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Brian Lull ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES

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John Rusnak INBOUND MARKETING

Jon Hines OFFICE MANAGER/ACCOUNTING

Audra Higgins ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Katie Sauro INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER

Lois Sanborn CIRCULATION MANAGER

Heidi Belew ADVERTISING INQUIRIES

ads@calsportsmanmag.com CORRESPONDENCE

Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to ccocoles@media-inc.com. ON THE COVER

It’s king salmon time in the Sacramento River! Though the projected number of kings headed for the Sacramento is down from 2013, the forecast is still for an excellent season. July 16 is opening day. (FEISTY FISH GUIDE SERVICE)

MEDIA INC PUBLISHING GROUP WASHINGTON OFFICE P.O. Box 24365 • Seattle, WA 98124-0365 14240 Interurban Ave. S., Suite 190 Tukwila, WA 98168 OREGON OFFICE 8116 SW Durham Rd • Tigard, OR 97224 (206) 382-9220 • (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com • www.media-inc.com 8 California Sportsman JULY 2014

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JULY 2014 California Sportsman 9

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CONTENTS

VOLUME 5 • ISSUE 10

BUSTING THEM OUT OF THE PARK He’s already won two World Series, Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and Comeback Player of the Year awards. And to think San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey is just 27 years old. He’s the toast of the City by the Bay, but Posey lives a quiet life with his wife, Kristen and their twins, Lee and Addison. He looks the part as a small-town Georgia native who’s also an avid outdoorsman.

SPORT OF KINGS Our Luke Kelly’s first of two reports previewing the state’s July 16 opener for river fishing for massive king salmon gets the inside info from guide Scott Feist on the Sacramento River.

THE SHARKS OF SAN FRANCISCO There’s nary a species of fish or game on the West Coast Scott Haugen hasn’t chased. This month, he heads to San Francisco Bay, one of the state’s best shark fisheries. Tiffany Haugen provides a tasty shark recipe in our From Field to Fire column.

(SALTWATER OBSESSIONS)

109 DEER FRIENDS, IT’S ALMOST HERE California’s deer season is getting close, and our SoCal Bowhunter columnist, Albert Quackenbush, breaks out the 2014 season checklist for hunters. Among Quackenbush’s preseason tips: get in hiking shape, use trail cameras and download smartphone apps that can help find your way to a big buck.

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BRINGING UP BUSTER San Francisco Giants catcher Buster Posey shows off a redfish caught off the coast of Florida. The Leesburg, Ga., native grew up playing baseball and hunting and fishing with his father and brothers. (SALTWATER OBSESSIONS)

GIANTS CATCHER AT HOME FISHING OR HUNTING By Chris Cocoles SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Two generations of San Francisco Giants legends shared space in the clubhouse at Scottsdale Stadium on a spring training afternoon in February. Now 83-year-old Willie Mays, a Baseball Hall of Famer and arguably baseball history’s greatest pound-for-pound player, ate some lunch and chatted with various passersby. On the other side of the busy room, the new generation of Giant superstar quietly changed into his street clothes while meeting with a visitor. Catcher Buster Posey, a catalyst in the Giants winning two of the previous fourWorld Series – Mays never led the

team to another championship after it left New York for San Francisco in 1958 – is every bit the hero Mays remains to a bygone era. But to himself, Posey will always be the humble country boy from Leesburg, Ga. Ticker-tape parades riding on cable cars through downtown San Francisco in both 2010 and 2012 were great, but offseason trips into the outdoors are also Posey’s style of celebration. “I grew up in a really small town, and my dad took me hunting and fishing ever since I can remember,” he says.“I would be 5 or 6 years old, and I’d go with him where I could sit long enough in a deer stand and not have to go to the

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Posey is arguably the top hitting catcher in baseball, having already won a National League Rookie of the Year, Most Valuable Player and a batting title for the two-time World Series winners. (CHRIS COCOLES)

bathroom and be quiet for long enough (for us to get a deer). It’s just something I’ve done since I was a little kid and I hope I have a chance to take my kids as well.” There’s a lot of kid still in Posey, who plays the game with kind of a throwback mentality to Mays’era. But that’s how he was raised. LEESBURG IS NOT really near anything. “I didn’t know anything different. It was a place where people work hard and people fish, hunt, golf,” Posey says.“It’s a lot of doing stuff outdoors when you can. It’s about 105 (degrees) and humid in the summer. I haven’t missed being there in summer.” Atlanta is 176 miles away. The closest “major” Georgia city is Albany to the south, not far from the Florida border. But when you get know Posey, it makes sense that he grew up in a small town of about 2,900. Deer hunting was an early memory in the forests around Leesburg. “I think deer hunting, sometimes as a kid, would get a little bit monotonous,” Posey says. “I definitely enjoy it a lot more now because it’s a way for me to unwind after the season. I don’t really get it to it much anymore with my dad and brothers the way I used to, but there’s much preparation that goes into it before the (hunting) season starts: where you put the stands and trying to make sure you always get your wind right.

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And after all that, it really comes down to being there at the right time, being still and being quiet.” Those were the days growing up: Buster, his father, Gerald“Demp”Posey, and younger brother Jack – a college teammate with Buster for one season at their alma mater, Florida State University – spending countless hours in their tree stand waiting for a buck to wander within shooting range. “There’s not a whole lot to it: you sit and look for deer,” Buster says.“But it’s something that’s hard to describe to people unless you go out there and actually do it.” Posey’s manager in San Francisco, Bruce Bochy, understands. Bochy spent his younger days in Virginia and Florida. The Giants have a definite Deep South flavor in firstround picks Posey (Georgia), pitcher Madison Bumgarner (North Carolina) and pitcher Matt Cain (Tennessee). “They’re very humble guys who enjoy the outdoors very much.They fish and hunt, and I know they thoroughly enjoy getting out,” says Bochy, who gets away when he can for fishing and hunting trips to Oregon and Northern California.“Maybe it’s just a Southern thing. They are guys who like to talk to each other about the outdoor things they do.”

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com THE GIANTS WON World Series behind players nicknamed the Panda (third baseman Pablo Sandoval), the Baby Giraffe (first baseman Brandon Belt), MadBum and the Freak (pitchers Bumgarner and Tim Lincecum, respectively). But make no mistake: the heart and soul of this team is its Buster (Gerald Dempsey Posey III inherited the same nickname his father had in his younger days). At just 27, Posey’s already been an aforementioned two-time World Series winner, a National League Rookie of the Year (2010), Most Valuable Player and Comeback Player of the Year winner (both in 2012). He’s won a batting title (.336 with 24 home runs and 103 RBI in 2012) and is considered one of the premier hitting catchers in the game.The career .303 hitter was off to a bit of a slow start in 2014 (.276 with nine home runs through June 18), but that was fine with Posey, considering the Giants were leading the National League West despite a mid-June swoon. He is the prototypical All-American boy – the handsome, clean-cut Georgia gentlemen who married his high school sweetheart, Kristen. You get the feeling the perception is that Buster Posey can do no wrong (especially among Giants fans). His college coach at Florida State, Mike Martin Sr., did little to dispel that theory when talking to the San

Gerald Dempsey Posey III (left) and his father, Gerald Dempsey Posey Jr., both were nicknamed Buster when they were young (the father is now known as Demp). The moniker stuck on the younger Posey during his college career at Florida State and as pro with the Giants. (SALTWATER OBSESSIONS)

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A BASS WELCOME MATT FOR PITCHER Giants pitcher Matt Cain had already won a World Series, appeared in two All-Star games and established himself as a premier starter when he took the mound on June 13, 2012 against the Houston Astros. Twenty-seven outs without an opposing batter getting to first base safely earned Cain Major League Baseball’s 22nd perfect game. Needing a break shortly after dominating headlines both locally and nationally, Cain and his wife, Chelsea, called on veteran Northern California bass guide Larry Hemphill (530-674-0276; lunkerlarry.com). Hemphill invited the couple to premier bass fishery Lake Berryessa during a day off shortly after Cain’s masterpiece. “They got lost on the trip up here,” Hemphill said.“And I know they eventually had to go home to the babysitter. So I knew I only had them for about four hours anyway.” “Sadly, we got out there a couple weeks too late after they were spawning,” Cain said in February during spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz. “But we had a lot of fun.” Cain, 29, is similar to San Francisco teammate and avid outdoorsman Buster Posey. Cain too is from the South (he went to high school in Germantown, Tenn.) and was a first-round draft pick. He also appre-

ciates slipping out for an occasional fishing or hunting trip. He has set up local hunts with Giants pitcher and avid outdoorsman Jeremy Affeldt. “I’ll go through spurts where I like to get out and hunt. But it’s just getting outdoors with anything, even if it’s hiking or biking, playing golf or whatever I can do,” said Cain, who was nearing 100 career victories through early June. “I’ll definitely find ways to get myself outside.” Once Matt and Chelsea found the rendezvous point, it was up to the guide, a local legend in the bass community in and out of his hometown of Yuba City. Hemphill’s clients have caught plenty of bass, but this baseball fan felt the need to deliver with one of his favorite players. “What I tried to do was help catch some fish,” Hemphill says.“Talk about pressure.” Throwing 6-inch plastic Roboworms in the early summer heat usually prevalent at Berryessa, lots of fish were caught, with Chelsea getting the two biggest bass, topping out with a 3½-pound spot. Hemphill knew to cool off on the baseball talk given Cain was there to get away. But they did talk a little about being a baseball player. Mostly, the guide was impressed by the baseball star’s down-to-earth persona. “They’re so grounded. Just cool folks.

To see Matt Cain and his wife sitting on the edge of my boat and dangling their feet into the water and see the stress evaporate and unwind was great to be a part of,” Hemphill says. Cain agreed it was a wonderfully serene change of pace compared to his day job, when he stands alone with 40,000-plus critics watching closely from the grandstand. “You have to get away from the hustle and bustle of being in San Francisco,” Cain says. “If you can find ways to get a little bit of quiet time, we really enjoy it.” -CC

Francisco Chronicle. “He’s probably the best leader I’ve ever had. He could discipline himself better than the others. He watched his diet. If it was time to get his rest, he’d get his rest. He wouldn’t go out just because everyone else was going out. He was the most popular guy we ever had here,” Martin said.“He was academic player of the year; he set the curve for our players in the classroom. When something needed to be said, he said it. If someone was not hustling, out of the corner of your eye, you’d see him walk over and tell the guy, in a mature and firm way,‘That’s not the way we play the game.’” About the only major blemish on the field Posey has endured was a violent collision with Florida Marlins baserunner Scott

Cousins on May 25, 2011. Cousins slammed into Posey as he attempted to block home plate.The catcher’s left leg buckled and shattered. He suffered a broken bone in his leg, three torn ankle ligaments and missed the rest of the season. That highly controversial incident was the driving force behind what pundits deemed the “Buster Posey Rule,” implemented this season, which prohibits catchers from blocking the pathway of runners without the ball but also outlawing baserunners from plowing into the catcher while leading with the shoulder. What Posey got out of the injury was perspective of when everything is rolling along, a freight-train wreck at home plate can change it all.

“I’d like to think so,” he said when asked if his injury changed him in a positive way.“The challenge is, the further I get away from (getting hurt) is keeping that perspective. Because you tend to get back in that mindset of you can just go, go, go. It’s good to have you ask me that question because you’re right: Just like that you can be sidelined for a while.” And of the Giants’two World Series titles in three seasons – the franchise’s first since moving West in the late 1950s – Posey could personally savor the second championship a little more when he bounced back with his surgically repaired left leg to put together his MVP season (336, 24 home runs, 103 RBI). In Game 5 of the National League Division Series, Posey’s grand slam turned out to be the

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Matt Cain and his wife, Chelsea, caught this bass at Lake Berryessa just days after Cain threw a perfect game in 2012. (LARRY HEMPHILL GUIDE SERVICE)

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“I definitely enjoy it a lot more now because it’s a way for me to unwind after the season,” Buster Posey says of getting back to his roots in rural Georgia and deer hunting with his dad and brothers. (CHRIS COCOLES) decisive blow in a series-clinching victory at Cincinnati. “I don’t think I could rank them,” he says humbly of the Giants’ two titles.“They were both very special.” THEPOSEYFAMILY has doubled in recent years; Buster and Kristen are the parents of soon-to-be 3-year-old twins, son Lee and daughter Addison. Thus, free time to hunt and fish is a little less frequent than it was prior to their birth in August, 2011. Still, Posey gets out when he can. “I’m keeping my fingers crossed (Lee and Addison) are going to be able to sit in the (deer) stands in the next two to three years and them out of the house,” Posey says with a laugh.“Because right now my wife is like,‘Ahhhh! You might want to hang around here a little more; you’ve been gone for the last nint months (of the baseball season).’” Last fall Posey managed to join his father and fishing guide Jordan Todd of Port St. Joe, Fla.-based Saltwater Obsessions (850-227-6550; saltwaterobsessions.com) for a redfish expedition in the Gulf of Mexico off Florida’s pandhandle. “Fishing with Buster was like fishing with your best friend you’ve known for years. He’s extremely laid back and comfortable to be around,” Todd says. “Well-mannered, and just a good ole country boy who is at home being outside and enjoys spending time doing the things he loves with his family and friends.” From April to October, he loves winning baseball games, and the Giants have done that ever since he made his debut in 2009. In 2013, he signed a nine-year, $167 million contract. He’d like to get in some of California’s deer, upland bird and waterfowl hunting during the season. But catchers, probably more than other position players or pitchers, cherish their rest in a rare day away from the ballpark. There’s always Leesburg in the fall, and Posey remains the rural south Georgia deer hunter who just happens to be one of the best in his profession. “It’s just fun to be outside,” he says.“There’s a challenge to it and an art to it. You can’t appreciate it unless you go out and do it.” CS

