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California
Sportsman Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource
Volume 11 • Issue 12 PUBLISHER James R. Baker GENERAL MANAGER John Rusnak EXECUTIVE EDITOR Andy Walgamott EDITOR Chris Cocoles CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Brittany Boddington LEAD WRITER Tim E. Hovey CONTRIBUTORS Scott Haugen, Tiffany Haugen, Todd Kline, Lance Sawa, Bill Schaefer SALES MANAGER Katie Higgins ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Mamie Griffin, Mike Smith, Paul Yarnold DESIGNERS Celina Martin, Lesley-Anne Slisko-Cooper PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Kelly Baker, McKenna Boulet 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 Klamath River fall-run king salmon fishing should be productive throughout September, with the expectation that more 4-year-old fish up to 25 pounds will be in the river this month. (GREENWATER FISHING ADVENTURES)
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CONTENTS
VOLUME 11 • ISSUE 12
41
(SUPERVISOR DON WAGNER)
ICONIC O.C. FISHING SPOT’S RETURN In March 2016, a dispute among its overseers prompted a closure at popular Orange County fishery Irvine Lake. But with an assist from recently elected county supervisor Don Wagner, the two irrigation districts in charge of the lake came to an agreement, and on Aug. 17 an overflow crowd of bass and catfish shore anglers returned for the grand reopening.
FEATURES 27
BIGGER KLAMATH KINGS COMING?
Last year’s fall run of king salmon on North Coast rivers featured lots of hookups, but many of the fish were jacks or smaller young adults. But longtime guide Tony Sepulveda says a lot of 4-year-olds in the 15- to 25-pound range are expected back among a projected run of 274,000 kings to the Klamath River. Find out the best ways to catch them in September and later into fall.
47 GET ON TOP OF THINGS
Frogs. Popping baits. Buzzbaits. All of these tried-and-true topwater lures will entice a bite from a big bass on the surface. In Southland lakes, fish are schooling up and chasing shad in need of a quick and easy meal. Our bass guru Bill Schaefer offers up every method for having a topwater frenzy of a day.
59 USE ’POD POWER DURING A DEER HUNT
It’s fall, so that means big game hunting is in full swing in several units of the Golden State. Having a reliable set of shooting sticks can make scoring that trophy buck even more feasible. Scott Haugen has used a stabilizing tripod on many West Coast hunts and this issue shares some advice on what to buy. And when you do score a freezer full of meat, Tiffany Haugen puts the fire on our Field to Fire feature with her recipe for grilling a tangy rack of wild boar ribs.
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE 33 53 67
Hot weather, slow catfish bite in editor’s reunion with Bay Area lake In Japan, ‘trash fish’ is embraced by SoCal expat Bringing your pup to hunt forest grouse
DEPARTMENTS 15 17 21 23
The Editor’s Note Adventures of Todd Kline Photo contest winners Outdoor calendar
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. Send address changes to California Sportsman, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues are available at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. 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 © 2019 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. 12 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
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THEEDITOR’SNOTE
W
hen I was a kid, my dad and I spent a weekend at the farm of one of his good friends in Yuba City. So of course, while we were there I headed outside with the kids and we goofed around in their orchards. Needless to say, hanging out with the rural set meant I was instantly branded with the city slicker moniker (frankly, I probably deserved it). I’ve been a city guy most of my life and as such, many of my most memorable fishing experiences have taken place close to home at urban fisheries. You’ve read in this space about my outings at San Francisco’s Lake Merced, the Parkway Lakes between San Jose and Gilroy, and Lake Isabel, in the Livermore area. When I had a chance to go to the Bay Area for a week in August, I returned to my urban The editor’s peaceful morning fishing fishing roots to wet a line at outing at San Pablo Reservoir was just a short drive away from the San Pablo Reservoir (page clogged freeways of the Bay Area. 33), which is a bit of an oasis (CHRIS COCOLES) amid traffic-clogged East Bay freeways connecting Oakland and Walnut Creek. As a city dweller, I can’t tell you how awesome it is to have fishing lakes so close to home. Granted, most anglers would much rather head far from the gridlock around San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sacramento and San Diego and fish in the country. But for time-challenged parents, kids or busy professionals, having a fishing hole you can get to in a reasonable time and save the rest of your day for other commitments is important. Also this month is our report on the reopening of an Orange County fishing institution, Irvine Lake (page 41), only about an 11-mile drive from the “Orange Crush” set of freeways that are known to torment O.C. commuters. I asked district Supervisor Don Wagner, who played a major role in getting the two irrigation districts that govern the lake to reopen it after a threeyear hiatus, about the value to locals to have Irvine Lake-style fisheries nearby. “It’s not an all-day thing. You don’t have to plan for a (big trip). You can go for the day,” said Wagner. “You can go for a morning and be back off to a soccer game or something.” Sure enough, we were done with our San Pablo fishing experience before noon, had lunch in the East Bay and were back in San Mateo on the other side of the bay by the early afternoon. This city slicker approved. -Chris Cocoles
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s e r u t n e v d A And I just returned from Virginia Beach, Virginia, where I called the 57th annual East Coast Surfing Championships. Here’s an early-morning shot from the porch where I stayed. (TODD KLINE)
When I am not on the lake fishing or guiding, I am at the beach surfing or calling the action. This was a recent event in Oceanside for USA Surfing. (TODD KLINE)
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 I get a pretty good view from my broadcasting seat also. (TODD KLINE)
It’s been good the last couple of weeks on the reaction baits. The IMA Glide Fluke is such a rad bait and I am loving the new bass-colored Little Stik. (TODD KLINE)
I continue to have more and more father-son guide trips. This was the youngest kid I have taken fishing at just 6 years old. He caught a few, including this giant. (TODD KLINE)
I found a little time to get some fishing in while in Virginia Beach. This was in the Rudee Inlet with the surf contest behind me (you can see the white tents on the beach). I never travel without my Okuma travel rod. (TODD KLINE)
Here’s a nice chunky one on the colorful new IMA Little Stik . (TODD KLINE)
I love my setup that gets me on the lake and ready to fish. (TODD KLINE) 18 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
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PHOTO
CONTEST
WINNERS!
