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Sportsman Northwest
Your LOCAL Hunting & Fishing Resource
Volume 8 • ISSUE 4 PUBLISHER James R. Baker
SMOKERCRAFT PHANTOM OFFSHORE
ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Dick Openshaw EDITOR Andy Walgamott COPY EDITOR
Katie Sauro LEAD WRITERS Jeff Holmes, Andy Schneider CONTRIBUTORS
Jason Brooks, Jerrod Gibbons, Chris Gregersen, Jason Haley, Sean Hansen, Doug Huddle, Randy King, Leroy Ledeboer, Dusty McGrorty, Terry Otto, Buzz Ramsey, Troy Rodakowski, Scott Staats, Mark Veary, Terry Wiest, Dave Workman
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CORRESPONDENCE Email letters, articles/queries, photos, etc., to awalgamott@media-inc.com, or snail mail them to the address below. ON THE COVER
Tobey Anderson shows off a nice wild winter-run steelhead caught on Washington’s West End while fishing with her brother, Paul Ishii, and guide Mike Zavadlov. (WRIGHT & McGILL/EAGLE CLAW PHOTO CONTEST) MOTTO
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FEBRUARY 2015
Northwest Sportsman 9
CONTENTS
VOLUME 8 • ISSUE 3
STUDS OF THE MTN. 2014 16 29 33 41 49 55
Readers’ trophy bucks, bulls Whopper Juniper WMU muley North-central Washington hunter’s crazy-lucky draws Portland-area man’s big season Cancer victim’s big Bend-area bull Northeast Oregon organization helps disabled kids hunt, fish
FEATURES 71 101 123 131
Start plans now for out-of-state hunts Southeast Oregon late goose Playbook for native steelhead 5 ways you’ll lose trophy winter-runs – and how to prevent that 149 Primer for using a boat slide 157 Tri-Cities trophy, eater walleye
DEPARTMENTS
117 Beast Mode Metal
As we ease out of brat season, we’re welcoming the big dogs to town with a host of stories on top tackle for monster broodstock and wild steelhead, best water for that gear, how not to lose ’em when they go crazy, and more! (RIVER CHROME GUIDE SERVICE)
COLUMNS 49
61
87
CENTRAL OREGON Scott details how Bend-area guides, residents and others once again teamed up to fulfill the hunting dream of a young girl who battled a rare brain cancer. BASIN BEACON Okanogan deer got a reprieve after an easy start to winter, but Leroy reports volunteers are standing by should the fire-scarred herd need supplemental feeding. ON TARGET As the dust settles from January’s big SHOT Show in Vegas, Dave
details more new rifles and shooting products. 93
CHEF IN THE WILD Randy rifles through his chest freezer for the “odd bits, the castaways, the ‘oh crap, I forgot about that’ items” for some delicious wild game sausage recipes!
105 STUMPTOWN Why haven’t waterfowlers around PDX nestled their shotguns back into cases? Terry has the scoop. 109 NORTH SOUND Doug makes a mockery of the theory that there’s nothing to go and do in February – blackmouth in the
13 15 16 61 65
The Editor’s Note: WDFW’s new boss Correspondence Big Pic: Readers’ trophy bucks, bulls Dishonor Roll; Jackass of the Month Derby Watch: Blackmouth, steelhead derbies this month 66 Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw, Browning Photo Contest winners 68 Outdoor Calender 165 Rig of the Month: Tri-Cities terrors
Juans, steelies in terminal zones, plus bunnies, smelt and more! 117 WESTSIDER Sit down for a lesson from Professor Terry, dean emeritus at Steelhead University, on the top 5 lures for trophy winter steelhead. 139 BUZZ RAMSEY Buzz outlines two fun and very productive ways to catch metalheads out of your drift boat! 167 THE KAYAK GUYS Yes, blind squirrels find nuts from time to time, but mounting a fishfinder on that ’yak will help you find way more, tips Mark.
SUBSCRIBE TODAY! Go to nwsportsmanmag.com for details. NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN is published monthly by Media Index Publishing Group, 14240 Interurban Avenue South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Periodical Postage Paid at Seattle, WA and at additional mailing offices. (USPS 025-251) POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Northwest Sportsman, 14240 Interurban Ave South, Suite 190, Tukwila, WA 98168. Annual subscriptions are $29.95 (12 issues), 2-year subscription are $39.95 (24 issues). Send check or money order to Media Index Publishing Group, or call (206) 382-9220 with VISA or M/C. Back issues may be ordered at Media Index Publishing Group offices at the cost of $5 plus shipping. Display Advertising. Call Media Index Publishing Group for a current rate card. Discounts for frequency advertising. All submitted materials become the property of Media Index Publishing Group and will not be returned. Copyright © 2015 Media Index Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be copied by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording by any information storage or retrieval system, without the express written permission of the publisher. Printed in U.S.A.
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NOVEMBER 2014
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THEEDITOR’SNOTE
O
ne down, one to go. Last month, Washington’s Fish & Wildlife Commission chose a new director for the agency it oversees; this month, Oregon’s citizen oversight panel will fill ODFW’s vacancy at the top.
AS YOU PROBABLY know by now, Dr. James Unsworth, 57, will head up WDFW, taking over for Phil Anderson, who left after six years of wrestling with weighty issues, including budget shortfalls, wolves, fish allocation battles and a hatchery steelhead lawsuit.Unsworth, who is described as an avid sportsman, comes in with a wildlife background. Schooled at Idaho and Montana universities on the management of tasty, furry critters and their needs, he was the Idaho Department of Fish & Game’s big game chief before most recently serving as its deputy director. That résumé heartened Mark Pidgeon, the chairman of the Hunters Heritage Council, an umbrella group that represents numerous Washington hunting organizations, including the venerable Inland Northwest Wildlife Council of Spokane. He told me his council was “very happy” with the choice of Unsworth, and said hunters should thank the commission for it. “There will be many challenges facing the new director in regard to wildlife, so our organization strongly believed that it was imperative that the new director have a background in wildlife,” Pidgeon said. “Dr. Unsworth has the background in managing predators, especially in regard to wolves, which will be sorely needed. He also has the background in making sure that there are stable ungulate populations.” Notably, fishing interests were also buoyant about Unsworth. “His unanimous selection by the commission is a clear signal that he was the best candidate for the job, and we are excited for the privilege of working with him on the issues and challenges ahead,” Tony Floor of the Northwest Marine Trade Association told me. The Northwest Sportfishing Industry Association’s Liz Hamilton said she was “delighted they chose a director of his caliber and background. He is abundantly suited for the agency and the future.” Lorraine Loomis, chair of the Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, was optimistic about working with Unsworth. So too was the state’s most pragmatic wolf-oriented outfit – though some of their colleagues howled in fear, as if hiring anyone from Idaho automatically meant trapping season would open next week.
OREGON’S COMMISSION’S CHOICE will also be pretty interesting. Where the Evergreen State’s selection process was done privately, in accordance with state law, and with little public stumping, not so in the Beaver State. There have been letters to the editor from hunting and nonconsumptive groups alike, and the public will get to meet the four finalists in Salem on Feb. 12. Then the commission, under new chairman Michael Finley, longtime president of The Turner Foundation and a former National Park Service staffer who oversaw hunting and fishing on some federal parks, will make a decision. It’s easy to be initially positive and hesitant about the choices. In the end, what matters most is the future health of fish and wildlife, their habitat, and hunter and angler opportunities. –Andy Walgamott
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CORRESPONDENCE MEET THE NEW BOSS, SAME AS THE OLD BOSS? Word that the Washington Fish & Wildlife Commission had gone next door to hire James Unsworth, a deputy director at the Idaho Department of Fish & Game, as WDFW’s new head honcho somehow had both wolf lovers and wolf haters howling in dismay. On our Facebook page, Jason Brooks wrote, “I really hope he brings IDFG management models with him. But then again we have a higher human population to deal with … and most of that population are idiots.”
BARBED COMMENTS OVER BARBLESS RULE PROPOSAL, WITHDRAWAL ODFW’s proposal last month to drop barbless-hook rules on the lower Willamette had Laura Hudson enthusing “Yes!” Jeffrey Alan Barrett Jr. added “Sweet” and Casey Bennett discovered “There is a god.” However, when the state’s fish commission tabled it, Marvin Henkel Jr. professed “ODFW sucks” – though he probably meant the commissioners – and Chad Huffman wondered “Where’s the dislike button?”
THE VALUE OF HATCHERIES, RELATIVELY SPEAKING Responding to our blog about an author/former fly fishing guide’s talk questioning the cost of hatchery steelhead, Dave McCoy of Emerald Water Anglers in Seattle acknowledged that “Nobody knows for sure that removal of hatcheries will rebound wild fish stocks in every situation and nobody can say that they won’t either. But we do know that the hatchery systems have been the keystone for fish management in this state for decades. Look where we are today.” After ODFW reported bumper fall runs produced 350,000 pounds of hatchery salmon for Oregon food banks, Rory O’Conner posted, “Wait a minute, you’re saying hatcheries are not agents of destruction? Heresy!”
MOST LIKED PHOTOGRAPH WE HUNG UP ON OUR FACEBOOK PAGE DURING THIS ISSUE’S PRODUCTION CYCLE
Kaitlyn Campion killed it on Facebook in early winter with her big daddy blackmouth, but since that pic appears elsewhere this issue, we’re going with reader Jerry Han’s, er, ice shelfie. He was working on filling his bucket at Moses Lake with 13- and 14-inch yellow perch. (WRIGHT & McGILL/EAGLE CLAW PHOTO CONTEST) FEBRUARY 2015
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William Erickson snapped this great shot of big bull killer Tony Wintrip packing out his 336-inch green-score Pope & Young archery bull, taken in Washington’s Wenaha-Tucannon Wilderness in September on a special permit. (WILLIAM ERICKSON)
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Studs Of The Mountain, 2014
E
ach February we take a look back at the past big game season and highlight some of the biggest bucks and bulls taken by Northwest sportsmen, and most notable hunts that they experienced. The following pages and stories feature some of 2014’s studs of our mountains, forests and sage flats.
Returning to our roundup, Alan Clune of North Bend, Wash., arrowed this big Okanogan County muley at 32 yards. Weather and the rut had his swollennecked buck moving during November’s late archery hunt. Its rack measures 27 7/8 inches wide. In 2011, Clune took a 29-incher in the same region of Northcentral Washington. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) “Quite a buck for his first one,” says Bob Fitzsimmons about grandson Jake’s Oregon muley, and it’s hard to argue with that! The 10-year-old shot his 26-inch-wide deer on BLM land at 95 yards with a new 7mm-08. Jake was hunting with three other generations of his family. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
It’s taken him a few years to tag out on a buck this big, but hanging out in his Okanogan County honey hole a few days after the mid-October rifle opener put Chuck Hartman of Maple Valley, Wash., in perfect position to take a 300yard shot with his Weatherby 7mm at this stout muley. It weighed just over 200 pounds hanging, and went nearly 28 inches wide. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) FEBRUARY 2015
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Washington’s mule deer season may not go deep enough into October for some, but not for Brock Boyer and Bill Waite, who enjoyed a successful second weekend, finding this pair of bruisers in Chelan County. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
A couple hail Marys paid off for Darren Ashley – scoring an Ochoco bull tag with only two points, and then, with only two days afield because the high school team he quarterbacked (Dayton Pirates) was in the 3A playoffs, bagging this 6x6 with a 268-yard shot. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) Mel Souders has found the sweet spot in western Okanogan County. Two seasons after nailing another stud muley just 200 yards away, he put his tag on this 31-plus-inch-wide whopper, held here by local butcher Chris Thomsen. Hunting the area since 1967, Souder says he’s “finally found where the deer are moving through.” We’ll have more of Souder’s tale on our website’s Reader Trophy Tales. (MIKE MALTAIS, METHOW VALLEY NEWS)
Not all of Grant County, Washington’s masher muleys live in the permit-only Desert Unit. After doing a whole lot of homework, Jo Wiebe and husband Tim found a bit of public land, and then, in the days after all their fellow pumpkins went home for the work week, spotted this buck in the tall grass. They stalked to within 80 yards, and four hours later, when the deer stood to stretch, Jo dropped him. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) 18 Northwest Sportsman
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During 2013’s season, Trask Applegate had a heckuva year, bagging bucks in his home state of Oregon and over in Idaho. But last fall, when his grandpa Larry announced it would be his final deer hunt, the youth’s goal was to put the family patriarch onto a big one. On the sixth and final morning of their hunt near Dworshak Reservoir, this wide-hatted whitetail came through the timber, and with a 368-yard heart shot, Trask had given Larry a “walk off buck.” (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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On that day some Americans still remember as a harvest celebration, Cody Dobbins, 13, of the Tri-Cities made good on a once-in-a-lifetime permit to take a bighorn ram. He was hunting with his stepfather, Jeremy Johnson, above Lake Chelan. He got plenty of local help in his effort, and was transported up the fjord by Jeff Witkowski of Darrell & Dad’s Guide Service. (JEFF WITKOWSKI)
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Hunter Parini closed out a successful string of years as a youth hunter with a 26-inch-wide northern Douglas County, Wash., three-point muley. We suspect we’ll see more from him in the future! (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
As successful of a season as 2014 was for Northwest sportsmen, we didn’t get ‘em all. After making it through fall’s various hunts and likely contributing his genes to the future of the herd, this giant mule deer buck was photographed on the winter range in midJanuary. Here’s to the promise of hunts to come. (WDFW)
The Poirés of Tri-Cities enjoyed a pretty good 2014. Dad, Steve, who owns Northwest Marine and Sport, harvested a huge 8x6 elk over in Montana (and his hunting partner’s bull wasn’t too shabby either), but young Hunter might have stolen the show. He followed up an estimated 300-pound Blue Mountains spring black bear from the Wenaha Unit and which had a skull measuring 18 6/8 inches with this 7x5 Hanford bull in late September. He had been drawn for the Silver Dollar permit. Note that the elk’s antlers are still in velvet. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST) 22 Northwest Sportsman
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First hunt, first day, first shot, first buck! Claymore McAllister, a 14-year-old from Oso, Wash., bagged this nice muley in Okanogan County on the opener while hunting with his family. “He is a quiet, polite, and dedicated young man who truly deserved this big kill,” says proud cousin, Susannah Hall. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
His email address might alude to being a track star, but shooting star might also be appropriate. After his brother-in-law spooked this buck out of the woods, Chad Smith had only “a matter of seconds” to make a 100-yard shot, dropping the nontypical 6x6 counting eyeguards, dead as a doornail. They were hunting in Okanogan County. (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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Brenna Blankenship continues to shine with her bow. A champion archer, the upper Rogue River valley lass added to an already impressive resume when she bagged this 4x5 blacktail very, very late in 2014’s season. “She drew her bow and gave a little grunt,” her father, Alan, says of Brenna’s cold, Dec. 30 afternoon hunt. “The buck stopped but immediately started to spin around. She released, hitting behind the shoulder. It was the first time she missed the heart, but did catch the lung and liver. I then got that wonderful text, ‘BBD.’ She waited till 5:20, now dark and very cold, to follow the blood trail. She followed about 100 yards. I convinced her to back out since she was by herself, it was dark and we shouldn’t push the deer. She agreed. The next day we went back and with a little handsand-knee blood trailing we found him, about another 100 yards. A great end to her final youth hunt.” (BROWNING PHOTO CONTEST)
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MIXED BAG
The Juniper Giant
This big Juniper WMU buck’s friskiness gave him away to the author, Dusty McGrorty, who had put in for 16 years before being drawn for a tag to hunt mule deer in Southeast Oregon. (DUSTY McGRORTY)
Preface by Troy Rodakowski; Story by Dusty McGrorty
T
he rugged desert of Southeast Oregon is home to some of the biggest mule deer in the state. In late October, buck, does and fawns from the Steens range migrate towards the lowlands of the Malheur, which become their wintering grounds. The lowlands are full of the forage that will sustain them through the winter. It is also prime time for rut activity. The Juniper muzzleloader tag is also one of the toughest permits in the state to draw because of the timing and migration. I have personally been on three hunts here and experienced the highs and lows of what it can be like. Weather plays a big role in the success of hunters here, and for Dusty McGrorty, 2014 was no different.
After 16 years of applying for a mule deer tag, McGrorty was finally drawn, securing one of only 10 Juniper muzzleloader tags given out. “It was now time to start preparing. I drove over in July to see what was hanging around the refuge and scout for some areas to hang trail cameras. There were a few good bucks on the refuge during the trip, but nothing I would be interested in harvesting,” recalls McGrorty. But he did find some places to put up some trail cams after rifle hunters took their crack at the bucks. Here’s his tale:
MY GOOD BUDDY Lance Baker and I arrived on the 25th of November, four days before the hunt started, giving me three full days to scout and find the buck I’ve been dreaming of. On the second day of scouting, I glassed
a buck that I figured would be really close to 185 inches typical. Of course, I had set my standards high and was hoping to see one 190 inches typical or bigger, but with a handful of bucks that were 170-plus inches, I was sure I would find a good animal. On opening day, which was a Saturday, Lance and I were sitting on my favorite rim and glassing at daylight. After several hours and looking over 15 different bucks, one that I figured was pushing 185 showed up. It was around 800 yards away and would be a tough stalk. I told myself I wasn’t going to shoot a buck opening day unless it was over 190, so I passed it up and kept looking. The next few days we covered a lot of ground and picked apart the sagebrush and juniper. While finding a few 160- to 170-inchclass bucks on Sunday and Monday, I was starting to wonder if my expectations were
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MIXED BAG too high. Lance and I decided to head back to the rim where we had seen the bigger buck on the opener. It was now day four of the hunt and we were headed to the rim. At first light we could see deer feeding all over, including a group of does that didn’t have a buck with them. I thought that was odd, as every herd we had seen had at least a small buck with them. We glassed for about three hours and were about ready to give up on that spot. I started packing up my spotting scope and decided to look over that group of buckless does one more time. Pulling up my binoculars, I saw several running around. And there he was! He came running out of the thick junipers, causing havoc as he chased a bunch of does. The buck was in a perfect spot and we just had to pack up, go down the rim about 1,000 yards, pop over and he should be right there. Seemed easy enough, but not long afterwards we ran
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into two hunters on four-wheelers just sitting there talking. We had to wait about half an hour for them to leave. Little did they know that there was a giant buck on the other side of the rim. Very slowly we worked our way over the ridgeline, only to see the does. We stayed another two hours and never found any sign of the big buck.
RESTING THE SPOT, we backed off and decided to return a couple hours before dark. We glassed and glassed and never spotted that group of does. With only about an hour until dark, we walked back to the truck and decided to drive closer to the other end of the rim. We parked, got out and walked to the edge and instantly Lance spotted a large group of does with the buck running them around. With only one small bench between him and us to use for cover and just 20 minutes of shooting light left, we had to move fast without getting busted. I had to
move slowly through the wide-open using rocks and small junipers for cover and finally made it to the bench. Peeking over the top, I was able to spot the buck; he was only 80 yards away. But just then a doe spotted me, and they suddenly all took off running. Luckily, the buck didn’t know what was going on. He stopped at 135 yards and looked back like mule deer do, and I fired my Vortek Muzzleloader, hitting him good. Running into the open junipers, I lost sight of him and it was now almost dark, so I wanted to get down there to find blood while we still had light. Lance and I ran down the side of the rimrock to where he had been standing and found blood right away. We followed the trail about 20 yards and looked up to find the buck expired in the sage. The Juniper bruiser measured 184 inches gross and was 29½ inches wide. The long hours of scouting and hard work had finally paid off as we celebrated below the desert sky. NS
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MIXED BAG
A ‘Flat-out Awesome’ Season Preface by Jeff Holmes; Story by Jerrod Gibbons
O
mak’s Jerrod Gibbons is one of the Northwest’s better-known guides, and is one of the rare breeds in Washington who hunt and fish with clients year-round. Gibbons also fishes and hunts for pleasure, but in recent years he’s spent a lot more time guiding clients and building Okanogan Valley Guide Service into a nationally known outfit than he has hunting for himself. “Trigger time,” as he puts it, can be hard to come by when clients must always come first. But the stars aligned for Gibbons in 2014 in more ways than one. Along with getting engaged and then fishing over epic Chinook and sockeye salmon runs from late spring through summer, Gibbons drew two of the state’s most coveted big game tags during one hunting season. His quest to fill those tags – while also guiding anglers and tagging out scores of clients on mule deer and whitetail bucks – follows.
I WAS HALFWAY through a banner 2014 spring Chinook season on the Icicle River and newly opened Wenatchee River and was on the water with clients when I heard the good news: results were available for the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife’s special permit drawings! I forced myself to stay focused on my guiding, limited out my clients, and beat feet for the Safeway lot in Leavenworth, where I could pull up the WDFW website on my phone. Having a whopping 23 quality elk points, I was pretty sure this would be my year to draw the coveted Dayton elk tag, but I was nervous as I clicked through the site. “SELECTED,” it said for my Dayton tag! I remember my tiredness from guiding disappearing and me smiling from ear to ear. I quickly scrolled down to see if I had drawn anything else, which I knew would
With a mountain goat tag burning a hole in his pocket and a closing season looming, Gibbons “settled” for this heavy Blue Mountains 6x6 before beating feet for home and a second ascent into Lake Chelan goat country. (OKANOGANVALLEYGUIDESERVICE.COM)
be a long-shot based on what I’d put in for. To my shock, I again saw “SELECTED.” I looked to the left and saw “Mountain Goat, North Lake Chelan.” “Are you kidding me!?!” I remember screaming, jumping out of the truck and prancing around like a little kid. I got some crazy looks, but I didn’t care. The rest of salmon season in North-central Washington went without a flaw. Guiding is always a tough business, but big numbers of fish, booked hunts with clients, and my own two amazing tags made the summer of 2014 a lot easier to enjoy. Almost immediately, I anticipated the challenge of filling these tags while being a full-time hunting and fishing guide. I started thinking of areas to cover and made a lot of phone calls. I have a wellknown fishing guide buddy, Richland’s Dan Sullivan, who had drawn the Dayton tag, and knew of others who had. Since the season started Oct. 20, the day after general rifle deer ended, I knew my scouting would be limited by my heavy guiding schedule. Sullivan introduced me to Ben Hill of Vancouver, a new friend who also knows the area. We made plans to hunt together in October when my schedule allowed.