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MIXED BAG You never know what you’ll see in the field in remote areas of California. The author found this overturned car and its driver at a crossroads. (TIM E. HOVEY)

FINDING JOHNNY ON THE SPOT

FIELD ADVENTURES OF A FISHERIES BIOLOGIST

By Tim E. Hovey

large part of my job involves conducting routine monitoring of many species of fishes, amphibians and reptiles in Southern California. This puts me out in the field quite bit. For the most part, the days are routine and uneventful. I collect field data, write reports, make recommendations and move on to the next species. However, occasionally I encounter something odd or very much out of the ordinary while running around the hills. In over 20 years as a

marine and fisheries biologist, I have had my share of very interesting events while surveying the backcountry. This is one of them: AN AFTERNOON WITH JOHNNY Last year I was finishing up a snake survey in the back hills of Southern California. During warmer days in the spring, I’ll drive the countless fire roads looking for snakes. I call these surveys snake runs, and this method is an excellent way to encounter many California species. When I encounter a snake, I document the species, length and overall health of the animal. I’ll grab a waypoint with my GPS and take as many digital photos of the snake as I can get. I was essentially done for the day and cutting across a Forest Service road to the

main road home. I drove by another fire trail and noticed that the heavy gate that is usually blocking this road was open. I backed up and started slowly driving up the steep and windy two-track. The trail had not been traveled frequently, and was littered with fist-sized rocks and ruts. Even driving my four-wheel-drive truck, I had to take the steep ascent slowly and watch what I was doing. After about a mile, I decided I didn’t want to travel any further. The road was just too rough. I came around the next blind corner and prepared to turn around when I saw a vehicle in the road ahead of me. It looked to be a small two-door coupe. My first thought was that the little car was no match for the rough and rugged road. My second thought was I

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MIXED BAG wondered how it had gotten upside down and on its roof. I drove a bit closer and stopped. The wreck blocked the road and debris littered the area around the car. As I got out, I figured the car had crashed the evening before and had yet to be retrieved. I walked over to get a closer look. As I came around the front, I noticed what looked like white paint dripping from the floorboard to the roof on the ground. That’s when I heard someone groan. Instantly, I realized that this accident had just happened. I leaned down and noticed a young man painfully extracting himself from the other side of the car. I asked him if he was OK. He didn’t answer me. I made my way to the other side just as he sat himself on the ground. He had wet paint on the side of his face and the front of his shirt. He was squinting in pain and holding his shoulder. “Are you alright?” I asked. He said his shoulder really hurt and that he had hit his head pretty hard. I looked in the back of the car and saw two open paint cans that had splashed the interior white during the crash. I sat there with him for a few minutes. He told me that he had driven up the fire road to do some thinking. On the way back down, his front tire had hit a rock and ripped the steering wheel out of his hand. He then hit the gas instead of the brake, hit the embankment and flipped his car over. The road itself was cut out of the side of the mountain. If he had made a right instead of a left, his small car would’ve dropped over the edge into a deep ravine and I wouldn’t be talking to him now. He said he didn’t know how long he’d been there before I showed up. He didn’t have any noticeable injuries and seemed coherent. He kept rubbing his shoulder, and it looked to be dislocated. I told him if he could get to my truck and I could take him to the hospital. “I don’t want to go to the hospital,” he insisted. I tried several more times unsuccessfully to convince him that he needed to get checked out, but all he wanted was a ride home. He loaded himself into my truck and said his name was Johnny. He looked to be

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Johnny’s car had flipped over on an infrequently traveled road in Southern California, so the author, who was doing field research on snakes in the area, was a bit stunned when he saw the overturned vehicle and the driver still inside. (TIM E. HOVEY)

in his late 20s. He seemed more concerned about getting paint on my seat than what he had just been through. I assured him that I’ve had worse in the work truck and not to worry about it. We were just about to leave when I asked if he needed anything from his car. The area was strewn with trash, personal items and bits of Johnny’s coupe. I knew if he didn’t have a chance to get back up here soon, most of the valuable items would probably be gone by the time he returned. He told me to hang on a minute and said he needed something out of the trunk. He slowly hobbled back to his car and walked around to the back. The trunk had popped open during the crash and most of the contents were now lying near the rear of the car. I watched him rummage around a bit and then head back towards my truck. Johnny had retrieved exactly one item from the trunk: a 3-foot-long machete. My heart skipped a beat when I saw the long knife. I seriously wondered what I had gotten myself into. As he came around the passenger side, I placed my hand on the door handle on my side for a quick exit in case Johnny went nuts. He opened the door on his side and slid the machete behind the seat. “My dad gave me that,” he said, not waiting for me to ask. I backed up the truck and headed towards the main road. With every bump on the worn two-track, my passenger let out a groan. My repeated suggestions to

go straight to the hospital were briskly declined, so I decided to let it go. I would come to find out that he had just recently lost his job and didn’t have any medical insurance. As we slowly made our way, I was able to find out a little bit more about how Johnny found himself upside down on a desolate forest road. He had just purchased the car a week before and had driven to the lookout above the crash site to think about life. His new car was needed to replace the one he had totaled a week before that. It turns out that things had not been going well for Johnny. Besides crashing both cars in the span of two weeks, his wife had just recently ended their two-year marriage and divorce papers had been served. I found myself saying, “sorry to hear that,” several times during the drive. Just when I thought things really couldn’t get any worse, Johnny brought up his health. It turns out the lost job and the health issues were related. Johnny cut concrete for a living, or at least he used to. Four days before totaling car number two in the mountains, he had misread some electrical schematics and had accidently cut through a high-voltage line with his heavy cement cutter. He said he didn’t remember any of it. Stopping your heart for almost three minutes tends to mess with your memory. Johnny had suffered a massive heart attack on the job the result of getting zapped with high voltage. Naturally, his

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MIXED BAG employer decided that Johnny may not be the right man for the job and let him go as soon as they found out that he was going to survive. The importance of the machete suddenly became apparent to me. As his world came crashing down around him, the one thing that would never change is that his father had given him that knife, and that was important to him. We got back to the main road and I drove him to where he lived. He carefully got out, thanked me and retrieved his machete. Before he left, I handed him my state business card in case he needed me to talk to the sheriff later. Even before I handed it to him, I knew he’d never use it. A few days later I drove back up to the crash site. The car was gone and the area had been cleaned up. No sign of the crash existed. As I eased back down the rocky road, I thought about how I hoped my life never crumbled all at once around me like Johnny’s had. I reached

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There aren’t many other human beings around when the biologist is sent to far-flung canyons and forests to do field work. What the author wasn’t expecting was to stumble onto an accident scene, and then watch the driver retrieve a 3-foot machete from the trunk. (TIM E. HOVEY) up and knocked three times on the fake veneer of the dashboard. As I got back on the main road, I suddenly realized that my truck still smelled like paint. CS

Editor’s note: Look for more adventures of author and California Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Tim Hovey in future issues of California Sportsman.

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com By Chris Cocoles

CALENDAR

CANINE GUMSHOE HELPS SOLVE CRIME

nimals can do extraordinary things on a regular basis. That includes dogs, which in many cases help to solve crimes. Recently, California Department of Fish andWildlife warden K-9 Kilo, a German shepherd, was brought in to help the Lassen County Sheriff’s Department help solve a deer poaching case. A shooting incident southeast of Susanville led to a dead doe on property owned by 52-year-old Loren Dewayne Gelwick. CDFW warden Nick Buckler, who received a tip about the deer on the CaliforniansTurn in Poachers and Polluters (CalTIP) hotline (888-334-2258), Warden Paul Cardoza and Kilo, a obtained a search warrant on Gel- member of the California Departwick’s property and requested the ment of Fish and Wildlife’s K-9 unit, help of Warden Paul Cardoza and teamed to uncover evidence of an Kilo. The officers were tipped off that illegal deer shooting in Lassen Gelwick may have shot the deer and County. (DFG LAW ENFORCEMENT DIVISION) disassembled the shotgun that allegedly killed the animal and hid it in heavy vegetation. Enter the dog, which sniffed the suspect’s property and used its training that included picking up the scent on gunpowder and firearms. Kilo managed to lead Buckler and Cardoza to all pieces of the weapon and shotshells and shotshell wads that, according to a CDFW press release, “were used in the commission of the crime.” “Warden Cardoza and K-9 Kilo were able to locate very small but very important items of physical evidence over a very large and difficult search area,” Buckler said.“Without Kilo, our chances of locating all the evidence were slim.” Gelwick pled guilty to unlawful take of a deer out of season and unlawful charge of a firearm within 150 yards of an occupied residence. Besides a $1,500 fine, he can’t fish or hunt during a two-year probationary period. Kilo got plenty of love from CDFW wardens and deputies, plus play time with his favorite rubber ball. The CalTIP hotline is open 24 hours a day.

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Hounds get in some water training (and a nice swim in sunny Southern California) during the Raahauge Shooting Sports Fair in Corona last month. (RACHEL ALEXANDER)

JULY New hunting license required How Big is Fishing Derby, West Walker River, Mono County; (northernmonochamber.com; 530-208-6078) 3 This date in 2007: state record for smallmouth bass (9 pounds, 13 ounces), caught at Pardee Reservoir by Harold Hardin of Stockton 5 Free fishing day in California (no license required) 9 This date in 1983: state record for white sturgeon (468 pounds), caught in San Pablo Bay by Joey Pallotta of Crockett 16 Start of inland Chinook salmon season 16 This date in 2013: state record for inland Chinook salmon (20 pounds, 15 ounces), caught at Trinity Lake by Sally Nachreiner of Redding 19-20 New Melones Lake Team Kokanee Derby (kokaneepower.org) 24 This date in 2008: state record for blue catfish (113 pounds, 5 ounces), caught at San Vicente Reservoir by Steve Oudomsouk of San Diego 1 1-31

AUGUST Stampede Reservoir Team Kokanee Derby (kokaneepower.org) 8-10 West Walker River Size Doesn’t Matter Derby (northernmonochamber.com; 800-845-7922) 9 Deer season opener for Zone A-South Unit 110 and Zone B-North Unit 160 16 Bighorn sheep opener for Zone 7 (White Mountains) 18 This date in 1952: state record for golden trout (9 pounds, 8 ounces), caught at Virginia Lake by O. Benefield of Compton 23-31 General pronghorn season for Zones 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 2

If you have an event coming up, send info to ccocoles@media-inc.com.

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PHOTO CONTEST

WINNERS!

Miguel Villanueva of San Jose was along the Pacific Coast south of Santa Cruz, fishing for perch on relatively light tackle – 10-pound test with an ultralight rod – when this monster striper bit his live sand crab bait. Miguel estimated the fight with the bass lasted about 30 minutes. But he landed his trophy, along with this month’s Wright &McGill/Eagle Claw contest title. We’ll send Miguel a $50 prize package worth of Lazer Sharp hooks, pliers and a Lazer Sharp hat.

Jim Morrison is this issue’s Browning Photo Contest winner, thanks to his picture of a whopper Saskatchewan whitetail. The hunter bagged it on a wintery fall day last season. It scores him a Browning hat and more!

For your shot at winning Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw and Browning products, send your photographs 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.

32 California Sportsman JULY 2014

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Ready for the end of the world? The men and women of the National Geographic Channel show, Doomsday Preppers, are preparing themselves for various forms of possible chaos. (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL)

PREPPING FOR DOOMSDAY REALITY SHOW’S ‘PRACTICAL PREPPER’ ON BEING READY FOR ANYTHING

By Chris Cocoles

ichard Dean Anderson is an accomplished TV actor, having starred for a decade in the successful sci-fi hit Stargate SG-1. But to many, he’ll always be MacGyver, that 1980s secret agent who, says the website macgyveronline.com, at different points in the 141-episode ABC show, could use a gum wrapper as fishing tackle, make a hot air signal balloon from paper mache and a ball, and build a baby crib from hockey sticks.

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MIXED BAG Scott Hunt has no interest in building a bomb out of a paper clip, but as a survivalist prepper, Hunt savors the idea of being somewhat of a MacGyver-type. “That’s what I do,” says Hunt a professional prepper who is a mentor to the survivalists preparing for the worst on the National Geographic Channel series, Doomsday Preppers. “If you came here the last two days and watched me, I spent that time tweaking a centrifuge – not for nuclear material, just want to make that clear – for making black diesel. I took wasted motor oil and transmission fluid, and we made our own fuel that we could pour into my Volkswagen. And we drove in it.” Hunt is among the growing number of Americans who want to thrive when the unexpected happens.We’ve seen recent natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina on the Gulf Coast, Super Storm Sandy along the Atlantic Seaboard and devastating tornadoes throughout the Central Plains.What happens when you could possibly lose everything, and individually that could be a job, a family member or your life savings? That’s where Hunt’s company he started three years ago, Practical Preppers (864-9151855; practicalpreppers.com), hopes to get people started on having a plan in place in the event of a calamity like, and Alaskans know these are very possible, earthquakes or fires. Many of his how-to videos available on his website or YouTube channel (youtube.com/user/engineer775) show him working with enough gadgets to keep James Bond comfortable if one of the villains he’s battling actually does succeed with world destruction. Hunt has an intriguing resume: he earned a master’s degree in engineering from the prestigious Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, N.Y.) and worked as a product development engineer with Michelin Tire for a decade; he spent 10 years as a senior pastor and operates a successful cattle/livestock business. But prepping for the worst and using his creative energy to figure out how to survive is a passion. Assisting those preppers on the National Geographic show has opened the eyes of viewers one way or the other. “Doomsday Preppers has really helped me. I live in the middle of nowhere so how

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800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com

Scott Hunt operates his own prepper company, Practical Preppers, and is one of the professional consultant experts on Doomsday Preppers. “Preparedness can be for anything. People talk things like the apocalypse or EMP’s (a nuclear electromagnetic pulse), but people in general are not prepared for life,” he says. (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL)

do I get my name out there?The show helps, the Internet helps like social media,” says Hunt, who just finished writing a book, PracticalPreppers:AGuidetoDisaster Preparedness that will be available beginning in August. We caught up with Hunt from his rural South Carolina property where he talked about not losing balance when your life is turned upside down. Chris Cocoles In watching some of your videos, what you do seems pretty complicated to a nonexpert like me, but is it a pretty simple process for you? SCOTT HUNT [laughs] I do a variety of things and try to keep it simple; just throwing up (videos) of every possible thing that I can come up with to help people be prepared for whatever they’re preparing for.The shows that have come out, like Doomsday Preppers, you have a variety of people: a mixture of preppers, some survivalists, and you have some that do both. And we recommend learning both. But from a preparedness standpoint, we think building community and not just heading out into the hills is the way to go. But my part in is I’m trying to promote a preparedness lifestyle, something where you’re not as dependent on the system. But you’re also not hiding under a rock somewhere. But if there is a cri-

sis: a tornado, a hurricane, or something, that you’re part of the solution and not the problem. CC So how did you get involved in prepping with your diverse background? SH It’s all kind of come together. I had a good education in mechanical engineering and robotics. And I was a pastor who traveled and did missionary work and helped a lot of people that way. So prepping is a way to combine both of these for me, using the skills I’ve learned. It’s kind of a weird way to get where I am, but a long path. It’s been a great match and just makes sense. CC Tell me about your experience on Doomsday Preppers. SH I was on the pilot episode. We got back to the production company, Sharp Entertainment, when the show was sold to Nat Geo. We were assessed, but we said, “How could somebody from downtown Manhattan assess our preparedness?” We challenged them; they asked us if we wanted to be on season one. We said no, but “what if we do the assessment part of the show?”We just finished (shooting) season four. CC What’s it been like to assess this cast of characters appearing on the show?