Chad Huffman is the winner of our monthly Yo-Zuri Photo Contest, thanks to this great shot of Annika Miller and her Washington Coast Chinook. It wins him gear from the company that makes some of the world’s best fishing lures and lines!
Troy Wilder wins our monthly Hunting Photo Contest, thanks to this pic of son Jayce’s Southern Oregon youth hunt buck. It wins him a knife!
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, PO Box 24365, Seattle, WA 98124-0365. By sending us photos, you affirm you have the right to distribute them for our print or Internet publications. calsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2019 California Sportsman
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Ever fished the Owens River? Might just be time to...
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OUTDOOR CALENDAR
Multiple deer hunting seasons open in September. (CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE)
SEPTEMBER 1-15 1-9 7 14 14 14 21 21 21 21 19-28 28 28 28
Early dove season dates Annett’s Mono Village Labor Day Fishing Derby, Upper Twin Lakes; (760) 932-7071, monovillage.com Shaver Lake Team Kokanee Derby; kokaneepower.org Zone Q1 (mountain quail only) season opens Sooty (blue) and ruffed grouse seasons open White-tailed ptarmigan season opens California Fly Fishing Open, Kern River; ssffclub.org Deer season opens in most B and C Zones Deer season opens in X9-A and X9-B and X-12 Zones NorCal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association Salmon Derby; Feather River, Corning; ncgasa.org North area band-tailed pigeon season dates Deer season opens in Zone X-10 Deer season opens in Zones D-8, D-9 and D-10 Zone Q2 (all quail) season opens
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5 Deer season opens in most X Zones 5-6 Early-season quail hunt in Mojave National Preserve for hunters with junior hunting licenses 5-6 Big Bear Lake Troutfest; bigbear.com 12 Deer season openers in Zones D-11, -13, -14, -15 and -17 12 Archery-only pheasant season opens 12 NorCal Trout Challenge, Pardee Lake; anglerspress.com 18 Colorado River Zone duck and goose seasons open 19 San Joaquin Valley and Southern California Zones duck and goose seasons open 19 Balance of State Zone duck season opens 19 General chukar season opens 19 Snipe season opens 19 Zone 1 and 3 quail hunting seasons open 19 Deer season opens in Zone X9-C 26-28 Morrison’s Bonus Derby Weekend, Convict Lake; convictlake.com Note: For a complete list of bass fishing tournaments, go to dfg.ca.gov/ FishingContests/default.aspx. For more details on hunting zones and regulations, check out wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting.
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FISHING
AND THEN THERE WERE 4’S OLDER, BIGGER KINGS COULD MEAN MORE QUALITY DAYS ON THE KLAMATH RIVER By Chris Cocoles
I
n recent Klamath River salmon fall runs, anglers could count on a lot of action – namely hooking up with many jack king salmon or perhaps some 3-year-old fish in the 8- to 12-pound range.
This fall, as water temperatures begin to drop and the fish head in from the Pacific, an unexpected surplus of 4-year-olds could be coming through and providing the Klamath with perhaps a little less quantity but increased quality of action. That’s how Eureka-area guide
Tony Sepulveda of Green Water Fishing Adventures (707-845-9588; greenwaterguides.com) sees it, though the veteran guide warns, “You really never know how it will all play out.” In March, California Department of Fish and Wildlife projections were for roughly 274,000 fall-run kings to
With more 4-year-old fish anticipated returning to the Klamath River, anglers are hopeful for bigger fall-run kings. (GREENWATER FISHING ADVENTURES)
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FISHING enter the Klamath. “Klamath River fall Chinook Salmon returns are predicted to be above average, and that should provide good angling opportunity,” said California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Fisheries Branch Chief Kevin Shaffer in a press release earlier this year. Anglers will be patiently waiting for the fish to start arriving early in September. “There are a lot of steelhead in the river and not a lot of salmon yet, but I think that will change by
the beginning of September,” Sepulveda said in August.
JACKS WERE WILD Last year’s fall-run fishing was exciting if you were OK with catching and releasing many smaller fish – younger jacks and smaller 3-year-olds – that made for anywhere from 30 to 50 hook-ups per day. But if there are a lot of 4-year-olds returning from the Pacific as is anticipated, there could be a lot of 15- to 25-pounders on the autumn agenda. “It’s again mostly a side-drifting
KLAMATH/TRINITY RIVER 2019 REGULATIONS
T
here is a daily limit of two Chinook salmon, no more than one of which may be greater than 22 inches, and a possession limit of six, of which only three may be greater than 22 inches. The Klamath River adult fall-run Chinook salmon quota is 7,637 adults and the season opens Aug. 15 and closes Dec. 31, while the Trinity River opens to salmon fishing on Sept. 1 and closes Dec. 31. Seasons and areas with defined sub-quotas are subject to closure once the quota is reached in each subsection.