FIRST, THOUGH, MOUNTAIN goat season, which opened Sept. 15. But with no way of scouting the area from a rig, we had to plan on scouring maps and taking a boat ride up Lake Chelan. We were only able to
schedule two trips uplake due to guiding for salmon six days a week from July 1 through Aug. 30. That much guiding is a lot of work, and needless to say the summer went quickly while working hard and dreaming of hunting season. Meanwhile, our early archery guys started on Sept. 1, so we had to work in our evening scouting and setting trail cams in mid-August after getting off the water. Through a mix of strategy and good luck, our early bowhunters tagged out quickly, going five for five. This allowed my right-hand man and best friend, Josh “Stump” Unser, and I to backpack in for the goat opener. We’d seen only one in our previous two scouting trips, so we didn’t have much to go on, but we planned to be there for a week and had another buddy drop us off far uplake where we had seen the goat during scouting. We ended up seeing that very nice billy goat again, but it had relocated into an area where no man should ever be. The terrain was so treacherous that it required little thought to know it was not worth risking our lives for this animal. So we continued hiking high above the lake to the crest of the peaks, covering as much ground as possible. After four intense days exhausting every nook and cranny we could realistically reach, we called good friend Scott Rowe on the satellite phone for pick-up the next day. This was by far the most gruesome hike of my life, and I was beat. North Lake Chelan goat country is the steepest terrain I’ve ever been in, and limited water made it very tough. We were there only four days and immediately began to think of when we could go back with season ending at the end of October: the same as my elk tag. I knew time would be tight and my family life would be short. Having a good woman to understand that these were tags of a lifetime made it a little easier. Stump and I returned to Omak with no goat and began to get back to work scouting deer for our muzzleloader and
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MIXED BAG rifle seasons. To keep a long story short, we ended up tagging 96 percent of our clients out with 100 percent opportunity. It was a very good general season that would get better. My guiding schedule left three days for family hunts, and the 2014 highlight until this point was helping my daughter and wife tag their first deer!
AFTER TYING UP loose ends at the end of deer season and packing for the Blues, my dad, Stump, and I headed out for Dayton to meet up with Sullivan and Hill. It was now my turn to pull the trigger, and I was feeling rushed and nervous from not having much opportunity to scout. We met in the town of Dayton and headed to a cabin in the mountains they had lined out. We met the rest of the crew that was there to help, and they made me feel really welcome and like I was on a guided hunt. The crew didn’t have any smasher bulls pinned out yet
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The busy life of a full-time hunting and fishing guide doesn’t always provide time for reflection or relaxation, and even here Jerrod Gibbons had to hike his feet off to find peace on a goat-less ridge overlooking Lake Chelan. (OKANOGANVALLEYGUIDESERVICE.COM)
because it was really warm for this time of year. Elk were active all night, and our only opportunities would likely come the first half hour in the morning and the last 30 minutes in the evening. The rest of the time, elk were in the timber, bugling very seldomly as the rut was pretty much done. On day one, we went down a ridge from the top and immediately got on a thumper bull. He was 1,300 yards out and across the canyon. Stump and Hill were both in great shape and basically took off at a jog. Me, I tried keeping up! Getting to 400 yards and trying to find a hole in the timber was almost impossible. We got on the cows, but the bull had already slipped into the timber. We decided to try again that evening and he didn’t come out, nor did he the next morning, so we decided to relocate to another draw. This time Sullivan took us down another ridge to walk out to a road below. Hill had located a bull there previously while scouting and
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MIXED BAG decided to give it a shot. Weather came in that evening and the elk began to come out of the timber really early. Spotting a few cows and small bulls, we kept working down the ridge. A tremendous bugle erupted as we walked, and we scanned the canyon and spotted a good bull. Sullivan held me off from shooting it, wanting me to make sure it was a really good one. With a goat tag in my pocket and seven days left in season, I was feeling a little pressure to get my goat. I leveled down on this elk and watched him at 465 yards. He was a perfect 6x6, the biggest bull I’ve ever seen through my scope. Sullivan sized him up and told me it was a decent bull, but there were bigger ones around. Looking at Stump, my goathunting partner, I decided to take him. With the video camera set up behind me, I pocketed the shot right behind the shoulder. The bull ran downhill and piled up in a windfall. We had a ton of work to do, so we
After two trips into the Lake Chelan backcountry and one of the “most gruesome” hikes of his life, Jerrod Gibbons proudly descends to the lakeshore with his billy goat, ready for some much deserved Okanogan surf and turf: goat steak and sockeye salmon. (OKANOGANVALLEYGUIDESERVICE.COM)
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MIXED BAG called Hill and the other guys to meet us with the pack frames. A total of five of us cut and packed him. We went a mile in the dark through the thickest, steepest crap I’ve ever been in. It took us three hours to get off the mountain, even with another hunter meeting us at the bottom of the canyon! By 11:30 at night we were in the rig heading back to the cabin. I slept in and went back to Omak the next morning after making some awesome friends I’ll have for life. I felt truly blessed for the opportunity I had had, but now was goat time.
A DAY AND a half later, I was headed for a boat ramp on Lake Chelan. Stump and I met up with his dad, Dave Unser, who has a 22-foot Thunder Jet. The game plan was to glass from the boat, find one and get dropped off to pursue. Of course, late October’s weather didn’t work out, as we had 4-foot rollers Saturday and Sunday, along with fog – we saw no goats. We set
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up camp on the south shore and glassed what we could. On the morning of the 27th while going downlake, I spotted a glowing white spot. It was a goat, about halfway up the steep terrain, visible from the lake. I was unable to get a scope on him to size him up, so we put a plan together. Up the hill Stump and I went. It took us three hours to get to the location we wanted, and sure enough, we got close enough: 426 yards. I had a broadside shot at the billy while he was bedded down, and I took it. I missed, hitting a hair low, but he stood up, and three shots later I had my goat! It’s amazing footage, and some of the best I’ve seen. After another 45 minutes of hard hiking, I got to put my hands on the thickest and softest coat I’ve ever felt. We boned him out and made our way down the hill to the boat. After riding back to camp that evening, we had fresh goat steak and sockeye fillets we brought from
summer fishing. It was a fitting celebration of perhaps the greatest hunting season of my life – and one I likely won’t ever repeat. Never again will I draw two quality tags in one year and then fill them both within five days. It was flat-out awesome! I thanked Dave Unser like he was my other father, and we headed back to Omak in preparation for our late archery season, where we succeeded with 100 percent opportunity and a 95 percent harvest ratio, including some whomper raffle bucks. We also filmed two TV shows in 2014, one with Cabela’s American Archer and one with Western Extreme. Both will be on the Outdoor Channel this spring and fall of 2015. Speaking not only as a hunter, but as a Washington fishing and hunting guide, this was one of those years I will never forget. I made some lifelong friends, my freezer is full, and I harvested some terrific animals together with clients and friends! NS
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MIXED BAG Sean Hansen of Camas, Wash., made the most of his summer working for the Forest Service in Northeast Washington, using his time off to scout public land. He arrowed and one-shot killed this 6-foot-4 bear from 40 yards after an exciting stalk. (SEAN HANSEN)
A Tough Year To Top Preface by Jeff Holmes; Story by Sean Hansen
T
hrough my work with Field and Stream magazine doing their Western states whitetail deer reporting and my work here with Northwest Sportsman, I seek out and receive a lot of verified hunting and fishing reports, including from some truly great sportsmen. During 2014, no one’s results surprised me more than those of Sean Hansen and his hunting partners. I featured his friend’s 150-class Blue Mountains whitetail and a stack of mule deer and elk heads from that same camp on F&S, but it was Hansen’s consistent success that stood out. Like a cat who just seems to kill a new squirrel or bird every day, Hansen flashed braces of trout, salmon and walleye across my phone screen in 2014, followed by geese, elk, bear, deer and more elk. He’s not pro staff, doesn’t hunt private ground, isn’t otherwise “connected” in the industry,
and isn’t local where he hunts. He’s a hardworking young biologist who puts in the time and the sweat, and who was rewarded richly during the 2014 hunting season. Here’s his story:
MY HOMETOWN IS Camas, just east of Vancouver, but this summer I worked for the Forest Service in their fisheries department based out of Kettle Falls, Wash. I had just graduated from Washington State University this last May with a bachelor’s degree in biology, so without a lot of baggage to weigh me down, I was able to spend a lot of time pursuing my passions of fishing and hunting. I am used to pursuing elk and blacktails on the west side of the state, so when I got the job in Kettle Falls, I saw it as an opportunity to learn how to hunt the Eastside and pursue some species that I had not harvested before, like whitetails, Rocky Mountain elk and black bear. My job with the Forest Service really
helped with getting to know the area over there, since I was working in the woods every day. I was able to do a lot of scouting in the early season and find the animals and begin to pattern them. I also made friends with some good people who had knowledge of the area, and they pointed me in the right direction of where to begin scouting. After watching the deer, elk and bears all summer with the use of trail cams and a good set of binos, I had a great idea of what I needed to do, and where to be, come opening day. I was able to harvest a Northeast Washington elk calf right at the end of early archery season. I set up a blind and bait site with a trail cam that I checked regularly, and the animals were using it, but I was never able to be sitting in the blind when a shooter animal was at the site. I ended up getting my elk by spotting and stalking it in a clearcut and then cow calling frantically with the help of my partner. It came running right in
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MIXED BAG for a double-lung 30-yard shot. Then as I was retrieving my arrow and my partner was retrieving his backpack, 100 yards away a spike was closing in on all the commotion. Long story short, the spike busted right as my partner was coming to full draw, and we couldn’t convince it to come back into range.
I ALSO HARVESTED a 6-foot-4, 300-pluspound color-phase black bear a few days prior to my Washington elk. Based on tracks and scat, I knew there was a good number of bruins in the area, and some large ones at that. The area we were hunting was a high-elevation huckleberry meadow that we were actually targeting for elk. Walking in at first light we heard some large sticks popping in the meadow below us, so we sat in the middle of an abandoned road and waited to see what was about to unfold. Rather unexpectedly, a very large-bodied bear lumbered across the road in front of us, feeding his way along, totally oblivious of our presence. With the bear at 30 yards but no clear shot, we made a game plan to split up to see if one of us could get a shot. I hooked around and above the bear hoping it would come to me, while my partner tried following it. He had the bear at 10 yards at one point but no shot. I lost track of it for at least 30 minutes before I heard some rustling just 50 yards away. I ranged the possible paths it might take, and lucky for me, it took the one at 40 yards. I was able to make a calm, collected shot, hitting the bear midbody and taking out one lung. The tracking job was interesting because when I checked my arrow, there was just grease on it – no blood. I was very confused because the shot had looked good, but I then began to seriously doubt my shot was even fatal. I ended up giving it four hours before going to make a recovery because I didn’t really want to walk up on a big wounded bear. Right after I made the shot on this bear, it wheeled around biting at the arrow and growling and then taking off through the brush. What I didn’t know was that it barreled right toward my partner and then turned about 15 feet in front of him, scaring the crap out of him. What he did 42 Northwest Sportsman
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Hansen’s wallet contained only a Washington cougar tag by season’s end, a year that included some extracurricular elk hunting in Montana. He dropped his first bull with a rifle after felling his first ever elk, a fat calf, with a bow weeks prior in the Evergreen State. (SEAN HANSEN)
observe from his angle, though, was that the bear stumbled a few times, showing how he was injured pretty severely. So after looking for signs of blood with no luck, I just walked in the direction that I last heard a crash, and luckily enough, found the bear laying 150 yards from where I shot, stiff as a board. I felt so relieved to find him because I had lost hope after finding no blood.
DRAWING THE MULTISEASON tag, I was able to hunt all the seasons before late archery, when I killed my buck, a Northeast Washington whitetail. I was able to join my usual hunting group, The Sh*tridge Boys, down in the Blue Mountains for general rifle season, and even though others in the group took some nice bucks, I was never able to find a shooter. I did pass on some small bucks during late bow season, but did not have any other opportunities at
shooters other than the one I capitalized on. I harvested the four-point whitetail with my PSE Bowmadness and Slicktrick broadheads in late November, when the rut was in full swing. I was hunting an area with a lot of feed and dense areas of cover early one morning and found a buck frantically chasing does, like a dog with his nose to the ground. I was able to come to full draw on this buck at 50 yards but never had a clear lane to let an arrow fly. The activity settled down at midday and I didn’t see any more deer, so I ended up returning to that same spot for the evening hunt. The spot I was sitting at was a high cliff bank that overlooked thick hardwood bottoms on each side, with a pinch-point trail directly below me. The bank was so high, though, that the possible shots were long and at a steep angle. About a half hour before the end of shooting
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MIXED BAG light, I heard some leaves rustling and then spotted a buck walking down the trail directly towards me. I came to full draw as he was walking and stopped him with a grunt when he reached the tree I had ranged at 55 yards. The angle was so steep, though, my rangefinder with ARC, or angle range compensation, told me to shoot as though it was 40. I released the arrow and immediately the buck wheeled and ducked. The arrow was in flight for so long that the buck was actually able to flip his body around 180 degrees, and I hit him on the opposite side I had aimed at. This put my arrow a little further back than I originally wanted, but I heard it was a solid hit. I backed out and gave the deer three hours before going in for the recovery. I went directly to my arrow to help me understand what kind of hit I had made. After finding a bloody arrow and walking 30 yards on the blood trail, I found my buck lying right there. With the exception of my cougar
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tag, I was tagged out in Washington.
JUST PRIOR TO my whitetail hunt in Washington, I was able to harvest a fivepoint bull in Montana. My dad and I had big game combination tags to each harvest a deer and an elk. We did see some smaller bucks, but nothing we wanted to fill our tags on at that time. Hunting with some friends who live near Bozeman, we were each able to fill our elk tags within a few days of each other on our 10-day hunt. I killed my bull at 400 yards with an 8mm Mag. I spotted the herd from about 2,000 yards and we made a stalk into shooting range. The temp was 7 degrees below zero at this time, and my fingers were so cold that it was difficult to pull the trigger. I was able to pick out the largest bull in the herd and put a kill shot on him. I was so excited walking up on my first bull. We quartered it, and four of us packed out all but the hindquarters that night. The pack out was about a mile and a half
uphill on an old, gated-off road, and when we returned the next day, there were two more bulls standing 200 yards from where mine was. With no one left with an unnotched tag, we got to watch them look at us for 10 minutes. All in all, it was an awesome trip to Montana, with a lot of good memories taken from it. This past season I was able to harvest my first whitetail, elk and bear – all with archery equipment – and my first bull elk with a rifle. It will be pretty hard to beat in 2015, but I am going to try. We have plans on archery hunting Oregon for elk, Montana again for deer and elk, and, of course, Washington for late archery deer. I’m not sure where I’ll end up working or hunting next fall, but I’ll look to do more fisheries-related work after enjoying the job I had this summer. I am also interested in getting my guide license to do some guiding on the side for fishing, but if it works out, I may even pursue it as a career. NS
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MIXED BAG Thanks to the help of Central Oregon residents and businesses, Deanna Meade was able to make a dream come true, hunt an elk. Now cancer-free, the South Carolina lass had battled a rare malignant brain tumor before her hunt was lined up through the Outdoor Dream Foundation, also of the Palmetto State. (GOWEST OUTFITTERS)
The Time Of Her Life CENTRAL OREGEON BY Scott Statts
D
eanna Meade always dreamed about hunting elk but never had the opportunity. That is, until this past fall when the Central Oregon Chapter of the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation teamed up with many other people and organizations in the community to provide Deanna with her dream hunt.
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MIXED BAG The chapter worked with the Outdoor Dream Foundation to coordinate the hunt. The foundation is a nonprofit that grants outdoor adventures to kids who have been diagnosed with terminal or lifethreatening illnesses. Deanna, 13, lives in Pomaria, S.C., and was diagnosed with medulloblastoma, a rare malignant brain tumor that occurs in children. The hunt was conducted on a private ranch in Central Oregon. Hunting guide Shawn Jones, owner of GoWest Outfitters, organized and led the hunt. This was his third Outdoor Dream hunt that he has guided for kids. “We have been really fortunate to have the opportunity to share the resources at our ranch, and other ranches that we have access to, with people like Deanna who have an outdoor dream but don’t have access
to the ability to fulfill it,” says Jones. Deanna’s father, Marty, says they were both a little anxious about the hunt, but they enjoyed every minute of it. “It was beautiful out there,” says Marty. “I had the time of my life. I didn’t want to leave and come back home.” He says it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for Deanna. She had two brain surgeries and is five years out right now since being diagnosed. At last check in December, she was declared cancer-free. “This was my first time to Oregon and my first time seeing elk in person,” says Deanna. “I wanted to hunt them because they seemed interesting. I’ve always seen them on TV, and they looked really cool.”
A DISCERNING HUNTRESS Jones says that Deanna was definitely
excited for the hunt. He could tell she loves to be outdoors. She enjoyed seeing numerous deer, and even got to see a wild turkey. Deanna passed on a bull the first night, and decided against several others over the next three or four days. Jones had guys on various ranches looking for a big bull but weren’t able to find one. “On the last morning of the hunt we found one that we wanted her to shoot,” says Jones. “We knew it was traveling a certain route, so that evening we sat up in a position where we could get her a good solid rest and waited in hopes that the bull would come back with his cows, and sure enough, he did.” Marty says that Deanna was excited the whole hunt, but got nervous when the elk started coming closer. He recalled that the herd was taking its sweet time. “The big herd came down off a mountain and I had to wait until they got close enough to shoot one,” Deanna says. “I was really nervous when I saw the big bull getting closer.” At first he was at 400 yards, then 350 and the anticipation was high. As the bull closed in on 200 yards, she took the shot. Jones says the bull took off running with the herd, but within 10 seconds he dropped behind the other elk, then went down. “There was a huge celebration between Deanna, her dad and me,” Jones says. “It was a big 6x6 that scored 340.” Like a seasoned hunter, Deanna says with authority, “I got him at 205 yards.” She says she was so surprised to see how big the animal truly was as she walked up to it.
A COMMUNITY EFFORT Fred Cavanaugh, of Prineville, is the RMEF chapter’s chairperson in charge of hunts and trips. He says another member, Stan Kunzman of Bend and his wife, picked Deanna and Marty 50 Northwest Sportsman
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up at the airport and took them to a motel. Cavanaugh met them for breakfast the next morning, then he and Stan took them out to the hunting cabin where they met Shawn Jones. “These kids have a whole different outlook on life,” says Cavanaugh. “It’s exciting to work with them; they’re happy and they enjoy what they’re doing. They’re just good kids. Deanna is a very polite girl and was so excited about the hunt.” The chapter also seeks out help for the hunt from others in the community. For example, Shane Quimby, owner of Quimby’s Independent Meat Market in Prineville, has been involved in all five Dream hunts that have taken place in Central Oregon. He does the complete processing and wrapping of the meat. On the day of the flight out, he or someone in his shop meets someone from the RMEF and weighs out all the boxes to make sure they are the right weight to get them on the airplane. Then the chapter member
drives the boxes to the airport. “We want to make sure the boxes get out on time so they can go back home with the kids and their families,” Quimby explains. “I like to help the kids out. Anything that we can do to help is what we’re here for.” Then of course there’s the mount. Dave Vaughan, owner of Vaughan’s Taxidermy in Prineville, has also been involved in all five Dream hunts. The first hunt, he prepared the hide and antlers to be sent to a taxidermist back east. For the last four successful hunters, he’s done full shoulder mounts for the bulls, then shipped them off. “First of all, it’s about the kids, who are struggling with life,” Vaughan says. “All of us want to make a dream come true for a kid. That’s what life is about, helping other people, especially those who are less fortunate.” Vaughan says it’s a privilege to be able to help out. He noted that this event is a bright spot in the midst of the kids’ difficulties, so it’s well worth
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any time and effort. He tries to have the mounts available for the RMEF banquet in March. After that, he ships them off to the family. “The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation puts a lot of time and effort into these hunts, so we want to have the mounts available for them to show at their banquet,” he says. Marty says that he and Deanna miss Oregon and talk about the trip all the time. They hope one day to get a chance to come back out. “We went to a different part of the country that I thought we’d never see,” says Marty. “It was definitely an amazing hunt, that’s for sure. We saw so many elk. Everybody who helped us was so nice. I could have stayed there the rest of my life and never came back home.” He added that they’ve been eating elk ever since they got home. “I really enjoyed the time I had out there and I’d like to thank all the people who helped,” Deanna says. NS
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Special Memories For Disabled Kids Yes, she had lots of help from her dad, Bruce, and hunting guides at Creating Memories for Disabled Children, but Ashley Jensen’s buck fever was all her own. Still, she had remarkable poise to take this Imnaha River muley with her swiveling, vice-mounted .243 this past season. (CREATING MEMORIES)
By Jason Haley
R
olling into her blind before daylight, she could see deer in the field. They had just come from the Imnaha River several hundred yards below, and one was a nice four-point! A few adjustments to her swiveling, vice-mounted rifle to get the crosshairs on him, a trigger pull, and that was that. Nothing to it, right?
Not hardly.