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Scott Hunt is proud to be compared to the main character of the 1980s TV show cult hit MacGyver for ernment’s guidelines SH There are what I call his creative approach to solving problems, like using pedal power as a “bicycle generator.” at ready.gov, we would true preppers that are (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL) be way better off. Peovery cynical and do not ple do not follow it. like the show because They are now going it’s sensationalizing the more towards a week’s prepper movement to worth of preparedsome degree. But I tell ness. Because help is them that you’re just not always going to getting a 15-minute get to you for a period snapshot of a person of seven days, so why who has worked 20 not have enough simyears on what he does. ple water, food, shelter, It’s not fair. But if you and those things on look at this objectively, hand? We’re not talkyou can pick up someing about amassing an thing from each one. arsenal and trying to protect your commuI think we all say“Wow, we could have been I’ve talked to hundreds of people and I always nity. No matter what the scenario there could more prepared to handle this.” But did it hit pick up something. I finally talked to the probe a breakdown and social chaos. Humans home for you even more when you saw what duction company and said, “Would you let become animals within a few days when went on after Hurricane Katrina or Superme to talk to the prepper?” I could talk their they don’t have food or water. Being exposed storm Sandy? language, so to speak, and I could see what to the elements in some climates is brutal. A SH You see people like a mother who can’t they’re preparing and how they’re preparing lot of reality shows in Alaska, those people give her child an asthma rescue. There are and what they’re preparing for. Get me on have to be preppers.They have to or they die. simple things when you say, “Oh my goodthe phone with them for at least a half hour But most people in the Lower 48 don’t have ness, I have the solution for that.” People sufand I can get what this person is doing. I’ve to prepare like that and survive on a daily fer because they don’t prepare. When learned a lot from what they’re good at for basis. They become dependent on food, something like Sandy hits, you know there their climate and conditions, and their possiwater and medicine being available or delivare people who are going to be wiped out. ble national disasters.That could give me anered. The communication system is always (Hurricane) Irene in Vermont (in 2011) and other idea and project to work on. It’s been working. It’s a very fragile, high-tech society. people stranded. Katrina was awful, of nothing but awesome to talk to different I understand the technology, but I also like course. So storms continue to get stronger preppers. There are some who probably old, simpler ways to fall back on. It can fail and and more violent. Simple things like being in shouldn’t have been on the show. But overall, it has failed in pockets in different ways. Why Oklahoma and not having a tornado shelter, it’s been very positive for me to be a part of not have simple ways to stay warm, cook it’s just not wise. And being able to get away Doomsday Preppers. your food, take care of your family and have from a wildfire, a tornado or flooding, those some potable water so nobody gets sick? are not things that require you to spend a life CC Was there a time earlier in your life where savings to do. A lot of times you just need to you were unprepared for something and it CC But it’s not just about natural calamities, leave where you’re at, and people sometimes convinced you to become a prepper? it can be losing a job or a family member or aren’t even prepared to do that. FEMA can’t SH Not necessarily, but seeing other people having a sick family member you should come and rescue everybody.You can’t imagsuffer and paying attention to that as a pastor prep for just in case, correct? ine what’s going to happen. for a church, I saw people who lost a job or SH You do see that in some of the prepper had health concerns. They weren’t ready for groups: they run their groups through sceCC I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area, that. Maybe a spouse is addicted to a drug narios.“Today, Joe lost his job.” It’s hard to simwhere, of course, there’s always a threat of and it completely wipes out the family. Preulate what you’re saying with a job loss. But earthquakes. And when we had a quake we’d paredness can be for anything. People talk it’s good to make people who you know or watch the news, which would always tell us things like the apocalypse or EMP’s [a nuclear work with to think through that scenario.You to be prepared and have emergency supelectromagnetic pulse], but people in gendon’t know what people will do until they’re plies stored. And my family and I always eral are not prepared for life. I spent 10 years put in that situation, or course. So sometimes thought that we need to do this, and we sort pastoring people who were wiped out in it’s good to maybe throw the breaker or turn of did it, but really we never did. And I think their life.You can’t prepare for everything. But the power off. The family doesn’t appreciate that’s the mentality a lot of families have. But it’s nice to prepare at some level and to be it, but it’s a good test to see how we are adlike you preach, you should more than prehelp others in those situations. dicted to our cell phones, our tablets, everypared for that, right? thing. There will be severe psychological SH Exactly. If people just followed the govCC When you see the aftermath of a disaster

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CALFORNIA PREPPERS ON EARTHQUAKE SAFETY Seismologists for years have said Southern California – and probably the Bay Area too – is overdue for the kind of devastating earthquake that demolished San Francisco in 1906. Lake Elsinore residents Rachel and Josh Jackling want fellow citizens to be prepared for such a tremor, or anything else that can prevent help from getting to you. Their shop, Protective Bunkers & Survival Center (951-245-3920; protectivebunkers.com), is a Riverside County one-stop shop for both rookie and advanced preppers. They recently filmed episodes for Doomsday Preppers, and Rachel Jackling was kind enough to give us a few minutes. Chris Cocoles What was your experience like on the show? Rachel Jackling Filming for Doomsday Preppers was certainly an awesome experi-

40 California Sportsman JULY 2014

ence. Getting to work with a film crew and being behind the camera is not something everyone gets to do in their lifetime so we feel blessed to have been able to experience that. We also learned a lot about what we are preparing for as well as points to improve on. CC I read that the tragic earthquake tsunami in Japan in 2011 convinced you do build your own bunker. I’m a California native whose entire still family still lives in the Bay Area, and should we all prepared even if just in basic terms for a probable major earthquake at some point? RJ I would say it is imperative for everyone, especially residents of California, to be prepared for a natural disaster. We have all heard for years California is long overdue for the “big one.” No one really can tell us when or if that will eventually happen, but wouldn’t it be best to be prepared if it

does? I stress to everyone who comes into our store to try to have a minimum of three days’ worth of food and water per person in your car, your work place and in your home. You want to be sure you are prepared no matter where you might be. There would be nothing worse than to be stranded in your car with one year’s worth of food in your home, or to not be prepared at all. CC Is there one tool or gadget we should always have access to in a crisis situation? RJ As far as a tool or a gadget, I would probably say a good knife. A knife has many uses. You could use it to start fires, to access water, hunting for food, to build shelters and, even if necessary, for self-defense. CC Can you share what your “72-hour bugout kit” is and explain its importance? In

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MIXED BAG trauma if the Internet goes down. I’m just as bad as anyone else because I live in a very rural area. I could not do what I do without it. From job loss to that huge disaster, you don’t know what people are going to do and how they’re going to behave. CC Have you been told by people,“Hey, you guys are eccentric, you’re nuts, you overdo it?” SH [laughs] All the time. But then when something happens, “Maybe Scott wasn’t that crazy.” I’ve always done this; I don’t golf, I don’t hunt. I like to do what I do and help to give people ideas on how to prepare. It helps me to be prepared because I build these things and install them. I’m going all over the place to install solutions that I design. So it doesn’t bother me that people think I’m crazy. And a lot of people who used to think I’m crazy are totally on board. The light bulb went off and“now I get it.” But some extremists or nutjobs can ruin it.“If that’s prepping I don’t want anything to do with it,” and I understand that.We need food, water and shel-

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ter, and that’s all I’m talking about. I tell people a little bit about electricity goes a long way. If the grid goes down for a week, can you generate a little bit of power? It can be generators, solar panels in your area or maybe you have a creek that works for hydro. I don’t care if it’s human power up to very complicated hybrid power systems. But start simple. The Amish are laughing at us for this; they are prepared and don’t need our technology. CC You have quite the impressive resume, and you’re an intelligent person. And you have to be a little creative and think outside the box in what you do. SH You do. I think my goal when I bought this small piece of property, my hobby was could I live off it and be self-sufficient. What do I have? I have wood, I have water. And from that I have done crazy things and it’s been fun. It just keeps going. The more people that could be prepared, it’ll pay off. People who have gone through the hurricanes, a lot of those people say, “I will never do this

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com watching your video it looks like a goody bag for survival. RJ We all have a 72-hour bug-out kit. We sell a minimal version in our store, which is based on the Boy Scouts’10 essentials. We build them with three days’ food and water, fire starting and illumination, extra clothing, land navigation and map reading, emergency blankets, first aid and medications, and emergency tools such as knives; it’s everything one would need to get home or survive for three days. Our personal bags are a little more tailored for our needs with water filters, tactical knives, extra food, duct tape, extra medical, etc. Each persona has different needs or fears and your bag should be tailored as such. I would have to say water is the most important item in my bag. CC I’m sure you’ve had people tell you, “This is too extreme. I don’t need a protective bunker. It’s overdoing it.” What do you say in response to that? RJ Sure, a lot of people feel bunkers are ex-

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MIXED BAG again.” I get a lot of calls from people in Florida who have gone through multiple hurricanes.They ask me,“What do I need to have water?” I start with water; I don’t care what your political bend is; everybody needs good water. When I start off with the Doomsday Preppers, I ask them to tell me about their water supply. How do they get it?What’s their long-term solution? A lot of people don’t have one. I make suggestions. Water opens the door for me to talk to everybody. I don’t start with, “How many guns do you have?” That turns off a lot of people. CC There are a couple of great quotes on your website from two men I admire: Benjamin Franklin (“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”), and Henry Ford (“Chop your own wood, and it will warm you twice.”). What do those two quotes mean to you? Because I see Franklin and Ford as kind of geniuses who thought outside the box. SH Absolutely. You had almost a scientist, of course, in Ben Franklin, and more of an engineer in Henry Ford. Where I grew up in up-

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state New York, everywhere you went you were using and getting wood. Though I despised it as a teenager I love it now and use it for everything. But yes, they’re both awesome guys. I’d put Michael Faraday and (Albert) Einstein in there as well. They’re just creative out-of-the-box men, and I enjoy that. CC What’s one message you hope Doomsday Preppers can send? SH The first thought that comes to my mind is wake up. A lot of people on the show say they are preparing for everything. And the show does a good job of spreading it out: “You’re preparing an EMP, you’re preparing for a wildfire, you’re preparing for a job loss.” Doomsday Preppers gets it out there that,“It could happen to me. We need to do something about it.That person showed me what I could do.” Some people spend crazy amounts of money, but there are some good and practical solutions to protect yourself and your family and maybe even your community. So kind of the message is to wake up to the reality of how fragile our society is.

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com CC So about that MacGyver comparison… SH I have 300-plus videos of MacGyverlike stuff. My shop is a disaster. I have 50 projects going on. It’s a lot of fun. I have a couple young guys who I’m training. So I said, “Come on guys: let’s build this.” I have so many gadgets and gizmos. This was my dream that I could be, for lack of a better word, a MacGyver and be able to share that with other people. I’m having a blast; I need to get more sleep [laughs]. CS Editor’s note: For more information on Scott Hunt’s company, Practical Preppers, go to his website, practicalpreppers.com, or call (864) 915-1855. His book, The Practical Preppers Complete Guide to Disaster Preparedness (Thomas Dunne Books), on sale August 5, is the comprehensive guide for all experience levels for preparing for any disaster and building a more sustainable lifestyle. The Doomsday Preppers season premiere is Thursday, July 24 on the National Geographic Channel at 9 p.m. PDT.

