shoulder, swing and shoot with one hand. Enter Benelli’s 828U in 20-gauge, which I tried on an estate hunt because it gave me lots of repetition at every angle. I loved this gun from the start because its low-profile, ergonomic fit felt like an extension of my hand. It was fasthandling and easy to manipulate, shoot and follow through with.

Looking for a lighter-recoil load, I shot Baschieri & Pellagri 2 1/2-inch 12-gauge loads. I used these in an old shotgun that’s been in the family since the early 1900s because I feared

day of hunting on a preserve can lead to more shot opportunities than an entire season on public lands. Author Scott Haugen was more than impressed with this Benelli 828U and Baschieri & Pellagri upland loads he used on both preserves and more challenging hunts. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

Upland bird hunting on private estates provides a good opportunity to not only test dog gear, but also gear you want to try out, be it clothes, gun loads, or ear and eye protection. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

a magnum load might cause damage to the already-stressed gun. I was so taken by the loads that I then tried B&P’s 2¾-inch shell featuring 11/2 ounces of size 5 shot and stuck with that the rest of upland season. These shells shot smoothly and the 100-percent biodegradable wad held a tight pattern, which I loved.

IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR an excuse to extend your upland hunting season, preserves may hold the answer. While estate bird hunts might not be for everyone, it’s easy to come up with at least one reason to try them. Who knows, you and your pup may come away with more than just valuable training. You might just have a fun time chasing lots of birds. CS

Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a full-time writer. See his puppy training videos and learn more about his many books at scotthaugen.com and follow him on Instagram and Facebook.