California Sportsman Mag - Oct 2025

Sportsma n Californ ia

PUBLISHER

James R. Baker

GENERAL MANAGER

John Rusnak

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Andy Walgamott

EDITOR

Chris Cocoles

WRITERS

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

SALES MANAGER

Paul Yarnold

ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE

Janene Mukai

DESIGNER

Kha Miner

WEB DEVELOPMENT/INBOUND

MARKETING

Jon Hines

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Katie Aumann

INFORMATION SERVICES MANAGER

Lois Sanborn

ADVERTISING INQUIRIES media@media-inc.com

WHERE THE FOREST MEETS THE SEA... OCEAN CREST RESORT

Tucked away in Moclips, Washington, on a 125-foot clifftop where the forest meets the sea, sits Ocean Crest Resort – your new favorite spot for some much needed R&R&R. No, that third R isn’t a typo, it’s Washington’s best-kept secret.

CORRESPONDENCE

Email ccocoles@media-inc.com

X @CalSportsMan Facebook.com/ californiasportsmanmagazine

ON THE COVER

Most California quail hunting zones will be open by mid-October. These upland birds taste great, and as our correspondent Tim Hovey writes, “Hunting quail is easy, and they are usually very abundant in areas around a water source that holds quality habitat.” See page 21 for more details. (TIM E. HOVEY)

MEDIA INC PUBLISHING GROUP

941 Powell Ave SW, Suite 120 Renton, WA 98057 (800) 332-1736 • Fax (206) 382-9437 media@media-inc.com

Rest: You’ll feel well rested having drifted off to the dull roar of the Pacific, the soft patter of rain, or the quiet murmur of the movie you rented from the front desk.

Relaxation: You’re sure to be relaxed after lounging at Cedar Serenity Spa, the resort’s pool, hot tub and cedar dry sauna.

Recreation: You’ve never had a vacation like this, because Ocean Crest Resort is the ideal launchpad for any adventure, no matter what suits your fancy.

Fun is just footsteps away when you descend the resort’s staircase to Mocrocks Beach for surf fishing, clam digging, beachcombing and birdwatching. Adventure a little further to take advantage of the Olympic Peninsula’s best spots for game hunting, fishing, hiking and trail biking, all less than a 45-minute drive away. With 43 units ranging from retro and rustic to renovated and refined, you’ll have no problem finding the perfect spot to land, be it a standard studio or a large two-bedroom flat for the whole family. How about an adventure for your palate? The dining room at Ocean Crest Resort sources the finest, freshest spoils of the Pacific Northwest and prepares them with global flair, leading to unique dishes that are flavorful and refined, yet unpretentious and exciting. The restaurant truly is a love letter to the region, pouring only beers local to Grays Harbor and maintaining an expansive wine catalog sourced exclusively from the Pacific Northwest.

No matter what kind of adventure you’re looking for, you’ll be impressed by all Ocean Crest Resort has to offer.

www.oceancrestresort.com | 360-276-4465

21 MAKE IT QUITE A QUAIL SEASON

Autumn offers wingshooters plenty of seasons to partake in. Tim Hovey is a seasoned upland bird hunting guy, and California’s various quail seasons get cranking in October. With their liberal bag limit, Hovey details how targeting the state bird can be worth your time this month and beyond.

13 DEER HUNTING’S LATE SHOW

Looking to fill that deer tag in the late season? Scott Haugen has you covered in our From Field To Fire feature. “The later in the season it gets, the better the hunting can be, especially when rain and cool temperatures prevail,” Haugen writes. And after you harvest that blacktail or muley, try chef Tiffany Haugen’s venison shanks recipe to complete your experience!

32

SCORE FROM SHORE

Fall trout, after holding in deep water due to hot summer temperatures affecting lakes throughout California, are comfortable prowling more shallow water this time of year, giving bank anglers a prime opportunity to soak PowerBait and nightcrawlers, and even fan cast lures to fill stringers. No boat, no problem! Cal Kellogg explains.

49

CATS IN THE BAG – YOUR BAG!

More autumn options from Cal this month. Catfishing conjures up late-night fun in the heat of summer, but he reminds you to not forget that this month is also a great time to break out a stinky or cut bait and try your luck for channel catfish. Cal shares how to do it on Lake Berryessa and offers five more lakes, plus the waterways of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, to hit for fall whiskerfish.

Visit Oregon’s Year-Round Escape in the Cascade Mountains!

An excellent venue for retreats, team-building activities, weddings, and family reunions, Odell Lake Lodge & Resort offers cozy cabins, delicious food, boat and slip rentals, and a newly designed 18-hole disc golf course. It’s the perfect place to gather, connect, and create lasting memories in a stunning natural setting. Enjoy fishing, hiking, and camping in the summer, or snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and fireside relaxation in the winter. This Fall, take advantage of the brand new sauna at lakeside as part of your adventures! Experience over a century of mountain magic—any season, every reason.

THE EDITOR’S NOTE

Inever learned to fly fish. But I do know that the fly fishing in A River Runs Through It is an allegory for a far bigger story. I also never had a brother. But I still identify with that sibling relationship in the tale.