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MIXED BAG treme, but when I tell them about the family who lost their home along with $30,000 of food storage and other expensive items in a fire and now keeps it in a bunker, they understand. Our bunkers are not“Doomsday bunkers,” they are underground homes with many uses. In the event of a wild fire and your home burns down, you have a place to live rather than a gymnasium. If we have a major earthquake and your house has been tagged, you have a place to live. If our grid fails, you have a safe place to live with power. They are a backup plan. Once you start talking about them and their purposes, they don’t seem so scary or crazy. CC Have you learned a lot from others who also want to be prepared when you’ve corresponded with over the years? And what do you hope others learn from you? RJ I fear for the people who say they know everything about survival. We meet many people every day throughout our community and in our store, and we both learn

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something from everyone. Every day we learn something new and hope to keep learning. Knowledge is power! If there is any one simple piece of advice that I try to teach others, it is to be prepared. Always have an earthquake kit or 72-hour bag in your car. Try to keep your gas tank half full and change in your pocket. Learn the basic essentials of survival, including first aid and CPR. You never know when or if something will happen. Even if it doesn’t, at least you now you are prepared. It is better to be prepared for something and not need it than to be unprepared if you do. CC What initial advice would you give for someone just starting from scratch who wants to slowly start to prepare for a potential crisis down the line? RJ I tell people who have nothing to start with three days of food and water. For a little over $10, you can buy three days of food and water that have a five-year shelf life. It is also rated to withstand

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com temps of up to 149 degrees, so you can leave it in your car. It is a great start. Pass up your morning latte and buy your supplies! Unfortunately, seven out of 10 people tell me, “Oh, maybe I should. I will think about it.” CC Is there anything else you’d like to add about being prepared for a crisis? RJ More and more people want to be prepared so they can take care of themselves and their families when disaster strikes. This is excellent. The more people who are prepared, the less problems we will all have in the event of a natural disaster. Please talk to your neighbors, friends or families. Don’t fear people will think you are a “crazy prepper,” which is how a lot of us feel. This is actually a very smart thing to do. Think back to any major disaster. If most people had been prepared and could take care of themselves rather than having to wait two to three weeks for food, water or help, do you feel it would have made a difference? I do. -CC

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QUITE A FIND HOW DID THE GOLD YOU OBSESS ABOUT GET HERE?

BY MIKE PUNG

Placer gold usually starts as rocks that break apart and ends up in alluvial deposits of sand and gravel or finds its way into stream or riverbeds. (BRAD JONES/GOLD CUBE)

old is where you find it, but how did it find me? It is a chemical element with the symbol Au and atomic number 79. You know, that table that teachers made you memorize in school just long enough to get a C? Well, gold is a dense, soft, malleable metal with a bright yellow color and luster. Yep, it's pretty. And pretty heavy too, in fact 19 times heavier than water. That means a water bottle full of gold would weigh as much as a small car battery. I know the answer to your next question: that water bottle would be worth $23,000 or more. Coveted by kings and kids for crowns and cell phones, it will always be a part of our modern world. Sure, it's heavy, pretty and worth a lot, but how did it get here to California? I guess you can call it a byproduct of the Big Bang: Supernovas, the stars that go boom and release all their energy of a lifetime in a single moment. This is what it takes to form gold and send it flying all over the universe. The gold that has been found today is gold that hit us after the earth settled down a bit, about three billion years ago.

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The Gold Banker (top) and Gold Cube are utilized to separate your gold from lighter materials like sand and silt. (MIKE PUNG/GOLD CUBE)

Gold that arrived before that eventually sank to the earth's core. Remember, gold is really heavy so it wants to sink. So why can we still find it at the surface? That's easy: some sort of geological episode brought some gold back up to the surface for us. Processes like glaciation, hot spring formation, volcanoes and the shifting of continental plates are credited for its origin. All this

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So desirable is gold that miners have built expensive, heavy-duty equipment like this dredge to extract the metal from large gravel deposits. (MIKE PUNG/GOLD CUBE)

shifting, dragging and pushing all the mountains around caused friction to re-

52 California Sportsman JULY 2014

ally heat things up. Anything that can melt, such as rock, gold, etc., all flowed

800-776-2873 www.pro-cure.com together. Then, as tectonic plates started to pile up, they formed new mountains. With all this force, cracks occurred. So what better putty to use in mountain cracks than liquid quartz with gold? That has my vote, for sure. Think about water: the same way small drops of water can form a puddle, gold tries to do the same thing while it's flowing around in the rock. The more successful gold was at it, the bigger the blob. Today those blobs are known as nuggets. When the cooled rock is still stuck in the mountain, it is known as a vein. When the vein is loaded with gold it is called a pay streak. Mining that follows loaded gold veins through the mountain is called "hard rock" mining or "lode" mining. Mother Nature has a way of helping us as well. Weather, for one, will erode mountains and break apart the host rocks that are holding onto the gold. When this cookie crumbles, it takes the

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MIXED BAG gold with it. Good news for us, right? You bet it is. Now the gold is on the move and it likes to sink. Water will move it around with forceful floods. The water will send it downhill, usually ending up in a river or valley. In other words, it moves from one place to another place. Mining this misplaced gold is "placer" mining – pronounced like plasser, from a Spanish word translated as alluvial or glacial deposit of sand or gravel. We just hope there's gold in “them thar” sands. There are a lot of ways to collect this elusive yellow metal using hands, pans, pick, shovel, and even sheep's wool (as in the Greek legend of Jason and the Golden Fleece). Many people have looked for gold and have found it for many years. So, how could there be any gold left? It's that Mother Nature gal again working her magic. Don't want to wait? You could be a hardy soul and use equipment to speed up the process. Or you could just be lucky. Picture

54 California Sportsman JULY 2014

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yourself walking down a path with four of your buddies ahead of you. You look down and see a rock and it just seems to call out to you, "I'm yours." So what choice do you have? You pick it up. It wanted you, not your buddies or the hundreds of people before them who didn’t find it. It's a quartz rock with a vein of gold in it, and now indeed is all yours. No one ever in the history of the world has ever seen this gold, touched it, or felt its weight. Now it's your gold, because it found you! It just happens that way sometimes. No other explanation really is valid in this situation; you can't or won’t make sense of it. Gold is where you find it. All you have to do is get outdoors and get where it can find you. CS Editor’s note: The author is owner and operator of Gold Cube, which sells gold prospecting equipment. You can learn more about him at goldcube.net, or call (800) 649-0256.

So now that you know how gold found us, it’s time for you to find that gold nugget that says, “I’m yours.” (CHRIS RALPH/WIKIPEDIA)

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SCENES FROM RAAHAUGE SHOOTING FAIR Photos by Rachel Alexander

ne of the first families of hunting and shooting sports in California is Raahauge. The Hands-On Shooting Sports Fair has become a Southern California staple among hunters and gun collectors, and we sent the editor of our sister magazine, Western Shooting Journalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Rachel Alexander, to the 2014 show in Corona last month. Thanks to Rachel for giving us a pictorial look at this event.

Northern California is the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s waterfowl hunting mecca, but these blinds were sure to make hunters drool with anticipation for what is hoped to be a better duck and geese season this winter.

Any organization with the intention of getting the youngsters out to enjoy the great outdoors is welcomed. Friends of Rollo takes kids on fishing trips in the Southern California area. 56 California Sportsman JULY 2014

Grilled slabs of ribs were part of the menu for hungry fair goers.

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Some young anglers take in the sun at the kidsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; fishing pond.

Turning hunting dogs loose to climb trees and chase small game (though in this case, a stuffed prey) looks like fun, at least for the dog, in this demonstration.

Taxidermy lessons, anyone?

Western Shooting Journal editor Rachel Alexander (left) gets a chance to wear the small colony of Olympic medals won by California native Kim Rhode, who won shooting medals in five consecutive Olympics between Atlanta in 1996 and the 2012 London Games.

JULY 2014 California Sportsman 57

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Mike Raahauge Shooting Enterprises, which runs the event, dates back to the family patriarch, Linc Raahauge, who opened a pheasant hunting facility in Dixon near Sacramento in the 1950s.

A Labrador retriever patiently waits for the call to, well, retrieve, during a training seminar.

Send in the hounds, which get into the spirit of howling.

Raahauges’ pig hunts are popular, and per California’s hog hunting regulations, available the year-round.

We’ll take that as a cautionary message.

58 California Sportsman JULY 2014

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FISHING

DON’T BE LURED AWAY

A collection of effective Sierra trout lures: Left column: Thomas Bouyant, Kastmaster, Rooster Tail, Panther Martin; right: Berkley Flicker Shad, Owner Cultiva, Floating Rapala, trout jig. (MIKE STEVENS)

HOW TO USE YOUR TACKLE BOX STASH

community, and hopefully the following bits of info on a handful of popular Sierra trout lures will help you land a few more this season:

By Mike Stevens

fost fish reports – Sierras or otherwise – typically tell you that this fish was caught on this lure in this body of water, but offer very little in terms of how the lure was presented and on what type of gear. When it comes to Eastern Sierra trout fishing, you hear about the same dozen or so lures doing most of the damage up there by the spin-fishing

SPOONS: Worthy options - Kastmaster, Thomas Buoyant, Super Duper, Hot Shot, Little Cleo

Metal spoons were among the first artificial lures to ever occupy space in a tackle box, and they remain incredibly productive to this day. They are rarely a bad choice for locating fish in still water due to their castability and ability to cover the whole water column. A Kastmaster in the 1⁄16- or 1⁄8-ounce range is a classic go-to Sierra spoon,

and they will shrug off wind in your face like it’s dead calm. Use the larger size on any of the stocked lakes, and drop down to the smaller ones for backcountry situations. A slow to moderate retrieve speed will give it a perfect side-to-side “kicking” action and keep it from spinning. Metalliccolored Kastmasters like gold, silver and the harder-to-find copper are great sunny-day options, and painted ones such as frog or rainbow trout are better in low-light situations. The other must-have spoon in your Sierra arsenal is the Thomas Buoyant. While the Buoyant is a heavier spoon JULY 2014 California Sportsman 61

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FISHING A colorful Thomas Buoyant that landed this rainbow is a spoon that should be retrieved slower than just about any other lure of its kind. (MIKE STEVENS)

at 1⁄6 ounce, it has a thinner and wider design than most trout spoons, keeping it from sinking as fast as other metal lures making it perfect for fishing over weeds or shallow water. Thomas Bouyants seem to work best when there is a little wind chop. They also need to be retrieved slowly, arguably more than any other metal lure in the trout world. While the masses instinctively reach for the gold/red version, the watermelon color works phenomenally well, and the frog and brown trout models are also right up there. One thing that I can tell you out of personal experience, while I do not like using spoons in moving water situations, Thomas Buoyants are money 62 California Sportsman JULY 2014

in the Owens River. Buoyants can be retrieved crossstream or even downstream into the Owens’ miles of cavernous undercut banks; they will fool some of the bigger trout that moved into the river out of Crowley Lake. Generally speaking, spoons are not a great choice for creeks because they’ll spin and cause line twist. However, for whatever reason, this one always produces on the Owens. SPINNERS: Worthy options - Rooster Tail, Panther Martin, Mepps Aglia, Rapala Blue Fox

Spinners aren’t as easy to cast as spoons, but they can account for as many fish, if not more, in certain situations. They are deadly on creeks and can seamlessly jump over to lake duty

with no problem. In terms of overall versatility, spinners may be the perfect option for their tendency to produce in every type of water the Sierras has to offer. Rooster Tails have been around for over 60 years, and you should have a variety of them in the 1⁄24-, 1⁄16- and 1⁄8ounce sizes, with the middle size getting the most work. Natural colors like black, green, brown and yellow should get the most tackle-box love, but always have a loud paint scheme like fire tiger, available just in case your quarry that day is looking for something wacky. After casting – and this goes for all spinners – give your reel handle a couple quick turns to get the blade spinning (when you can feel a

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FISHING Brook trout love attacking small jigs in rivers and small creeks. (MIKE STEVENS)

little resistance in your retrieve), then slow down to a steady, medium speed. I have found that this simple retrieve works best rather than adding jerks of

64 California Sportsman JULY 2014

the rod tip, stop-and-goes and so on. Panther Martins are another classic that still get a lot of run along the Highway 395 trail to this day. They feature

a “through-blade” design that allows the blade to spin at the slowest of retrieval speeds; the black-and-yellow model in the 1⁄16 ounce is far and away the most popular color. They are a good choice when you want the flash of a spinner, but something that you can wind in slow enough to not scare trout off when they are acting spooky. One thing to keep in mind about fishing with spinners is line twist. There is no way to avoid getting it (adding a swivel is a no-no because on lures this light, you don’t want to add any extra hardware to the mix or do anything other than tie your line directly to the lure) but there is a simple way to avoid headaches associated with twisted 2- or 4-pound test. Every half-dozen casts, lift the lure out of the water and let it “untwist” itself before making your next cast. It’s a simple fix that becomes second nature after making a point to do it for a bit.

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FISHING If you can avoid the pesky line twist that Panther Martin spinners are notorious for causing, you’ll score a lot of brookies with this old standby lure. (MIKE STEVENS)

TROUT JIGS: Worthy options - Sierra Slammers, Berkley Atomic Teasers, Hawken Trout Traps

Fishing for trout with crappie-style “tube” jigs is a few decades old now,

but it has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. The most commonly used trout jigs are rigged on a leadhead at 1⁄32 ounce, so they are not nearly as

castable as other trout lures. Yet, you might be surprised how far you can chuck one when teamed up with the right rod and reel. The ideal jig-fishing setup is a fast-action, ultralight rod that’s at least 6½ feet in length, matched up to an ultralight reel and 2pound line. This setup will launch a jig as far as you would ever want to, which can actually be too far to even set the hook with that much loose line out, but who doesn’t like firing off a long cast? They too fill roles in both lake and stream fishing, and there are many ways to fish them; new methods seemingly pop up every season. Retrieve them slowly while experimenting with depth, pauses, twitches, cadence and other forms of rod-tip shenanigans. You’re looking to find the right mix in lakes when just fishing the jig on its own. They are also great for sight fishing, as their low profile and almost complete lack of weight allows them to stealthily enter the water

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FISHING with the bare minimum of troutspooking splash or flash. Fishing trout jigs under a bobber has also been a productive method in the Sierras, especially when there is some wind chop on the water. In creeks, slowly work them through deeper pools, slow runs, along undercut banks, or any time you want your offering to stay in the strike zone longer or even remain motionless in front of the fish’s face. That tactic is nearly impossible with other lures that have to be moving to be effective. In both lake and stream situations, adding scent or a plastic trout worm as a trailer to your jig can be a difference maker, and always be ready for them to get bit on the sink. While a variety of bright colors like yellow/orange, white/orange and straight white have always produced, companies like Sierra Slammers are cranking out jigs in patterns specifically geared for the Eastern Sierras.