MOST NORTHWEST SPORTSMEN will agree that it’s harder than ever to take a mature mule deer buck, let alone a trophy for the wall. But imagine tackling that daunting task from a wheelchair, without full use of your appendages. That’s exactly what Ashley Jensen did this past season, and those are just
a few of the obstacles that she’s had to overcome. Ashley was born with cerebral palsy and is a quadriplegic, but with lots of help from her dad, Bruce, and the guides at Creating Memories for Disabled Children, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit based in Enterprise, Ore., she has become quite the outdoorsperson. More importantly, she’s having fun! Ashley has already hunted turkeys and
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deer, and has caught numerous fish from a wheelchair-friendly pontoon boat the program operates on Wallowa Lake. She even won athlete of the week honors in the local paper for catching an 18-inch rainbow, and was said to be so excited that her screams could be heard across Buy a Branson 3520H & Receive a the lake. FREE 5’ Brush Mower Even though she can’t talk, Ashley35hp is 4x4 Diesel Tractor w/ BL25R very smart and normally makes a little Loader & R4 Tires ($1,000 Down & $334/mo*) noise and movement when she seesOR - $1,000 OFF a BH760 Backhoe Purchase animals. “She gets buck fever just like the rest Buy aofBranson 3120R & says. Receive a us,” Bruce FREE 5’ Brush Mower & This was a FREE 5’ Box Blade!her third season, and she 31hp 4x4 Tractor w/ job of being patient and did anDiesel excellent BLR25R Loader & R4 Tires containing her excitement. ($1,000 Down & $310/mo*)
After practicing from a prone position, Travis Jensen, born with cerebral palsy and who uses a walker, didn’t need motorized assistance to bag his 2014 elk, this cow. (CREATING MEMORIES)
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uses a walker, but just took his third elk with the assistance of his guides from the organization. Travis credits the program for much. Enoch Stalcub is another disabled youngster who can’t say enough about the program. He was lucky to have a family that was active in the outdoors and got him involved at an early age. He has bagged numerous big game animals and claims to have only missed one. I believe him. This guy’s a hunter! His knowledge of firearms and ballistics is as obvious as his enthusiasm, which is contagious. I got excited talking to Enoch about how he practiced to become a proficient marksman and the elk he took at long range with his .270 and custom bullet two years back. He spends time giving back now, marketing Creating Memories, and developing the website. “Most aren’t as lucky as I was,” says Stalcub. “Not because they don’t have a supportive family, but because their loved ones don’t have the knowledge, means or experience to make it happen. It’s expensive to raise a child who has a disability. There is a high demand and very little supply for a way to enjoy the outdoors for those confined to a wheelchair.” The therapeutic value and important role of programs like this (in Washington, Youth Outdoors Unlimited of Moses Lake, featured in these pages in spring 2012, provides a similar service) cannot be overstated. Shriners Hospitals for Children in Portland has endorsed Creating Memories for its unique ability to provide connections to nature and the outdoors, which is essential to childhood
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MIXED BAG development. “For so many families, accessibility and affordability are the two main barriers to participate in recreation, and Creating Memories eliminates both,” says program director Carly Schmidt. The Census Bureau estimates there are 36,506 disabled children in Oregon between the ages of 5 and 17.
FORMER PASTOR KEN Coreson started the program years ago after watching a broken-winged raven struggle across the beach near the Cook Inlet of Alaska. As the story goes, seagulls began to torment the exhausted bird, knocking it off its feet repeatedly. The situation appeared hopeless, but suddenly hope arrived as two other ravens landed near the distressed fellow, fended off the gulls and shepherded him to the safety of a nearby pile of driftwood. The three ravens walked into the fortress in tight formation. Two emerged and flew off.
without feet, during the early season. He saw 40 deer and four nice bucks, but “buck fever ruled the day.” They’ve also found a small hazelnut orchard along the McKenzie River, not far from Cabela’s in Springfield, which will work nicely for archery and shotgun hunting. The program will be meeting with Idaho Power to discuss possible landowner preference tags for land there in 2015. These are costly propositions, so if you’ve been fortunate to experience hunting adventures without barriers, please consider making a taxdeductible donation. These kids’ bodies will never be restored, but their spirits can be, and that’s a large part of the hunting experience. No matter what your experience level or physical ability, the feelings you experience are much the same and can be shared.
BRUCE JENSEN DESCRIBED how Ashley’s buck just kind of “stayed behind,” like
it was meant to be. After she fired her .243, her Imnaha buck whirled and went over the edge and out of sight. Ashley’s not a rookie and, according to her dad, “she remembers everything you tell her.” She wasn’t about to let her guides go down and look for that deer without her! She was excited to find her buck had only gone 60 yards, but as her team caped it, she did express reservation over losing her magnificent animal to the taxidermist in Enterprise. I had to chuckle. Ashley indicated to her guides that she wanted hamburger from her buck, and they complied. When the time came to enjoy the harvest, it was “yum, yum,” and a smile. She experienced what we all do, with a little help from people who care. For more on the program, Coreson can be reached at (541) 426-6538 and creatingmemoriesenterpriseor@gmail. com, or visit creating-memories.com. NS
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60 Northwest Sportsman
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MIXED BAG
In Trouble For Poaching, Yet Again
W
ith his convicted poacher father sitting on jail time if he shoots another big game animal, you would think a South Oregon man would know the ramifications of illegally killing deer. You would be wrong. Christian D. Cochran, 19, of Eagle Point was cited in late December for allegedly gunning down two blacktails east of Medford last summer for their racks alone. The Oregon State Police say that they recovered the antlers of those two bucks as well as two others and those of a trophy bull elk after sportsmen’s tips pointed them towards Cochran and Austin Burkett, also 19. Burkett shot the elk off Lake Creek Road, OSP says, and wasted three animals. A reward of up to $15,000 had been
By Andy Walgamott offered by the Oregon Hunters Association, The Cascade Ranch and others. Cochran should know better. Just seven months earlier, his father, Charles D. Cochran, was ordered to pay more than $15,000 for illegally killing more than two dozen deer and elk in recent years, had to forfeit all of his guns, and was told he would never be able to hunt in Oregon again. He also got 60 days in jail as part of drug and felony theft charges. It appears, however, that as with prolific
JACKASS OF THE MONTH An Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife hatchery worker turned a rescue mission into a disaster in late December when he sloshed his load of fish across a highway. After water supply issues struck McKenzie Hatchery, ODFW hustled to truck hundreds of thousands of salmon and rainbow trout to other facilities and local fishing ponds. But on one run, Ray C. Lewis put his tanker into some trees and a power pole east of Springfield, tipping the rig on its side and killing 11,000 young Chinook he had been transporting to the Row River for release. Accidents do happen, of course, and that particular corner is said to have claimed a few vehicles over the years. While the 45-year-old is from out of the area – Umpqua, near Roseburg – he was also injured in the wreck and taken to a local hospital where, according to state police, he allegedly rung up a blood-alcohol reading of .29. That’s not only more than three times the legal limit for Oregon drivers, but seven times as high as anyone with a commercial driver’s license is allowed. Lewis was cited for DUI and reckless driving. And it’s a safe bet that anyone taxiing such precious cargo around in state rigs and in that reported condition is going to see Jackass of the Month charges as well. Young salmon lie scattered across an Oregon road after an ODFW tanker wreck. (OSP)
Lane County deer poacher Shane Donoho, an addiction to killing things runs in the Cochran family. Just a month before Charles was sentenced last February, OSP caught him spotlighting deer, and Christian was also suspected in the killings of those 20-plus big game animals, on winter range. “(Christian) Cochran is currently in the appeals process for a July conviction and five-year hunting license suspension for violating a wildlife law, Jackson County Circuit Court records show,” reported the Medford Mail-Tribune at the end of 2014. That would mean, if OSP’s latest allegations are correct, two months after that conviction, he was thumbing his nose at the law again. Get some help, man.
Ducks Shot Off Dock
Two of Jeff Witkowski’s feathered friends take a ride while he guides clients fishing Lake Chelan. (JEFF WITKOWSKI) True Northwest sportsmen know that there are places and times that game critters are just flat-out off limits to hunting. Hanging out at county park boat ramps, for example. That’s where Lake Chelan fishing guide Jeff Witkowski would meet eight friendly mallards daily this past year. “Every morning and afternoon, they would see my boat, swim over, jump on board, eat from my hand – dang, snuggle up against me,” he recalled in an early January Facebook post. Witkowski wrote that about a month after they had gone missing. True, the area saw a couple cold snaps, and so maybe the ducks – five hens and three drakes that he had known “since the day after they were an egg” – had just winged away from the Mill Bay ramp to warmer climes in the southern Columbia Basin. But then a friend told him that he watched as an unidentified
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man toting a shotgun and accompanied by a dog had “walked down the dock and shot them all.” It enraged Witkowski. It would enrage anyone, but Witkowski is also a hardcore waterfowler. Over the decades he’s killed thousands of ducks up and down the Columbia. But always in the right place, in the wild – not off some boat dock. Sportsmanship is ingrained in his soul. He comes from a family of stonecold killers. The Witkowski clan has killed everything between here and the Arctic twice over, and they’ve got the pictures to prove it. I’ve been inside Jeff’s parents’ house in North Seattle, and I can attest that the walls are lined with gripping and grinning family members across three generations. And just on the other side of those walls, out their back door, thousands of ducks flock into the “Witkowski Fly-Inn” in the winter. It’s a pretty amusing paradox. Sometimes on my drive to or from work I’ll look to the sky as I pass by the exit to their street and laugh as hungry quackers wing to the twice-daily feedings. For some folks, it’s hard to understand how hunters and anglers can also care about the game we poke holes in, but we give back in our own ways so that the critters have homes and will continue in perpetuity while we also practice a creed that separates fair chase from foul deeds. Witkowski says that his friend was told by an officer that hunting off that Lake Chelan dock was legal, and a county staffer acknowledged to Northwest Sportsman that they could find no law barring it. However, the staffer also told us that there is a rule that does not allow firearms to be on the park grounds you must first cross to get to the dock. Put simply, if they saw someone shooting ducks off the dock, they’d call the county sheriff. Killing an overlimit of hens was low enough, but in Witkowski’s opinion, not the baddest offense. “Worst of all, (he) sluiced them all. Although legal, major violation of the man code and ethics to shoot birds on the water.” NS 62 Northwest Sportsman
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Bonus $30K For 30-lb. Blackmouth
Ronde-vous With A Big $teelie
A
trip down to the Grande Ronde, in far Southeast Washington, is worthwhile any time of year, but in late winter, anglers have a shot at heading back up the Rattlesnake and Buford Grades with not just warm memories of beautiful countryside and a couple-few steelies in the cooler, but some cold, hard cash as well. Feb. 6 marks the start of the 9th annual Spring Fishing Derby, held out of famed Boggan’s Oasis, where Highway Jeff Main of Spokane smiles 129 crosses the river. Running through after his steelhead rang up as a 9.7-pounder during a past year’s March 21, the event features a top prize of edition of the Spring Fishing Derby, $500 for heaviest fish entered in the adult based at Boggan’s Oasis. (WRIGHT & division – a 7.6-pounder won it last year McGILL/EAGLE CLAW PHOTO CONTEST) – and $200 for largest in the youth category. Weekly big fish is worth $50. As of press time, over 156,000 steelhead had been counted at Lower Granite Dam since last summer, and while many of those head for Idaho rivers, the Ronde will see its fair share. Around 200,000 smolts were released for return to Washington’s portion of the Ronde this season, 25,000 more than for last winter. The derby’s open waters run from the Washington-Oregon line downstream to the WDFW access at the highway bridge. Midway between is, of course, Cottonwood Creek, where the aforementioned smolts are liberated. Drifting Corkies and eggs is popular, while drift boaters beach across the river and do the same, as well as run plugs in fishy spots. Thanks to recent acquisitions along the river, there’s room for bank anglers to roam beyond the terminal zone without fear of trespassing. Derby tickets are $35. For more information, call Boggan’s at (509) 2563372, or see boggans.com/spring-fishing-derby.html.
NEW DATE FOR OLD STRAITS DERBY
Are San Juans waters capable of producing a blackmouth nearly twice as big as Pete Nelson’s 2013 Roche Harbor Salmon Classic winner? Yep, says one local sharpie. Nelson’s went 16.7 pounds. (ROCHE HARBOR MARKET)
H
ailed as “the most prestigious salmon tournament” in the entire Pacific Northwest, anglers aboard just 100 boats will be competing for as much as $55,000 in cash prizes at this month’s Roche Harbor Salmon Classic. That includes a $30,000 payday should the biggest, baddest blackmouth caught during the Feb. 5-7 event top 30 pounds. “It’s possible,” says local angler Kevin Klein, who netted last year’s derby-winning 20-pound, 2-ouncer for his buddy Andy Holman. “There have been a few 30- to 35-pound clipped fish caught in March. The fish that won the Sidney, BC, derby last year was a 34-pound Skagit hatchery Chinook. That fish was swimming around at 30 in February. I’ve released a couple highfinners in February and March that were mid-30s.” “Tough to do. Gotta hook it, land it, and it’s gotta be clipped.” Still, fishing has been good in the San Juans this season, so good that in early January, state fishery managers had to lop a fish out of the daily bag limit as the catch closed in on this season’s guideline, which was actually increased over 2014’s. The event is part of the Northwest Marine Trade Association’s Northwest Salmon Derby Series. It is held out of Roche Harbor Marina. Klein notes that this year, Roche Harbor Resort and Island Boat Rentals will sponsor two boats that will take veterans out fishing through the Salmon For Soldiers program. Even at $810 a four-man boat, the event sold out back in mid-December, but for more info, contact Debbie Sandwith at (360) 378-5562 or market@rocheharbor.com. Watch Roche Harbor Salmon Derby on Facebook for updates. This month also marks the start of another Chinook shindig in the San Juans, the 11th annual Frank Wilson Memorial Blackmouth Derby. It runs through April 12. Top prize is $1,000; you can enter at King’s Marine in Friday Harbor.
For years, Presidents’ Day Weekend also marked the Chinook derby held out of Discovery Bay, but 2015’s was moved a weekend later in February to accommodate the opening of blackmouth season in the eastern Strait of Juan de Fuca. This year’s Olympic Peninsula Salmon Derby will occur Feb. 20-22, with weigh stations at five ramps along the strait between Freshwater Bay and Port Townsend. Last year’s derby was won by Larry Quesnell of Mt. Vernon, who posted a 15.4-pounder. The event is put on by the Gardiner Salmon Derby Association, and Editor’s note: To have your derby listed or results posted here, has a history stretching back to 1973. email awalgamott@media-inc.com. For more, see gardinersalmonderby.org. FEBRUARY 2015
Northwest Sportsman 65
Winter 2015 Show Schedule: Washington Sportsmen's Show, Puyallup, January 21-25, Booth 664 Pacific NW Sportsmen's Show, Portland, February 4-8, Booth 213 Central Oregon Sportsmen's Show, Redmond, March 5-8, Booth 133
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PHOTO CONTEST
WINNERS! Joshlynn Boneham is this issue’s Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw Photo Contest winner, thanks to this photo of son Gunner and his first-ever steelhead, a smolt planted at a Monroe, Wash., lake due to a court settlement. It wins her a package worth $50 of fishing tackle!
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For your shot at winning Wright & McGill/Eagle Claw and Browning products, send your photos to andy@ nwsportsmanmag.com or Northwest 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.
OUTDOOR
CALENDAR Sponsored by
FEBRUARY
Feb. 1 Tacoma and Hood Canal (Marine Areas 11, 12) open for blackmouth Feb. 7 Late goose hunt opens in Northwest Oregon General and Permit Zones Feb. 10 Last day to apply for Oregon spring bear hunts (results available Feb. 20) Feb. 15 Last day for steelheading in select Puget Sound terminal areas; Last day
to apply for Idaho controlled spring black bear hunt; Washington brant, snow goose, sea duck harvest reports due; Last day of snipe hunting season in Oregon’s Zone 1; Last day of Eastern Washington falconery season for turkey (yes, we’re scraping the bottom of the fish-and-wildlife regulatory barrel in a desperate attempt to fill space) Feb. 16 Sekiu (Marine Area 5) blackmouth opener Feb. 22 Late goose hunt opens in Oregon’s South Coast Zone Feb. 28 Last day of bobcat, fox season in Oregon Feb. 28-March 1 Cabela’s Get Outdoors events at select Northwest locations
SPORTSMEN’S AND BOAT SHOWS
Jan. 23-Feb. 1 Seattle Boat Show, CenturyLink Field Event Center and South
Lake Union, Seattle; seattleboatshow.com Jan. 28-Feb. 15 Spokane Valley Boat Show, Elephant Boys showroom, Spokane
Valley; spokanevalleyboatshow.com Jan. 30-Feb. 1 KEZI Eugene Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, Lane County Convention Center, Eugene; exposureshows.com Feb. 4-8 Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show, Expo Center, Portland; otshows.com Feb. 13-15 SELCO’s Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, Douglas County Fairgrounds, Roseburg, Ore.; exposureshows.com Feb. 20-22 KDRV Sportsmen’s & Outdoor Recreation Show, Jackson County Expo, Medford; exposureshows.com Feb. 20-22 Central Washington Sportsmen Show, SunDome, Yakima; shuylerproductions.com Feb. 27-March 1 Great Rockies Sport Show, Lewis & Clark County Fairgrounds, Helena; greatrockiesshow.com Feb. 28-March 1 Saltwater Sportsmen’s Show, Oregon State Fairgrounds, Salem; saltwatersportsmensshow.com The show must go on! Despite inclement Feb. 28-March 1
weather, sportsmen filtered through
the flurries to attend last year’s Pacific Willamette Sportsmen’s Show, Northwest Sportsmen’s Show in Portland. Linn County Expo Center, Albany; The Expo Center, off Marine Drive, will willamettesportsmanshow.com again host the show, Feb. 4-8. (BRIAN LULL) March 5-8 Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show, Deschutes County Fair & Expo Center, Redmond; otshows.com March 5-8 Idaho Sportsmen’s Show, Expo Idaho, Boise; idahosportsmanshow.com March 6-8 BC Boat & Sportsmen’s Show, and BC Hunting Show, TRADEX, Abbotsford, B.C.; squarefeetevents.ca March 13-14 Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo, Linn County Expo Center, Albany; nwflytyerexpo.com March 19-22 Big Horn Outdoor Adventure Show, Interstate Fairgrounds, Spokane; wildlifecouncil.com/bighornsubsite/index.html March 21-22 Great Rockies Sport Show, Adams Center, Missoula; greatrockiesshow.com March 27-29 Great Rockies Sport Show, Brick Breeden Fieldhouse, Bozeman; greatrockiesshow.com
Editor’s note: Our regular column here, Record Northwest Game Fish Caught This Month, is taking a somewhat deserved midwinter break. It will return next month. 68 Northwest Sportsman
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HUNTING
Plan Starts Now For Out-of-State Hunts Heading for the Rockies isn’t like packing for a weekend getaway on the east side of the state.
By Jason Brooks
T
hough it is only February, and fall seems a long way off, now is the time to start getting ready for hunting season. It will help not only your New Year’s resolution of getting into shape, but also jumpstart your plans for an out-of-state trip.
Even if it takes a hellish amount of planning to pull off, hunting out of state can provide heavenly experiences for Northwest sportsmen. (JASON BROOKS)
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HUNTING I WAS 17 when I first left my home state of Washington to hunt mule deer in the backcountry of Idaho. My father and I hunted there off and on for several years. Then, two years ago, as we hiked our traditional ridges and looked for deer on open slopes in North-central Washington, I told Dad that I was thinking of returning to Idaho for a hunt. I was turning 40 that winter and felt that hunting seasons seemed to be going by too fast. We decided we would return to Idaho, and the planning began. Since we’d done this hunt several times before, our preparation wasn’t as involved as if we were starting from scratch. But if you have ever contemplated hunting another state, there are several factors that come into play. Of course, game species is one, but top priority is cost. How much you are willing to spend will
An early November day in Idaho’s Frank ChurchRiver of No Return Wilderness dawns on Tacomaarea hunter Brian Chlipala, who later that day would bag a nice mule deer. (JASON BROOKS)
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make the difference in what and where you hunt. My father and I knew that it would be cheaper if we invited a third person along, but adding a fourth could almost double our costs. Why? We were going to do a fly-in hunt, and for this adventure, we pay per plane load. Four people equals two planes equals twice the cost. But one plane, split three ways, lowers the cost per person. You’ll also have to consider the costs of tags, licenses, fuel and food. Incidentals like extended motel stays during bad weather, eating out on the way to and from the jumpoff, and even things like replacing wiper blades, chains for all four tires, and upgrading some gear can add to the cost. We contacted a bush pilot and got an estimated airfare and payload limit for the plane. We figured that the basics for a deer hunt in Idaho would costs us each
around $1,100. I added the costs for an elk tag and a wolf tag and budgeted for $1,500.
ONCE YOU’VE BUDGETED your trip, make sure you can meet deadlines. Most out-of-state hunts are either done by special draw or have tag quotas on a first-come, first-served basis. We were hunting a unit that had an unlimited special draw. This meant that we would be guaranteed a tag, but we had to apply in May. From February to May I saved up for the costs of license and tags, as well as any special draw fees. For me this was about $900. Keep in mind that if you want a “trophy” hunt for a specific species, then you will have to pay a lot more. For instance, you might have to hire a guide or an outfitter to take you into a remote area for a drop camp to get your monster bull. For me, adventure is what it is all about. I have some bucket list hunts I want to go on, like pronghorn. Start by researching which states offer this hunt and how to obtain a tag. I know that a private ranch or guided
HUNTING hunt in Arizona or New Mexico isn’t an option for me, and when I get serious about my hunt, I will look at states like Montana, Wyoming Oregon and Colorado. My goal is to hunt antelope, not kill a worldrecord buck.
TAKE CARE CHOOSING your hunting partners after committing to an outof-state hunt. Maybe it’s a family hunt, and there is no getting out of taking your father-in-law or brother, or maybe it’s a friend or even friends of friends – whomever you choose, you want someone who honors obligations. If they are not aware of what it takes, or worse, change their mind after it’s too late, you might end up paying a lot more than expected. After much discussion, Dad and I decided to ask a good friend of mine, Brian Chlipala. We chose him because he had hunted in Idaho in the past, so he knew the tags and
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While many out-of-state sportsmen can drive to their destinations in North Idaho, Western Montana, the Hi-Line, and the Cowboy State, select hunts are fly-in only, and weight is a key consideration in planning. With a total available payload of 1,700 pounds, the author and his friends figured that after taking their own weight and shared gear into consideration, they could each bring 150 pounds of personal items and still have 100 pounds to spare. (JASON BROOKS)
licensing requirements, and he would be reliable in helping with costs. Plus, he was a great guy to be around. Don’t take someone who will drive you nuts. Most importantly,
members of the group need to be willing to make some adjustments and share the costs.