When the director (and narrator) of that film, Robert Redford, passed away in mid-September at the age of 89, so many thoughts crept into my mind, including how he was my sister Cathy’s favorite actor; how he either acted in or directed some of my most cherished movies; and how much he cared when he was neither behind nor in front of the camera.

Redford was the kind of guy we all wanted to be. He could do it all as an actor in movies I love for different reasons: handsome leading dramatic actor (The Way We Were); handsome leading comedic actor (Legal Eagles); totally believable as an athlete –even an aging one – (The Natural) or action star (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid); or gritty, kick-ass investigative journalist (All The President’s Men). Oh, and he also won an Academy Award for directing Ordinary People.

But those accomplishments were Redford’s day job. Away from the Hollywood glitz, he was a tireless advocate for environmental/ conservation causes, including preserving public lands in the West and beyond, a cause that should be as prestigious as any Oscar an actor/director can win.

“The environmental movement has lost a giant. Nobody has done more to shine a light on the most important environmental issues from the dawn of the environmental movement in the (1970s) through the biodiversity and climate crises of today,” Natural Resources Defense Council president and CEO Manish Bapna said in a Redford obit press release. “We must continue

to honor his vision in the difficult environmental landscape we face today.”

Which brings me back to A River Runs Through It. I don’t know if it’s my favorite Redford gig; it’s hard for me to ignore how much I adored his turn as slugging baseball hero Roy Hobbs in The Natural for my love of sports and his directorial feature Quiz Show, given what a trivia nerd I am. And that’s just two of many Redford projects that I’m a fan of.

Still, A River Runs Through It continues to resonate with me decades after its release. The Maclean family dynamic among the main characters – including a then mostly unknown Brad Pitt –blended love and tragedy perfectly. But it was the Montana trout fishing scenes that left lasting memories with me. They were beautifully shot and captured our imaginations.

My river fishing memories are mostly for salmon and stripers in the Feather River, but I had so many happy days using my spinning rod and Rooster Tails or salmon eggs hoping to trick planted rainbows on the Truckee River near Lake Tahoe (I can remember catching a handful of trout back in the day). It’s not exactly comparable to swinging a caddis fly over a Big Blackfoot River wild brown, but it’s still something I can appreciate just as much years later.

As one of his many masterpiece movies concluded, Redford voiced over his now elderly character Norman Maclean as the old man cast his rod on a Montana river – presumably for one of the last times in his life.

“I am haunted by waters,” says his final narration before the fade to black.

We were all so lucky to share in that haunting moment. Rest in peace, Robert Redford. -Chris Cocoles

Robert Redford’s 1992 classic A River Runs Through It. But childhood spin fishing outings on the Truckee River near Lake

still provide great memories.

OUTDOOR CALENDAR

OCTOBER

seasons open

18 San Pablo Reservoir Family Fishing Day; (510) 223-1661

23 Colorado River Zone waterfowl season opens

24-26 Morrison’s Bonus Derby Weekend, Convict Lake; (800) 992-2260, convictlake.com/activities/fishing-convict-lake

25 Zone D-16 general deer season opens

NOVEMBER

1 Imperial County Zone white geese season opens

1-9 Fort Hunter Liggett only tule antlerless elk archery season dates  1-23 Zone D-12 general deer season dates

4 Southern San Joaquin Valley Zone scaup season opens

7 Colorado River Zone scaup season opens

8 General/statewide pheasant season opens

8 Late dove season opens

8 Fall wild turkey season opens

8 NorCal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association Annual Fundraising Dinner, FIVE30 Event Center, Marysville; ncgasa.org/product/2025-fundraising-dinner

8 California Waterfowl Butte City-Glenn Banquet, Glenn Pheasant Hall; (916) 275-5143

8-9 NorCal Trout Challenge Tournament of Champions, Collins Lake; anglerspress.com

8-30 Gabilan tule bull and antlerless elk general season dates

8-30 La Panza Period 2 tule bull and antlerless elk general season dates

12-23 Northeastern Rocky Mountain antlerless elk general season dates

22 “Free” hunting day in California (if additional requirements are fulfilled); wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Hunting/Free-Hunting-Days

29 Northern black brant season opens

30 Balance of State black brant season opens

Note: General bear season opens concurrently with general deer season in the A, B, C, D, X8, X9A, X9B, X10 and X12 deer hunting zones and extends through December 28, 2025. For those portions of Zones X1, X2, X3a, X4, X6a, X6b, X7a, and X7b open to bear hunting, the general bear season begins October 11, 2025, and extends through December 28, 2025.

For a complete list of California bass tournaments, go to wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/ Inland/Contests.

General deer seasons open in several California hunting zones this month. Check out wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/ Deer for more information. (DAN RYAN/ BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT)

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FROM FIELD...

DEER HUNTING’S LATE SHOW

By Scott Haugen

Hunting the final day of deer season and gazing through binoculars, I scoured a ridge. The day prior I’d seen a monster buck here but didn’t get a shot, as it was on the move in thick cover.

Late in the afternoon, I moved slowly through a Douglas fir thicket where I last saw the buck, and I rattled every couple hundred yards. I saw nothing.