70 California Sportsman JULY 2014

MINNOW ( OR CRANK) BAITS: Worthy options Rapala, Owner Cultiva, Berkley Flicker Shad, YoZuri Pin Minnow

Arguably the most consistent producers of trophy Sierra trout year after year, minnow baits can produce in a wide variety of fishing situations in moving or still water. Floating minnows can be fan-casted in lakes to cover a lot of water or fished downstream and held in the current near undercut banks and gnarly obstructions. Sinking versions can be retrieved at any depth in the water column, and now there are even suspending baits like Rapala Husky Jerks that will dive to a certain depth and stay there even if left motionless. While lures from companies like Rapala and Rebel are all-time classics, there are a lot more to choose from these days in a variety of profiles and price points. Rapalas definitely still deserve a couple slots in your box with a variety

of floaters, Husky Jerks and a couple Countdowns just so you have it covered if you want to try one that sinks. Owner Cultivas are another minnow lure that has earned space in tackle shops all over the Sierras and are greatlooking baits that have more of a bass crankbait shape to them. Fishing with minnows is a little different than other lures in that you want to cast them on your heavier 4-pound (or even 6-pound in certain situations) line rather than the really light stuff. This is because of the strain on the line simply casting them causes as well as the larger fish that they tend to hook. Later in the season, a rare but growing breed of Eastern Sierra trout anglers known as “brown baggers” will head up the hill in the last couple months of the season and specifically target monster trophy trout by throwing larger, basssized minnow baits on rod-and-reel setups suited for largemouth fishing on 10-pound test or more. CS

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Mono Lake (CHRIS TINKER/MONO COUNTY TOURISM)

MONO COUNTY: CALIFORNIA’S EASTERN SIERRA PARADISE If you’re a regular reader, you are probably aware of the vast fishing possibilities in Mono County’s rivers and lakes that are abundant with feisty trout - and the more than occasional trophy fish. But did you know that Mono County also provides an array of vacations that will suit the whole family while allowing plenty of fishing as well? Visit Bodie Ghost Town and take a trip back in time. Bodie lays claim to Bodie Ghost Town once being the (MONO COUNTY TOURISM) wildest, baddest mining town in the Old West with an average of a murder a day! Nowadays, Bodie is a state historic park and the ruins of Bodie are lovingly kept in a “state of arrested decay” to be explored by today’s generation. Among the many events each year is Friends of Bodie Day, on August 9, when special tours are available and dressing in period costume is encouraged but not mandatory. New this year is Ghost Walks and Star Stories when the park will be open until 10 p.m. June 28, July 26 and August 15. Advance reservations and further info on the many other events can be found at www.bodiefoundation.org. A trip to Mono Lake is another opportunity for family adventure. A majestic body of water covering around 60 acres, Mono Lake is one of the oldest lakes in the Western Hemisphere and offers a wonderful lunar-like landscape. Lending to this strange vista are the Tufa Towers. Tufa is essentially common limestone but the limeDevil’s Postpile National Monument stone growth (MONO COUNTY TOURISM) at Mono is very unusual in its capacity to grow to heights greater than 30 feet. Mono Lake is a photographer’s dream, a bird

lover’s paradise but it also offers the more active visitor canoe and kayak tours. For further info go to www.monolake.org or call (760) 647-6595. The Devil’s Postpile National Monument, another of Mono County’s natural wonders, is not to be missed. Standing 60 feet high these basalt columns are one of the world’s finest examples of columnar basalt. An easy 2-mile hike from the Postpile is the truly beautiful Rainbow Falls. Falling some 100 feet, these waters are an amazing sight. Access to the Devil’s Postpile’s trailhead is by shuttle bus only - unless you get to the gate before 7 a.m. or have a float tube or car-top boat to prove that you plan to fish, and fish you should! Sotcher Lake and the San Joaquin River in Reds Meadows are two prime destinations for trout fishing. Further info can be found at www.monocounty.org or www.nps. gov/depo/planyourvisit/index.htm. Spectacular Lundy Canyon, with its beaver ponds, waterfalls and aspen groves, is part of the hundreds of miles of hiking terrain - suitable for Lundy Canyon (MONO COUNTY TOURISM) rank beginners to the most experienced. Go to www. monocounty.org for further information. So, yes, Mono County is a fisherman’s dream destination, but it’s also a place where a visitor can kayak, canoe, camp beside a lake or on a mountain side, horseback ride, mountain or rockclimb, ski and snowshoe, relive history, learn a few geological facts, bird watch, paint en plein air, take prize-worthy photographs, mountain bike or just hang out in a hammock. From the June Lake Loop Mountain Music Festival, July 25-27, to Bridgeport’s Foundation Days, August 29-Sept 1, including the Fishin’ Mission Western BBQ and Concert, featuring the Slade River Band and Cowboy Flavor, August 30, there are numerous events going on throughout Mono County. For further information on anything and everything about Mono County, go to www. monocounty.org.

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FISHING

MONO COUNTY DERBY EXTRAVAGANZA

WEST WALKER RIVER HOSTS SUMMER CONTESTS

By Chris Cocoles BRIDGEPORT—Mono County is among the most popular destinations for anglers heading to the Eastern Sierra Mountains for summer trout fishing, including derbies in each of the next two months. The West Walker River is a fantastic option in northern Mono County off Highway 395 between Bridgeport and the California-Nevada state line. The West Walker flows 95 miles and straddles the two states. Rick Geiser of Ken’s Sporting Goods (760-932-7707, kenssport.com) in Bridgeport said the river is looking like a solid bet through much of July if the middle stages of June were an indication. “The fishing’s been really good from the Canyon section going toward the town of Walker,” Geiser says. “The upper end has been a little bit off-color due to runoff.” Geiser says big trout have been a little hard to come by, save for some larger fish taken around the aforementioned Canyon stretch of the West Walker. “But a lot of fish are being caught from three-quarters of a pound up to about 1½ pounds,” Geiser says. Spin anglers are having success throwing spinners like Panther Martins, bright-colored Power Eggs and nightcrawlers. The lack of snowfall has taken a toll on the river level, but it’s certainly fishable for this season at least. “It’s moving fast but it’s lower than normal,” Geiser says. “I expect it (in the latter half of June) to really calm down some. When it slows down the fish orient (themselves) better. And there will definitely be more dry fly action.” Geiser says of flies of choice include stimulators, hoppers,

Ethan Varnea, 10, of Los Angeles, with a 2½-pound West Walker rainbow caught on PowerBait. Both spin and fly anglers can thrive in this Mono County river, which hosts two trout derbies in the next couple months. (KEN’S

Nolan Rouse of Newport Beach with a 6-pound, 2ounce rainbow caught on nightcrawlers in the West Walker River. Big fish like this haven’t been frequent lately, but plenty of trout in the 1-pound range are catchable. (KEN’S SPORTING GOODS)

Humpies, and, of course, you can use your mosquitoes and your beetles and ants. TROUT DERBY TIME

The Northern Mono County Chamber of Commerce (800845-7922, northernmonochamber.com) is putting on two fishing derbies in the West Walker River in the next two months. The How Big-is-Big Fishing Derby runs the entire month of July and does not have any entry fees. All that’s asked of participants is to just bring any trout they catch in the West Walker to the Walker General Store (530-495-2911), located just off Highway 395 in Coleville. Your catch will be weighed and recorded, and everyone who brings in a trout to be weighed and recorded will receive a one-year subscription to California Sportsman, which is one of the sponsors. Prizes will be awarded in both adult and child categories. The Size Doesn’t Matter Derby takes place from Aug. 8-10 on the West Walker River and will be headquartered at the Walker General Store and adjacent Walker Country Store (530-495-2945). The pre-purchased entry fee is $25 and features specially tagged trout that will be planted in the West Walker. Prizes will be awarded for the event, which begins at on Friday, Aug. 8, and will end at 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 10. CS

SPORTING GOODS) JULY 2014 California Sportsman 73

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Northern Mono County Derby Offers A Bounty For Tagged Fish With its miles of easy access off Highway 395, the West Walker River in north Mono County, offers something for everyone. From the shore or up to your chest, from small rainbows to double-digit browns, opportunities abound for the novice to the most experienced angler. An excuse is never needed to fish the West Walker, but this year there is an added incentive. Among its many offerings, the Northern Mono Chamber of Commerce is sponsoring the “Size Doesn’t Matter” fishing derby. With a $25 entry fee, this three-day event, from August 8 through August 10, offers prizes ranging from kayaks to cash, fishing rods, restaurant vouchers and motel stays. A cash bounty is offered for the catching of tagged fish! There will be a barbeque in the afternoon of Saturday, August 9th. All proceeds from these events go to the West Walker River Fish Fund which helps maintain and stock the river. Of course, your stay in North Mono needn’t end with the fishing derby. With seemingly endless hiking trails, off-roading, camping, motor-cross and bicycling, you can vacation here virtually year-round. This event is sponsored by Northern Mono Chamber of Commerce (www.northernmonochamber.com). Further info can be found at www.monocounty.org or (800) 845-7922.

74 California Sportsman JULY 2014

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FISHING

GET YOUR STAMPEDE KOKANEE FIX

Michael and Matthew Glann of Oakland would be the first to recommend the kokanee fishing at Stampede Reservoir, despite the lake’s lower water level and muddy launch ramp. (TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE)

LOW WATER LEVELS DON’T STOP LIMITS By Chris Cocoles TRUCKEE—Overlooked and underrated.

That’s how guide Rick Kennedy has called Stampede Reservoir during a fantastic run of kokanee fishing he expects will continue well into July. The water level at the lake just outside Truckee in the Lake Tahoe area is understandably low during the drought conditions plaguing the state. “The water’s low, the launch ramp’s muddy, so we’re all paranoid (about going out). But it’s a good fishery right now,” says Kennedy of Tight Lines Guide Service (888-975-0990; fishtight-

lines.com). “Personally, other than getting my feet muddy and making a mess of my boat, I like it this way.” More water would be good for the long term at lakes like Stampede, but Kennedy figures if this is the hand anglers have been dealt, catching a lot of kokanee is easier in the low water levels. The fish are more concentrated, and less water means less frequent boat launchings for ski and other pleasure boats. The variables have added up for what looks like a productive summer, even with what the guide estimates is about 50 percent less fishing area than in normal years. “I’m talking about the kokanee bite, not the kokanee size,” Kennedy says. “The kokanee bite on Stampede is

as good as I’ve ever seen it. I don’t know if I’ve gone past 8:30 any day to get limits no matter how many people I have on the boat. The fish are usually about 13 (inches), but they’re coming out of the water and fighting hard; really good fish.” So good is the bite, Kennedy is able to jig for some of the kokanee, a technique the Grass Valley-based guide has not done for quite a while. He’s seeing big schools of kokanee congregating in the lake, which again hasn’t been the case. Kennedy said he did pretty well at Stampede later in the summer in 2013, but “the fish are definitely hotter this year, and it’s faster action,” he says. “And maybe even a bit bigger (fish) than we had last year.” So how do these easy limits come JULY 2014 California Sportsman 75

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FISHING about? When trolling with downriggers, Kennedy’s go-to dodgers include the Sep’s watermelon dodger and a Rocky Mountain Tackle Tsunami, also in watermelon color. Behind his dodgers he’s been running Rocky Mountain Tackle Assassin spinners and an Uncle Larry’s pink Tiger spinner. A late comer among spinners has also been a pink Rocky Mountain Radical Glow Tube – “almost kind of like a hoochie,” he says. Kennedy is also known to add his own corn to his setups. He uses white shoepeg corn cured with Pautzke Fire Cure, and sometimes mixing it up with pink Pautzke Fire Corn. “I like to run the Berkley Trilene XL 8-pound test, with AbuGarcia 4600 (reels),” Kennedy says. “I’ve been fishing anywhere from 30 to 55 feet.” When he switches to jigs, Kennedy has gone with a ¾-ounce P-Line Laser Minnow and small Buzz Bombs. As for those anglers who are leery about going to Stampede this time of the year, Kennedy thinks they’re missing out on some outstanding kokanee action. “I would call it underrated or overlooked because people hear all this baloney about launching conditions and the low water, but without doing the research or calling somebody who knows what’s really going on,” Kennedy says, “they automatically cross it off their list. They think, ‘I don’t want to do it and I can’t launch.’ But it’s not the case.” CS

76 California Sportsman JULY 2014

Katie Erickson from Menlo Park caught this hard-fighting Stampede kokanee. The fish seem to be concentrating together more than in past years, says guide Rick Kennedy, whose clients are limiting out by 8:30 a.m. most days. (TIGHT LINES GUIDE SERVICE)

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FISHING

SACRAMENTO’S KINGS ANOTHER SLAM DUNK? The numbers will be down from 2013’s epic run, but as the Sacramento River king salmon season begins on July 16, expectations are high for another productive summer to start. (FEISTY FISH GUIDE SERVICE)

NUMBERS DOWN FROM 2013, BUT ANOTHER STRONG SEASON LOOMS By Luke Kelly

cott Feist is a man who knows the Sacramento River quite well. By his estimate, he spends over 250 days out of the year on the water working as a guide. For those anglers who are looking to fish the Sacramento this summer in pursuit of its storied king salmon, paying attention to Feist’s know-how and advice would serve them well. The king salmon season opens on

July 16. Feist says that the predictions for the run are looking strong, and that he expects a similar year to last year in terms of sheer numbers. The projection of about 634,000 kings will head into the Sacramento to spawn was down significantly from a dynamite 850,000 total in 2013. “Last year was really good fishing,” he says. “And the size of the fish was incredible. The cool thing about it was that our average king salmon size last year was 20 pounds. If we had 10 salmon in the box at the end of the day, there would be a couple 15pounders, but a lot more of them were closer to the 20-pound mark.”