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HUNTING
In addition to a tasty young mule deer buck, the author, who lives in Western Washington, harvested this Idaho backcountry bull during a hunt this past fall. (JASON BROOKS)
have decided on how much to spend, where to go, and who is going. Make sure all members of the group are aware of any licensing and tag procedures. Also, choose a unit and
where exactly you will camp and hunt. Most state game agencies offer some sort of hunt planner on their websites. Don’t forget to consult maps as well as contact local sporting goods
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stores, district wildlife biologists and forums like Hunting Washington.com or Bowsite, many members of which have experience hunting out of state. After purchasing all of the licenses and permit applications, I consulted with the Idaho Department of Fish & Game and applied for the hunt. Once license and tags are secured, you need to go through gear. For instance, what are the accommodations going to be? If it will be a drive-to hunt and you can pitch a wall tent or park a trailer, figure out who’s driving, which tent or trailer will be used, and other items that can be shared. Since we were doing a fly-in hunt, we made sure that none of us doubled up on shared gear like stove, lantern or folding table, as we needed to keep weight and bulk down. Shared items settled, we had to think about personal items. Since our total payload was 1,700 pounds, we figured that, after our
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HUNTING combined body weight and gear, we could each take 150 pounds and still have 100 pounds to spare. That sounds like a lot of gear, but realize that this includes clothes, rifle and ammunition, cot and sleeping bag, etc. Items add up, and since we decided to share dinners, breakfast, lunch and snacks would be personal items. The individual weight limit adds up fast. Food can be a sticking point, and should be included in the detailed planning of the trip. My father is still old school and wanted to take a frying pan, oil for backstraps, and some bacon and eggs for breakfast. I had to remind him that all of it was heavy and made a big mess that someone would then have to clean up. This is why we decided on sharing dinners but going solo for other meals. He could have his eggs and bacon while I sat on a ridge a few miles away choking
TRIP-PLANNING RESOURCES Game agencies Colorado: cpw.state.co.us Idaho: fishandgame.idaho.gov Montana: fwp.mt.gov Wyoming: wgfd.wyo.gov Outfitter & guide associations Colorado: coloradooutfitters.org Idaho: ioga.org Montana: montanaoutfitters.org Wyoming: wyoga.org/index.php
down my PowerBar. My point is, compromise. Of course, you can’t be flexible on all things, and even though Dad and I didn’t agree on food, we both honored each other’s wishes. This made for a much more enjoyable hunt. By starting now, you can plan your out-of-state hunt for this fall and make it a vacation to remember. After you plan your first outing beyond your home state, it becomes
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Including fly fishing gear on your trip can pay off. Fall is one of the finest times of the year to fish mountain streams and lakes, as the author’s friend Brian discovered in Idaho. (JASON BROOKS)
much easier to plan the second one – or in my case, my ninth, as I hope to return to Central Idaho’s backcountry soon. NS
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COLUMN
An Easy Start To Winter For Fire-scarred Deer Herd Mule deer gather in green-up at Okanogan County’s Chiliwist Valley. (JUSTIN HAUG, WDFW)
A
ny big woodland wildfire is going to have both immediate and longterm consequences, and By Leroy Ledeboer our most recent one, that quarter-millionacre Carlton Complex burn that charred so much of the Okanogan’s Methow and Chiliwist Valleys, was absolutely devastating. Not only for those folks who saw their homes and businesses destroyed, but it could also take a catastrophic toll on the region’s wildlife, particularly the roughly 10,000 mule deer that winter where most of that property damage occurred. If there’s any upside to Washington’s
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largest wildfire in recorded history, it’s that after all the flames were extinguished, numerous organizations and individuals stepped up to somewhat alleviate the phenomenal human needs. And everyone from game managers to sportsmen’s groups are keenly aware of our deer situation and are preparing to do whatever it takes to at least limit the devastation. Even in January or February it might become necessary to feed most of the muleys, and so Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife managers with vital financial and volunteer help from the Methow Valley Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation are prepared. That dedicated chapter has already raised over $10,000 through a banquet and private donations, so if the volunteers get the word, they’ll do
whatever it takes. “Right now we have a lot of people asking ‘When do I start feedin?” MDF regional director Dan McKinley (509-9950819) told me in early December. “We already have 60 feeders up at the Scotch Creek Wildlife Area headquarters all ready to go, another 40 in some need of repair but quickly available. “But our bread and butter is fundraising and getting out the volunteers. We leave the decision making to the wildlife managers, but we’re ready. All we need is to get the word and we have volunteers ready to deploy and fill all those feeders, then keep them filled until the weather breaks.”
WDFW PERSONNEL LEARNED long ago that feeding is too often a quick feel-good FEBRUARY 2015
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COLUMN solution and not the best answer to a wildlife issue. Already at least a few wellmeaning citizens have been out there, dumping large quantities of apples and grain for the deer, feeds that can really mess up a deer’s whole digestive system – and even lead to an untimely demise. And decades ago professional game managers discovered that even deer feeding stations filled with more appropriate foods are at best a short-term solution, absolutely necessary in truly dire situations or to prevent excessive crop depredation. But feeders too often create more problems than solutions. For starters, deer need variety, including browse, to be truly healthy, and concentrating them around feeders also spreads diseases and increases predation. “Plus, for at least a few years this area just won’t be able to support all the deer that are out there, so artificially feeding could be really counterproductive,” WDFW district wildlife biologist Scott Fitkin told me. “Good deer forage is mainly shrubs such as bitterbrush, and if we have more deer on the landscape than it can handle after that fire, they’ll continually nip back any new growth, never giving it a chance to regenerate and really come back. But with something close to the right balancing act,
eventually we will have thousands of acres of even better deer habitat than we had before the fire.” Yes, from a wildlife standpoint, that’s the true long-term positive of any wildfire. Just like the huge Blue Mountains wilderness burn that eventually created excellent elk forage, and that Chelan County scorcher that cleared away so much late-growth timber and eventually allowed the buckbrush, etc., to flourish, creating a veritable outdoor buffet for that region’s mule deer and bighorn sheep, this horrendous burn should eventually support an even larger and healthier deer population than we saw post-flames. But that balancing act Fitkin mentions – juggling herd size, habitat restoration, hunter recreation, emergencies that weather dictate – is definitely tricky but also vital. Still, Fitkin is quick to point out that mass starvation is totally unacceptable, so if that looms, game managers and those wonderful Mule Deer Foundation volunteers will quickly team up to properly deploy and fill all those feeders.
BUT HOPEFULLY OTHER measures will work, starting with seriously trimming the Methow’s total deer numbers through
POSTSEASON SURVEYS Coming out of fall’s hunting seasons, biologists take to air and ground survey routes to count deer and be better able to manage big game herds for the following year. Here’s what they saw in Central Washington’s mule deer heartlands In Okanogan County’s Methow Valley, state biologists Scott Fitkin and Jeff Heinlen’s three-day aerial surveys tallied 2,300 total muleys, with a buck-to-doe ratio of 23:100 and a fawn-doe ratio of 80:100, both right at long-term averages. For the most part the deer were well distributed over the landscape in both burned and unburned areas and appeared to be in good physical condition. To the southeast in Douglas County, biologist John Gallie coordinated post-hunt road surveys, primarily to estimate buck escapement and fawn productivity. A total 82 Northwest Sportsman
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of 1,432 deer were counted, with 26 bucks per 100 does and 59 fawns per 100. Yearlings made up 61 percent of buck numbers, with legal bucks 7 to 100 does, higher than normal. Fawn counts were slightly lower than normal, which could be attributed to the district’s dry summer and fall. Unlike the Okanogan, where deep snows do the most damage, Douglas seldom sees a real killer winter. Here it’s usually a long summer dry spell, one where the does can’t get the greenery to produce enough milk to feed their offspring, that thins the numbers. Grant County’s Desert Unit, widely known for its trophy muleys available for hunters lucky enough to get drawn, had ratios consistent with their long-term average in that unit, 44 bucks and 46 fawns per 100 does, according to data provided by biologists Rich Fingers and Orrin Duvuvuei.
additional hunter harvest, and WDFW has already taken a big first step toward this goal, issuing numerous additional antlerless permits this past season. “We did this by going through all our user-groups – modern rifle, archery, muzzleloader, senior citizens, youth, disabled – and issuing permits to just about everyone who had initially applied and hadn’t been drawn,” Fitkin says. “This was much faster and less confusing than holding a totally new drawing.” And I would add more fair. Other methods may work, and I’ve personally purchased emergency permits and harvested both muleys and whitetail. Definitely nothing wrong with that, but this is much better, rewarding those sportsmen and -women already committed to this hunt. Of course, that first expanded harvest still left lots and lots of deer out there, and had this huge wildfire been followed by a fall drought and then heavy early winter snows and bitter cold, no doubt the feeders would have been deployed earlier. But fortunately game managers, sportsmen and, most importantly, the muleys did get one major break from the weather. When I interviewed Fitkin shortly before Christmas, he was almost jubilant. They also report that, for unknown reasons, fawn counts have been comparatively low in this unit since the late 1990s, under 50 per 100 does for most years. In the rest of Grant County, ground surveys suggest that herd composition is about where managers want it, with preliminary results around 24 bucks and 66 fawns per 100 does in the Beezley GMU. In Franklin County, ground surveys counts were down slightly from a year ago, dropping from 1,071 to 1,051 deer, with buck-doe counts also declining, from 14.6- to 12.9:100, Only fawns showed any consistency, coming in at 63.9:100. Across the Columbia, biologist Jeff Bernatowicz’s survey in the Yakima Canyon was hampered by weather conditions, but he spotted 150 deer for a ratio of 23 bucks and 62 fawns per 100 does. Surveys across Klickitat County found 1,443 deer, but classifications weren’t available at press time. –LL
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COLUMN “It’s been very fortuitous – the mildest late weather and best late fall and early winter green-up I’ve ever seen,” he gushed. “It all started with plenty of late summer rains, then a warm dry spell, and finally more rains in early December coupled with more warm weather, which first cleared snow off our south slopes then our lowland valleys, essentially leaving our entire winter range snow-free.” WDFW Sgt. Dan Christensen, a fifthgeneration Okanogan County resident, confirmed that the start of winter was warmer and milder than any he could recall as well. So barring a horrendous January followed by a super late spring, our Okanogan muleys just may do OK with minimal human help. Still, even by midDecember Fitkin said they were already doing a spot feed near Pateros to prevent orchard damage, at least until a number of deer fences could be repaired, and Christensen remarked that road kills near that small town have been higher than
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WDFW’s Nathan Wehmeyer slings native grass seed within the Carlton Complex on the Chiliwist Wildlife Area. (JUSTIN HAUG, WDFW) he’s ever seen. Fortunately, though, the vast majority of deer were apparently contentedly munching all that new greenery on the Methow’s hillsides. But Fitkin is also quick to point out that a fire of the Carlton Complex’s magnitude, particularly one that charred so much prime winter range, will be a long-term challenge. If this year we see a far different late summer-early winter scenario – say, drought right through September and October, then heavy snows by Thanksgiving, more of the white
stuff and bitter freeze-ups in December – it could put game managers and sportsmen volunteers right back to square one. Even before something like that happens, though, WDFW will no doubt implement even more hunter harvesting options. Possibly we’ll see longer seasons, and no doubt additional antlerless permits for all user groups. Yes, this too will adversely affect some future hunts with less legal bucks available, but it’s no doubt necessary to give all that winter range a chance to again flourish. Right now there’s a desperate need for enough bitterbrush and other shrubs to get our state’s biggest mule deer herd through even average winters. Yes, given enough time nature will refurbish those hillsides on its own, but under the direction of WDFW personnel, the strong legs and backs of Mule Deer Foundation volunteers should be able to speed up this process, getting out in those charred hill to reseed, plant bitterbrush plugs, doing whatever it takes to revitalize that landscape. NS
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robably as this issue of Northwest Sportsman arrives on newsstands or at your mailbox, the ON TARGET dust is just beginning By Dave Workman to settle on the 2015 Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade (SHOT) Show, and among the new introductions were some rifles that are liable to get your juices flowing.
SAVAGE HAS ADDED the .338 Federal chambering in a half-dozen of its rifle models, including the Model 11 Long Range Hunter, Model 11 Hog Hunter, Model 11 Trophy Hunter XP, Model 16 FCSS, Model 16 Bear Hunter and Model 16 Trophy Hunter XP. The .338 Federal is a sizzling cartridge based on the .308 Winchester case, necked out to accept a .338-caliber bullet. Reloading data shows that there are bullet weights ranging from 160 to 225 grains, and one can get velocities from 2,200 to more than 2,700 feet per second, depending upon the bullet weight and the propellant. This is a dandy cartridge, and as the rifle models illustrate, good for lots of different game.
ANY SOUTHPAWS OUT there? Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be able to select a rifle from Rugerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s American Rifle series, which is now available in a lefthand model. Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve had some experience with the American Rifle. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a welldesigned bolt-action with a synthetic stock, and there is even a rimfire version with which I probably took the first game more than a year ago â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a blue grouse with a test model on 2013â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s opener.
Rugerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s American RiďŹ&#x201A;e for left-handers. The new left-hand models are chambered in .223 Remington, .22-250 Remington, .243 Winchester, 7mm-089 Remington, .308 Winchester, .270 Winchester and .30-06 Springfield. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s enough of a selection to cover all the bases, from predators and varmints to bull elk. On the subject of the .22-250 Remington, this is the 50th anniversary of that cartridge as a production round. In 1965, this was considered a real sizzler for prairie dogs, coyotes and other small critters. This year, Remington is offering a limited edition of the Model 700 CDL SF with a handsome checkered stock.
WINCHESTERâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S MODEL 1873 Sporter Octagon has a color case finish on the receiver. This lever-action is definitely for the nostalgia buff who is interested in having an eye-catching rifle that just might have lots of use at cowboy action meets and also for game. It has a 24-inch octagonal barrel and crescent buttplate on the grade II/ III walnut stock with a straight grip and satin oil finish. It is chambered in .44-40 Winchester and .357 Magnum. Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also a new chambering for the Model 94 Short Rifle. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s now available in .450 Marlin with a 20-inch barrel. Now thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a real stopper of a cartridge, and fans of the levergun will almost certainly appreciate it.
FOR HANDLOADERS, YOUâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;RE going to want to get your hands on the 2015 edition of Hodgdonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Annual Manual. It features new data for three new propellants and 20 different rifle and handgun calibers,
and also includes data on the 26 Nosler. This magazine-format manual features data for the three new Enduron powders being introduced by IMR. In addition, it offers thousands of loads for other powders from IMR, Hodgdon and Winchester. Hodgdon says this publication offers more loads than any other reloading manual. The three Enduron powders feature a built-in copper-fouling eliminator, and they are not sensitive to changes in temperature. All three feature small grains for easy flow, and IMR says they contain no ingredients that could harm the environment. Any propellant that keeps the bore cleaner is going to get high marks from handloaders, including me. For starters, thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s IMR 4166, a match-grade propellant designed for such cartridges as the venerable .257 Roberts, .22-250 Remington and .308 Winchester, among others. I own a .257 Roberts, built on a Mauser 98 action with a Douglas barrel. I will get hold of some of this powder and load up some rounds to see just how well this will launch a bullet downrange. Next up is IMR 4451, a propellant for long-action cartridges and short magnums. The available literature points to .270 Winchester, .30-06 Springfield and the .300 Winchester Short Magnum as good cartridges for this powder, which
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COLUMN has a midrange burn speed. IMR 7977 is the third entry. It has the slowest burn rate of the three, and is designed for magnum cartridges including the .300 Winchester Magnum, 7mm Remington Magnum and .338 Lapua. All three of these propellants will be available in 1- and 8-pound containers.
IF THERE’S ONE product that might rate a “best of,” it just might be the new STR80 spotting scope from Swarovski Optik. Boasting an illuminated reticle and 15 brightness levels, it will accept Swarovski’s current eyepieces, the
Swarovski’s STR80 spotting scope 20-60X and the 25-50xW wide angle. This is one well-designed spotting scope, with 10 daytime brightness levels and five night levels, and a reticle that gets larger or smaller with the object in view through the magnification adjustments. This reticle is invaluable to precision shooters for adjusting shots in ¼ MOA or 0.10th MRAD increments, according to Swarovski literature. Swarovski designed the STR 80 with an HD optical system. The lenses feature Swarovski’s specialty coatings, Swarodur,
Swarotop and Swaroclean. Together, they deliver an image that offers superb contrast and amazing color fidelity, the company says. The scope has a rugged exterior and precision adjustments, and it may be adapted for use with an SLR camera. Here’s a scope that has all kinds of potential, especially on the plains of Eastern Washington and Oregon, in those big canyons along the Snake River, or over in Montana and even up in Alaska. Swarovski has earned a reputation for excellent optics. Binoculars, riflescopes and spotters. They will bring things in close. This new STR 80 has all the makings of a winning tool for serious hunters and long-range target shooters. NS
Winchester’s Model 94 Short Rifle, now available in .450.
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‘Owyhee Bush Meat’ Sausage
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ach year I delve into the bottom of my freezer. I find the odd bits, the castaways, the “oh crap, I forgot about that” items. IN THE WILD Then I transform By Randy King those odd bits into something greater. Sausage. They range from the common bratwurst to Moroccan-spiced Merguez sausages, with ample chorizo, breakfast and Italian varieties in the mix. The goal is to transform overlooked meat into a special occasion and more fully utilize the life that was taken for food. Making sausage at home is not a complicated affair, but it does require a little bit of investment. Mixing bowls, a grinder, a stuffer, a scale, a good sharp knife and a little bit of time are major necessities. If you are lacking any one of these things – especially time – don’t attempt to make sausage. By no means is this article an exhaustive “how-to” guide. I will cover fresh sausages, not smoked or cured varieties. If you are going to attempt smoked or cured sausage types – and they are awesome – consult a trusted book or website first. As with most things, sausages are a process. Below I lay out the constituent pieces of the sausage-making puzzle.
CHEF
THE MEAT Sausages, especially mine, tend to be a mixture of things. The last batch I made had a multitude of animals in it – antelope, caribou, bear, jackrabbit, elk, deer and wild boar. I use so many different animals in my sausages so that I can fully use those few pounds of trim off each critter. This saves me a lot of time, and I can make more sausage at one time. I lovingly call this mixed-meat sausage “Owyhee bush meat.” Like always, take care of the meat. Follow the GIGO principle with sausage: garbage in, garbage out. Basically, if you stuff crap, per se, into a casing, it will taste like crap. I use the edible trim, sometimes the shanks, the neck meat, and the odd cuts
Just as important as the meat you choose to make sausage, so too is fat. “The best sausages are about 30 percent fat by weight,” maintains the author. (RANDY KING) that don’t make good roasts or steaks. But never do I add sinew, connective tissue or other bits like that. If I don’t want to eat it, I do not want it in my sausage.
FAT Fat is vital to making a good sausage. Why? Fat is what keeps a sausage juicy and enjoyable. Wild game is naturally very lean, so in order to make sausage, you have to supplement with pork or beef fat. No wild animal, except maybe a fall bear, has any substantial amount of intramuscular fat. The best sausages are about 30 percent fat by weight. I don’t care how fat a mule deer you harvest, it will never reach that ratio. Since fat is lacking in the wild, you need to add it when you cook. This is why so much wild game is wrapped in bacon, by the way. The fat on wild animals is totally edible, but it may have a stronger flavor than the meat itself, which is why, some say, wild meat tastes “gamey.” However, most “off” flavors are caused by external factors – temperature abuse, how long it took the animal to die, the rut and external contaminants. I often use internal fat for sausage, like the fat around a deer’s kidneys, because it melts better in sausage. Internal fat will have a bit more subtle flavor too.
As a side note, external animal fat is used for insulation, while internal fat is used as fuel, thus the lower melting point of internal fat. Without fat, sausage is just not sausage. In any given year I will use three types of fat in my sausages. My preferred and least common fat is off a fall bear. When done correctly, bear fat is white gold. That said, I shoot inland bears, not the crustacean- and rotten-salmon-eating bears of the coast. Taste the fat before you use it. Remember, bear has to be cooked to well done in order to be eaten. I also use pork fat. I buy this for next to nothing from my local grocery store. Any place with a decent butcher shop will sell you pork trim. They like doing it; you will make a good butcher’s day by chatting him up about this sort of thing. Finally, I also use Kobe beef. I get this from a friend at Snake River Farms, chef Alan Turner, and I have never been let down. Kobe and whitetail sausages are just about the best darn thing on the planet, in my mind. Regular old beef fat can work too, but just make sure the quality is high. No need to ruin a bunch of wild game meat by adding the fat from an old milk cow to it.
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COLUMN technique, use a blender and puree an onion in red wine, then add it to the meat after it is ground. It tastes great, but your breath will cause brain damage.
You can use nearly frozen fat when you start your process.
CASING There are many options for the sausage casing. Lamb, hog, cow, synthetic and plastic options are all available. Only one casing is really needed – the hog casing. It is the most reliably good, and will work for most occasions. Just read the instructions and follow them. Nothing is worse than trying to stuff a casing that is not fully hydrated or rinsed. This I know from experience.
TEMPERATURE Let’s keep it simple: the meat needs to be as cold as possible. The best option is to have the meat at nearly freezing temperatures. I like to thaw mine until I can just cut it with a sharp knife, then grind it. Be quick, and if you have to stop, keep the meat in the refrigerator. SEASONING By far, the most important seasoning ingredient in making sausage is salt. The ratio to follow is a third of an
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THE GRIND Grinding the meat is what starts the sausage process, and is what can increase the temperature. If possible, grind the meat into a stainless-steel bowl that is As long as you include salt – which should be at a ratio of a third of an ounce per pound of meat – how you season your sausage is up to your tastes. (RANDY KING)
ounce of salt per pound of meat. After that, the rest is up to you or the recipe you are working with. Some recipes recommend adding the seasoning before the grinding, some recommend it afterwards. I typically split the difference and add the salt before the grind and the rest of the seasonings – herbs, garlic, wine, etc. – after the grind. This way I can make different flavors of sausage without having to clean my grinder. For an especially mood-killing
From start to finish, the author likes to keep the sausage meat as cold as possible, thus the ice as he grinds chunks into bowls. Allowing the meat to warm could result in the fat melting, which can lead to dried-out sausages when cooked. (RANDY KING)
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3 SAUSAGE RECIPES Wild game bratwurst. (RANDY KING)
Some sausages, namely breakfast, need no casing. This is a great way to start down the sausage-making road. The equipment needs are fewer and the pressure is off. I use this recipe (inspired by Alton Brown), or a maple version of it, at home for biscuits and gravy all the time.