-California Department of Fish and Wildlife
By Labor Day weekend or just after, the salmon figure to be heading into the Klamath, just in time for when the water temperature is expected to begin dropping. (GREENWATER FISHING ADVENTURES) 28 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
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FISHING
Side-drifting roe is the go-to technique for the Klamath, which has a set quota of 7,637 adults after a fall-run projection of 274,000 fish. (GREENWATER FISHING ADVENTURES)
show with roe with light tackle on spinning rods,” Sepulveda said. “But we’ll also do a little but of back-bouncing, but it’s mostly side-drifting. I don’t expect the amount of hook-ups of last year, but I think we’re going to see some bigger fish.” And the lure of battling one of those big kings on the 12-pound test spooled on Sepulveda’s spinning rods could make for some epic fish vs. angler matchups. “Those can be pretty good battles,” he said. And given that there is a strict daily limit on the Klamath – you can keep one fish over 22 inches and one under – many clients will likely be OK if they don’t have the nonstop action but can trade off by taking home a bigger Chinook. The “fall-run” season technically started in the summer, on Aug. 15, but salmon fishing won’t really get going until the water temperature
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begins to dip a bit. By late August Sepulveda estimated the water temperature to be around 74 degrees or so, a bit toasty for the fish. Water from the Trinity River was expected to be released into the Klamath around Labor Day weekend, and coupled with the expected cooler weather should make for some strong fishing in September. “I expect it to be peak throughout the month of September, and then when we get some rain, the Smith (further north closer to the Oregon border in Del Norte County) will get going,” said Sepulveda, who plans to only fish the Klamath this fall and not venture up to the Smith. Sepulveda pointed out that the last two winters have been wet ones, though that will probably only have a longer-term impact on the fishing than in the short term. Still, all signs are pointing towards solid days on the Klamath. CS
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FISHING By Chris Cocoles
E
L SOBRANTE-I was the passenger
in my sister Charlene’s SUV as we drove north up San Pablo Dam Road, and I felt a bit distracted. Maybe it was the three impatient dogs – highlighted by the youngest of the trio, hellraising puggle Nala – or what we were listening to on the local sports talk radio program during our drive from San Mateo to the East Bay. But really, I was anticipating what I hadn’t seen in so many years, and that was the shoreline of a special lake. San Pablo Reservoir was something of sacred water when I was a kid. It was a place that even in the urban sprawl of the Bay Area felt like a wilderness getaway when I was lucky enough to get across San Francisco Bay to try my luck for some of San Pablo’s trout. This has always been one of the local go-to spots for rainbows. I remember multiple opening-weekend trips here, when promises of trophy trout plants almost always resulted in at least a fish or two. Sometimes we’d simply fish from the shore next to the parking lot; on other days we’d rent a small motor boat and head across the lake to one of the most popular spots to anchor, Scow Canyon. There, you can anchor in a cove and cast some inflated nightcrawlers and lazily spend a morning in solitude despite being a few miles away from the clogged freeways and bumper-to-bumper chaos of the Bay Area. But I’d probably not seen that postcard view from San Pablo Dam Road for decades. Now I was back. I’d brought my sister, our three dogs and an August heatwave along for the ride.
HOT DAY, SLOW BITE A RETURN TO SAN PABLO RESERVOIR WAS NOSTALGIC, IF UNSUCCESSFUL
DO YOU KNOW WHEN you’re older and haunts you once frequented as a youngster don’t seem as big and aren’t as dynamic as they once were? Confirmed. This was a letdown.
San Pablo Reservoir in Contra Costa County is one of the Bay Area’s most popular freshwater fisheries. But fishing was slow on a hot August morning. (CHARLENE KING/CHRIS COCOLES)
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THEY WRITE THEY COU W ABOUT MORNING ABOUT
FISHING
Puggles Nala (far left) and Angel, and the author’s pup Emma enjoyed the sunshine along the shoreline. (CHARLENE KING)
We thought we’d missed the turn to get to the lake’s main recreation area until we found it. And my reunion with San Pablo Reservoir wasn’t what I hoped for. I envisioned a summer Monday morning with a bunch of boats leaving the marina; kids and their dads unpacking tackle from their cars; other dogs for ours to geek out over the potential of meeting and interacting with; a long line in the tackle shop and fish tales being swapped. Instead, I found Tombstone – a fishing ghost town. The parking lot was darn near empty and the store was until I
walked in and gave the poor woman working her shift with a sale to make (the park entrance fee, a required East Bay Municipal Utility District fishing permit and some bait). I asked what the catfish were biting on – trout fishing usually slows down in the summer after the plants end in June – and she convinced me that a container of frozen chicken livers was as good an option as any other. Sold. Needless to say, we didn’t have many anglers to crowd once we somehow got the pups, my German shepherd/Lab mix Emma and
BUT AT 70BU M CAN’T HEAR CA
Charlene’s puggles Nala and Angel, leashed and somewhat controlled enough to transport them and our gear to down to a spot a short walk away. Just one other brave soul was already fighting a rising sun that would spawn a high of about 83 degrees that day. It’s to a glorious viewed It’s a glorious in fast I went college sunrise, in Fresno, you need get Because there while you n worked inBecause the Southland highto desert of Lancaster and also in the humidi-
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NEVADA
FISHING
The lake has plenty of facilities for visiting anglers, including a store and snack bar. (CHRIS COCOLES)
ty of northwest Arkansas, so I have a history of living in the heat. But about 30 minutes into this fishing foray it already felt like a scorcher. My companions on this day? Forget it. Charlene has spent her en-
The shoreline was not very crowded on this Monday, as anglers had plenty of room to cast. But the fish just weren’t biting. (CHRIS COCOLES)
tire life on the Peninsula, where it rarely gets above 72 degrees. The dogs struggled to sit still and quickly tripped over each other to suck down the bottle of water we poured into a bowl. Sister and canines hung around
36 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
for a while but retreated to a nearby covered picnic table for some shade. I was going to carry on.