Feist expects more of the same this year as the 2014 king season begins. “This year I expect to see the same amount of salmon,” he says. Although the numbers appear to be strong, there have been a few concerns about the low water levels, brought on by the drought in California. “Not necessarily a worry, but a concern is our water situation this year,” explains Feist. “I don’t know exactly how it will play out, but time is going to tell.” Feist says there are a number of factors concerning the low water level that will affect the fishing, one such JULY 2014 California Sportsman 79

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FISHING

Fishing roe by either side-drifting, boondoggling, backbouncing or bobber-fishing roe are among the most effective ways to conquer a giant Sacramento River king, according to guide Scott Feist. (FEISTY FISH GUIDE SERVICE)

factor being how much water the state releases. “I imagine they will (release water), but it’s all up in the air. The more water we get, the better.” Low water levels aside, there are some tried-and-true methods that Feist knows about when it comes to fishing for kings on the Sacramento. “There are several ways to catch salmon out there,” he says. “One of the most productive ways is fishing roe. When it comes to roe fishing, we fish three primary ways on the Sacramento River. We either sidedrift or boondoggle the roe, and we back-bounce the roe or we bobberfish with roe. All of those produce, and they all have their time and place,” he explains. Feist says that back-bouncing works well in deeper, faster types of 80 California Sportsman JULY 2014

water. Bobber fishing and side-drifting and boondoggle works well in flat water, and all of the techniques can be very productive. “The other technique that would be a go-to as well is running plugs,” says Feist. “I run Yakima Bait’s T55s - that’s my standard plug. We wrap them with sardines. On the Sacramento River, typically, one of the best colors is a very simple color, a chartreuse bill with a silver body.” For the weeks after the opener, if the water is still low (it is expected to be), Feist says that fishing a plug may be an angler’s best bet. “If the water is really low, and all the fish are really balled up into holes, plugs are probably going to be really, really good. We’re running those big lures down there

and shaking them.” Feist expects an exciting start to the season, with lots of anglers vying for a chance to catch an exceptional king salmon run. “People love salmon, man, our whole community is based around salmon. I would expect a pretty good crowd,” says the guide. “It’s a wonderful fishery. The fish are big. We have a lot of big salmon. We host the second largest king salmon run on the West Coast. This isn’t a small little fishery.” With its prediction of well over 630,000 kings this year, the Sacramento should provide plenty of opportunities to catch large king salmon all summer long and well into the fall. CS

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FEATHER’S LEVELS A LITTLE LIGHT HEAT MAY TAKE TOLL BEFORE RIVER BITE WARMS UP By Luke Kelly REDDING—The anticipation

Though water levels are down in the Feather River, anglers still have a chance to chrome-bright kings. Higher water temperatures as the season opens on July 16 will affect the fishing. (SACRIVERGUIDE.COM)

is building as king salmon fishing opens on July 16 on the Feather River. Unfortunately, the fishing isn’t expected to be as good as usual, largely in part to the low water levels caused by the drought in California. Kirk Portocarrero (800-670-4448; sacriverguide.com), a Northern California full-time guide and outfitter for over 20 years, has both worked and fished on the Feather River. He is familiar with many of Northern California’s rivers, including the Feather and the Sacramento. Although the Feather will surely produce a handful of bright, big kings, Portocarrero expects the fishing to be slightly slower than usual. Last year, the Feather topped out at just under 194,000 kings returning from their ocean spawning run. “I expect [fishing on the Feather River] to be OK, but not as good as the Sacramento River, beJULY 2014 California Sportsman 83

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Guide Kirk Portocarrero thinks the Feather’s king salmon might come around and improve the bite as the season enters the fall. But back-trolling FlatFish and side-drifting roe can still catch plenty of July kings for patient anglers. (SACRIVERGUIDE.COM)

cause the water is going to be lower,” says Portocarrero. “The Sacramento River has more water coming out of Lake Shasta. And the water (in the Feather) is going to be warmer, so I don’t think it is going to be as good as normal.” Although conditions might make

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angling a bit more difficult, it provides anglers with an opportunity to slow things down a bit, and practice both patience and persistence when king salmon fishing. The payoff could still be huge, with king salmon on the Feather consistently weighing between 10 and 25 pounds, and occasionally growing “up to 60” pounds, at Portocarrero’s estimate. He has has a couple of different lures that he expects to produce well on the Feather River, in spite of the low water levels. “FlatFish lures and roe would be the best baits,” he explains. As for effective techniques, “back-trolling FlatFish, and sidedrifting roe,” are the two methods that Portocarrero expects will pay off for anglers in pursuit of king salmon on the Feather. He is also quick to point out that these are methods that he believes will work on the Sacramento River, as well as in other areas of Northern California. If fishing is slow on the Feather in the summer, it could well improve as fall approaches, which is exactly what happened last year. “On the Feather, it wasn’t that good last year,” says Portocarrero. “There was very warm water.” Yet, after a slow summer, the fishing improved in the beginning of September. “There was a two- to three-week period of fishing that was (better) in September,” recalls Portocarrero. The king season continues into December this year, so if things aren’t great during the summer heat wave, it could well be worth an angler’s time to give it another try as fall approaches, and the water begins to cool down. Keep in mind the Feather River water has been low all year. Johnson’s Bait and Tackle in Yuba City (530-674-1912; johnsonbait.com) referred to the Feather’s level as “dangerously low.” CS

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FISHING

OTAY IS MORE THAN OK SAN DIEGO LAKE LARGEMOUTH IN FEEDING MODE By Bill Schaefer SAN DIEGO—Lake Otay,

same baits, espelocated in San Diego’s cially small jerkbaits. southeast county, has But you can also been producing a lot work the face of the of largemouth action weeds with plastics and fun lately. on various setups all Schools of largethe way out into mouth are on the deeper water. prowl, chasing the Coves around large population of the launch ramp shad in the lake. area have produced The bass are eating some topwater actopwater baits as well tion first thing in the as jerkbaits, both hard morning. Otay Arm and soft, swimbaits and the point that and crankbaits. And separates Otay and the plastics bite, on Harvey Arms has drop-shot or split-shot also been the top rigged worms, has area for larger bass, been bringing fish to as diehard throwers the boat as well. of trout bait are still The weeds at Otay occasionally scoring are growing and the some trophy-size water has been slowly fish. Bushlow Cove dropping, so there is has also had some this column of open breaking fish to water just under the chase as well as a surface that has been good worm bite on the target area for the the rocky points bass. Harvey Arm has there. Lake Otay is a been a great morning great place for the area to start in, with entire family. There bass chasing shad all is a fishing dock as over the back end of well as plenty of the arm. Watch for the breaking fish and The author’s son, Bricen Schaefer, caught this Otay largemouth on a Western Plastics 3½-inch swim- shoreline for the kids to fish off of if throw topwater baits, bait. Growing weed cover and the water level dropping slightly makes for a good combination for you don’t own a small swimbaits, or finding hungry Otay bass. (BILL SCHAEFER) boat. There is also a healthy population of panfish as well jerkbaits to them for action. In areas where the grass is alas the bass to be enticed by a red worm or nightcrawler. most to the surface or on it, throw soft plastic jerkbaits or The water level is dropping ever so slowly and Otay has a frogs. If the wind is up and the surface is too choppy to see launch ramp that can close if it gets too low, so please check the fish breaking, don’t be afraid to blind-cast those lures. out the San Diego City Lakes website for launch conditions You will still score. before heading out (sandiego.gov/water/recreation/ The western Otay Arm has some areas along its west fishbulletin.shtml). CS bank that hold similar structure to Harvey Arm for the JULY 2014 California Sportsman 87

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FISHING

GET INTO CRANKY MOOD PICKING DEEP CRANKBAITS FOR BASSIN’ By Nick Barr

n the summer, fish go where the food is, plain and simple. If you want to catch more bass, you better be around schools of baitfish. No matter what body of water you are on, if you can find the forage, bass won’t be far behind. When bass migrate out of the shallows and into the deep, they join a world filled with multiple species of gamefish and food fish. When these fish school, an extremely effective way to attack them is with a deep-diving crankbait to directly imitate a fleeing baitfish. If you look at any recent tournament results, I can guarantee you’ll see cranking at the top of the list. The tactic’s active and moving nature creates reaction strikes even when fish aren’t active, and it has the power to fire up a school when the last thing they are thinking about is eating. WHEN FISHING CRANKBAITS, the lure is constantly moving and strikes come viciously. Therefore, a soft rod is in order so that you do not rip the treble hooks out of the fish during the strike. A parabolic-bend rod that flexes throughout length is ideal. This is why many anglers prefer fiberglass or composite rods. Fiber-

Tournament pros like Brandon Palaniuk tend to throw crankbaits for landing their biggest fish in major events. Crankbaits’ wicked movement in the water attracts many strikes. (B.A.S.S.)

glass has a slow to medium reaction time, allowing the fish to take the bait with ease, along with reducing the risk of ripping the hooks out of the fish. For deep crankbaiting, rods that fit this scenario are usually in excess

CRANKING IT UP Deep crankbaits can be classified into three categories: slim, thick and mega-sized. Here are some examples of each: SLIM STYLE -Bomber Fat Free Shad -6th Sense 500DD -Norman DD22. -Luhr-Jensen Hot Lips THICK STYLE -Rapala DT16 -Rapala Metal DT20 -Strike King 6XD series -Storm Mag-Wart MEGA STYLE -Strike King 10XD -Lucky Craft SKT Magnum 120 - NB

of 7 feet. Rods that fit the bill are a Lamiglas 7-foot E-Glass crankbait rod, Batson Enterprises 8-foot fiberglass rod, and 7-foot-6 Phenix-X composite rod. You want to make sure you have a soft rod, but one that carries a solid backbone. When deep cranking, you still need the extra beef to ensure a solid hookset. One of the most important facets of deep cranking is your line. It is the direct connection between you and your bait. The thicker diameter your line, the more resistance or drag it is going to have coming through the water. The extent of this drag directly relates to decreasing the diving depth of your crankbait. For 20-plus feet, I’ve never heard of a pro talk about anything larger than 14-pound test. Depending on the depth you need to reach and amount of debris you will encounter, 8- to 14-pound Sufix fluorocarbon or deep-cranking monofilament will allow you to get the most out of your crankbait. If your rod features heavier action, I would suggest the monofilaJULY 2014 California Sportsman 89

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FISHING ment because of its amount of stretch gives you a buffer when the fish is fighting. If you have a lighteraction rod, then definitely try the fluorocarbon because it will allow for more solid hookups. As for a reel, the gold standard is a 5.4:1 gear ratio due to its slow speed and low reeling resistance. Higher gear ratios will work just fine, but you have to understand that if you want to slow down with your crankbait it will take some extra patience. Large spools and long handles definitely help when you are making long, powerful casts and cranking all day. Reels like these include the Lewâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s BB1 Pro and the Skeet Reese Victory reels.

Having a softer rod helps in avoiding treble hooks tearing off a bass strike on a crankbait, often hit viciously. (B.A.S.S.)

D EA L W ER EL IN C Q O UI M RI E! ES

BESIDES SOFT PLASTICS, crankbaits have to be the second most diverse bait genre on the market. With a plethora of different options, you can have bait that matches just about

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FISHING every color, wiggle, and depth you could possibly want. Sticking to deep crankbaits, in the variety of 16-plus feet, there are still many options. One thing they all share in common is the extra-large lip to help them dive to depths of beyond 16 and 20 feet. I can define the range in three categories: slim, thick, and mega-sized. Slim baits tend to have a thin wobble and fairly streamlined profile that dives below 20 feet. The next category is thick body cranks. These lures tend to have a slightly wider wobble and profile that moves a substantial amount of water and provides a large baitfish presence. The third is a megasized crankbait; these lures are above and beyond the size most anglers would ever consider using, but do entice strikes from fish feeding on large baitfish. All of these lures have their own specific attributes that allow them to excel. It is just a matter of you, as an angler, finding which one

92 California Sportsman JULY 2014

Choosing your fishing line is an important variable for using deep crankbaits. The author says 8- to 14-pound fluorocarbon or monofilament is a good choice if fishing in depths less than 20 feet. (NICK BARR)

matches the forage the best. Lastly, if you want to improve your hookup percentage on these crankbaits, replacing the stock hooks is a good idea. Bass will regularly slap at a lure and not necessarily eat it. So having sticky-sharp hooks can mean the difference between a missed strike and landing a trophy catch. A good option is the

Gamakatsu EWG short-shank treble hooks, or VMC Spark-Point trebles. Follow these tips and prepare to hang on for some excitement. Enjoy catching bass that have moved away from your favorite bank and are posted up in the deep. CS Editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s note: For more on the author, Nick Barr, please visit NickBarrFishing.com

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FISHING

TURN THE TIDE AT MISSION BAY SAN DIEGO AREA IS SPOT FOR SPOTTED BASS By Bill Schaefer

SAN DIEGO—Mission Bay Park is a great area to visit whether you are a local or just visiting San Diego. There is Sea World, a roller coaster park, picnic grounds, and a ton of beach and water to play in. There is also a giant bay to fish in, holding numerous species ranging from halibut to bass. The easiest fish to tackle there are the spotted bass. They can be caught year-round, and the other species will come as incidental catches while chasing them. One way to look at Mission Bay is as a nice-size lake, and one variable to remember is that the lake has tidal movement. We all see the water level rising or dropping off on the shoreline. It’s this movement that triggers the entire food chain of the bay. The best thing is it happens every day and all day, nonstop. Some tides are better than others; most regular bay anglers love a rising tide. That is because it takes the fish into the shallows looking for food. Every store around the bay usually carries tide books, so one will help. As for the main attraction, the bass, they usually are in the 1- to 3-pound range. If you are a freshwater bass fisherman, you already own the correct rods and reels, and, most likely, tackle required to catch them. For your rod and reel, a medium-action, perhaps 8- to 15-pound-test setup will do. Rig your bait leader with 6- to 10pound-test line. For baits, the best options to use in the bay for all the species are small