Breakfast Sausage 2 pounds venison or other wild game, diced 1 pound fat back, diced 1 heavy tablespoon kosher salt 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves 1 tablespoon light brown sugar ½ teaspoon fresh, grated nutmeg ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes 1 squirt sriracha ¼ cup ice water Optional: ¼ cup maple syrup Combine diced venison with salt and chill for an hour. Using the smallest
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grate on the grinder, grind the fatback and venison into a chilled steel bowl. Add the remaining seasonings and with your hands or a mixer incorporate the seasonings. Next, place the mix back into the refrigerator. After that, I split the meat into three bags and freeze them. When you want to eat them, thaw the meat and form them into 2-ounce balls (about an eighth of a cup). Smash the balls into patties over medium-low heat in a nonstick pan. Sauté until brown and cooked through. (Remember, if using bear, cook completely!)
Texas-style jalapeño-and-garlic sausages 2 pounds venison or other wild animal, diced 1 pound fat back, diced 1 heavy tablespoon kosher salt 2 each jalapeño 1½ teaspoons freshly ground black pepper 2 tablespoons cumin 2 tablespoons paprika 2 tablespoons crushed garlic 1 tablespoon chicken base ½ cup ice water
2 hog casings Soak casings according to directions on package. Place grinder attachments and stuffing machine into the freezer. Combine diced venison with salt, and chill for an hour. Using the smallest grate on the grinder, grind the fat back and venison into a chilled steel bowl. Add the remaining seasonings and water. With your hands (gloved!) or a mixer incorporate the seasonings. Remember to mix until it is sticky but not warm. You are trying to make the primary bind but not smear the fat. Place the mix back into the refrigerator. Next, add the sausage mix to the stuffer. Follow the directions laid out above in the “Stuffing” section and proceed to stuff your sausages. Freeze or cook them at this point. Cook sausages on the grill for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 150 degrees, or 160 if bear, white-meated birds or wild hog is involved.
Bratwurst Some might say that wild game has too much flavor for a typical bratwurst recipe. I disagree! These are killer and taste like what you might be served in the Old Country. 2 pounds venison or other wild animal, diced 1 pound fat back, diced 1 heavy tablespoon kosher salt 2 teaspoons ground black pepper 1 teaspoon dried marjoram ½ teaspoon caraway seed ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg ½ teaspoon ground allspice ¼ teaspoon ground ginger 1 tablespoon minced garlic 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, optional ½ tablespoon chicken base ½ cup ice water 2 hog casings Follow the previous recipe’s directions for the casings, machine, meat, grinding, seasoning, etc. For more recipes, see chefrandyking .com.
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Chaplins
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sitting on top of ice. This will keep the whole pile of meat as cold as possible. I also freeze my grinder attachments. I typically use the smallest diameter possible on ground meat. This smaller grind gives the meat a smoother texture and will “take care” of most random hunks of sinew and tendon. And speaking of grinders, if you are going to buy one, make sure it is of high quality. Nothing is more frustrating than a grinder that cannot keep up, clogs, overheats, or is just a cheap POS in the first place. I suffered through this for a few seasons until I finally broke down and bought a $300 meat grinder. I have never made a better investment for wild game meat.
BINDING As tacos tell us, ground meat is inherently crumbly, but crumbly is not a desired texture with sausages. The way to avoid this texture issue is by forcefully mixing the ground meat together. This technique is called the “primary bind” and can be done by hand or in a mixer with a paddle attachment. The mixing and mashing of the ground meat activates the protein myosin, making the meat sticky. That stickiness is what gives you the good sausage texture.
STUFFING This is more art than science. Take the rinsed casing and get it onto the extruder tube – either on the grinder or on the sausage stuffer. This will be an awkward moment – just FYI. I like to get multiple casings onto the extruder at one time. This lets me make more sausage and not have to constantly add more casing to the extruder. Leave a portion of the casing off the end of the tube; tie it in a knot, then poke a small hole on the machine-side of the knot. This will allow built-up air to escape and prevent air pockets in the casing. Next, allow the meat to extrude into the casing. You want the casing to be full, but don’t fill it to capacity. This will take a little practice to figure out. Sausage that is not full enough will be limp and lack that crisp bite. Sausage that is overstuffed will burst open when cooked, letting out all the tasty juices. Getting the perfect stuff is actually a little easier if you have less; you can always twist the links and make them tighter. Twist the casing every 6 inches or so to mark each of the links as the meat exudes. Tie off the end. Repeat until you have used all your meat.
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As with other things in life, you’ll need to find your own way when it comes to mounting the soaked casing onto an extruder tube. Afterwards, tie a knot at the end and poke a small hole in the casing where the meat will go. This helps air escape while the casing is filled. (RANDY KING) Remember to keep the meat cold! If the meat warms up too much in this step, the fat can melt, causing it to lose its structure. This can also cause a drying of the sausage.
Everyone cooks sausages differently. Some boil then grill; some brown then bake; some braise in beer. Whatever your method, remember that direct high heat can cause the casing to split. Also remember that a temperature is more important than a time. Sausages cooked with venison or red-meat birds (goose, duck) need to be cooked to about 150 degrees. Sausages with bear, boar or white-meated birds (turkey, chicken) need 160 degrees. Bear meat causes 90 percent of the trichinosis cases in the country, simply because it is not cooked enough. Afterwards, ditch the bun. Get the knife and fork and eat your sausage like a steak. NS
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OREGON DALLAS L & L Equipment 1145 SW Oakdale Ave (503) 623-5116 www.landlequipment.net
WASHINGTON ANACORTES Sebo’s Hardware 1102 Commercial Ave (360) 293-4575 www.sebos.com
ESTACADA Dick’s Logging Supply Inc 751 Northwest IndustrialWay (503) 630-6868 dicksloggingsupply.stihldealer.net
COLVILLE Sun Rental Center 380 South Main (509) 684-1522 www.sunrentalsaws.com
MEDFORD Crater Chain Saw Co 1321 N Riverside Ave (541) 772-7538 www.craterchainsaw.com
DUVALL Duvall Auto Parts 15415 Main St NE (425) 788-1578 www.duvallautoparts.com ENUMCLAW Cutters Supply, Inc. 235 Roosevelt Ave (360) 825-1648 www.cutterssupply.stihldealer.net EVERETT Siskun Power Equipment 2805 Broadway (425) 252-3688 www.siskun.com
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GIG HARBOR United Rentals 3302 Hunt St (253) 858-1234 HOQUIAM Harbor Saw & Supply Inc. 3102 Simpson Ave (360) 532-4600 www.harborsawandsupply.com KIRKLAND Goodsell Power Equipment 11414 120th Ave NE (425) 820-6168 www.goodsellequipment.com LONGVIEW Cowlitz River Rigging, Inc 1540 Industrial Way (360) 425-6720 www.loggingsupply.us MONROE Town & Country Tractor 449 Railroad Ave (360) 794-5426 www.mrtractor.com
PUYALLUP Sumner Lawn N Saw 9318 SR 162 E (253) 435-9284 www.sumnerlawn.com IDAHO COEUR D’ALENE Ragan Equipment West 320 Hanley (208) 772-3374 www.raganequipment.com ST. MARIES St. Maries Saw & Cycle 204 W College Ave (208) 245-4544 www.sawandcycle.com
HUNTING Snow geese erupt from an irrigated hayfield in Harney County, one of four Southeast Oregon counties where white geese are open for hunting this month and next as the flocks wing back north from California to Arctic nesting grounds. (JON DAVID NELSON, FLICKR)
Target Greens For Whites Late seasons give hunters opportunities for snows and white-fronted geese in Southeast Oregon. By Terry Otto
S
now geese and white-fronted geese are rare birds in Oregon during fall and winter. They pretty much wing right over as they make for warmer southern climes. However, on their return north in late winter and early spring they dawdle here, fattening up on wheat, clover, and pastures as fields start to green up again. For years these flights did Beaver State hunters little good, since the seasons were closed when they arrived. But as goose numbers grew, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife realized there was an opportunity for additional harvest, and acted on it. Now, hunters have access to
these birds through February and into March in Southeast Oregon. Just a few years ago, the department experimented with removing some winter hunt days, and using them in the spring season. “It initially started to help with crop damage,” says Brandon Reishus, the migratory game bird coordinator for ODFW, “but now it is being offered for sport opportunities.” Hunters in all four southeastern Oregon counties – Lake, Klamath, Harney, and Malheur – can hunt white-fronts and white geese until March 10. Canada goose hunting closed on Jan. 25.
GOOSE POPULATIONS SWELLING Reishus says that white-fronted geese, or specklebellies as they are sometimes called, Ross’s and snow geese are all doing well. “All of these species are at or exceeding their population goals.” He cites the Ross’s goose figures to make his point.
“There used to be about 100,000 across the continent,” Rieshus says. “Now, there are a million and a half of the geese.” Snows are also in good numbers, even though production at Wrangel Island was poor in 2014. Many of the geese that pass north through Oregon are headed to this island in far eastern Russia’s Arctic Ocean. Reishus explains that the population tends to ride out its ups and downs very well, so there are plenty of birds around. And now, hunters can take them. “Snows really aren’t available in the fall,” he notes, “but by cutting some days out of the winter (season) and putting them in later, hunters have a good opportunity for them.” These spring geese have just one thing on their minds: fattening up for the mating season. For that reason, hunters who target them in green fields will do best. “Many fall-harvested cereal grains are not available in spring,” says Reishus. “But they will certainly
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HUNTING take that heavy carbohydrate source if it is there.” Still, the best hunting will be in pastures, green wheat fields, and clover fields. Unfortunately, most of that sort of ground is private. The Klamath Basin wetlands, Summer Lake, and most other public refuges are closed to hunting in the spring. Still, the birds need roost areas, so they will use these marshes at night, and feed in the fields by day. That means green fields near the big marshes will be good bets, even if you have to knock on a few doors to find one you can hunt. Another thing to remember is that some of these wetlands have seen several dry years in a row, and may be in poor condition. For instance, the Warner Wetlands could be dry, depending on winter precipitation. That could have the effect of concentrating the birds in
SOUTH COAST HONKERS Oregon’s South Coast Zone also has a late goose season, from Feb. 21 to March 10, and during it, hunters can take Canada geese. In fact, the Canada goose limit for this zone is six per day, in addition to 10 whitefronts, and six white geese. This zone includes those portions of Coos, Curry, and Douglas Counties west of Highway 101, pretty craggy country, but there are some fields and lakes around Bandon, Denmark and Port Orford. Again, the birds will be searching for greens, so coastal pastures and grass fields are where you will find the geese. Bays and inlets will draw some flocks too. –TO
a few areas. The marshes and refuges in the Klamath Basin are in better shape than some, so these areas
should hold good numbers of both white geese, and white-fronted geese. Abert, Summer, Malheur and Harney Lakes, and the Snake River Valley in the northeast corner of Harney County should all attract birds. Reishus says the flocks will really key in on managed areas, so pastures and flooded irrigation fields will be a serious draw. Springtime geese move in huge flocks, often numbering in the thousands. Conventional wisdom suggests going with large sets consisting of hundreds of rag decoys or shells. Certainly it helps, but if you know where the birds want to go, then a smaller set will work.
THE SPRING SEASON in
the four southeast counties, which opens Jan. 26, features a daily limit of 10 white-fronted geese and 20 white geese (snow geese or Ross’s geese in combination). NS
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Portland’s Other Springers – Geese L
ooking like a flight of B-52s, the big Canadas came straight in with wings set, and we waited for the landing gear to drop. When they did, we flipped our magnum goose decoys off and lit into the flock as the birds scrambled to gain elevation. Most of STUMPTOWN them made it, but a pair of birds dropped By Terry Otto out of the formation into the green wheat. They were fat and in excellent condition after spending their winter in the southern part of the state. Spring goose hunting has been taking place for years in Northwest Oregon, and with another season upon us, the wheat fields and pastures surrounding Portland will be filled again with geese. At this time of year, they feed hard on fresh greens, which are loaded with the nutrients they need to fly north and prepare for the coming mating season. Savvy local hunters know that, and they will be waiting. According to Brandon Reishus, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife migratory game bird coordinator, goose hunting stays good through the end of the season, March 10. “It seems to hold up well,” he says. “I’m not sure about individual success, but harvest continues to be good, and sometimes may even be a little better. It either stays on track or exceeds that of early hunts.” Reishus notes that late seasons draw a pretty serious hunter, one who is still willing to hit the fields while others have turned to different February and March pursuits.
THERE ARE TWO dark goose zones in the greater Portland area. To the west of I-5, and encompassing most of the Willamette Valley north of Eugene and two North Coast counties, is the Northwest permit zone. Hunters must pass a class on identifying the different subspecies of Canadas in this area to avoid harvesting endangered dusky geese. Those who do so are issued a permit. Hunters within this zone can only hunt on open days and certain hours of the season, and must bring their birds to several check-in stations at the end of the hunting day. Check ODFW’s migratory bird regulations for additional information on the Northwest dark goose permit hunt. To the east of I-5, as well as the balance of Lane County and all of Lincoln County, is the Northwest general goose zone. Here, hunters may go out each day, do not need the permit, and do not need to check their geese. The season in both zones runs Feb. 7 to March 10, but the downside is that there are few public opportunities. The federal
Don’t put away those decoys yet! Northwest Oregon’s goose seasons are open until March 10. (TROY RODAKOWSKI)
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COLUMN refuges along the Columbia are closed, as are state wildlife areas. Reishus points out that Lewis and Clark and the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuges on the Columbia estuary remain open, but that is big water, and not what the birds want: “The geese like the managed areas.” That means agricultural lands, and there are few of those available, except on private property. Most hunters will need to knock on a few doors and try to find a landowner who is willing to let them hunt. It’s not impossible, because the big flocks can do some serious damage to a wheat crop or other field. Many farmers welcome hunters who will respect their property. There’s also ODFW’s Willamette Open Fields Program. It pays farmers a small fee to open their fields to public hunting, within certain rules. A few farmers who deal with annual crop damage have enrolled, and this season there are four farms that hunters can access. They offer
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just the kinds of fields the geese are looking for. In past seasons some hunters have done very well on them. “They are pretty much always on the green around here,” says Reishus. “Corn is unavailable or turned over. They want grass in the late season – grass or clover.”
MANY HUNTERS HAVE also learned to turn to rivers draining the east side of the Willamette Valley for spring geese, Rieshus notes. “The Cascade rivers can get good, especially when all other water freezes. There are fair to high numbers of geese on those rivers,” he says. Good candidates include the Clackamas, both Santiams, and the Molalla River. “Any of the Cascade rivers can be good,” Rieshus confirms. You will need a good dog to hunt these fast-moving rivers. Trying to retrieve birds without one in the rocks and currents could get dicey real quick.
Also, your dog should first be trained to handle this kind of water. Don’t ask an inexperienced dog to retrieve in these conditions. While Southwest Washington also features a special late goose season in Wahkiakum, Cowlitz and much of Clark Counties, it’s open only to master hunters and waterfowlers under 16 years of age accompanied by a master hunter. Qualified applicants are contacted by WDFW to link up with landowners experiencing goose damage.
ONE FINAL NOTE: These birds have been hunted now for months, and they are not pushovers. You will need a convincing set-up, and you will need to stay out of sight. By now these birds know the game. One mistake and you can kiss them goodbye. Still, they are hungry, overall hunting pressure has eased, and spring geese can be fooled. What are you waiting for? NS
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Blackmouth Feb’s Best Bet
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he San Juan Islands are renowned for their many By Doug Huddle b l a c k m o u t h haunts. But if you’re a mainlander and don’t have a big-water bay boat to get safely there and back, it’s still possible, so long as you operate a reliable craft with appropriate gear and use good judgment, to enjoy winter Chinook sorties out of “bus service” ports without having to cross big water. For many of these locales (except for Bellingham Bay) you don’t have to cross shipping lanes or straits rocked by the one-two punch of tide rips and wind swells. Boaters can stay in close visual contact with shorelines if the fog or a squall rolls in, or, when push comes to shove, seek refuge against a leeshore or cove and, as a last resort, crash a beach. In this day of reliance on sophisticated electronics, a big fiberglass or aluminum shell and powerful motors, this is somewhat a throwback to the days of open kicker-boat fishing with a tide book, dead-reckoning, stout hearts and tough constitutions. Characteristically, fishing depths in these marine locales range from a surface drag as shallow as 20 feet to a downrigger drop to 150 feet. A common theme at many is also a steady 10-fathom line in close to shore, setting up a reliable troll course on which to focus. There’ll also be irregularities in shoreline and bottom that create eddies, backwaters and slack areas into which herring or candlefish schools sidle to conserve energy, and feeder kings to hunt. Some, though not all, are fishable on both ebb and flood tides. Some can be fished on the slacks, but at midtide change are not worth plying because the baitfish disappear. Along some shores – such as gently sloping currentswept gravel bottoms – downrigger balls can be bounced on the bottom with
NORTH SOUND
Until the springer run gets going, your best bet in the Northwest for a beefy Chinook will be the San Juan Islands, which is where Kaitlyn Campion of Bellingham caught this 22.75-pounder in late December. Her father, Mike, says it was the biggest winter blackmouth the state fish checker said he’d seen for the year. “Kaitlyn is 13 and loves fishing with dad,” adds Mike. (WRIGHT & McGILL/EAGLE CLAW PHOTO CONTEST)
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COLUMN impunity, while at others, anglers need a refined sense of depth or a rudimentary depthfinder to avoid hang-ups. Take the bare essentials for the fishing. A long-time friend of mine lived for winter blackmouth fishing. His “tackle box” consisted of one pocket full of 2/0 hooks and barrel swivels, a second with a spool of 15-pound mono leader, a small cooler full of 7- to 8-inch herring, and a coffee can full of assorted banana slip sinkers. He mooched exclusively. Another life-long fellow saltchuck fisher pulled hardware (flashers/dodgers plus spoons in the McMahon or Canadian Wonder, and later, Coyote lines) behind two downriggers and off a centerline pole he ran a third troll rig on a Deep Six.
OUT OF BLAINE, come south around Semiahmoo Spit specifically to Point Whitehorn for an inshore troll down to the Tesoro (old Mobil) dock, avoiding the tanker security zones. On a truly “balmy” winter day with a good forecast, motor out to Alden Bank on a slack and troll a circuit between Buoy B and the southeast side of the main rock-pile. In the Bellingham area, the first blackmouth haunt is the wall off Chuckanut Point. From there, Eliza Rock, Carter Point, Skunk Bay and Lummi Rocks are follow-up mooching locales. If weather permits, don’t pass up a mooching loop around Viti Rocks on a slack tide or the east-southeast cliff side of Vendovi Island. Out of Anacortes, from either Cap Sante Marina, Washington Park or Skyline Marina, the first plumbable blackmouth depths are Fidalgo Head and West Beach in Washington Park. South toward Deception Pass is the renowned 1950s troll circuit off Biz Point and Sares Head. North from Washington Park up Bellingham Channel is the Deepwater Bay-Cypress Head loop, and the often calm waters along the south shore of Sinclair Island. Further south, coming out of the Swinomish Channel, head around to the north for Ben Ure Spit and Hope and Skagit Islands. Troll a circuit between the two islands, or instead of fighting the tidal 110 Northwest Sportsman
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shots coming and going in Deception Pass proper, troll the northeast side of the east pass approach into Dewey Beach. On any of these trips there is no substitute for being well equipped and exercising common sense. Your boat should have high thwarts, a small troll motor in addition to the main propulsion, and pumps or containers for bailing. Survival or exposure suits, waterproofed radios/cell phones, EPIRBS, and extra flotation are also musts, as are all other U.S. Coast Guard safety requirements. As a matter of discipline, be prepared to not leave the dock on the day of voyage if the conditions are more severe than expected. On the water, don’t hesitate to turn around in the face of a fog bank or building winds, and never be reluctant to head for an alternate port of
refuge. Always leave a float plan with a responsible adult and contact them if you deviate from it. Last month, the limit was reduced to one hatchery Chinook a day.
STEELHEADING IN FEBRUARY is rare around here anymore, but still possible in a few flowing waters on the east side of greater northern Puget Sound. After a 16-day break in late December to ensure eggtake goals were met for the Nooksack River and Whatcom Creek, fishing resumed there. It never paused in the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River this season because the making of the Whitehorse Ponds hatchery broodstock escapement goal is much less in doubt since there are no in-river commercial net fisheries in that stream.
LATE FEBRUARY’S ONLY STEELHEAD OPTION Whatcom Creek actually stays open longer than all other North Sound tribs, the last day of February, but its anglers must adopt a different mindset and set of physical skills. Steelheading this unique, small urban-influenced stream requires a distinct set of muscle memories that facilitate short-line presentations. There’s rarely enough channel width or brush clearance even for a bass flick, let alone the full wind-up casting that the Skagit might require. Most of the time with a 9- to 11-foot steelhead rod you’re fishing with no more than two or three pole lengths of line. That goes for even after you hook a fish. Pulling anchor or jumping in and running after the fish as the line zings off your reel isn’t an option here. Between the brush, current velocity and water depth, you’ll be going nowhere after the hookset, so your creek rig had better be able to hold a 14-pound fish in swift water without a knot slipping or the leader snapping. If you come to Bellingham for this unique small-stream steelheading experience, also be prepared for a lot of water in a narrow channel. The city public works department maintains
(under an old court order) its Lake Whatcom reservoir surface level by almost constantly dumping huge volumes of water out its headgates at the west end of the lake. Along the entire creek run through town, this is pop-in or “stand” style fishing. You shinny down a slope through the brush to a confined opening at the water line, make several short-line drifts and then move on upor downstream several hundred feet to the next pop-in point. In the city there are two basic reaches, distinct by their character. Downstream of Interstate 5 the creek is in a deeper, brushy ravine. The bottom is covered with mostly rubble and not a lot of gravel, with the odd shopping cart, ad sandwich board or other commercial paraphernalia strewn about. Be prepared for people with noses pressed to office windows and trail walkers looking over your shoulder. Upstream of I-5’s twin bridges, the channel banks are equally brushy, but the bottom is mostly graveled and visible even when the flow is high. Popin points are available here too, but in riparian restoration zones, pruning is frowned upon. –DH
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COLUMN The Skagit was open continuously this season, but for a different reason. There is now no need to ensure arrival of adult spawners since the system’s hatchery steelhead production has been terminated as a result of the settlement of Wild Fish Conservancy’s 2014 federal suit against the state of Washington. For the first half of this month, it’ll be possible to ply reaches of the lower North Fork Nooksack (confluence with South Fork up to Maple Creek), lower Cascade
(mouth up to Rockport-Cascade Road bridge) and North Fork Stilly (French Creek up to Swede Heaven Bridge). So, too, the terminal reaches of the Wallace, Skykomish and Snoqualmie Rivers and Tokul Creek further south. All other Puget Sound waters closed for steelhead at the end of January or before. Actual nightcrawlers or their Mylar imitations in pink or orange liveries work extremely well in the Nooksack when either plunked or free-drifted.