Soon, darkness brought an end to Columbian blacktail deer season in the Cascade Range. But it had been a good one. I’d hunted 31 days of the 35-day season and seen one monster buck.

I’ve hunted all of North America’s deer multiple times. With more than 45 years of deer hunting experience, I believe regularly tagging a recordclass Columbian blacktail on public land is the most challenging hunt in the United States.

I run trail cameras year-round to learn all I can about reclusive blacktails. In spring I monitor antler growth. In early summer it’s fawn recruitment and predation. All summer I watch racks develop and note when they drop in winter; that’s when I take my pudelpointers shed hunting. Between mid-June and mid-July, in one day of physical scouting I’ll see more mature bucks than in three or more hunting

HOW TO SCORE A BUCK BEFORE THE SEASON ENDS

HUNTING ... TO FIRE

CAP OFF DEER SEASON WITH A HAPPY ‘SHANKSGIVING’

By Tiffany Haugen

Ijust cooked up our last two packages of deer meat from last season. They were both backstraps. The first to go were the shanks; that’s our favorite eating part of a deer.

When writing my Cooking Big Game book, I lined up several people to help. For some I gave all the ingredients and cooking instructions, ensuring they were easy to follow. Some were simply taste testers who sampled everything I prepared. I never told them what meat they were taste testing until done.

You should have seen the looks on their faces when told they were eating bear meat or, better yet, cougar meat. Even slow-cooked shank meat from all types of big game caught people by surprise. Almost every one of them bet on the shanks being from beef, not deer, elk, antelope or bear.

When Scott and I were married in

1990, we took the time to separate the shank meat from all our big game. Living in remote Alaska, we had the time. But once we started a family, I yearned for a quicker way to cook shanks. Running them through the grinder was not an option. Then I discovered the flavor and health benefits, along with the ease of cooking whole shanks.

If you’re new to cooking whole shanks, start in a slow cooker. This will ensure a tender, flavorful dish you can’t go wrong with. This recipe works well with deer, elk, antelope, moose, bear and more. Keep all the muscles attached, as the connective tissues will cook down; all that collagen is super healthy.

Two whole shanks from a deer or one shank from an elk

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon granulated onion

1 teaspoon chili powder

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional

In a small bowl, combine all rub ingredients. Using half the rub, coat shanks and refrigerate two to four hours. Place shanks in a slow cooker and sprinkle on the other half of the rub. Slow cook on high for four to five hours or until meat begins to fall apart. Serve over rice, with noodles or in a bun with your favorite barbecue sauce.

Editor’s note: To order signed copies of Tiffany Haugen’s popular book with over 100 recipes, Cooking Big Game, visit scotthaugen.com.

HUNTING

seasons. They’re out there.

Though I’ll catch numerous bucks on the trail camera, I’ve only killed one that I patterned. I had thousands of trail cam shots of this buck over three years. It lived within a 1.5-square-mile drainage in the Cascades. I arrowed the buck with only minutes left on Thanksgiving afternoon, and that was after logging more than 125 hours of hunting in that season. It was the first time I actually saw the buck.

THE NUMBER ONE FACTOR that’s made hunting blacktails so challenging in recent decades is the lack of logging on public land. The logging lull destroyed prime blacktail habitat by simply not creating it. The deer are still out there, just not in the densities they once were. They’re spread out and living amid dense cover that more resembles an equatorial jungle than prime habitat rich in food.

In recent years, fires burning throughout the blacktails’ range have created the best habitat for them. I used to wait five or six years to hunt a burn; now I hunt them as soon as the first rain comes. Sometimes the burn is still smoldering.

Hunt the edges of burns, where grass and forbs are quick to grow. Avoid hunting the hottest parts of a burn, where the soil got scorched and will take years to recover.

Glassing is an effective way to consistently get on big blacktails. Early in the morning, glass for bucks and watch where they bed. If it’s hot and a breeze is blowing, deer often climb to the peak of a ridge, bedding in shade where air is rising. These lifting, swirling thermals help deer stay cool. Blacktails will often rebed multiple times a morning while seeking relief from heat, so be patient.

HUNTING BLACKTAILS IN THE high country during general rifle season is one of my favorite hunts in North America. In October, nighttime temperatures are dropping, rain is replenishing the land and the leaves of vine maples

HUNTING

are turning vibrant colors. It’s a beautiful time to be afield, but also the toughest time to kill a wise buck.

With fall rains and greenup, bucks don’t have to travel far. Their goal at this time is to put on as much weight as possible for the upcoming rut, and they do this by covering little ground, conserving energy and eating. If it’s warm during the first half of October, hunt high spots early in the morning. Bucks often lay down and soak up the sun for a short while, then retreat to heavy cover until minutes before dark. If you see a buck heading for cover but can’t get a shot, be back at the location and in shooting position for the last hour of the day.

On October 21 or 22, the blacktail game notably shifts in the high country and is when mature bucks are most visible in the general rifle season. This marks the peak of the pre-rut for blacktails when bucks cover ground searching for does they’ll soon be breeding. At this point, high-country bucks travel up and down mountains to find does by catching pheromones from their interdigital glands and urine.