The author caught this chunky Mission Bay spotted bass on a Western Plastics 3½-inch swimbait. Mission Bay’s tides must be understood when fishing there, but the results can be outstanding. (BILL SCHAEFER)

swimbaits. Colors are numerous, so go with the color the local tackle store suggests is hot at the moment. But generally it should fall into the green and brown spectrum. Jigheads need only to be about ¼ ounce, as most of Mission Bay tops out at only 12 feet deep. The entire bay is covered with eel grass on the bottom, and the bass lay there in wait for the small anchovy to swim by and attack. Remember how I suggested you should think of Mission Bay as a big lake? Well, the bass eat a lot of other

freshwater baits you’d use at lakes. Spinnerbaits over the weedbeds can catch a lot of fish. Jerkbaits and crankbaits can also be deadly, and you’re likely to catch some of the aforementioned incidentals such as halibut, corvina and croaker, to name a few. There are a few areas that can get crazy with jet skiers and boaters in the summer, but more than half of the bay is zoned with a 5 mph speed limit, so it should be nice fishing every day as we officially have entered the first full month of summer .CS JULY 2014 California Sportsman 95

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CROSSROADS MINI MART Lake Isabella is the largest freshwater lake in Southern California and is the recreational focus of the Kern River Valley. Each year in early spring, the local chamber of commerce sponsors their highly successful and generous fishing derby. In additon, Lake Isabella offers a wide variety of year-round family fishing, from native crappie, bluegill and catfish to the literally thousands of pounds of trout stocked on a regular basis. The warm summers bring fishing to a peak with trout fishing improving in the cooler weather. Campsites are abundant around the lake with many available at water’s edge. The advantage of beaching your boat at the shoreline and pushing off again at sunrise can’t be beat. Afternoon prevailing winds make Lake Isabella one of Southern California’s most popular wind-surfing havens. With something for everyone, the combination of the Kern River fishing and rafting, giant Sequoias within an hour’s drive, and the many recreational activities of the lake, you have to look far and wide for a more perfect choice for your family vacation. While staying in the area, you can get everything you need at Crossroads Mini Mart. We’re located at 155 and Lake Isabella Blvd; you can reach us at (760) 379-8170.

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FISHING

FROM FIELD:

SHARK-MANIA IN SF CATCHING LEOPARDS IN CITY BY THE BAY By Scott Haugen

SAN FRANCISCO-It’s hard to believe a decade has passed since one of my more memorable days of fishing. A buddy and I had already landed stripers and halibut, making for a great day on the water. “Do you want to go for the San Francisco Bay triple?” he asked. It was my first time fishing these waters, and anything relating to fishing, I was all about it.

So, without thinking, I replied, “Sure!” Reeling in the lines, the boat was fired-up and we were headed to Oyster Point, where we dropped anchor on the edge of a shipping lane. About the time that San Francisco Giants’ slugger Barry Bonds sent an AT&T Park dinger into McCovey Cove, I hooked into my first leopard shark. I don’t know what was more thrilling - watching the people scramble into

the chilly waters for the prized baseball, or doing battle with one of the most beautiful sharks I’d ever laid eyes on. Some of the best leopard shark fishing in the entire bay lies just out from the ballpark near China Basin, making for an easy-access spot to fish. Stiff rods are a must, for there’s always a chance of tying into a 300pound sevengill shark or a 150pound soupfin shark. A good leopard shark takes the scales to 20 pounds and, given their healthy populations, fighting fish this size all day long can be an adventure. Braided mainlines are ideal for getting to the bottom in heavy currents, and steel leaders are wise, especially when sevengills and soupfins

The author was all smiles over leopard shark fishing in San Francisco Bay, and can’t wait to get back. Not only are these sharks fun to catch, they’re great eating. (SCOTT HAUGEN ) JULY 2014 California Sportsman 97

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FISHING

San Francisco Bay is a one of the best places on the West Coast to experience multi-species catches, including sharks. (SCOTT HAUGEN)

are in the area. For leopards, an 80-pound monofilament leader will suffice. When it comes to shark bait, midshipmen, otherwise known as Irish lord, are tough to beat. Fished whole, either dead or alive, these baits consistently outperform all others and have for decades, according to the locals who were teaching me. Squid and cut salmon heads also make good bait. Once you land a keeper shark, it’s worth cutting open the belly, searching for an undigested, often times still living, midshipmen, which can be used as bait. Placed on a 10/0 octopus-style hook or a circle hook, all of these baits will catch sharks. Sharks in the bay like hanging on the edges of deep-cut shipping lanes, through which a large quantity of food passes. The use of a fish finder can be instrumental in not only finding deeper slots to fish, but for marking fish as well. After a few

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trips to an area, you’ll be dialed-in to those spots that routinely yield fish. Marked shipping lanes are easy to find, but maintain a constant vigil for big boats moving in and out of the area. The best place to target all three shark species is likely in the deeper water behind Angel Island. Stay behind the island, on the northwest side, as it’s more protected from the wind, allowing you to fish in comfort. Soupfin and sevengill can also be had at Yellow Bluff, just inside the Golden Gate Bridge on the north tower (Marin County) side. From early spring to late fall, all three shark species inhabit San Francisco Bay, vacating the waters in the winter, during times of heavy runoff which drops salinity levels. Likely the most underrated fish in the bay, big, hard-fighting sharks have a great deal to offer, both in sport and table fare. Because the soupfin and sevengill

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FISHING

TO FIRE:

PREPARING THE PERFECT SHARK hen Scott brought home his first leopard shark, I thought, “How in the heck do I cook this?” Then I did some research, talked with people and developed a recipe. The result was an incredibly tasty fish, so good, it left us wanting more. Many types of fish really shine in a “blackened”presentation. Fish are crispy and flavorful on the outside, moist and tender on the inside - simple perfection when cooking with this method. It is best to have a cast iron skillet so the pan can get really hot if dry-blackening, if you only have a regular skillet, follow the guidelines for crusty-blackened fish. Be sure not to overcook shark as it will quickly become dry and tough; check internal temperature if necessary, removing from the heat at 135 to 140 degrees.

Blackened Shark 1 pound shark fillet 2 teaspoons smoked or sweet paprika 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon cocoa powder 1 teaspoon sugar ½ teaspoon white pepper ½ teaspoon black pepper ½ teaspoon cinnamon ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper Peanut or coconut oil for frying if desired* Lemon for garnish

Cut shark fillet to desired serving portions. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients. Sprinkle mixture over the bottom of a shallow dish. Completely coat both sides of shark with seasoning. For dry-blackened meat heat a cast iron skillet on high heat. Make sure the pan is completely dry. When the pan is smoking hot, add seasoned fish. Cook 12 minutes per side.

sharks were hit hard by commercial gill netters in search of halibut up until the early 1990s, it’s a good conservation move to keep only the males. Keeping male leopards also ensures their numbers will perpetuate as well. Males of all three species can easily be identified from females, as the males have two fingerlike appendages extending from either side of their anal vent. The key to attaining a shark that provides good eating is to immediately

kill and clean it. Removing the internal organs will keep the meat from getting infected with urine and other foul tastes generated in the gut cavity. When butchering, it’s wise to remove all red meat, to rid the shark of a gamey taste. If cleaned quickly and properly, leopard shark provides excellent eating from its firm white meat. Be aware of current fishing regulations in this area, including daily bag limits, size limitations and seasons, and then get ready for a good

100 California Sportsman JULY 2014

*For crusty-blackened heat 1 to 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet or regular frying pan.

Add seasoned fish and cook one to two minutes per side. Note: For signed copies of Tiffany’s latest book, Cooking Seafood, send a check for $20 (free S&H), to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489. This and other cookbooks can also be ordered at tiffanyhaugen.com.

time. Not only are leopard sharks plentiful, they fighting extremely hard. Once you taste how good they truly are, you’ll want more. CS Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s popular book, Bank Fishing For Steelhead & Salmon, send a check for $17 (includes S&H) to Haugen Enterprises, P.O. Box 275, Walterville, OR 97489. This and other how-too books, including cookbooks, can be ordered online at scotthaugen.com.

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FISHING

PACIFIC BONUS TIME EL NIÑO COULD PUSH BONUS FISH NORTH By Steve Carson SAN DIEGO—As of this writing, all of the

species’ indicators point to a massive El Niño condition, which is essentially nirvana for California anglers. For the first time ever, both yellowfin tuna and dorado were caught within one-day range of San Diego boats. Even during the biggest El Niño of the past 50 years, in 1983, these species did not show locally until early July. Lots of other oddities have shown up in 2014, including early-season opah off Orange County, and an unprecedented invasion of lizardfish into San Francisco Bay. Lots has already been written about the two most common El Niño targets, bluefin tuna and yellowfin tuna, so here are a few of the “bonus” species.

ALBACORE Southern California anglers will likely see very few, if any, albacore this year. However, the good news is that from Monterey Bay and north into Oregon and Washington, good to excellent albacore action is to be expected. All of the same trolling, jigging, and live bait techniques that work for SoCal albacore work as well or better in the north. The relative lack of bigger tuna species does mean that anglers can use lighter tackle if they wish to.

Wahoo are hardly ever caught this far north of the Mexico-U.S. border in the Pacific, but in an El Niñolike year, anything is possible. (STEVE CARSON)

DORADO The fish also referred to as mahimahi or dolphinfish, dorado are definitely not porpoises named Flipper. This is possibly the world’s most perfect game fish: good-sized, strong fighters, JULY 2014 California Sportsman 103

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FISHING aggressive leapers, beautifully colored and absolutely delicious. Most dorado caught in California or northern Baja will run from 5 to 25 pounds, but the occasional “bull” is seen up to 40 pounds or more. Often the victim of tuna tackle that is much too heavy for them, dorado will bite on live baits, dead baits, many trolled lures, and they especially like slow-trolled strip baits. Interestingly, the daily limit in Mexican waters is two dorado per person, and the daily limit in California waters is 10 per person, so watch your location carefully!

SKIPJACK TUNA These striped bullets are indeed members of the tuna family, and the plain fact is that most of the canned “light tuna” consumed in the United States is skipjack. Postcatch, the fish take a bit of extra care, but bleeding and immediate chilling will result in meat that is identical to yellowfin (be sure to

104 California Sportsman JULY 2014

cut the dark red “bloodline” out). Usually ranging in the 5- to 15pound class, they are fierce fighters on light tackle, but are usually overwhelmed by heavier tuna gear. During strong El Niño conditions, large schools of skipjack can be encountered from 10 to 50 miles out along the SoCal coast as far north as the Channel Islands. They will attack almost any live bait or small trolled lure at the speed of lightning

BIGEYE TUNA These fish were a much sought-after target during ’83’s and ’92’s El Niños, but few and far between before or since. Generally feeding too deep for recreational anglers to catch, good bites on the usually 50- to 150-pound bigeyes are the stuff that a fisherman’s dreams are made of. The same tackle as used for 100-plus-pound bluefin tuna is appropriate for bigeyes, something like a twospeed Penn Torque TRQ40NLD2 filled

with 80-pound braid and a short 50- to 60-pound fluoro topshot at minimum.

WHITE SEABASS This species is producing a banner year for SoCal anglers, and a handful have been caught in NorCal already. If the form holds true, anglers out of Monterey and Santa Cruz will get big numbers of the “biscuits,” and savvy Bay Area anglers may also find them in the very seabassy-looking waters in tight off Point Bonita. Again, all of the usual SoCal tactics from ballooning to mousetrapping work well, and live squid is definitely the candy bait.

WAHOO No more than three or four wahoo have been caught within one-day range of San Diego in the past 50 years, and none were actually taken on the U.S. side of the line. Many more than that have been hooked but lost due to the lack of wire leaders as a normal part of

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local terminal tackle. No doubt opportunities will be presented, but don’t look for more than one or two catches at best. Lucky catches on trolled marlin jigs, or anglers dropping iron for tuna are the most likely to score.

BLUE MARLIN

ALASKA Compeau’s (Fairbanks) 907-479-2271 or 800-478-7669 Dewey’s Cook Inlet (Anchorage) 907-344-5092 River & Sea Marine (Soldotna) 907-262-2690 or 907-262-7402 Rocky’s Marine (Petersburg) 907-772-3949

Another extremely rare visitor to local waters, but California does list a state record of 692 pounds caught off Balboa in 1933. This writer witnessed a 400pounder hooked and landed locally off the San Diego boat Cat Special during the 1992 El Niño, and another one of similar size was hooked but lost that year on the boat Dreamer. Luck and heavy tackle will be the key to getting one of these big boys to boatside. Large marlin jigs trolled with a Penn International 50VSW reel filled with 80-pound test should be considered the absolute minimum for these leviathans.