TRUE BIATHLON FEATURES .22S, BUNNIES It could be our version pickings. – and perhaps one that Snowshoes are active makes more sense – of (out and traveling) at night that odd Olympic biathlon and during the hours of competition of skiing and dawn and dusk, but another shooting. It’s being on the indication of improvement lookout for snowshoe hare in numbers is the ones seen while shushing up a snowout in the daylight. They covered foothills forest road occasionally take refuge in on cross-country slats or burrows after the sun’s up, snowshoes, a light shotgun With an apparently good, but more often simply hide er, “hatch” of hares in the or rimfire rifle slung over North Cascades, hunters in depressions under surface your shoulder. Together would be wise to strap cover such as brush, limb with bobcat, fox, coyote and on skis or snowshoes and piles or logs called “forms.” raccoon, rabbits (specifically head for the highlands in A white winter mantle search of tracks like these, snowshoe hare and which indicate a resting isn’t a must for hunting cottontail rabbits) offer the bunny. (KEN STURM, USFWS) snowshoe hare, nor is being latest hunting options of the on the national forest. traditional fall-winter season, being fair Walking or biking state and private game in Washington until mid-March logging roads in 8- to 10-year-old each year. clearcut units below the snowline also Unlike last year’s late arrival of winter, will be lucrative for these rabbits. with the snowpack now descended For this hunt, consider a 20-, 28- or on the north end of the Cascades to 410-gauge shotgun with a full choke normal elevations, the winter cover as your first choice of weaponry. A unequivocally gives away the presence lighter, shorter barreled smooth bore is of every ground-dwelling animal. preferable to heavier fowling pieces. No. Occupiers of higher elevation second6 or 7½ size pellet loads will humanely growth forests and clearcuts, these kill the rabbit without destroying its members of the rabbit family are a little edible parts, and are a skosh safer when beefier than their lowland cousins, the hunting over a dog. cottontails. Whether it has iron sights or a small It seems from the sign in late scope, a nail-driving .22 rifle also can December on a number of snowbe a highly effective rabbit getter, and covered national forest roads that this they and other small-caliber rim- and/ year’s crop of snowshoes is larger than or centerfire modern firearms are usual. The distribution also tends to bear appropriate and legal for this game. If that out with the extent of trackage you hunt reduced-sight-distance terrain, turning up in some marginal (from the consider using short .22 cartridges, but rabbits’ standpoint) second-growth if you know you have safe backdrops, conifer stands with meager vegetation LRs allow you a longer punch. –DH
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They are not as preferred in the Cascade. Lengthen leaders and reduce the size of lures on terminal ends as clarity at depth improves. Whenever it’ll work around the lure, apply a sprig of yarn at the eye of the hook to tangle around the fish’s teeth. True pool water for plunking is much less abundant in upriver reaches. So if the water’s clear, daybreak is the best time to drift offerings. And unless you’re on one of the infrequent deep holes, staying anymore than an hour after sunrise on a day when the river’s well trod by bankies or floated by boaters (in the case of the North Nooksack) won’t be productive. On days when you do fish midday, turn to dabbling rigs in pocket water around bigger pieces of wood or those tackle-stealing high-bank outsides of bends where alder or other trees have been pulled in and skewed to the current. If you’ve switched to cheaper terminal rigs and/or have perfected the art of sidling gear into that sliver of clearance between tree limbs and the rubble bottom without getting hung up, you’ll be amazed at the number of steelies, both cultured and wild, that hang out in those snaggy digs. Take time when the water is gin clear to study the bottom for isolated dimples, dips and other irregularities in the middle of otherwise smooth drifts that steelhead will slip into and rest. Nor do they tend to be given away on the water surface by slicks, rolls, curls, eddies or other blemishes. In the ever-changing environment of these river sections they are transient features that do not last long, but when the water’s murky, they do hold fish. One of my fishing partners kept a mental catalogue of the “micro lies” he’d learn from year to year, and whenever we boated a section of river he made a special point of drifting or boon-dogging these specific spots. With reasonable enough regularity he’d get a pick-up and set the hook on a fish. As with most experienced anglers, when his knowledge of the intimate details of big-water lies failed him, he’d turn to boondogging, drifting or dabbling certain locales or types of water, around embedded wood, above the very
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COLUMN tops of slicks and at the downstream end of riprap banks.
OF THE FEW Northwest Washington lakes that were classified as eligible inheritors of canceled 2014 Puget Sound hatchery winter steelhead releases, Cranberry Lake at Deception Pass State Park was the biggest winner. According to WDFW’s stocking records, in nine plants spaced from March through November, Cranberry got a total of 39,940 trout, comprised of 35,708 adolescent steelhead from Whitehorse Hatchery and 4,232 rainbows from Arlington Hatchery. The true or resident-strain rainbow plant that Cranberry typically got in recent years was on the order of about 4,000 to 6,000 trout, so the 33,000-plusfish windfall this past year is prodigious. For comparison, in the three North Sound counties, normal spring trout-stocking regimens of the past saw Lake Padden get the most, receiving 21,500 rainbows. Until Feb. 13, Cranberry’s bag limit
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has also been temporarily doubled to ten trout a day, so lake-fishing enthusiasts can really capitalize on the largesse. Also getting the hatchery steelhead turned resident trout was Fazon Lake in Whatcom County, together with the Gissberg Ponds at Smokey Point and Tye Pond in Snohomish County, and Cascade Lake in San Juan County. Though a relatively small dose of these extra trout went into Fazon, there’s some merit in plumbing its 8-foot deeps now for the 2,400 or so river runners turned lake dwellers, since it essentially just reopened after the waterfowl hunting season. While duck and goose hunters attempt to lure birds into range, by rule, fishing afloat is halted on its marshy, shorelineless expanses, so no fishing really has taken place. Now managed for spinyrays and used as an occasional repository of unplantable steelhead juveniles, Fazon at one time got a spring batch of rainbow trout for the April opening. In that era, a small, ¾-inch, thin red-with-white-stripe Dardevle
spoon was the killer lure on opening day in Fazon’s brown-tinged waters.
AND FINALLY, JIG up some fun at the 50th annual La Conner Smelt Derby, set for Saturday, Feb. 28, at the historic southwest Skagit County port town. Nowadays, the celebration has morphed into a social and mercantile event with fundraiser breakfasts, footraces, fish painting and discounted sales. But it’s still a great way to blow off the stink of winter indoors, and among its payoffs is a $100 kids’ prize for the biggest smelt. Many channel-side docks or several in the marina normally off-limits to most pedestrians are open to jiggers on derby day. NEXT ISSUE More late-season blackmouth and early lowland lakes cutthroat. NS Editor’s note: The author lives in Bellingham, is retired from WDFW, and has written about hunting and fishing in the Northwest for more than 29 years.
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5 TOP T
here are a few tactics that can enhance your odds of hooking (and releasing) a beautiful wild steelhead this winter, but before WESTSIDER we get to those, you By Terry Wiest need to know where to apply them. In simple terms, fish the whole river system. If you’re on the bank, run and gun, cover as much water as you can, from the mouth all the way up to the headwaters. You may be able to pound out a few hatchery fish by continuing to fish the same hole, but there aren’t as many of the wild fish. If you don’t hook one in 10 casts, move! If you’re fishing from a drift boat, give yourself the best opportunity and follow this rule: when the river is high and colored up, concentrate your efforts higher in the system, nearest to clear water; when the river is low and clear, concentrate your efforts lower in the system. Also, don’t fish the runs that everyone else is fishing. The fish become very shy once they’ve seen a few boats drift past. But also fish the gnarly water that others pass up. Big fish don’t get that way by accident. They are mean bruisers that use the nastiest cover to their benefit. Beef up your gear a little (I’ll fish 12-pound line) and don’t be afraid to lose some. Stumps, boulders, fallen trees, root wads, undercut banks all are safe havens for these fish. These are the places you need to attack. Now, onto those five techniques.
BAIT If bait is allowed, use it! A well-presented bait will almost always outfish other presentations. During native steelhead season, don’t be afraid to fish bigger baits (and lures) for those trophies. I also like to use a single hook for bigger fish, stepping up from the normal No. 4 or 2 size hook to a 1/0. A larger egg cluster, sand shrimp,
Setups For Hooking The Nate Of Your Life While a 20-pounder is considered a “trophy” steelhead, the author says that some of the most beautiful he’s caught have been in the teens. (MIKE ZAVADLOV)
prawn tail or squid all work well; just make sure to add some yarn, because you want every advantage you can get when you try to keep the hook in the fish’s mouth. Drift fishing works great for presenting bait, but I prefer to fish it with a float, which can get the bait in places that just aren’t otherwise possible. I’ve also always believed float fishing presents bait in the most natural way possible. Guide Phil Stephens (riverfishin.com) is the best bait fisherman I know. His secret recipe has helped me land trophy steelhead in Washington, Alaska and Canada. If you don’t already have your
own recipe, try Pautzke Borx O’Fire. It’s super easy to use and deadly effective. The most important part about bait is to take care of it. Make sure it’s cured correctly, and handle it with gloves.
SPOONS Big steelhead love metal! A properly presented spoon has accounted for many trophy steelhead. You may not get large numbers using spoons, but you will usually get the bigger ones. Those older, tarnished spoons are the ones I look for in most water. I’ll also use a black or a blue sharpie to dull the shine
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COLUMN Whatever you hang underneath it, a float is a fine way to fish for trophy steelhead from Northern California to Southeast Alaska. (STEVE TURNER)
and create a different look. In off-colored water I’ll leave it with a full metal jacket, but either gold or brass, nothing too shiny. Bill Herzog has probably caught more 20-plus-pound steelhead than anyone
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COLUMN else on the planet, and he got almost all of them by fishing spoons. “B.C. Steel is my No. 1 spoon,” he says.
PLUGS Long, slot-type holes are best to plug fish. Either the fish will attack immediately, or they will back down. By keeping a plug in their face and slowly working them back, many steelhead will bite out of frustration. Hot Shots, Tadpollies and River Rockers are fantastic plugs, but when it comes to deeper slots, use the Mag Lip 3.5. Blues and greens work very well. Don’t just take my word for the effectiveness of plugs. Another friend of mine, Buzz Ramsey (yakimabait.com), happens to like them for big fish, perhaps because he landed a couple line-classrecord steelies on them a few years back. If you have a boat, better have some plugs.
WORMS They don’t have to be pink, but pink is by far the most popular and productive color
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of all the worms out there. Last season, my friend Mike Zavadlov, who is also a guide (mikezsguideservice.com), and I got a bunch of fish using a nightmare pattern in the Forks area. He puts numerous clients each year on trophy-class steelhead, and many of them come on worms. Most worms are buoyant or semibuoyant, therefore use a shorter leader so the bait doesn’t float out of the strike zone. Although many worms are scented, some are not. If it’s legal, add scent so they don’t smell like plastic. But in areas where bait and scent is off limits, add a drift or winged bobber to a 6-incher to help with attraction in good to off-colored water. Just make sure you use a contrasting color for your bobber.
JIGS A jig under a float is my favorite method of steelheading, and that goes for big fish as well. Larger profile jigs are more likely to produce bigger fish, but the standard, double-beaded marabou works
wonderfully well on beasts too. Adding a 3- to 4-inch pink worm tail has improved my success for native fish considerably. They love those pink worms and I love to float fish – a perfect combination. Whatever jig you’ve tied on, cast to those spots that are just plain ugly, those places where others won’t attempt. Do I lose a lot of gear following this advice? Yes. Do I catch a lot of fish this way? Yes! For those of you who don’t think jigs can catch trophy fish, better talk to guide Bob Kratzer (anglersguideservice.com). Kratzer is a known trophy fish getter, and he uses jigs! He’s even designed his own with a killer pattern. It works on large brutes as well as hatchery fish. If you follow this advice this time of year, you up your odds of hooking a steelhead, but the most important element in catching your biggest ever comes down to this: Just fish! Whatever lure is on the end of your line, the more time you spend on the water, the better your chance at running into a true monster. NS
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FISHING
The Nate Playbook
(IMAGES BY ANDY WALGAMOTT, MIKE AINSWORTH, FIRST LIGHT GUIDE SERVICE)
With the Super Bowl season of steelheading dead ahead, here’s what play to run where on your rivers. By Chris Gregersen
T
here’s no doubt that mastering a steelhead technique or two will reward you with success. The time and effort put in to perfect a certain rigging and presentation are part of the challenge we love about fishing, but what’s next? We strive to fish the best jig, the best worm, the best bait – but in reality, these techniques are just pieces of the steelhead puzzle. By seeing how and where each fit together, we can truly begin to understand our pursuit of these mysterious beasts. Learning how, why, and when to utilize different techniques on any given day is the next step in
upping your steelhead game. This understanding is what separates the frustration of being skunked from the awe of tailing a beautiful native, and what separates the fun five-fish days from the epic ten-fish days. While you can literally take any method to a river on any given day and catch fish, each technique has a unique range of water types and conditions it is best suited for. One of the biggest hindrances to success I see every time out is fishermen limiting themselves by using one single technique to fish a complex stretch of river. Consider a tournament bass angler. He or she might have ten rods rigged with ten different types of lures, each
one a specialized tool for whatever situation they may encounter. Steelhead are similar in this respect, and having a few set-ups rigged up and ready on any given outing will allow you to cover water and find fish like never before. A multiple-technique approach plays on probability. Simply put, the more water you can effectively fish with the most appropriate technique, the more likely you are to land more fish. Start by covering water. Natives that haven’t seen too much pressure are hungry and aggressive fish, so get after them. Unlike their often pesky hatchery counterparts, a handful of wellplaced casts with the right technique is usually all you need to hook up or decide to move on. Water types and condition are the main dictators of what technique
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FISHING you should apply, so to really understand what approach to take on any particular type of water we need to look at the advantages and limitations of each technique. While that perfect boulder-garden run is what we all dream of, steelhead will swim through and hold in all kinds of water. Each type has a technique that suits it best, and while I could write a novel on them, let’s take a quick look at some of the favorites.
FLOAT FISHING Whether it’s a jig or bait, this technique depends on your terminal tackle being fished at an exact depth with the speed of the current. This is great when fishing a consistent run where your gear can stay at the perfect depth, but in areas where the bottom is inconsistent, you’ll only be effectively fishing a small percentage of the holding water on each cast.
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Floats and jigs, drift fishing, and hardware, here represented on a trio of the author’s rods, all have stretches of water where they shine, and those where they falter. (CHRIS GREGERSEN)
Where floats shine: * Long runs where you can get extended drifts by free spooling; * Narrow slots and seams that other gear would get swept out of; * Water that might be too slow or inconsistent for drifting gear; * Low and clear water, or with pressured fish, due to the natural drift and finesse of this gear, and also because the gear is positioned above the fish rather than dragging through them. Where floats falter: * Areas with inconsistent depth. If you have to constantly adjust your float, then you’re not fishing efficiently. * High and colored water where your presentation might be moving too fast for fish to have a chance at.
DRIFT FISHING Drifting gear gets right down to business, by putting a bait on bottom
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FISHING where the fish are at. Drifting is a great way to cover a river because it can fish in various water types, as well as underneath overhanging cover that steelhead key in on. While drifting methods keep your bait on the bottom, the downside is it takes good weight management and enough current for it to be effective. Too little weight and you might drift right over the fish; too much and you’re not covering water (probably because you’re retying). Where drifting shines: * When fishing areas where each cast might drift through varying depths and water speeds, such as small holes, drop-offs, and sharp tail-outs; * Reaching under overhanging logs and cutbanks; * In high or dirty water, since you can fish slower than the current and close to the fish. Where drifting falters:
We all have our proven go-to methods for wild steelhead, but they don’t all work for all waters. Learning how, why, and when to utilize different techniques on any given stretch of river is the next step in upping your steelhead game, maintains the author, here with a nice native. (CHRIS GREGERSEN)
* Slow and snaggy water; * Sharp seams where the drag on your mainline will blow your offering out of the holding water;
While this is an all-around way to cover different types and depths of water, each type of drifting gear has its application as well. These
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applications are based on water conditions, pressure, and preference – with each circumstance having a different speed they should be fished at to cover water effectively. On one side of the spectrum you have finesse baits like a single bead or a small yarnie, where it might take many casts through an area for a potential fish to notice the offering. On the other side of the spectrum you have the pink worm, which only needs to be run through an area a couple times for fish to notice. The tradeoff? Not all steelhead will be bold enough for that pink worm, but you can cover lots of water with them. And while very few steelhead can resist a bead or yarnie, it will take you more time to cover water to find them. In the middle (and all over) the drift gear spectrum you have bait, which is extremely versatile under a huge range of conditions. The upside to bait is that nates cannot resist food, and it will provoke bites from a full-speed drift to barely moving. While this can be fished fast to cover water, bait can also be fished extra slow with a heavier weight in high water to catch fish that other offerings might blow past. Aside from being restricted much of the time, the huge downside of bait is that nates are hungry and will swallow your offering if given the chance. If you choose to throw bait, it is our duty as steelhead fisherman to do so responsibly. Barbless hooks and being in constant contact with your gear for quick hooksets are a must.
HARDWARE Hardware is in a league of its own, and while hardware junkies often choose it for the enjoyment of the technique and the heart-stopping grabs that come with it, hardware has a place in the arsenal of all steelheaders. Spoons, spinners, and plugs are unique in that they are not limited to being fished at the speed of the current like other methods, and 128 Northwest Sportsman
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they are great at fishing the width of the river instead of the length. Where hardware shines: * In dirty and high water, due to the added visibility and sound of hardware and its ability to be fished slower than the speed of the water; * Spoons: wide sections of holding water (like wide runs and tail-outs), which can be covered very efficiently by swinging spoons across the width of the water. * Spinners: From fast and shallow to slow and deep water, especially water that is too slow for other methods (such as large pools); * Plugs: Deeper runs and slots that may be difficult to reach with other gear, as well as high and colored water where you are able to fish multiple slow-moving lures. Where hardware falters: * Not all steelhead are aggressive enough to be caught with hardware. * Spoons: Narrow or irregular water that doesn’t give the spoon enough room to properly swing or fish the correct depth; * Spinners: Water that’s too narrow to allow the spinner to work, or too fast to allow the spinner to stay near the bottom. Spinners have more drag than other hardware, therefore are at the mercy of the current; * Plugs: When trying to cover water, and when you don’t have a boat! While plugs can cover water efficiently, they don’t do so quickly.
BY UNDERSTANDING ADVANTAGES and limitations of each technique, you can begin to piece together the puzzle of matching the right gear to whatever situation you might encounter on steelhead rivers. While these are some simple guidelines to consider, there’s no substitute for firsthand experience. Grab a couple extra rods next time you’re out, and match your gear to the different types of water you find. By putting all the tools at your disposal to work for you, you will no doubt up your odds and write your own nate playbook. NS
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FISHING
When Steelhead Go Beast Mode How to stop (or at least attempt to slow down) an unstoppable force. By Chris Gregersen
W
e’ve all been there, felt that adrenaline rush and the raw excitement of hooking a big, wild steelhead … only for it to be shattered by slack, a gasp, and, of course, imminent depression. There’s not much that matches the sadness, frustration, and aching inside quite like losing a nice wild steelhead … nothing except for losing that 20-pounder you dream of. The big nates that prowl Northwest rivers this time of year have a knack for going beast mode and whupping our butts, and they do it in more ways than one. By taking a bit of precaution, though, you can have a better chance at winning that battle of brawn on the river. Here are five ways you’ll lose that big nate – and what you can do to prevent missing out on a trophy of a lifetime.
1) GEAR FAILURE There’s no way around it: If there’s a weak point between you and 20 pounds of pissed-off steelhead, he’ll find it. This is No. 1 on the list because it’s not only the most likely way you’ll lose the fish, but also the No. 1 thing you can control for on the river. For starters, keep fresh line on your reels at all time. You spend inordinate amounts of time and
You may not win every battle with wild steelhead – in fact, you may lose most – but addressing five common ways giant fish are lost is one way to put the odds back in your favor. (MIKE AINSWORTH, FIRST LIGHT GUIDE SERVICE)
money chasing after them, so why lose the fish of a lifetime to a bad piece of line? Steelhead fishing takes a toll on line, whether it’s heat and UV light in the summer, or rocks and debris in the winter. Keep an eye on your line, and whenever you notice nicks, abrasions, or aging, ditch it. I usually run through a couple spools on each reel throughout the winter – just because this is one of the few things I can control. Same goes for leaders. You might be in a daze from throwing the same set-up all morning without a bump, or in an excited frenzy when the bite is on, but don’t neglect your leader. Both time in the water and fish abuse will turn leaders to ticking time bombs, so if you have a question about whether or not your leader is
OK, change it. Keep an eye on your terminal gear while you are at it. Bent and dull hooks, battered knots, and smashed swivels are all recipes for disaster as well.
2) ROD DOWN Steelhead have a knack for jumping and thrashing, and it just so happens that nothing can bring that talent out of them like a razor-sharp hook stuffed in their gums. The acrobatic leaps are part of the awe we feel for these fish, but it’s also a critical time for you as an angler. While your fish is underwater, the water’s current moderates the tension on your line, always keeping a bit of tension to keep your hook in the fish’s mouth, and also buffering
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FISHING heavy strain on your line. But if the fish flies out of the water with your gear and your line, you’re at his mercy. If your line is taken out of the water, the fish can both completely relieve tension on your line (spitting the hook), or completely strain your line, blowing up your leader. To keep this risk at a minimum, put your rod tip in the water whenever that fish comes to the surface. The lower your rod, the flatter your line; the flatter your line, the more you’ll have in the water to work to your advantage.