The later in the season it gets, the better the hunting can be, especially when rain and cool temperatures prevail. If it’s raining hard and blowing, hunt all day. Halloween is my favorite day to rifle hunt, as photoperiodism gets blacktail bucks

fired up and moving.

Cold temperatures and rain don’t expedite the blacktail rut, but they do make it more comfortable for bucks to cover ground without overheating. In other words: It’s a good time to catch bucks in the open. Rattling and calling can be very effective from the third week of October until the season’s end.

NOVEMBER’S LATE BOW HUNT is what many blacktail fanatics live for. Cold, wet and stormy weather finds big bucks on the move. This is when hunting from a tree stand or ground blind can be effective, as can covering ground, especially if targeting migratory deer at high elevations. The week of Thanksgiving is typically a favorite to catch moving, rut-crazed blacktail bucks in the high country.

Rattling and calling can be effective for late-season blacktails. If targeting any legal buck, timid rattling can do the job. For a bruiser, snapping branches, raking trees, pounding the ground and loud, aggressive rattling is my go-to approach.

In the backcountry, key in on does late in the season, for where does are, bucks won’t be far away. It takes a lot of snow to force a blacktail buck from high elevations. In fact, I’m convinced a buck would have no trouble surviving in 2 feet or more of snow, all winter. But when does descend to look for food, bucks follow. A lot of mature bucks come out of the woods at this time – bucks you’ll never see when scouting – and likely never see again if you don’t slip an arrow into them.

When it comes to trophy blacktails, you never know how an October hunt will unfold. Anticipating laying eyes on a mature buck is one thing; actually getting a shot at one is another. CS

Editor’s note: For signed copies of Scott Haugen’s best-selling book Trophy Blacktails: The Science Of The Hunt, visit scotthaugen.com. Follow Scott on Instagram and Facebook.

FLUSH A COVEY OF TASTY BIRDS

By Tim E. Hovey

Beginning in early August, I start to see coveys of quail in and around the suburban edge. The groups are usually made up of a few adult birds, followed closely by the young birds hatched this year.

Despite my obsession with pursuing quail in fall and winter, these offseason encounters always make me smile. They tell me the time to chase the abundant and tasty California quail, the state bird, is drawing near.

FALL BIRD TRADITION

I don’t recall the first quail I shot as a boy, but I do remember whenever I encountered them, and when I was lucky enough to kill a few, I considered it a major victory.

I first tasted this upland bird during a solo camping trip when I was 18 years old. I had surprised a covey near my public land campsite, and I had dropped two birds out of the group. Cooking them over an open campfire, I remember thinking they were the best wild game I had ever tasted. From that day forward, whenever quail season rolled around, I carved out some time to chase them.

HUNTING GOLDEN STATE QUAIL

California divides the state into three different quail zones. For all you shotgun hunters, Northern California has an early mountain quail season in Zone Q1 that started on September 13 and runs through October 17. The remainder of the Q1 zone is then open for all species of quail from October 18 through January 25. The Q2 Zone, a smaller North Coast area north of the Bay Area, also opened a little earlier (September 27 to January 25) for all species of quail.

WHERE TO START AND HOW TO HUNT AND COOK UP CALIFORNIA QUAIL

HUNTING

This is typical quail habitat to work. “Sagebrush, thickets of sumac, ground bushes and native oak provide both food and escape cover, which is so important for holding birds,” writes author Tim Hovey. “Quail use this thick habitat to escape predators and hide during their daytime movement.” (TIM

HUNTING

Most of the rest of the state is located in Zone Q3. This zone is open October 18-January 25. The bag limit for all zones is 10 quail per day.

WHERE ARE THE BIRDS?

While I do have a handful of quailrich spots that I visit each season, I’m always searching for new places to hunt. First and foremost, I look for a water source in and around some good habitat. Quail are ground birds and will usually visit water twice daily. Once I find a spring, creek or water seep, I’ll start looking for ground cover that quail use as habitat.

Sagebrush, thickets of sumac, ground bushes and native oak provide both food and escape cover, which

is so important for holding birds. Quail use this thick habitat to escape predators and hide during their daytime movement. If I find this type of thick, brushy habitat near water, I know it will attract and hold quail.

Along with quality habitat, quail will regularly visit areas with fine silt and dirt to take dust baths to combat parasites. These areas will be covered with quail tracks, as they’re visited by local birds daily. These dusting areas are usually surrounded by ground cover, so quail can use them unmolested. When I’m scouting for new areas to hunt quail and I find dust bath areas near water, I add the location to my hunting rotation.

SOUNDING OFF

Quail are extremely vocal birds, using their sentinel call of chi-ca-go, chica-go to locate dispersed birds and bring the covey back together. These sounds are more prevalent in the morning, when quail fly down from their roost tree at dawn and scatter. Hunters who are familiar with this gathering call can easily locate birds to pursue.