CALIFORNIA Boat Country (Escalon) 209-838-2628 Harrison’s Marine & RV (Redding) 530-243-0175

IDAHO Idaho Marine (Boise) 208-342-0639 Mark’s Marine (Hayden) 888-821-2200 Valley Boat & Motor (Lewiston) 208-743-2528

ILLINOIS

ROOSTERFISH??? Reference texts show that this species has been found as far north as San Clemente, or, erroneously, San Clemente Island. The truth is that they probably have never been remotely that far north. During ’59’s massive El Niño, live bait haulers were making a set tight to the beach at San Clemente. They spotted what they claim was a roosterfish in the water, feeding on the bait. Since they did not actually catch the fish, the species identification was never confirmed. Color me skeptical about that incident, but if the El Niño of 2014 does indeed produce a pez gallo caught in California waters, it will indeed be the champion of them all! CS

Calumet Marine (Calumet City) 708-862-2407

MINNESOTA Badiuk Equipment, Inc. (International Falls) 218-286-0813

MONTANA Dream Marine (Libby) 406-293-8142 Gull Boats & RV (Missoula) 406-549-6169 Wallace Marine (Great Falls) 406-453-9392

OREGON Clemens Marina (Eugene) 541-688-5483 Clemens Marina (Gladstone) 503-655-0160 Clemens Marina (Portland) 503-283-1712 Pelican Marine (Klamath Falls) 541-882-5834 Y Marina (Coos Bay) 541-888-5501

WASHINGTON Clark’s All Sports (Colville) 509-684-5069 Northwest Marine & Sport (Pasco) 509-545-5586 Tom-N-Jerry’s Boat Center (Mt. Vernon) 360-466-9955 Westside Marine (Port Townsend) 360-385-1488

106 California Sportsman JULY 2014

Editor’s note: You can email Steve Carson at scarson@sunset.net.

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HUNTING

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THE BUCKS START HERE PREPARING FOR UPCOMING DEER OPENERS By Albert Quackenbush

eer hunting has been on my mind since the season closed last year. As diehard deer hunters, we tend to live and breathe it, and with the 2014 season closing in, now is when you should start doing your homework. This is also the time to increase your fitness level. I believe you get out of hunting what you put in, and the time is right to start working toward filling that tag (if you haven’t started already).

MAKE SOME PHONE CALLS The first thing you should do is talk to the wardens of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (wildlife.ca.gov) in your area and to the biologists where you want to hunt. It’s a great way to get to know them and also to ask any questions you might have. CDFW provides a plethora of information and they see it firsthand. Take notes and ask them about deer numbers, buck numbers, and changes in the weather or breeding patterns this year. They won’t give you a specific spot

Trail cams can be an expensive approach, especially if they are stolen or damaged, but buy a more affordable set of cameras and do your homework when setting them up. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH) JULY 2014 California Sportsman 109

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HUNTING to go, but they can help point you in the right direction.

SCOUTING One of the best ways to begin scouting is getting on Google Earth and start checking out hunting areas. If you also have onXMaps (onxmaps.com), you can locate boundaries for private and public land, too. I have both and they are invaluable tools when I prepare. I can zoom in to an area and see what the vegetation looks like, if there are game trails, or if it looks to be impenetrable terrain. If it is the latter, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a place I might want to check out for big bucks! My hunting partner and I can both scout, mark locations and share them with one another prior to scouting locations.

PROTECT YOUR FEET If you are in the market for some new boots, or you just bought some, now is the time to break them in. Put-

Technology never hurts on a hunt. The author on many occasions will utilize smartphone aps to figure out public and private land boundaries. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

ting boots to the ground will not only allow you to scout, but you can get some exercise in the process. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a winwin situation. Take care of those feet. Let me tell you, there are some great

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HUNTING

Brett Baumgartner prepares for the physical demands of hiking on a California deer hunter by working out in the preseason with a 90-pound pack on the trail weighing him down. (ALBERT QUACKENBUSH)

me for the past two years in Southern California and in Colorado. There are many other great boot options, but I just haven’t had the opportunity to try them all out. Don’t fall for the extreme sale items – if it looks cheap, it probably is! Buy quality and your

feet will thank you .

BURNING BOOT RUBBER How far would you travel on foot to scout for deer? Would you hike just 2 miles or extend it to 3? What if you wanted to get back 10 miles to find

the big bucks? Would you be ready? However far you can or are willing to scout is how far you will go when you actually hunt them. My fitness regimen is constantly evolving. I work hard at staying in shape and keeping my cardiovascular level high. Living in Southern California offers excellent weather year-round, plus there are numerous trails to bike, run, hike, or walk. I often tell people that if they haven’t been doing any training. to begin by walking and slowly graduate to hiking and then on to running. I’ll be honest, I hate running, but in order to burn calories, amp up my cardio, and strengthen my muscles, I started to run. You can do it, too. I watch what I eat,and I also take fairly good care of what I put into my body. We all have our moments provided they don’t occur every day. One key ingredient that I added into my training this year is extra protein right before I hike and right after

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with great results. My muscles aren’t as sore and I am stronger than I was last year. I am no fitness guru, but a guess is it would work for you too.

QUALITY OPTICS AND GLASSING It’s also time to start glassing! How many times have you thought about buying some quality optics? You want something that will reach out there and help focus on those far hillsides and deep into those canyons all throughout the day. Most of the time a pair of 10x42 with ED glass will be excellent. Take it a step further and place them on a tripod. This is my preferred way of glassing. Two eyes are better than one. For the past two seasons I have been using MINOX 10x44 BL binoculars, and this year will also be using their MD50 compact spotting scope. On the days when I need to reach out and see far off, I’ll get out the spot-

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ter and see what is moving or bedded down without having to exert any extra energy.

SETTING TRAIL CAMERAS One of the most underutilized tools today is the trail camera. Three reasons why in California are forest fires, expense and theft, plus expense due to theft. See what I did there? Yeah, expense is the big one because quality cameras are not inexpensive. Like most anything else, you get what you pay for. When I began using trail cameras five years ago (yes, it took me a while), I thought hard about my goals. I wanted pictures of what was out there, but I didn’t want to be out a great deal of cash if a forest fire came through. I waited until they went on sale and I picked up a couple of two-pack cameras and SD cards. Then I went to work and got them up all over the forest. A couple of the cameras didn’t work well and I chalk that up to them being so cheap. The slightly more expensive ones did exactly what I needed them to: capture photos of whatever was moving. Here are a couple camera tips: Keep it aimed away from the sun. Prepare for the wind, and, if there is a lot of grass, long branches or foliage in sight, move the camera or flatten and trim out the area.

PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND PRACTICE Last, but certainly not least: Practice! Get those bows out and practice at different ranges. Shoot from elevated positions like on your knees, and try to do so without a rangefinder all of the time. There will be times when you just don’t have time or the luxury of being able to move to get at it. Finding those California bucks is a challenge for sure, but they can be found. Work harder than the next guy. Do the work that needs to be done in order to help fill your tag. The effort is worth the reward! CS Editor’s note: For more on the author, check out his website at socalbowhunter. blogspot.com. JULY 2014 California Sportsman 115

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Toll Free: 800-545-9376 www.zerobullets.com 120 California Sportsman JULY 2014

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HUNTING

LOOKING DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE THE HUNT FOR SUMMER COTTONTAILS By Tim E. Hovey

n California, one of the longest hunting seasons available to hunters is for the tasty and abundant cottontail rabbit. The season starts July 1 and stretches until the last Sunday in January. If you add in the larger jackrabbit to your bag, which has no season and is open year-round, you can pursue rabbits or hares all year. Both are available in a wide variety of habitats, and the cottontail has adapted well to urban areas, finding plenty of planted vegetation and areas to den up in and around homesteads. True hares, like the jackrabbit, are larger than cottontail rabbits, have larger ears and very powerful back legs. Rabbits are born blind and hairless, while hares are born with hair. Both are in the same order of lagomorphs or rabbits, and in my opinion, both are a lot of fun to hunt.

BEGINNERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S LUCK Chasing

rabbits

Cottontail rabbits will be in season for hunters starting this month. Jackrabbits are hunted the year-round. (TIM E. HOVEY)

JULY 2014 California Sportsman 121

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HUNTING A rabbit seeks shade in the brush. Rabbits tend to hold tight to cover during the day and will bust from brush just about at your feet. (TIM E. HOVEY)

122 California Sportsman JULY 2014

where my hunting passion started. My first rabbit was a very large jackrabbit that I spotted rrunning into some brush in central California when I was 11. I sat down next to a tree and waited for 90 minutes until it came back out. Using my cousinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s borrowed lever-action .22, I dropped him with one shot. Ever since then, I make sure that during each hunting season, I make time to hunt rabbits. Like most game species, rabbits are strongly tied to annual rainfall. In years flush with precipitation, herbivores like rabbits respond with large litters. During drier years or periods of drought, both species have smaller numbers of offspring and can be tough to find. However, if you see areas with available water or

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springs, rabbits can be found. Rabbits are relatively easy to hunt and are a great way to introduce young hunters to the experience of hunting. Frequently, both cottontails and jacks will stop a short distance away after flushed, giving young hunters an easy chance for success. In cooler temperatures, rabbits may be active most of the day. They will be more abundant around a water source, and a great method for adding a few to your limit is to hunt near these areas. In good years, they are abundant if you know where to look and chances are you already have the firearms needed to pursue them.

CHOOSE YOUR FIREARM Any shotgun you have in your gun safe will do for chasing rabbits. Twelve-, 20- and even the smaller .410-gauge shotguns can be used for taking rabbits. Smaller shot sizes, like 7½s and 8s, work best for saving meat and delivering enough energy to kill rabbits at distance. Those interested in extending their shooting range need look no further than their trusty .22 rifle. The ammunition is still relatively cheap, and I dare you to

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head out after rabbits with your small-bore and not feel like a kid again. Another popular cartridge choice is the .17 HMR. This small bullet was originally introduced by Hornady in 2002 and produces absolutely phenomenal speed and accuracy for a rimfire cartridge. For the last decade I’ve pursued both jackrabbits and cottontails with the .17 HMR. This round allows me to extend my hunting distance to 150 yards and beyond. While I do love hunting rabbits with this cartridge, I hunt exclusively with ballistic-tip bullets and stay away from the hollow points. The hollow-point projectile, combined with the blistering speed of the .17 HMR, is not a meat-friendly cartridge.

HOW I HUNT When it comes to hunting rabbits, I’m a rifleman at heart. I really enjoy using the smaller rimfire cartridges to make longer shots. One of my favorite ways to hunt cottontails is to sit over good-looking habitat early in the morning or near dusk and glass for rabbits during their active time. Using a scoped .17 HMR or .22 and my shooting sticks, I can usually do well and put a brace of rabbits in the cooler. As the day heats up, cottontails stick real tight to cover or head underground to wait out the heat of the day. That’s when I turn my attention to jackrabbits. The bigger hares like to seek out shady areas under any available cover. They use their huge ears to dissipate their body heat and will usually lay low in the shadows, with their ears sticking up. Searching the shadows with a pair of binoculars is a great way for spotting resting jacks. It’s not unusual for their large ears to give them away. Putting the sun in my face, I look for the pinkish glow of their ears, back lit by the sun. Midday is also a good time to kick the brush with a shotgun. JULY 2014 California Sportsman 125

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HUNTING Using a modified choke, I’ll walk areas doing just as much listening as I do looking. Rabbits tend to hold tight to cover during the day and will bust from brush just about at your feet. To avoid obliterating meat with a close shot, take your time, calculate your lead and take your shot.

IN THE KITCHEN While both jackrabbits and cottontails are edible, I do prefer cottontail rabbits for the dinner plate. I’ve cooked them several different ways and have never been disappointed. I’ll usually skin the rabbit, cut away the back straps and the legs, and debone the meat. The flesh is light and can be flavored through various marinades easily and pan seared. Cooked meat can be diced and added to a thick vegetable broth for an excellent soup. And usually my double dipped and fried rabbit appetizers never make it out of the kitchen before the plate is cleaned by my daughters.

REMINISCING ABOUT THE PAST For me, rabbit hunting brings back the nostalgia of

126 California Sportsman JULY 2014

Adrian De Orta with his very first jackrabbit. Hunting rabbits is a great way to introduce youngsters into hunting, for one since the rabbits are normally a short shooting distance away and an easier shot for inexperienced hunters. (TIM E. HOVEY)

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128 California Sportsman JULY 2014

learning to hunt. Early in my hunting career, I learned the subtle skills of stalking and tracking while chasing rabbits. As a kid practicing the hunt, I found rabbits abundant and, when I was lucky enough, I was beyond proud to bring meat home. Now, some years later, I am thrilled to lead my daughters into the skill and excitement of hunting rabbits. Every year I make a trip to other Western states to hunt big game. Immediately after I get all my tags and license in line, I inquire about the small game opportunities there as well. I’ve hunted rabbits in Arizona, Nevada, Wyoming and Montana, and I’ve found that no matter where you go, if you find quality habitat, you’ll find the rabbits. Depending on where you go, opportunities and daily bag limits can be liberal. It doesn’t matter what I’m hunting when I’m out of state, I almost always end with a rabbit

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hunt. Late last season, I headed up to Wyoming to visit my friend, Darrin, who scouted out a few potential spots for us to try. The morning of the hunt we were greeted with fresh snow and crystal-clear skies. We donned our vintage fur bomber hats for the cold and side arms for the grizzlies, and headed out. We worked a rocky area absolutely covered with fresh cottontail tracks. It didn’t take us long to start kicking up fat cottontail rabbits that would scoot off a short distance and sit, in perfect profile, at what they perceived was a safe distance. Settling my Savage .17 HMR on my shooting sticks, I found the rabbit in the scope out at 100 yards and took the shot. Between the two of us, we shot four rabbits in one of the most picturesque areas I’ve ever hunted. These types of brief hunts make me thankful that I’ve made the outdoor world a huge part of my life. Traveling to a new area, hunting with a good friend and being successful was all a bonus to the day. We didn’t drop huge elk or a Boone & Crockett mule deer, we were hunting rabbits and I couldn’t have been more excited. I’ve reached the stage where just trudging through the snow and watching the wildlife would’ve been good enough. But seeing Darrin on a side hill drawing down on a distant rabbit flipped my competitive switch. I remember smiling as I watched his rabbit fall. I sucked in a deep breath of the freshest air and looked over the terrain. The sun was up enough to cast the snowcovered hills in an orange glow. Darrin reached his rabbit and held it up. The scene looked like the cover of a magazine. Nothing beats a couple of friends hiking through the back hills on a hunt. For me, that freedom will never get old and I will never take it for granted no matter what I’m hunting. CS JULY 2014 California Sportsman 129

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