MY FIRST SIGN THAT this wouldn’t be a turn-back-the-clock day to past
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FISHING
The fishing didn’t go as author Chris Cocoles hoped it would, but there’s always hope for a return trip, especially when the trout will be a better option in cooler weather. (CHRIS COCOLES)
San Pablo Reservoir glory was keeping my chicken livers on the hook. When I first opened the container their frozen state made them difficult to get on the hook. Still, I was teased into thinking there was some hope. My line tugged ever so slightly before straightening out just as fast.
I reeled in, noticed my naked hook and convinced myself it was must have been a clever catfish that stole the bait. As the weather got warmer, the bite would also heat up. My sister and the pups walked back down to me, sweated a bit more and then fled. Who could blame them?
The guy down the shoreline near me looked as bored as I was and eventually waved his white flag and departed. Flies invaded the ground when a piece of chicken liver fell off my hook as I reeled in. One boat cruised by, invoking some memories of past trips to Scow Canyon. But this wasn’t Once Upon a Time in El Sobrante. There would be no fishing fairy tale or Tarantino-directed revisionist history on this day. By 11 a.m., we gave up and settled for eating an alfresco burrito lunch at a taqueria just down the road in Orinda. Still, it was a great morning. I went back to my roots, something that just never seemed to be in the cards during all my return trips to the Bay Area since I’ve moved away. I’ll go back sometime, most likely when the weather is cooler and the trout are active. That’s what I remember most about this place. CS
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40 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
FISHING
BACK IN BUSINESS IN THE O.C. AFTER ITS 2016 CLOSURE, POPULAR IRVINE LAKE OPEN AGAIN FOR SHORE FISHING By Chris Cocoles
O
range County Supervisor Don Wagner saw a once-popular recreational resource in his district that was going to waste and wanted to change that. Wagner, whose Third District represents most of the central and eastern areas in the county, is the former mayor of Irvine and also served on the state assembly for Orange County. After taking office as district supervisor in late March, Wagner really hadn’t followed the 2016 closure of the lake that broke the collective
hearts of Southland anglers who were drawn to its trophy trout, catfish and bass (contrary to its name, Irvine Lake is not located within that city’s limits). “I only started working on (getting the lake open again to fishing) a little after (taking office),” Wagner says. “I didn’t pay a whole lot of attention to it because it wasn’t an issue that came across my desk at the state legislature.” Yet Wagner saw something in this lake that’s been around since the early years of the Great Depression (1933), when it was known as Ser-
rano Reservoir. It provides drinking water for 85,000 Orange County residents, according to the Irvine Ranch Irrigation District. When the lake closed to all recreational activities in March 2016, there was a point of contention between the two water districts that govern the reservoir, Irvine Ranch and Serrano Water District. The latter company ran the recreational operation of Irvine, which was a popular destination for shore and boat anglers, lured to the fishery just 15 minutes from Irvine because of its stocking of trophy fish. When the
On Aug. 17, after nearly three years of being closed to fishing, Irvine Lake reopened to shore fishing. It’s believed as many as 4,000 anglers showed up on a busy day. (SUPERVISOR DON WAGNER) calsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2019 California Sportsman
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FISHING Catfish and bass were among the fish caught on the opener. Irvine Lake was also a prime trout fishery and should be again once the water temperature drops in fall. (SUPERVISOR DON WAGNER)
two water districts couldn’t come up with a compromise for how to continue to operate the facilities, fishing was shut down three years ago. Enter Wagner. “It just seemed that I took office, took a look around and saw that this is a resource that was not being used properly,” he says. “And so I started asking some questions around who I needed to talk to and we got it going.” And considering there were more than two years of inactivity, credit the supervisor and the two water districts for coming up with an acceptable plan fairly quickly. “It took several meetings, and there were a whole bunch of sticking points that we had to work through. But ultimately all the players were involved with getting it back into the hands of the public,” he adds. “So you bring a whole bunch of people of good faith together with some creative ideas, and we finally hammered out a solution.”
A CONVENIENT FISHERY Wagner’s Irvine home is just about 15 minutes from the lake on Orange County land, and his Third District alone serves almost 600,000 residents located a short distance away from some of Southern California’s best fishing opportunities. “Orange County is relatively urban. And yet it’s a quick drive,” Wagner says. “So those are opportunities that folks really do take advantage of because it is so close. It’s really a gem and it’s not that far away. But it’s great to get it open.” “I think it’s very important to use them, to get people a chance to get out and away but (that’s) not too terribly hard to get to. One of the things the county does is spend tax dollars on our open space and give people an opportunity to reconnect with nature and build family memories together. Keeping that in the hands of the public was important to me.” And on Aug. 17, a Saturday, those locals eager to try their luck again at 42 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
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FISHING
“Orange County is relatively urban. And yet it’s a quick drive,” Supervisor Don Wagner (rear) says of Irvine Lake’s proximity to the county’s three-million-plus residents. “So those are opportunities that folks really do take advantage of because it is so close.” (SUPERVISOR DON WAGNER)
this dormant fish factory came back in bunches. The lake was officially slated to open at 7 a.m., but there was such a traffic jam of cars filling the parking lot and anglers with rods in hand that the patrons were let in a little earlier. Some cars had to be
turned away early in the morning. But it was a smashing success. For now, the lake is only open to shore fishing and watercraft of any kind aren’t allowed (multiple drowning incidents at Irvine could be one of the reasons that contributed to the lake shutting down to fishing three years ago). Wagner says negotiations will be ongoing to eventually allow boats on the lake again and is confident an agreement will be worked out. But while the water is still a little too warm for good trout fishing, the catfish and bass were biting on the reopener, as combat casting from the shoreline was the norm. The supervisor called it a “cool day.”
