THEEDITOR’SNOTE
T
his Father’s Day will be the first without my dad around when in the past I could call him or, if I was even luckier, visit him in the Bay Area. So when that third Sunday in June rolls around, I’ll be doing a lot of reminiscing about our adventures together – whether it was fishing, puttering around in one of Dad’s old cars or our dinners at our rotation of favorite restaurants. But as these coronavirus pandemic stay-at-home orders continued and essentially cancelled spring, I started wondering when fathers and their sons would be able to enjoy some of that quality time I was lucky enough to share with my dad before he passed away in September 2019. For that reason, my psyche was encouraged when I wrote about the delayed start of trout season in the Eastern Sierra after concerns about COVID-19 postponed the April opener. Jeff Simpson, who works for the Mono County Economic Development Department, and his father John, both longtime Eastern Sierra residents, continued their decades-long tradition of fishing on opening day. And I was also inspired by our correspondent Todd Kline, who wrote about a solo trip he took to the Colorado River and Lake Mohave, where he enjoyed pulling in bass after bass. Social distancing by yourself is just as critical right now as sharing the water with your loved ones. We all need to find some hope during these difficult times. Whether it’s the reopening of trout waters or, as Bill Schaefer writes about this issue, getting out on salt off the Southern California coast, being outside on a warm June day and fishing makes us feel like there’s a beacon of hope. For our pal Jeff Simpson, it’s starting future traditions with his own two young children. “I debated taking the (4-year-old) out on opening day, but I think he’s just a tad too young. I’ll probably rent a pontoon boat so I can get my wife and 6-month-old baby in the shade while I troll around with my 4-year-old and have a nice time,” Simpson told me. “So really looking forward to that.” Here’s to us all having something to look forward to this summer. -Chris Cocoles
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Getting out with his dad Todd to fish for some bass during the coronavirus pandemic offered Dylan Kline some hope during such a difficult time for families everywhere. (TODD KLINE) calsportsmanmag.com | JUNE 2020 California Sportsman
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