Savvy hunters can mimic this vocalization using a small mouthheld quail call. Quail also produce a quieter, puttering sound when danger is close. This vocalization sounds a lot like dripping water and when heard, it usually means an explosive flush is seconds away.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

In my opinion, quail are an easy bird for hunters to pursue. When flushed, they stay relatively low to the ground and fly in a straight line. They are chubby flyers and do more gliding than flying. After flushing a covey, hunters should circle the area looking for singles that became separated from the main group. Keep an eye on where the covey landed. A few more birds can be harvested at the new locations. Since I don’t hunt behind a dog, when I pursue quail I do so in a careful, measured way. Without the benefit of

HUNTING

a canine pointer or retriever, that job falls to me. With the sun at my back, I will move through quality habitat where I’ve located birds, either by sight or sound. As I move through the brush, I am not exceptionally quiet. My goal is to flush the covey from their cover, and I’ve found that being a little noisy when I move through the brush works well.

When the birds flush close, I mutter the phrase “you have time” before I take the shot. I do this to calm myself and mentally prepare for the shot. I see hunters rushing shots

at flushed birds all the time and miss. If you can calm yourself, even for a second after the flush, you’ll shoot straighter. I believe that will harvest more birds.

Since I don’t have the benefit of a well-trained dog to sniff out the downed birds, I must pay close attention to where that bird fell. If I’m lucky enough, the bird fell in the open and retrieval is easy. However, more often than not, locating the bird takes some searching. After the shot, I make a mental note of landmarks, bushes, rocks – anything that can help locate

that downed bird. I also immediately head to that spot to start searching.

At the spot, if I don’t quickly locate the bird, I look for what I call the feather funnel. Often, when hunting quail in thick cover, downed birds will land in thick brush and may not be readily located. Shot birds will shed lots of feathers, and even if they drop into thick brush, they will leave a trail of feathers that hunters can use to help locate that bird.

SOMETHING TASTY IS COOKING

Being a ground bird, quail possess a white meat that can be cooked in a variety of ways. My favorite way is to remove the breast meat from the bird and sauté these quail medallions in butter and seasoning. I serve them with a light butter sauce or my favorite barbecue sauce.

As the days cool down and we ease into fall, it’s time to dust off your favorite shotgun, grab your upland game vest and lace up those hunting boots. Hunting quail is easy, and they are usually very abundant in areas around a water source that holds quality habitat.

You don’t need any specialized gear to pursue California quail and they are one of the tastiest game birds on the plate. And remember, when that flush explodes at your feet and nearly stops your heart, you have time! CS

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GRAY SQUIRRELS, DOGS AND .22S

SAVE TIME IN FALL FOR BUSHYTAILS, AND HERE’S HOW TO HUNT THEM

By Scott Haugen

October marks the start of many bird hunting seasons for gun dog owners throughout the West. But there’s one upland prize that must not go overlooked: the Western gray squirrel.

While the Golden State’s September 13-January 25 squirrel season also includes nonnative eastern gray and fox squirrels, (as well as local Douglas squirrels), the addiction to hunting these

native tree-dwelling squirrels will grow with each passing encounter. When it comes to hunting the shy animals, I’ve developed a process over the years.

IT

STARTS WITH RUNNING Moultrie

Mobile trail cameras year-round to monitor gray squirrel populations and movement. Cellular game cams provide timely feedback of where squirrels are, which is especially important during hunting season.

Having hunted gray squirrels for

several years – and using the information from trail cameras to study their movements – I’m amazed at how cyclical these critters can be from year to year. Most movements hinge on a shift in food sources, while others are forced by predators.

In a few of the best gray squirrel areas, I know where they’ll be this time of year based on the casting of acorns and other mast crops. I’ve learned what routes squirrels travel in the hardwoods and where they search for food in big

HUNTING

stands of coniferous timber. These are the places where I increase the number of trail cameras during hunting season in order to maximize the odds of locating secretive squirrels.

ANOTHER KEY TO TREE squirrel hunting success is covering ground. Be it on foot, mountain bike or electric bike, the more prime ground you can cover, the better the odds of locating squirrels. Take extra water for your dog when hunting on a bike, as they’ll cover several miles a day and need to stay hydrated.

Where deciduous trees meet conifers can be brushy. There are lots of squirrels in this habitat, but stalking them can be a challenge. Once treed, the shooting window is often brief. If I see a squirrel, I’ll slowly get closer with Kona, my male pudelpointer, heeling at my left side. Then I get Kona lined out and send him on the run. Once he trees a squirrel, his man-bark kicks in. He loves retrieving gray squirrels as much as he does treeing them.

If, based on what trail cameras are revealing, there’s a time of day when squirrel movement is high, I’ll slip in a couple hours early and sit against a fir tree with Kona at my side. We sit where visibility is greatest and when a squirrel is spotted, Kona gets to work.

FOR

HUNTING

THICK

COVER, a shotgun is a good choice. In semi-open habitat with trees that don’t bear thick, brushy limbs, a .22 rifle is ideal.

My go-to squirrel rifle is a Browning T-Bolt with a laminated stock and stainless steel barrel. It’s topped with a Leupold VX-Freedom Rimfire scope in 3-9x40. The added magnification of a 3x9 scope on a .22 is much appreciated when picking a small shooting window and a tiny target high in a tree.