“If there was a complaint, it was that it was too crowded. It will die down, as this was opening day. But we had something like 4,000 anglers there the first day from what I heard from the parks’ department.” Wagner says. “That just how important it was to the community and the demand. People couldn’t wait. Opening day was electric.” And with a return to fishing – the county plans to fund future trout plants when the water temperature cools – Wagner hopes that new memories can be made at a lake that has been fished for multiple generations. “I heard a lot of people say things like, ‘I took my son there.’ Or, ‘My grandfather took me there and I want to take my son and my daughter,’” the supervisor says. “Those kinds of stories – there were lots of those that I would hear about. And to me, that speaks to how important it is.” CS Editor’s note: No fishing license is required to fish at Irvine Lake, which is located just east of the city of Tustin in Orange County. You can fish from Friday to Sunday between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. from the shore only. The lake’s store sells bait and twackle and light snacks. For more information, call (714) 649-9111 or go to enjoyorangecounty.com/ irvine-lake for more information.
Wagner (rear) and his Orange County Third District team played a major role in the lake’s two irrigation districts that run it coming to an agreement that reopened fishing again. (SUPERVISOR DON WAGNER)
44 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
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FISHING Among several topwater lure options, frog-type baits not only can be effective in enticing bites but you can work them without getting hung up on debris. (BILL SCHAEFER)
TOP OF THE LINE TACTICS
FROM FROGS TO BUZZBAITS, HERE’S THE BEST BASS GEAR FOR TOPWATER FISHING By Bill Schaefer
A
s we head towards fall, Southern California bass have schooled up and are chasing shad around most of our lakes. Glassy morning waters look like an explosion as fish break on the surface. Topwater fishing this time of year can be real fun for anglers of all levels and is an exciting technique to add to your arsenal if you don’t already utilize these approaches. Let’s look at some of the styles of fishing that can be used this time of the year to add some extra excitement to a morning on the lake.
FROGS Frogs can be an exciting way to catch fish on top, but many anglers
shy away from them. You really shouldn’t, because you can throw them anywhere practically and not get hung up. Plus, the hit on top can be so exciting. During this time of year, weeds grow to the surface while loose debris floats into corners of coves. These floating mats are the perfect place to try out your frog. Toss it up in there and skitter it over the debris, pausing occasionally, and the bass will blow up on it. Now, my bet is that you will set the hook and miss the fish – most do on their first one. But on the next hit, just pause until you feel the fish start to pull your rod tip down, and then set the hook!
POPPING BAITS Popping baits have been around as
long as bass fishing has existed. The classic Pop-R is the mainstay of many fishermen’s topwater arsenal. These days there are a slew of companies that produce some variation of the popping lure. But it’s not just the pop that matters. It is the spray that comes off the front of the bait. When you tug the bait pops, but it also spits out a spray ahead of the bait. That spray makes it look like a school of baitfish scurrying away from shore. Your bait being at the tail end of that spray is the lone baitfish the bass attack. There are many popping baits out there, but cheaper is not always better.
GLIDING BAITS This is also a bait that has been a favorite of bass fishermen forever. Gliding baits can emulate everything
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FISHING from a lizard or snake to a rodent swimming along the shoreline, as well as wounded baitfish. Using a little more subtle presentation with this bait can draw a strike when more noisy ones cannot. Sometimes the retrieve of these baits can take a little practice, but you’ll get it down fast. Don’t give up. Some classic gliding bait examples are the Zara Spook and the Sammy, as well as various Deps. The choices are endless. Experimenting can be fun, but to shorten the gap read articles like those in this publication and let your fingers do the searching on the web.
BUZZBAITS
Popping lures like this Team Daiwa Zero are a staple of topwater bass fishing. “Popping baits have been around as long as bass fishing has existed,” author Schaefer writes. (BILL SCHAEFER)
Prop baits or buzzbaits also have stood the test of time and are designed to call up bass to the surface. Aggressive bass will travel from the depths if they are hungry and hear something pass by, shaking up their territory. Sometimes the fish want a straightblade buzzbait. Sometimes a noisier clacking lure will do better. Prop baits have also been around forever and have had a strong resurgence lately with the River2Sea Whopper Plopper and Smithwick Devil’s Horse. Again, there are so many choices. Talk to the local sales associate at your favorite tackle store.
TWITCH AND JERKBAITS Twitching a classic floating Rebel Minnow has always been an effective topwater tactic. The advantage with the classic-shaped twitch or jerkbait is that it can indeed be twitched along on the surface or the lip can be used to take it down under. In some situations the bass will just not eat a topwater bait. The jerkbait can cause the strike because the bait is now a foot under the surface and the bass feels more comfortable striking it. Rebels, Rapalas and Bombers, as well as many other twitch or jerkbaits in shad patterns will do the trick.
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FLUKES Plastic twitch or jerkbaits work like their hard counterparts, but with a more subtle presentation. They tend to be more swimming or gliding than the erratic jerks of hard baits. They come in a million colors, shapes and sizes and you can fish them unweighted right on the surface to down a few feet by using weighted hooks or adding a small lead nail to them. Rigged weedless, these baits can be thrown right into shoreline brush and stickups. Work them across the top, as I mentioned, or let them sink just a tad. Bouncing them off the twigs can draw the strike. Set and reel to get the head of the fish started towards you and out of the brush.