3) REEL – REALLY REEL!!! Steelhead are fast – really fast. While they usually take off in relation to the unexpected pull they feel from your
line, occasionally they pull a quick one and come hauling straight at you. This is where you’ll all too often wind up leaning back and reeling faster than you ever thought your hand was capable of, only to catch up to the fish and feel that heartbreaking “pop” as your line goes slack. While there’s no way we can compensate for the crazy antics of big wild steelhead, you can do yourself a big favor and make sure you have a fast enough reel to keep up with them. I prefer the 6.4:1 gear ratio, and keep in mind that a full spool of line is much faster to reel than an empty one!
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With his quarry in the shallows, the author keeps his rod tip high, attempting to prevent the fish from wrapping the line around obstacles. (CHRIS GREGERSEN)
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FISHING 4) ROD UP Just after you hook up with that monster, that sudden realization hits you that this just isn’t any ordinary steelhead. Well, at about that exact same time, that 20-pounder is realizing that he actually prefers saltwater over you. If you’re not fishing a big, flat river, chances are your fish will quickly find its way into some heavy water. This is a critical point, since the fish will be shooting at mach speed through shallow, rock-infested water – the perfect place to catch your line on a rock and saw you off before you can realize what’s going on. When a fish gets into the shallows, keep your rod up! Get that thing as high as you can to keep line angle as steep as possible so he can’t wrap you around something on his way to the next hole. If he still manages to, keep moderate pressure on the line and try to get above the snag before it’s too late.
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When fish come to the surface over deeper water, keep the tip low. The flatter the angle between your rod tip and the fish, the more line you’ll have in the water working to your advantage. (RICK SWART, ODFW)
5) PLAN ON GETTING BURNED Not expecting the spanking is a sure way for a big nate to beat you. How many times have you been burned
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Trophy wild steelhead are relatively rare in the grand pantheon of Northwest fish, and many are lost before landing, but when everything’s done right, bringing one to hand is an accomplishment worth smiling about, as this happy client of First Light Guide Service knows. (MIKE AINSWORTH, FIRST LIGHT GUIDE SERVICE)
those logs”? Every fisherman out there plans the presentation, maybe even plans on where they will land the fish, but you should also be planning on what you’ll have to do if a fish takes off on you. Take the time to find the right place and approach so that if the fish of your dreams finds his way to your hook, you’ll know exactly what you have to do to stay after him – before the right answer becomes hindsight. This might be a matter of where you’ll run, what trees you’ll have to go over/under, or a tight spot you might have to hand the rod to a buddy. Even in the tight spots, just knowing that your only chance to land a big fish might be to horse him could be enough to make the difference before it’s too late. You won’t stop every steelhead in full-on, tackle-busting beast mode, but with these tips, you might just wonder a wee bit less what just blew you up. NS 136 Northwest Sportsman
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COLUMN Owning a drift boat (or sled) opens up a whole new world of fishing, providing access to many miles more of your favorite steelhead streams and opening up angling possibilities that are most successful when performed afloat. (BUZZ RAMSEY)
Drift Boating For Steelhead I
traded the old drift boat for a new one last fall; my new one is an 18-foot widebottom Willie drifter complete with a UHMW bottom. BUZZ RAMSEY Yes, it’s big, but this boat’s synthetic bottom makes the craft row easily, not stick on rocks, and its size means it’s in no way tippy and allows me to haul gear and people safely over shallow river bottoms. But whatever brand you purchase, owning a drift boat (or jet boat, for that matter) opens up a whole new world of fishing as compared to not having one. Not only can you access miles of water on your favorite steelhead stream, but that of dozens of rivers within driving distance from your home. Adding a warm coat, rain gear and a boat heater can make a winter trip mostly comfortable
for a female companion or young angler. And while you might start off catching fish the same way you did from shore, by float or drift fishing, having a drift boat will allow you to employ new fishing methods, all fun to learn and effective at catching fish. Some boating methods you might learn from a friend, by booking a trip with a guide, or by reading the balance of my column.
BACK-TROLLING PLUGS Holding your boat steady in the current while letting a diving plug out 40 to 50 feet downstream of your craft might sound like a mindless fishing method, but believe me, doing this effectively is harder than you might think, and will absolutely make you a better oarsman. After all, with all your gear and friends, your job will be to maneuver a 1,200-pound boat in a way that positions a ¼-ounce plug(s) where you want it. Keep in mind, this fishing method
works best when river levels are medium to low in height, meaning the color of the river should range from steelhead green (3 to 4 feet of visibility) to gin clear. The idea is to hold your boat steady at the head end of a hole or drift, let your plugs float downriver, engage your reel (causing your plugs to dive) and then row just enough so your boat will slowly drop downstream while allowing the current to keep your plugs diving near bottom. The above let-outs work under most conditions, but in shallow water or short runs, you may want try fishing your plugs only 30 feet back to facilitate a deep dive. But when fish might be spooked due to clear water and/or heavy fishing pressure, try 50 to 70 feet. An important element in back-trolling plugs for steelhead is to run all your lures the same distance from your boat which, as the theory goes, will intimidate territorial fish into striking. With a baitcaster-style reel, you can determine
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COLUMN distance by counting the passes of the level-wind bar across the face of your reel. For example, an Abu Garcia 5500 reel will pay out 7 feet of line with each pass of the line guide, so seven single passes of the line guide will be the right amount of let-out for most conditions. While you can count line guide passes to determine distance, the easiest and most accurate way of gauging the distance is to use linecounter reels. The strike of a steelhead hitting a plug is likely the hardest one you will ever feel. It’s important to wait until the rod bottoms out before setting the hook, and to have your thumb firmly planted on the reel spool when doing so. You don’t want to set with a quick snap, but rather pull the hooks into the fish with a strong and firm upward motion.
SIDE-DRIFTING Similar to back-trolling plugs, the way you maneuver your boat will have everything to do with your success with
A trio of drift boats pull plugs in a fishy stretch of the Siuslaw River. While seemingly simple, back-trolling is harder than you might think and will make you a better oarsman while also allowing you to effectively fish a hole. (TROY RODAKOWSKI) side-drifting. Since your boat is acting more than simply as a casting platform, to do this correctly, the operator (you or your buddy) must keep the boat moving downstream at or slightly slower than the river current. Once again, you will be starting at the head end of a hole or drift and begin
moving downstream with the current, at which time you will need your friends to parallel cast out, across and upstream from your craft. It will then be your job to keep your boat moving ahead of or even with your lines as they drift along in the current. Because your boat is moving at the
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OREGON EUGENE Maxxum Marine (541) 686-3572 www.maxxummarine.com PORTLAND Power Sports Marine (503) 206-7490 www.psunlimitednw.com PORTLAND Sigler’s Marine (503) 492-7400 www.siglersmarine.com PORTLAND Sportcraft Marina (503) 656-6484 www.sportcraftmarina.com WASHINGTON AUBURN Auburn Sports & Marine (253) 833-1440 www.auburnsportsmarineinc.com BELLINGHAM Rasmussen’s Marine Electric (360) 671-2992 www.rasmarineelectric.com EVERETT Performance Marine (425) 258-9292 www.perform-marine.com MOUNT VERNON Master Marine Services (360) 336-2176 www.mastermarine.com OLYMPIA Puget Marina (360) 491-7388 www.pugetmarina.com PORT ANGELES Port Angeles Power Equipment (360) 452-4652 www.papowerequipment.com PORT ORCHARD Kitsap Marina (360) 895-2193 www.kitsapmarina.com SEATTLE BlueWater Yachts (206) 282-4261 www.bwyachts.com SHELTON Verle’s Marine Center (360) 426-0933 www.verles.com SPOKANE Spokane Valley Marine (509) 926-9513 www.spokanevalleymarine.com IDAHO POST FALLS Duncan Marine (208) 773-2614 www.duncanmarine.com FEBRUARY 2015
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Randy Woolsey shows off a Wilson River winterrun steelhead, caught out of the author’s old drifter. (BUZZ RAMSEY) same speed as your outfits, little or no line belly develops, meaning very little weight is needed to keep your offerings close to the bottom. Unlike when drift fishing from shore, you’re not looking for a steady tapping of the river bottom here; within a foot or so of the bottom with an occasional tap is plenty
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good. Some anglers, depending on river height, will use a single split shot; most employ a short slinky-type sinker consisting of three to six shot, which is the correct amount of weight for this fishing method. With side-drifting, the feel of a steelhead taking your bait will be the same as when getting hung on the bottom. However, there is no big yank necessary as compared to drift fishing; just wait and watch your rod tip until it starts to throb and then pull back slow and firm. After all, how can the fish back up fast enough to throw your hook when there is little or no line belly and your outfit is being pulled constantly downstream by your drifting boat? A thumbnail-sized egg clusters threaded on a size No. 1, 2 or 4 single hook works best when side-drifting. My favorite hook is the new one made specifically for side-drifting by Owner. Many anglers rig a double-hook outfit in combination with a size 12 Lil’ Corky
sandwiched between two size 4 single hooks. This rigging, when fished in combination with a small egg cluster, adds just the right amount of buoyancy – enough to float the bait slightly above bottom, reducing hang-ups, but not so much as to pass above the zone where fish hold. Leader lengths average 30 to 50 inches; in general, the clearer the water the longer the leader. Anglers who excel at side-drifting are those who can cast accurately and not – I repeat not – keep all slack out of their line. Leaving a little slack in your line allows for a more natural drift, as doing so enables the current to direct your bait to where fish hold. After all, fish naturally position themselves where it’s easy treading and the current will funnel feed – in this case your bait – to them. NS Editor’s note: The author is a brand manager and member of the management team at Yakima Bait. Find him on Facebook.
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Weldcraft’s Angler Series is an entirely new dimension in fishing boats: a 34-inch side height, 66inch bottom width and 90-inch beam. The dimensions are quite impressive and it’s also wonderfully affordable. There are three distinct choices in the generously-sized 16-foot/7-inch, 18-foot/7-inch, and 20-foot/7-inch lengths. It’s what anglers long for. Spacious, seaworthy, durable and secure, Weldcraft’s Angler sports a full “Vee” bottom, designed to deliver exceptional handling and ride at all speeds. In addition to the striking style of this fishing machine, the Angler Series is easily customizable to your precise wants, so you get exactly the fishing platform you need. You’ve got plenty of options for storage, flexible seating arrangements, and long side trays for rods and tackle. The Angler offers the most usable space in its class.
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Duckworth introduces the new 18’ Advantage Outboard Tiller. The name “Duckworth” speaks volumes. Duckworth’s style, performance and construction are legendary and fully evident in the new 18-foot Advantage Outboard Tiller. It’s perfect for all angling techniques: side-drifting, on anchor, back-trolling, trolling or drifting. It’s easy to launch, load, store and own. It’s exactly what recreational anglers have been asking for in an open boat from coast to coast. Tailor your Duckworth Advantage to your exact needs with an options list that makes custom touches easy. Heavyweight durability. The 18-foot Advantage Outboard Tiller is one tough machine. A single-piece bottom, with extruded chine and toe rail, make the foundation. Every inch is continuously welded to ensure maximum strength and a long, prosperous life of trophy catches. The open design of this highly capable 18-footer takes simplicity to its fullest. A dry weight of slightly over 1,100 pounds and no windshield makes the Angler extremely easy to tow. The visibility is exceptional from every angle, making navigating in tight quarters and around docks a breeze. And backing it down the ramp is effortless! Deadrise Defined. Take the guesswork out of selecting the right hull design. Duckworth Boats provide three points of measurement on the hull. Each angle is engineered for optimal performance.
www.duckworthboats.com 144 Northwest Sportsman
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PRODUCT REVIEW
U.S. MARINE SALES usmarinesales.com Why go anywhere else? Located in Olympia, U.S. Marine Sales has been around for 30-plus years and is an independent family-run business with a knowledgeable sales staff. Their 6,500-square-foot indoor showroom features new and used boats. U.S. Marine Sales’ fully trained technicians are on site six days a week. They’re who to talk to when you need parts, accessories, maintenance and repairs. It’s worth the drive to U.S. Marine Sales for your boating needs, because boating is their business. For more, call (360) 455-0788.
MASTER MARINE SERVICES mastermarine.com For over 30 years Master Marine Services has been selling some of the finest boats available. Based on the Skagit Delta, they specialize in fishing boats. Whether it is a 12-foot Lund or a 30-foot Osprey, thousands of happy customers have enjoyed countless hours of enjoyment from their boats. In addition, Master Marine offers aluminum boats from Weldcraft and Thunder Jet, as well as fiberglass boats from Osprey and C-Dory – boat companies with over 190 years of manufacturing experience. And to power those boats, they feature three excellent outboard lines, Yamaha, Suzuki and Mercury. Master Marine also offers service on all major brands and maintains an extensive parts and accessory department. Like them at Facebook. com/mastermarineservices. For more, call (360) 336-2176.
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PUGET MARINA pugetmarina.com Puget Marina has been a local business in Olympia for over 50 years. They have a very nice selection of boats for almost any need, including aluminum fishing and sport boats from Northwest and Polar Kraft; fiberglass fishing boats, sport boats and runabouts from Campion; and pontoon boats from Aqua Patio and Sweetwater. A Suzuki dealer for over 25 years, Puget Marina also sells Yamaha outboards. Their location right on the water of
southern Puget Sound allows staffers to test every boat they sell, and offer each buyer an on-the-water orientation in their new boat. With a full service department they can handle just about any repair or customization to your boat. Puget Marina’s service department has been awarded one of Suzuki’s top dealers for customer service and satisfaction several times. Stop by their location on Puget Sound’s Nisqually Reach and their knowledgeable and friendly staff will be happy to assist you. For more, call (360) 491-7388.
NORTHWEST RV SALES northwestrvsales.com Northwest RV Sales prides itself on giving the best customer service and matching their customers with quality RVs. A familyowned business, with their professional staff, they have over 100 combined years of RV experience in service, parts and sales. They know that buying an RV takes time. Their knowledgeable sales staff is thoroughly trained and specializes in
matching you with the RV that best suits your needs. They carry quality product lines of fifth wheels, travel trailers, tent trailers, campers, pop-ups, hybrids, park models and motorhomes. Northwest RV Sales can also meet all your service and repair needs – professional winterization and roof inspection while you wait (with appointment) is only $79.95 for towables and $109.95 for motorized RVs – and they welcome insurance jobs and warranty work. Head to Salem to see the difference that a small, family-owned dealership can offer you and your family. Contact them at (503) 393-3663.
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FISHING
Controlling Descent How to not lose your drifter at a boat slide. By Andy Schneider
W
inter steelhead inhabit some of the most inhospitable and remote terrain the Northwest has to offer. And as if the fish weren’t hard enough to catch, finding access to that water is always a challenge. A common sight along our steelhead rivers is a muddy, 5-foot-wide swatch straight to the stream’s edge. At first glance, you may think an extra large beaver or muskrat inhabits the dark canyon. But these muddy slides are home to an even hardier species: winter steelheaders. Anywhere there is floatable water and a somewhat clear run from a nearby road – whether that be county highway or logging two-track – anglers will launch their craft in pursuit of the elusive fish. Some boat slides will likely always remain crude though effective ways to get onto certain stretches, like the guard rail slide on the Kalama at the canyon mouth. But anglers and fishery managers have teamed up to improve others. Case in point, the Association of Northwest Steelheaders and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife’s work on Oregon’s North Coast rivers. Though built at extremely steep angles, these slides made of heavy timbers deliver anglers and their boats onto prime fishing locations. Those include Siskeyville and Vanderzanden on the Wilson, and Cedar Creek and Loren’s Drift on the Trask. And earlier this fishing season, construction of a new pole slide (as well as better parking and a vault toilet) began at the notorious Ojalla
Easy does it! A drift boat is eased down the stout timbers of the Siskeyville slide on the Wilson. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)
Bridge slip-n-slide on the Siletz. Name any Northwest river that has a steelhead or salmon run and you will likely find long-established freelance slides somewhere along its length. Where anglers can be
rewarded for their efforts, they will find a way to put a boat on the water. Unfortunately, launching doesn’t always go smoothly at boat slides. This past fall’s Chinook season started out costly on the Wilson.
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FISHING BOW-FIRST ALTERNATIVE
Access to several Oregon Coast salmon and steelhead streams is better thanks to boat slides – this one is Siskeyville, on the Wilson – and last fall work began on a pole slide at Ojalla Bridge, on the Siletz near the town of the same name. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)
Two drift boaters lost their craft, and one unoccupied boat floated downriver only to swamp and hang up underwater. A resident who lives along the Tillamook County river commented on an online fishing forum that he had seen four unmanned boats float by his house near Mills Bridge this season so far. To the south, a drift boat got away from folks on the Cedar Creek ramp on the Trask and started the first part of its drift unoccupied. While these seven incidents made the rounds, how many others have occurred and gone unnoticed or unreported over the years? Bottom line, lowering a 500- to 1,000-pound drift boat down any sort of incline deserves respect. Not only can a runaway boat be costly, but also dangerous for all sharing the ramp and river that day.
SAFETY FIRST Before we go any further, this article should not be construed as a full set of instructions for how to use a boat slide. Nor can this magazine be held liable for any lost boats or injuries from using the facilities. Rather, 150 Northwest Sportsman
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these are suggestions based on much use of Tillamook County boat slides over the years. While it can be very appealing to float water above the standard launches, it does require some physical effort to actually move the drift boat from its stationary position on a trailer to the slide ramp or to the muddy hill before you can let gravity do the work. If you have back problems or poor balance and coordination, manually taking a boat off the trailer is something you should not attempt. If you or members of your crew are up for the physical challenge, make sure you are paying attention to what is happening on or around the ramp and river the morning you decide to launch. Frosty conditions will greatly decrease friction and your boat will move down the ramp like a freshly waxed snowboard. While you may want to get an early start for fishing, did you check the river height that morning? An unexpected freshet overnight may have raised it to an unsafe level. If you start lowering your boat in the dark into a swollen and rising river
In recent years, drift boat manufacturers have started welding an eye onto the transom of the boat to give anglers the flexibility to lower their craft bow-first down a slide. But while it’s convenient, the manufacturers left out instructions on how to use it. If you are using an unimproved slide, it’s no big deal to put your drift boat on the ground, spin it around and lower it from the rear. But if you are going to be launching at Vanderzanden on the Wilson River, the slide ramp is 12 inches off the ground. It’s not too easy to turn your boat around either on the trailer or on the slide. The proper technique on how to do this is to not do it. You may scoop some water over the transom of your boat, but it can be bailed out. Trying to spin a boat around on slippery timbers is tricky and dangerous, no matter how you do it. If you decide to go that route, make sure your boat is secured, both bow and stern, before you attempt to spin. –AS
that you would normally have no sane intention of floating, it may be too late. Trying to drag or winch your boat back up a boat slide is something that may be impossible to do. Watching out for other anglers and boaters operating in an unsafe way is a must around slides. If someone is lowering a boat in an unsafe manner, you or one of your crew may not be aware of the extreme danger at the top of the ramp as you prep your boat at the bottom. And even after you’ve launched and are halfway through the float, pay extra attention for unoccupied boats floating downriver. Most boaters would give the benefit of the doubt that the drifter coming down behind them is occupied, but what if it isn’t? Entering a narrow or fast stretch of water with an unmanned boat right behind you would create quite the disaster.
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FISHING TOOLS OF THE TRADE Rope: Rope is a necessity – utilizing any other medium is not a viable option. Don’t ever use fish or pulling tape – the stuff used for pulling wires through underground utilities. While the tensile strength of the tape may far exceed your boat weight, it’s nearly impossible to tie knots (without compromising strength) with it, and it does not handle friction well – something you need to control your boat’s descent. Your rope should not be anything from the “poly” family either. Poly rope may be durable and may hold a knot, but it does not handle friction in a consistent manner. The rope you buy should come from a reputable retailer, like REI, Andy and Bax, Next Adventure, or the Mountain Shop. While Harbor Freight’s $1 stainless-steel scissors are an awesome bargain for anglers, their rope doesn’t have the same
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Using a Figure 8 device and stout rope, Tom VanderPlaat carefully controls the descent of a drift boat down a boat slide. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)
reputation. Rope comes in a variety of thickness, rating and design. Ten and a half to 11mm, or 3/8- to ½-inch rope works well for lowering your boat. Ropes are manufactured for a variety of reasons and may not specify what exactly their “design” is. Though load rating may be clearly labeled, it’s good to know what your rope is actually going to do once you put a load on it. Rope design falls into two main categories: dynamic and static. A dynamic rope is going to stretch under load to absorb shock or keep a load secured as it flexes. A static rope has very little or no stretch, even under load. Think of your rope as monofilament or braided line: would you want a bunch of stretch on your rope when it’s under load? Or would you want very little stretch and lots of control? The safest rope to use when lowering your boat is a static rope. Even though a dynamic rope
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FISHING
Besides a Figure 8, what’s known as an ATC – a belaying device – can be used for controlling the descent of a boat down a ramp. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)
can handle the load, what happens if somehow it breaks or comes free? You now have a 50-foot rubber band snapping back at you or your crew. That could pack quite a punch! If all you have access to is a dynamic rope, then just be aware of its traits and behavior once it’s under load. Descending devices: Many boaters putting in on boat slides use the top pipe or timber for giving them friction for the decent. While this works, it’s anything but an exact science and results vary with rope thickness, wear on the wood or pipe and the amount of wraps of rope you use. Instead of putting faith into an unknown variable, use a tool that was specifically designed for the purpose of lowering objects. Two devices readily available for less than $20 are efficient, safe and give you the exact same result every time: the Figure 8 and an ATC. Either piece can be ordered online or picked up at your local climbing store. Whatever you do, don’t borrow one from your buddy at work who climbs rocks, use it to lower your drift boat over the weekend, and give it back to him Monday. Trusting a drift boat and your life to a ½-pound piece of aluminum are two completely different things. Once a piece of climbing equipment transitions to a piece of boating equipment, it should never go back to its former duties. The Figure 8 is extremely easy to use and starts by threading a loop of rope through the large hole, looping it over the small hole, then clipping your anchor chain into the small part 154 Northwest Sportsman
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of the Figure 8. To slow or brake the descent of the boat, pull the loose part of the rope perpendicular or back. An ATC allows even more control for braking, which can be good for steep, unimproved boat slides. The rope simply threads through one slot of the ATC, through your carabiner and back out the same slot. Braking with an ATC comes from pulling the rope back away from it and the carabiner. Knots: There are countless climbing and trucker knots. While you may be tempted to use a palomar or cinch knot for your rope, don’t! Break out your Boy Scout Handbook or look online for figure-eight and bowline knots. These knots are meant to hold loads on rope, will not slip or loosen under load, and can be untied afterwards – definitely something that a fishing knot can’t do.