A Silencer Central Banish 22 suppressor completes the precision setup. This is the most accurate .22-caliber hunting rifle I’ve ever owned, and the suppressor has been a game changer. Do note that while it is legal to hunt with a suppressor in Oregon, where I’ve primarily been pursuing squirrels, the devices are banned in California.

HUNTING

Suppressors spook fewer squirrels. Before suppressors, if Kona treed two or three squirrels at once, we rarely got a shot at more than one of them. With a suppressor, we’ve pulled off many doubles. Last season we shot a triple on three of four squirrels Kona put into some fir trees. The quiet shooting doesn’t spook other squirrels.

The suppressor also makes it easier to communicate with Kona and he doesn’t get amped up at the sound of the shot. Instead, Kona looks to me for direction while under control. Much of the time Kona doesn’t even hear the shot if he’s moving through brush or panting heavily from an intense chase. Not until a squirrel starts falling through the tree limbs or hits the ground does Kona even know I pulled the trigger.

WITH THE LONG-OVERDUE SUPPRESSOR craze finally taking root in the US outside of California, CCi has delivered a complete line of specialized suppressor rounds for .22 enthusiasts. Their Subsonic Hollow Point

Small Game 45-grain bullet moving at 970 feet per second is a great tree squirrel round. It’s very quiet, yet offers a light, lethal hit and very minimal meat damage for a hollowpoint.

CCi’s Sub-Sonic 22LR Lead Hollow Point Small Game 40-grain bullet is moving a tad faster at 1,050 fps. It’s only a fraction louder than the 45-grain option, hits a bit harder, and still results in minimal meat damage. This is a great ground squirrel load if looking to anchor the varmints before they make it back to their den, so your dog can retrieve them.

A great load for both tree and ground squirrels is CCi’s Suppressor Max. This segmented 45-grain hollowpoint moves out at 970 fps, yet hits with authority. It’s super quiet and deadly accurate.

The next three loads are labeled for targets, but I love their performance on squirrels as well as the starlings that were plucking cherries from our trees this spring. I shot a number of the invasive birds and ground squirrels with the CCi Clean-22 Suppressor 45-grain bullet. Moving at 1,000 fps, this load is

very quiet, shoots tight groups and kills with conviction. The same is true of the 40-grain Clean-22 poly-coated-lead, blue roundnose bullet. Moving at 1,070 fps, this load – as well as the 45-grain option – offers impressive downrange accuracy and energy. Both routinely dropped varmints out to 75 yards and beyond.

The Quiet-22 in a 45-grain roundnose flies at 835 fps. It’s whisper-quiet and punches through squirrels quickly and smoothly, resulting in very minimal meat damage. It’s great for tree squirrels.

(Note that California’s lead bullet ban for hunting wildlife applies to squirrels, so make sure of your ammo.)

While bird seasons are in full swing, take the time to get after some gray squirrels this fall. Trust me, the experience will leave you and your gun dog wanting more. CS

Editor’s note: Watch author Scott Haugen’s basic puppy training videos and learn more about his many books at scotthaugen .com. Follow his adventures on Instagram and Facebook.

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FISHING

UNLOCK THE BANK

HOW TO SCORE TROUT FROM SHORE AS FALL ACTION HEATS UP

By Cal Kellogg

When the days grow shorter and a cool breeze sweeps across the high country, California trout anglers know exactly what that means: fall trout season is here.

It’s the time when lakes begin to cool, trout leave their deep-water summer haunts and once again cruise the shoreline within easy reach of bank fishermen. For anglers with boots on the ground and rods in hand, autumn is a window of opportunity that can produce the biggest and best fish of the year.

FALL ADVANTAGES

Trout thrive in cool water, and once surface temperatures dip back into their comfort zone, they move into

shallow water to hunt. Rainbows seek out baitfish and insects along the banks. Browns turn predatory, keying on crayfish, smaller fish and other targets of opportunity.

Brook trout, where present, often display their brightest colors of the year and prepare for the fall spawn. All this activity plays into the hands of bank anglers, who suddenly find themselves on even ground with boaters.

The Sierra lakes themselves add to the charm. By October, the summer crowds are gone. Campgrounds quiet down, parking lots empty and the shorelines feel more like wilderness. With leaves turning gold and red against the evergreens, the stage is set for a fishing experience that’s equal parts solitude and excitement.

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Among the go-to ways to enhance trout baits, inflating a nightcrawler (top) is a favorite trick for many high Sierra bank anglers because it’s attractive to rainbows, browns, holdover planters and wild fish. But no fisherman is fully prepared without some floating PowerBait in both bold and subdued colors. (CAL KELLOGG)

GEARING UP FOR BANK SUCCESS

Bank fishing might seem simple, but fall trout often demand a careful setup. A 7-foot, medium-light spinning rod is a versatile choice that’s long enough for reaching deeper water when necessary, but also still sensitive for detecting light bites. Pair it with a quality reel that has a smooth drag and capacity for at least 150 yards of 6-pound line. While the average trout won’t test that much line, the fish of a lifetime might, and fall is exactly when such fish are caught.