TACKLE TALK The tackle you use for all these various techniques of fishing topwater can be very similar. First, casting versus spinning gear will not make that big of a difference. Some say that with casting gear you have more control or more backbone in the rod, but you can have all that with the correct spinning outfit as well. A 7- to 8-foot rod like the Daiwa Tatula Series I use will do the trick. Both rigs can be spooled up with braided line – I like Daiwa’s J4 Braid or Maxima’s Braid 8 line in 50-pound test. Braid will not be noticed by the fish and it gives you the strength to pull them out of the brush. I also like to run a Maxima fluorocarbon leader in front of the bait. You don’t really have to go out and buy anything new if you are a regular bass fisherman to make this work. I’m sure you will have the right setup already in your arsenal. You may just have to adjust the line and your confidence in the baits you are throwing. Once you have a bass explode on your bait – on or near the surface – you will yearn for the next trip to come as soon as possible. It just doesn’t get any more exciting. CS
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52 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
MINI BUT MARVELOUS
A ‘TRASH FISH’ WHEN HE LIVED IN CALIFORNIA, AN ANGLER DISCOVERS THAT MACKEREL ARE A BIG DEAL IN JAPAN
By Lance Sawa
G
rowing up, mackerel had always been a trash fish to me. At most they were bait for lingcod or tuna. Cut-up mackerel is also the best bait for, well, mackerel. I always gave them credit for being hard-fighting and easy to catch. Many times I caught mackerel on a bare hook. Back in California, I would fish off the bait boat in Marina Del Rey. At the end of the day they would spray off the deck and the dead bait would wash off. The mackerel would be lurking below to eat everything in sight. I loved watching the bait slowly sink, then all of a sudden disappear. The barracuda would come by and chase off the mackerel, then the seals would scare the barracuda away. After everyone was done for the
day I would stick around and fish to my heart’s delight. Most times I would fish with a spoon, casting into the school and picking them off one at a time. The school would be around the bait boat at all times knowing that’s where the food was. It was so fun to cast, catch one, throw it back and then cast for another. For one reason or another, one day I decided to fish with a length of plastic lanyard as a hand line – yes, the same plastic lanyard you use to make friendship bracelets. It was so wide I had to use something like a 5/0 rockfish hook just to tie it on. I used some dead bait from the deck and then tossed it in. The lanyard would float but the big hook got it to sink in time. The bait slowly sank and then disappeared. I pulled the line to set Tiny mackerel might not be the most prized target of anglers, but for American author Lance Sawa these fish are viewed differently where he now fishes in Japan. (LANCE SAWA)
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This shy woman shared a breakwall with the author along Japan’s west coast on the Sea of Japan. (LANCE SAWA)
the hook and the plastic stretched but the hook still took hold. The line started out about 10 feet long, but after just one fish it was 15 feet. I popped off the mackerel and dropped the line back in to get another, except a barracuda grabbed it instead. I held tight to the line but it was stretching. I got to within about 3 feet of the fish but it took another run. I could see the line was no longer flat and was getting thinner by the second. Then the barracuda got away. I pulled up the now 20 feet of plastic lanyard to see the knot had come undone.
sizes. They get placed next to the other 20 different colors in stock. Still, it was years before I could get a chance to fish for mackerel in Japan. I ended up fishing with something I knew: sabiki, which is a premade rig with hooks along the length with a sinker on the bottom. The addition of a bait cage on the top of the rig was a first for me, though. I bought some shrimp chum to put inside. The place I had in mind to go is in the port city of Niigata, about an
hour and a half from my house in Nagano Prefecture west of Tokyo. I had gone there before and didn’t fish but thought to myself to come back. After the long drive, I got to my first spot but it was closed – no parking today. But there’s a long coastline along the Sea of Japan, so I turned to head back toward home to fish some spots that I had seen along the way. The second spot was more of the same and was closed. But I could see a seawall that is known as a great
THE FIRST TIME I went into a fishing store in Japan I was amazed to see a whole aisle dedicated solely to fishing for mackerel. This was not a one-off deal either. Every fishing store I have been to here has mackerel fishing tackle. Mackerel is always among the top 10 most popular fish in Japan, both in terms of fishing and eating. The sheer amount of variety of mackerel gear at the store was staggering. Different hooks and setups. Different rods. Different baits – from shrimp to ground fish – each in varying sizes. You want a pink sinker? No problem; here it is in 10 Anglers in Japan have no use for fugu blowfish, which are inedible and can’t even be used as bait. (LANCE SAWA) 54 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
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fishing spot, one where you can catch many species including barracuda, shrimp, squid, yellowtail and sea bass. The tall wall protects you from the ocean waves and winds, though at 15 feet on one side and 30 feet on the other, it can be scary just standing trying to fish. The next spot I came to was beside a break in the seawall, with access to the beach. I parked next to another car from Nagano and headed down to the shore to look around. Right away I saw a dead fugu blowfish someone had tossed to the side to die. In this area they are a pest and plague that you can’t even eat or use as bait. I found the only other person on this part of the beach and luckily he was fishing as well. I asked how it was going, but to that point he’d caught nothing all day. He wasn’t fishing for mackerel, though, so I thought I would try anyway. After getting everything set up I tried my luck near some breakers with a dropoff on one side. An hour went by and most of my bait was gone with nothing to show for my effort.
I LEFT AND WISHED the man good luck and I started toward home again, making a couple more quick stops to look around only to find more closed or no parking signs. But along the way I found another seawall and a fishing port and pulled in quickly. No one was fishing the wall but there were a few cars here and there. And out of the corner of my eye I saw someone fishing by some boats. Once again I grabbed my tackle and rod and looked around. I watched as the angler tossed their sabiki into the water and reeled right back in with three fish on. It was so surprising that I said, “That was fast!” out loud. It was a woman fishing by herself and in one cast she’d caught more fish than I had managed all day. She told me it had been a good day of fishing. The woman let me fish next to her and I got my first fish of the day, a dreaded fugu. Everywhere has trash fish, I guess, though the difference is this one can’t be even used as bait. But I continued and caught my first edible fish, an aji, which is known as a Spanish mackerel in America. The catch rate was about three fugu to one aji and she was still outfishing
Aji, better known as Spanish mackerel in the states, might not always be big, but mackerel gear and tackle fills the aisles in Japanese fishing shops. (LANCE SAWA)
me. Homefield advantage is a killer. I managed to catch a green mackerel, which promptly jumped from my hand into the water as it was going into the cooler. A small school of barracuda scared the mackerel away briefly. Still, I was able to get a barracuda and lure a rockfish out of hiding. Out of time and bait, I wished my new friend luck and thanked her for sharing her spot. My neighbors back home in landlocked Nagano got some of the aji. They love saltwater fish. So maybe I understood why those tackle shops dedicate so much space to mackerel fishing. CS
A bunch of small but legal fish to keep, including a rockfish and barracuda, make for a nice post-trip meal. (LANCE SAWA)
The coastline near Niigata has plenty of seawalls to cast into the surf for a variety of fish. (LANCE SAWA)
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HUNTING
FROM FIELD...