A regular old knot won’t do – you need to tie a figure-eight (or bowline) knot, as these won’t slip or loosen under load, and can be untied afterwards. (ANDY SCHNEIDER)
STEP BY STEP 1) When you back up to those steep timbers jutting into the murky depths, you should have everything in your drift boat secured for the journey down the slide – especially your oars. Seat boxes, tackle boxes or bags, lunch boxes and fishing rods either need to be secured well for the steep descent or carried down by hand. 2) Secure your rope to your boat and lay out your rope to ensure you don’t have any tangles. Thread and clip in your Figure 8 before even unhooking your boat, just in case a crew member gets antsy and pushes it off too early. Clip in a bow line and lay it out so it can be accessed at the bottom of the ramp. 3) Designate who is going to run the rope; have them grab the rope and give all the orders. Once ready, have the person running the rope give the order to unsecure the boat and push it off the trailer. 4) Once the boat is on the slide and at its steepest angle, double check that everything truly did get secured – it seems like someone always forgets their thermos bottle. Quickly secure it without getting into the boat. 5) Lower to within 5 feet of the bottom of the ramp, and then have a crew member walk the boat down the entire way. Have them grab the bow rope. 6) Bombs away! The last 5 feet of the slide should be a fast, controlled release. On many slides the last section is so steep that if you kept lowering at a slow pace, you might just end up slowly filling the back of the boat with water and sinking it. But a quick drop will have the boat sitting flat in the water with the transom only scooping a small amount of water, if any. 7) Unhook the boat from the lowering rope and move it away from the bottom of the ramp. 8) Load the boat, push off and go catch some fish! NS
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156 Northwest Sportsman
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FISHING
Working The World’s Best Walleye Water Bottom walkers baited with fat nightcrawlers represent the easiest entry into the world of walleye fishing, but jigs have their place too. The former is a good tactic for finding concentrations of fish, and then, after marking their location, switching to jigs, which are more popular with top local sticks, like Matt Nesbit (right), here holding a nice walleye with Jim Gessel. (MATT NESBIT)
Jigs, bottom walkers shine around the Tri-Cities in winter. By Jeff Holmes
T
he mid-Columbia in and around Tri-Cities is an excellent February travel destination for its walleye, weather, and wealth of amazing Mexican food. Last February, Pasco’s John Grubenhoff caught the 20.3-pound Washington state record right in TriCities. His fish is the largest walleye
caught anywhere in the world in 22 years. For visitors to the fisheries, it’s important to understand how to locate fish, as well as how to tempt bites from cold winter walleye as they ready for early-spring spawn.
FINDING FISH WITH ’CRAWLER HARNESSES On virtually all Northwest walleye fisheries – from Banks Lake to the Columbia River – trolling bottom
walkers and various homemade and factory-tied ’crawler harnesses is the dominant fishing method almost year-round. There are plenty of jiggers and blade baiters who would love to disagree, even some plug draggers, but trolling harnesses is maybe the most simple and effective walleye fishing method for folks of all skill levels. That doesn’t mean it’s always the best choice, but it’s straightforward fishing that allows anglers from beginner to expert to cover lots of water with lures in the
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FISHING strike zone behind a ticking bottom bouncer rigged on a slider. Foregoing the traditional fixed-tie bottom walker in favor of a lower-profile walker on a slider means fewer hangups, a more subtle presentation, and the ability to feed line at the first sign of a winter-slow walleye’s bite. Mack’s Lures Smile Blades spin at speeds as slow as .25 mph. Trolling worm harnesses with Smile Blades has become by far the No. 1 winter walleye technique on the midColumbia in and around Tri-Cities and upper John Day Pool. Cold water temperatures mean lethargic walleye looking for big, slow meals in natural colors resembling the sculpins and other baitfish they prefer. Walleye here will eat all kinds of prey, but they eat far more fish than anything, and more sculpins than any other species. As such, think about using natural-colored blades in motor oils, blacks, greens, browns, silvers and iridescent purples. Don’t over rely on bright-colored chartreuses, oranges and other traditional walleye colors, especially in clear water conditions. When visibility is limited, bright
Trolling worm harnesses with Smile Blades has become by far the No. 1 winter walleye technique on the mid-Columbia in and around Tri-Cities and upper John Day Pool. (JEFF HOLMES)
colors are more effective, but good visibility means go natural with color for more bites. It’s possible someone could catch another state record walleye on a small harness with a small or average nightcrawler. But if you’re sneaky or lucky enough to check out a trophy walleye angler’s gear and bait
KIMO’S KEYS Here’s a down-and-dirty bulleted list of wisdom courtesy of Kimo Gabriel (gabrielguides. net) that I featured last year and that bears repeating. Gabriel is likely the best walleye angler on the mid-Columbia, or certainly among the top few. This advice is especially useful for visitors trying to dial in winter fisheries. * Finding fish is 10 times more important than the perfect bait. * Winter fish are generally deeper than summer fish. * Most of the fish are 25 to 40 feet, but they can be much deeper and much shallower depending on flow and structure/bottom composition. * Winter fish are usually at the bottom edge of breaklines into the main river channel. * To be much more effective, get an underwater camera like an Aqua-Vu, and spend as much time looking for fish as fishing. Try trolling a worm harness and using the AquaVu simultaneously. (Note: The author took his own advice and is now glued to his new HD unit, along with Pasco’s Ivan Reyes, my neighbor and son of Flatout Fishing’s Jerry Reyes.) * Get and learn to use GPS to mark fishy locations in the vast expanses of the Columbia. GPS is required gear for successful walleye angling. * Winter locations are used by the fish year after year, hence the GPS and its value. * Mark locations with icons on your GPS for fish you see on camera and for those you catch. * The best structure has more than one kind of material, i.e. sand + rock, sand + wood, wood + rock, sand + gravel. –JH 158 Northwest Sportsman
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fridge, you’ll see a big stock of jumbo nightcrawlers and beefy, well-spaced hooks to rig a large-profile bait – sometimes stretching to almost a foot in length! The old clichés about big baits for big fish don’t nearly always hold, but they do here. Smaller, male walleye – the eaters – will also greedily grab ahold of a large profile harness. During February and March the chances of catching (and hopefully releasing) trophy females are much higher. It’s wise to provide a substantial meal to further increase chances of tempting a big, cold fish to chomp hold of your offering as you drag it slowly downstream, zigzagging along breaklines falling into the main river channel in order to cover the most ground and locate fish. The previous state record, Mike Hepper’s fish, was caught in 27 feet of water near Casey Pond, downstream of Burbank, fishing in exactly this manner, as have been many trophy walleye, including in very recent history. Mack’s Lures makes the most popular crawler harnesses in the Northwest, with the Wally Pop and Cha Cha Crawler Series harnesses probably leading the way. All of
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FISHING There wasn’t much doubt that the Columbia would one day produce a certified 20-pound walleye, and that’s what happened Feb. 28, 2014, when John Grubenhoff caught one that weighed three-tenths of a pound better than that lofty mark. It’s the biggest walleye in two decades. Not only does this month mark prime time to chase trophy fish, but smaller eaters as well. (JOHN GRUBENHOFF)
Mack’s jumbo worm harnesses – especially those with Smile Blades – are great options, as are Yakima Bait’s Walleye Delight harnesses, which utilize a Spin-N-Glo. For those with time and interest in tying their own rigs, Mack’s is the best bet for finding a wide variety of proven Northwest components like fish pills, beads and especially blades. Corkies, Spin-nGlos, Cheaters, puff balls and a variety of beads provide lots of options for customizing and tinkering with rigs
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to play with flotation and action to see what gets bit most. A bottom walker rod should have backbone and a sensitive tip to detect sometimes delicate bites. I just upgraded to a Fetha Styx Homewater Series Walleye Casting Rod (FS-HWW-763-1C ) that I can’t wait to fish.
JIGGING ’EYES’ LIVING ROOMS While ’crawler harnesses are a great bet and are widely used even by experts – especially to find
walleye – more winning tourney anglers seem to fish jigs. A big reason for this preference is their intimate knowledge of bottom features, specific holes and reliable concentrations of fish. Rather than drag harnesses through water of varying productivity, jigging over fish is far more efficient, but the technique is very reliant on boat control and maintaining a vertical presentation in the current. Beginner and intermediate walleye anglers should consider adding jigging to their winter walleye repertoire, marking troll-caught fish and returning with jig rods. If your GPS isn’t chock-full of coordinates that you can jump around to in order to put jigs or blades directly on known concentrations of fish, this approach of trolling ’crawlers to find fish is a great transition into more advanced and varied walleye techniques for those over-wedded to dragging harnesses. Jigging over GPS-marked fish inspires more confidence for beginners, obviously, than a more random approach, and it is also great practice for maintaining boat control. All tournament walleye
FISHING anglers cite boat control as being of paramount importance to success. Bow-mount Minn Kota trolling motors are standard issue, and their Terrova with Spot-Lock, iPilot and GPS tracking is one of the best tools I ever bought. Tournament and other expert walleye anglers hook a lot of walleye in the winter while jigging, including many trophy specimens. Grubenhoff’s walleye was caught on a big Rapala slow-trolled upstream in 22 feet, and Hepper’s bit a slowtrolled worm harness. That said, plenty of the documented 17-pluspound fish taken over the last few years have bit Whistler-style jigs, and even plastics on jigs. Winter walleye tournaments are dominated by jiggers and even some blade baiters. Whistler and other prop-blade jigs are very popular, usually fished with a stinger hook. Some anglers tie their own, and others use the popular Northland Sting’r Hooks that fit on a jig’s main hook. Using a healthy, large nightcrawer as bait will exponentially increase strikes on a prop jig, and tipping other, more subtle jigs with ’crawlers and
TACOS, TACKLE & TRAVELERS’ RESTS Along with having the best trophy walleye fishing in the Northwest and beyond, TriCities’ taco-truck and taqueria culture is also the tops in the Northwest. Nearly 300,000 citizens now live in Tri-Cities and its suburbs and sprawl, including a large and friendly Hispanic population whose influence on the quality of Mexican food and groceries cannot be understated. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the very best trucks, taquerias and Mexican groceries in Tri-Cities: * Pasco’s Fiesta Foods, 115 S. 10th Ave., is a large Mexican supermarket chain with amazing baked goods, unique produce buys, a full-service carneceria, and a deli pumping out a wide variety of spot-on Mexican dishes. * Pasco’s Tacos Palomino, 1515 N. 4th Ave., features an excellent salsa bar with free hot sautéed onions and boiled beans, as well as arguably the best burritos and tortas in Pasco, a bold claim. La Fama, 1501 W. Sylvester, is a sister restaurant. * El Sazon, 2226 W. Court Street, is an extremely popular taqueria on the main east-west drag through Pasco. Taqueria El Sazon in Kennewick, 4115 W. Clearwater, is a similarly good sister location with a drive-thru.
* West Pasco’s El Chayito, 6409 W. Court Street, is a traveler’s delight since it’s located next to a gas station whose fuel prices inexplicably beat everyone in town, but the excellence of the food is often lost in the rush to purchase petrol. Fantastic Sunday-only barbacoa is a favorite, and so are the tortas. * Kennewick’s El Fat Cat Grill, 539 N. Edison, is a Tex-Mex food cart that gets outrageously good reviews for good reason. This is the Tri-Cities’ most popular food cart. * Tacos Super Uno, 33 Goethals Dr., is an excellent truck located in the Tri-Cities’ only taco truck wasteland: Richland. Visitors to Tri-Cities can easily indulge in taco-truck heaven every once in a while and still maintain a desired physique, but for those who live here, every day is a battle against documented conditions like taco tits and burrito back. The former afflicts primarily men by adding something like 1 ounce of chest fat for every dozen tacos eaten. For culinary variety, visitors to TriCities can look to some pretty excellent Yelp coverage. For tackle, there’s Kennewick Ranch and Home (509-388-7906), Griggs’ Ace Hardware’s Pasco (509-547-0566), and
FEBRUARY 2015
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FISHING
Whistler and other prop-blade jigs are very popular, usually fished with a stinger hook. Some anglers tie their own, and others use trebles from Northland which fit on a jig’s main hook. (JEFF HOLMES)
’crawler chunks is similarly a good idea. As with harness components, jigs should be in subtle, natural
colors resembling feed. Year-round, nightcrawler brown is reported to be the most consistent producer. Gulp! Minnows on jig heads are also very effective, as can be blade baits, even in the dead of winter. Silver with different overlays is always the most consistent producer. Three different tournament winners I’ve done articles with in recent years – Dave Hedden, Jesse Lamb, and Kimo Gabriel – reach mostly the same conclusions on a range of mid-Columbia walleye subjects, and especially on jig movement. Whether using a jig or a blade bait, less movement is always more productive. Lifting the lure just inches to a couple feet in height and then gently “setting it down” on the bottom is a reliable jigging technique. If you’ve fished rockfish, lingcod or halibut with jigs in the salt, it’s the same idea here, just on a much gentler, micro scale. The same goes for rods. For years I fished a heavy-
Hermiston’s High Desert Marine (541567-8419), which has a full tackle line geared for the Columbia’s John Day and McNary Pools. And as for lodging, La Quinta Inn in Kennewick (509-736-3656) offers the closest access to both the Finley/ Burbank stretch and the storied water from McNary Dam downstream Irrigon, Paterson, and Crow Butte. Courtyard Richland (509-942-9400) is located at the Columbia Point Park and Marina, home to an excellent launch and access to some of the only wind-protected walleye water in the southern Columbia Basin. For more, Tri-Cities Vistor’s and Convention Bureau (visittricities. com) offers comprehensive travel information and loves to work with sportsmen. –JH
but-effective 7-foot Ugly Stik Lite, but my plans include lots of walleye fishing this year, so I upgraded my jigging rod to a Fetha Styx FS-HWTR-763-1S Spinning Rod. NS
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NOTES Tri-Cities steelhead and trophy walleye opportunity are both excellent in February, and 5mm bead; TJ Hester of Hester’s Sportfishing (hesterssportfishing.com) fishes both these rigs with great ½-ounce results, especially steelhead. The set-up at left has been limiting clients this season. – Jeff Holmes Aero-Float Oregon Tackle slider 5mm beads 1.1-inch Mack’s Smile Blade in motoroil
2-ounce bottom walker
18- to 30-inch, Maxi Jig 10-pound Maxima (or Aerojig) Ultragreen leader
Size 7 crane swivel Beads, Mack’s Fish Pills
4-foot, 12-pound Maxima Ultragreen leader
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COLUMN
Navigating The World Of )LVKÀQGHUV
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ven a blind squirrel gets a nut once in a while. If you haven’t yet equipped your kayak with a fishfinder, then you’re KAYAK GUYS that blind squirrel. By Mark Veary Sure, you may be catching some fish, but you’re definitely limiting your potential. Granted, selecting the right finder for your kayak can be a daunting task. There are so many units on the market today, with a myriad of features you may not have even heard of, much less considered. So before laying your money down, set a budget, evaluate your needs for the different options and do a little research focusing on the features that will deliver the biggest bang for your buck.
From this perspective almost everything else on this kayak the author borrowed on an Alaskan fishing trip is secondary to the 480x480resolution color fishfinder rigged in front of the angler’s seat. (MARK VEARY)
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COLUMN IN ITS SIMPLEST form, a fishfinder provides a graphical representation of the water-filled region between your kayak and the bottom. It allows you to measure the distance to the bottom and yields crude information on objects such as fish, structure or debris suspended below you. At its most complicated, a fishfinder can display multiple high-definition images of the objects both beneath and to the sides of you, while also providing a wide range of ancillary information such as weather updates, tide information and GPS positioning on a detailed bottom contour map. Let’s break the main features down: Screen size: Screen size will have one of the biggest impacts on the price of a fishfinder. Units with a 3.5-inch display and 320x240-pixel resolution start at just under $100. These models are great for monitoring your depth when trolling for bottom-hugging Chinook or bouncing jigs for offshore lingcod and cabezon, but lack the detail necessary to resolve the
If you want to go deluxe with a fishfinder, the Humminbird 1199ci features a 10-plus-inch screen, 800x600-pixel high-definition display, chartplotting sonar and sidescanning capabilities, but also a hefty price tag of just under $2,300. (HUMMINBIRD)
difference between suspended baitfish and debris or the subtle change in bottom composition from gravel to rock. If your budget allows, spend the additional $100 to upgrade to a 5-inch display with 480x480 resolution. Screens of this size are much easier to read and deliver three times the detail. You can find models with larger displays, but they take up a lot of deck space and have a commensurately larger price tag. B&W vs. color: Black-and-white displays provide valuable feedback on the density
of objects and structure by displaying them in varying shades of grey. Color displays allow you to more easily discern that density with a quick glance. This is especially helpful when fishing structure or searching for changes in bottom composition. GPS: Adding GPS to a given display size will generally add about $100 to the purchase price. It will also add the ability to mark and later find important locations such as crab pots or prime fishing structure. GPS isn’t a necessity, but it certainly is nice to have. Navionics: Often sold as an add-on, Navionics chips create a topographical overlay on your GPS map, complete with detailed bottom contours for rivers, lakes and offshore reefs. A Nav chip might be well worth its $300 to $500 price tag if you like to explore new areas, as it will allow you to immediately key in on target structures or depths. If the price doesn’t fit your budget, you can add waypoints to your simple GPS map based on online
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Lowrance’s Mark-5x is less spendy than the Humminbird on the previous page, but features a 5-inch screen, 480x480-pixel color display, good sonar and costs around $160. (LOWRANCE)
NOAA charts. Down imaging and side scanning: Once prohibitively expensive, high-resolution down-imaging and side-scanning sonars are rapidly becoming standard equipment on several makes of fishfinders. Both tools create higher definition “images” of objects in the water. While not quite photographic, the images offer a much more intuitive representation of what lurks beneath the surface, whether it be fish, structure or bottom contours. If you’re an avid bass fisherman, these technologies can be game changers. The one drawback is the size of the transducers and need to mount them externally. While standard sonar transducers can either be mounted in a scupper hole, epoxied to the inside of the hull or wedged into a water-filled foam cup inside the hull, down-imaging and sidescaning transducers must be mounted below the hull in order to operate effectively.
ONCE YOU’VE CHOSEN a fishfinder, it’s time to find an appropriate 12-volt battery. In general, the more features that your new fishfinder has, the more power it will consume per hour, and thus the more amp hours your battery will need to provide. Here’s a simple calculation that will aid in selecting the correct battery. The number of hours that you can run your finder will be equal to the number of amp hours (Ah) your battery is rated for divided by the power usage (U) of your unit. So, run time = Ah/U. Say you have a small black-and-white unit with no GPS which draws about 200ma of power (.2 amps). If you run this unit on
a fresh 12-volt, 4Ah lead-acid battery, you can fish for nearly 20 hours on a charge. In this equation, 20=4/.2 But say you have a 5-inch color unit with GPS and backlight and which draws about 850ma of power (.85 amps). If you run this unit on the same battery, you can fish for only 4.7 hours on a charge. In this, 4.7=4/.85 Until recently, battery choices were limited to either lead-acid or gel cel batteries, both of which are very heavy and bulky (think motorcycle or UPS batteries). While these are still solid choices, the proliferation of lithium ion batteries has provided kayak anglers with a much smaller and profoundly lighter option. Often sold as charging units for personal electronics, the new LiPo and LiFe batteries with 12-volt outputs work very well with fishfinders. Garmin’s Echo 101 is a sonar-only unit with a 4-inch screen, 160x258pixel display and a price tag within reach of most anglers, $90. (GARMIN)
The one thing to keep in mind when selecting lithium batteries is that they have an approximately 30 percent power loss when running at 12-volt. This can be factored in to the calculation above by modifying the formula to: Run time = (Ah*.7)/U, or runtime is equal to 70 percent of the stated amp hours divided by the power usage of the fishfinder. Even if your eyes glazed over with all this math, with a fishfinder, once you see what you’ve been missing, you’re likely to realize that you’ve been running right past an orchard every day in a blind search for your nut. Just one safety note to mention: Don’t skip installing a 3-amp fuse in your power supply. While highly unlikely, it is possible that a short could cause your battery to leak, ignite or even explode. NS
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ARLINGTON Rex’s Rentals 525 N West Ave (360) 435-5553 www.rexsrentals.com EVERETT Siskun Power Equipment 2805 Broadway (425) 252-3688 www.siskun.com ISSAQUAH Issaquah Honda-Kubota 1745 NW Mall St (425) 392-5182 www.issaquahhondakubota.com
KIRKLAND Goodsell Power Equipment 11414 120th Ave NE (425) 820-6168 www.goodsellequipment.com MONROE Town & Country Tractor 449 Railroad Ave (360) 794-5426 www.mrtractor.com
RENTON Bryant’s Tractor and Mower, Inc. 501 SW 12th St (425) 228-6454 www.bryantstractor.com SPOKANE Spokane Power Tool 801 E Spokane Falls Blvd (509) 489-4202 www.spokanepowertool.com VASHON Vashon Ace Service Center 9715 SW 174th St (206) 463-4019 http://www.vashontruevalue.com/ ServiceCenter.aspx WENATCHEE Wenatchee Honda 3013 GS Center Rd (509) 663-0075 www.doghouse-motorsports.com
Please read the owner’s manual before operating your Honda Power Equipment and never use in a closed or partly enclosed area where you could be exposed to carbon monoxide. Connection of a generator to house power requires a transfer device to avoid possible injury to power company personnel. Consult a qualified electrician. © 2012 American Honda Motor Co., Inc.
178 Northwest Sportsman
FEBRUARY 2015
EU3000is • 3000 watts (25 A) of Honda Inverter 120V AC Power • Eco-Throttle – Runs up to 20 hrs on 3.4 gallons of fuel EU7000is • 7000 watts, 120/240V • Fuel efficient - runs up to 18 hours on 5.1 gal of fuel • Perfect for home back up power, RVs, outdoor events, and more
FEBRUARY 2015
Northwest Sportsman 179
180 Northwest Sportsman
FEBRUARY 2015