Leaders are critical, especially in clear Sierra water. Fluorocarbon in

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6-pound test is the standard, though having an 8-pound spool handy can pay off if browns or particularly large rainbows are prowling in the vicinity. Fluorocarbon’s near invisibility underwater gives you an edge when trout are cautious.

A RIG THAT WORKS

The bread-and-butter setup for bank anglers remains the sliding-sinker rig. Its beauty lies in simplicity: Thread your mainline through a sinker, add a bead to protect the knot, tie on a

While bait is the mainstay of most bank anglers, you should also have a selection of spoons, spinners and plugs for fan casting, because sometimes the trout are extra aggressive and willing to chase these lures. (CAL KELLOGG)

swivel, then finish with 18 to 36 inches of fluorocarbon leader and a sharp hook. The sliding weight allows a trout to take the bait and move without feeling resistance.

Your sinker choice makes a difference. Egg sinkers are common, but I prefer tapered bullet sinkers, borrowed from the bass angler’s playbook. They snag less often and create less drag when a trout moves off with the bait. A selection of weights from 1/8 to ¾ ounce ensures you’re prepared for calm coves or

breezy points.

Hooks should be small but strong – think sizes 8, 10 or 12. Super sharpness is essential. Premium brands like Gamakatsu or Owner are excellent, though Eagle Claw’s Lazer Sharp line offers solid performance at a lower cost.

SMART BAITS

Fall trout are opportunistic, and the most effective baits are those that float off the bottom, right in their line of sight.

Nightcrawlers remain a classic. A ’crawler, whole or cut in half, injected with a puff of air to keep it buoyant is deadly. Worms appeal to both stocked trout and wild fish, offering natural scent, taste and movement.

PowerBait and other floating dough baits revolutionized bank fishing years ago and remain indispensable. Keep it simple with proven colors: rainbow for stained water, yellow for clear conditions. A ball a little bigger than a pea is best, allowing trout to inhale it quickly.

Salmon eggs, marshmallows paired with worms and even small pieces of cheese can also tempt fish, especially holdover rainbows

FOLLOW THE BITE DOWNHILL

One of the great things about fall trout fishing in California is that the season doesn’t arrive everywhere at once. Instead, the bite unfolds like a wave rolling down the mountains. For anglers willing to stay mobile and adjust their destinations, it’s possible to stretch a few golden weeks of fishing into an entire season of opportunity.

The show begins in the high country at lakes sitting above 5,000 feet. By late September and into October, icy nights drop surface temperatures and trout begin flooding the shallows. Brook trout show their spawning colors, rainbows hunt along the banks and browns grow aggressive as they prepare to reproduce. For a few short weeks, the high lakes offer some of the most spectacular action of the year.

But winter comes quickly to the Sierra Crest. Snowstorms close mountain passes and ice locks up small lakes. When that happens, smart anglers shift their focus to the foothill reservoirs between 2,000 and 4,000 feet.

By late October and November, lakes like Pine Flat, New Melones and Don Pedro hit their stride. Water temperatures

here are dropping into the comfort zone of trout, and both bank and boat anglers experience excellent action. Rainbows fatten on shad schools and holdovers move within casting distance of shore.

As winter deepens, the bite continues its slide downhill. In December and January, valley reservoirs such as Camanche, Collins, Berryessa and Folsom begin to peak. These lakes may not freeze, but they do cool enough to keep trout active throughout the colder months.

By this time, higher-elevation trout are sluggish, locked beneath ice or hiding in frigid water, but valley floor fish are still on the chew. For anglers who follow the bite downslope, the season can stretch well into the new year.

This progression makes fall special. It’s not just a single moment, but a moving target that rewards anglers who adapt. Start high, then follow the bite as fall conditions march downhill. By doing so, you can enjoy weeks of prime trout fishing, just as the Sierra itself transitions from the blaze of autumn color to the quiet chill of winter. CK

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accustomed to hatchery scents. The key is experimentation; some days the bite will come on worms, others on dough baits.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION

Not all of a lake’s shoreline is created equal. Fall trout gravitate to certain features, and knowing where to fish can make the difference between a skunk and a stringer.

Points are prime, especially those that extend into deeper water. Trout cruise along them looking for food. Creek mouths are another hot spot, particularly after an early storm sends fresh, cold water into the lake. Browns and rainbows often stack up at these inflows.

Shaded coves with shallow flats are also productive, especially during the low-light hours of dawn and dusk. Many anglers cast too far. In fall, the majority of feeding fish are within 40 feet of shore. Watch the water; if you see surface dimples, boils or baitfish flickering, chances are the trout are already right in front of you.

STRATEGY, PRESENTATION

Presentation is everything. Once you’ve cast out, place the rod in a holder and leave some slack in the line. Trout are notorious for spitting out baits if they feel resistance. One simple trick is to clip a small bobber to the line between the rod tip and the second guide. With enough slack, the bobber hangs low. When a trout takes the bait, it slowly rises, signaling the perfect moment to set the hook.

Patience is part of the game. Some days the bite is immediate; other days you’ll wait for an hour before a rod doubles over. Stay mobile, try different baits and move along the shoreline until you connect with fish.