STICKING UP FOR TRIPODS HUNTERS SHOULD INVEST IN GOOD SHOOTING STICKS FOR BIG GAME VENTURES
By Scott Haugen
D
uring my many years of hunting big game around the world, I’ve come to be a firm believer in the use of shooting sticks. My belief in shooting sticks reached its peak during the height of my TV career, where going on more than 50 big game hunts a year was common. My job was to host and produce TV shows. To do this meant I had to not only connect on the shots, but each shot had to be precisely placed for a clean, ethical kill. From a simple physics point of view, the more anchor points you
can have while shooting, the more stable your rifle will be; thus the more accurate your shot. That’s why I choose a tripod versus a monopod or bipod.
TRIPOD TIME Growing up I never used shooting sticks, but once I hunted Africa for the first time I learned the importance of a tripod. The first one I used was made of sticks lashed together with a strip of leather. It worked incredibly well on multiple hunts and resulted in quick, clean kills without any misses. Over the past 25 years I’ve exper-
imented a lot with shooting sticks, and I prefer tripods that are heavy enough so as not to buckle under pressure. Often, in the rugged country where deer, elk and bear roam throughout the West, shots come at severe angles. When shooting at steep downhill angles, much of your upper body weight is displaced onto the sticks. For that reason I prefer sticks that are sturdy enough to support my weight. Such tripods also serve well as walking sticks. When I discovered Bog-Pod shooting sticks over a decade ago, I was impressed. So impressed that they are still my preferred tripod shooting
A fully extended tripod gets you above tall vegetation and allows for a solid rest that can’t be achieved by shooting off-hand. (SCOTT HAUGEN) calsportsmanmag.com | SEPTEMBER 2019 California Sportsman
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HUNTING
A flavorful rub can add plenty of taste to that rack of wild boar ribs you want to smoke or grill. (TIFFANY HAUGEN)
... TO FIRE RUBBED THE RIGHT WAY
LEMON PEPPER RUB
By Tiffany Haugen
C
rispy and flavorful on the outside, tender and juicy off the bone, is the goal of the grill master when it comes to the sometimes tricky wild boar ribs. Because fat content can vary, remember that if there is visible fat on the ribs, leave it there. It will help keep the meat moist. If you have a particularly lean boar, you may need to add a few layers of bacon to the ribs while they slow-cook. If you’re in a hurry, simply use your favorite rib rubs, but if you have the time, making rubs from scratch can be more flavorful and economical. It’s also easy to customize your rubs to include or omit seasonings. The key to great ribs is a slow smoke at a low temperature with the frequent attention of a spray bottle to keep them from drying out. Barbecue sauce is always an option, but save the slather for the last 30 minutes of cooking/smoking. Two racks wild boar ribs 1 to 2 tablespoons rib rub 1/3 cup apple juice 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar ½ to 1 cup barbecue sauce of choice Hickory or mesquite wood chips Clean spray bottle Foil
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest 2 teaspoons fresh ground black pepper ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon granulated garlic ½ teaspoon granulated onion Mix in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
CHILI ONION RUB 1 tablespoon white sugar 1 teaspoon granulated onion 1 teaspoon smoked paprika ¾ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon red chili flakes ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional Mix in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
SWEET GARLIC RUB 1½ tablespoons brown sugar 1 teaspoon granulated garlic ¾ teaspoon salt ¾ teaspoon white or black pepper ½ teaspoon ground coriander ½ teaspoon ground cumin Mix in a bowl until thoroughly combined.
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In a shallow pan, rub racks of ribs on both sides with rib rub of choice. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and place on a baking sheet. Refrigerate overnight. Remove ribs from refrigerator and plastic wrap and air-dry for 15 minutes. Apply an additional sprinkling of rib rub at this time, if desired. Preheat smoker to 225 degrees. Place ribs on smoker racks, bone-side down. Fill a clean spray bottle with apple juice and apple cider vinegar. Smoke two hours, replacing chips as needed to keep a continuous smoke in the smoker. After two hours of smoking, increase temperature to 250 degrees. Spray meat side of the ribs with apple juice and vinegar mixture every 15 minutes for another hour. Lightly coat ribs with barbecue sauce. Cook for an additional 30 to 45 minutes at 250 degrees or until ribs reach desired tenderness. Remove ribs from smoker and seal in foil. Let ribs rest at least 10 minutes before slicing. Editor’s note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s popular book, Cooking Big Game, visit tiffanyhaugen.com. Follow Tiffany on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, and watch for her on the online series Cook With Cabela’s and The Sporting Chef TV show.
HUNTING sticks. Their Red Legged Devil tripod has allowed me to connect on hundreds of big game animals and has made my job much easier.
BE PREPARED
Right-handed shooters will want to rest their right elbow on their right knee when taking a kneeling shot with a tripod. This offers much more stability than anchoring the left elbow on the left knee, whereby floating the shooting elbow. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
The key to using a tripod is getting familiar with it prior to the hunt. As is the case with all gear, the hunt is not the place to figure out how your tripod works. Prior to the hunt, spend time practicing off your sticks. Put yourself in various positions and anticipate what shot angles and situations might be encountered when hunting. Practice adjusting the legs so it’s second nature when it comes time for the shot. As you familiarize yourself with the tripod, you’ll discover it’s easy to think ahead and get them set up well before it’s time to assume any shooting position. Usually, I keep my tripod fully or almost fully extended and use it as a walking stick with all three legs tucked together. Once I spot a deer and begin to make a move, I’ll anticipate where the shot will likely come from. When I know where the shot will come from, a quick survey of the terrain tells me how high the sticks will need to be for whatever position I might be shooting from.
TAKE A KNEE
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I prefer taking a knee when resting on a tripod, as it offers further support over standing upright. When doing so, if you’re a right-handed shooter, rest your right elbow on your right knee. If left-handed, rest your left elbow on your left knee. This is opposite of how most hunters naturally settle into a set of shooting sticks. But believe me; it works. It feels awkward at first, but with practice you’ll be amazed at how much more steady it makes your body and the gun, because your shooting arm is solidly anchored on a knee and not floating in the air. Another practice tip is to set up the tripod on steep hillsides, shoot-
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ing uphill, downhill, across canyons and along hillsides. You’ll discover that one or two of the legs needs to be shorter or longer than the others. Practice this until you’re comfortable and confident that you can get set up quickly and efficiently. Eventually, adjusting the sticks will become second nature.
SITTING POSITION
In many situations you’ll actually be able to assume a sitting position for the shot, which is the steadiest of all off a tripod. This will get you a bit higher than shooting off a gun-mounted bipod from a prone position, meaning you can clear grass and low-growing brush. My favorite sitting position shot comes by crossing both legs and stabilizing both elbows on both knees. It’s also good if you can prop both knees up, digging both feet into the ground and stabilizing both elbows on both knees. Features I like about the Red Legged Devil are that it’s very sturdy and stable. It extends up to 68 inches high, allowing for standing position shots. It easily retracts and spreads out to just 22 inches off the ground, which allows for easy kneeling or sitting-position shots.
A GOOD TOOL TO HAVE Remember, there won’t always be a tree or rock to lean on. And rarely will you be able to assume a prone position or rely on a mini bipod. Before California’s big game general rifle seasons start, do some research on shooting sticks and see what fits you best. Invest in a tripod and practice to the point that using it becomes second nature. What you’ll come away with are fewer misses, cleaner kills and a boosted level of confidence in your shooting ability. CS Editor’s note: Scott Haugen is a full-time author and TV host. Follow him on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Signed copies of his many books can be ordered at scotthaugen.com. 64 California Sportsman SEPTEMBER 2019 | calsportsmanmag.com
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HUNTING By Scott Haugen
L
ast fall marked one of the best seasons in decades for forest grouse hunters throughout the West. Productive brooding and stable weather resulted in booming blue and ruffie numbers, and hopefully the same results occur this year. If looking GUN DOGGIN’ 101 to get your new By Scott Haugen dog on it first forest grouse hunt this fall, here are some tips to consider. Concentrate your hunting efforts along gated logging roads early the morning. Timberlands that allow only walk-in or non-motorized bike access are prime habitats for forest grouse. These roads are less pressured and due to the level of inactivity on them, food like grass and clover thrive on the edges. Logging roads are also where grouse congregate to gather grit for their crop. Hunt these gated, limited access roads early in the morning when dew is still on the ground. Doing so will allow your pup to pick up the smell of grouse on the ground and more easily follow their tracks into the forest’s edge, where they can get on point. As morning thermals increase, be sure to hunt into the wind. Doing so will allow your dog to pick up bird scent more easily, resulting in more points. With the morning wind increasing and temperatures rising, a bird’s scent evaporates more quickly, so shaded areas is where you’ll want to concentrate your time, as this is where the scent of the bird will remain strongest for the longest time.
WHILE RUFFED GROUSE can be found from creek bottoms to high in the Coast Range and Cascades, blue grouse are typically located at higher elevations. However, last
GET AFTER FOREST GROUSE WITH YOUR GUN PUP
Author Scott Haugen and his dog Echo with a limit of blue grouse taken last fall near their Western Oregon home. Not since the early 1970s has he recalled seeing so many blues in the woods. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
year I got into more blues than I’ve ever seen between the 750- and 2,500-foot elevation mark in the foothills of the Cascades. Nearly every blue grouse I came across at these elevations was within 100 yards of a mature forest, stands that
were 30 years old or more. Blue grouse eat a lot of new fir tree growth this time of year. In fact, an initial crop inspection might look like they’re feasting on dandelions, but look closer and pull those green sprouts apart and you’ll see they’re
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HUNTING Hunting the edges of nonmotorizedonly-access logging roads is a great place to start your search for forest grouse. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
most likely soft green tips of fir boughs. Inspecting the crop of any grouse you take is the best way to tell what it’s been eating, and on these early-season outings, hunting birds near food sources will yield high success. Be sure and save the wings, or the entire skin, of the first grouse you kill. These are great training tools to use right now to continue training your pup how to hunt these challenging birds. Make certain your dog’s feet are in shape, and that they’re in good physical condition, for a lot of miles can be covered hiking in the grouse woods. Take plenty of water for both you and your dog, as well as a high-protein snack for your canine companion. The more prepared you are and the more ground you cover, the greater the odds of filling that bird pouch with limits of ruffed and blue grouse, and also understanding why so many upland hunters anticipate the coming of this joyous season. CS
Ruffed grouse are thriving and they are fun birds to hunt with your canine partner. (SCOTT HAUGEN)
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Editor’s note: To see some of Scott Haugen’s puppy training video tips, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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