FAN CASTING FROM THE BANK

While soaking bait on a slidingsinker rig is a proven way to catch fall trout, many anglers overlook the power of fan casting artificial lures from the shoreline. In autumn, trout often patrol the shallows in search of baitfish and insects, making

them highly susceptible to moving presentations. By covering water with spinners, spoons, plugs or even flies, you can turn a quiet stretch of bank into a hot spot.

The key is to work methodically. Begin by casting straight out, then make successive casts at different angles to the left and right, fanning your presentation across the water. This approach not only shows your lure to more fish, but also helps you locate active trout that may be holding tight to structure, such as dropoffs, stumps or rocky points.

Spinners and spoons are staples. A 1/8- to ¼-ounce Kastmaster in gold or silver is a consistent producer, while Panther Martins in black with yellow dots or gold blades work well in both clear and slightly stained water. Mepps Aglia spinners in size 1 or 2 are another solid choice.

Small plugs, especially minnow imitators like size F5 or F7 Rapalas in silver/black or rainbow trout patterns, are deadly on fall browns that are keyed in on baitfish.

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For anglers who enjoy fly fishing but want to reach beyond a traditional cast, teaming a streamer or Woolly Bugger with a clear, water-filled slip bobber is a proven trick. The added weight of the water allows for long

casts, and the float keeps the fly riding at the perfect depth. Olive, black or brown Woolly Buggers in size 8 to 10 are reliable choices.

Fan casting demands more movement and attention than bait

fishing, but it can be incredibly rewarding. When the rod bucks and a trout slams your lure on the retrieve, the excitement is second to none.

WHY FALL MATTERS

Autumn is special because it represents a convergence of conditions – cooling water, active trout and lighter crowds –and for the bank angler, it’s the season of opportunity, a time when the odds tilt in your favor as trout come shallow and cruise nearshore areas.

There’s nothing quite like a crisp Sierra morning, with the mist rising off the lake, your line stretched into the shallows and the knowledge that at any moment a hard-fighting trout might take your bait. Fall is the time to be there – boots on the bank, rod in hand, soaking in not just the fishing but the beauty of the high country.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Fall in the Central and Northern Sierra is more than just another season; it’s the payoff for months of waiting. The water cools, the trout return to the shallows and anglers on the bank suddenly hold the advantage. Whether you’re fishing a brook trout lake near timberline, working a foothill reservoir on a crisp November day or soaking bait from the bank of a broad valley lake in December, fall trout fishing offers a sense of connection to both the fish and the season.

For the patient bank angler with a good rig, the right bait and an eye for shoreline features, this is the time when everything comes together. And if you’re willing to follow the bite down the slopes, you can keep that magic alive long after the first snowfall closes the high country. Autumn is fleeting, but for trout fishermen it’s also unforgettable. CS

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

FISHING

WHEN TROLLING IS PRETTY FLY

AN UNCONVENTIONAL METHOD FOR TRICKING TROUT THIS TIME OF YEAR

By Mark Fong

Ihave done my fair share of trout trolling, but I must admit that when Dan Valdez, the proprietor of Draggin’ Flies by Dan, told me that he was having great success trolling his hand-tied flies for big brown trout, I was a bit confused.

Over the years, I have fished with Dan a number of times, mainly for kokanee, and each time we trolled with his custom-made kokanee flies. So when Dan started talking about brown trout, I assumed he was using conventional tackle on a downrigger in much the same way that he targets kokanee. Boy, was I surprised to learn that he was trolling flies with an actual fly rod.

According to Valdez, this technique came about more than 30 years ago.

“My longtime fishing partner Gary MacFarland is a fly fishing guide,” he explains. “When we first started trolling for trout together, he didn’t have any leadcore rigs, so instead, he just used his fly rod. To this date, when we fish together he only brings his fly rods and I provide the downrigger rods.”

Over the same 30-year period, Valdez has had exceptional success with this technique at waters all over Northern California, including Lakes Almanor, Eagle, Shasta and Berryessa, plus countless others. He and MacFarland have landed many big fish, including one over 11 pounds for Valdez and a 9-pound Shasta Lake brown trout for MacFarland just this past January.

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FLY ROD TROLLING EXPLAINED

Fly rod trolling with an intermediate sinking line is similar to trolling with leadcore line on a conventional levelwind setup. You don’t use downriggers, which limits the effective trolling depth to the upper section of the water column. Anytime the trout are in this depth zone, Valdez has such confidence in this technique that he always has at least one fly rod in the water.

He relishes the challenge of battling a big trout on a fly rod.

“Once you hook up, the fight is definitely much more fun for me,” says Valdez. “It’s certainly a different way to catch them and you’re much more in contact with everything the fish is doing, and I think that’s what entices me to do this over a more traditional approach.”

While fly rod trolling can be effective year-round, it is Valdez’s

preferred technique in early spring and fall. During these times of the year, trout traditionally come up into the top 20 feet of water to chase bait. While trout may move up and down in the water column during the course of the day, early morning is the prime time for the fish to be near the surface.

“When I get out there in the morning, just that first crack of light traditionally during this time of year, I am seeing the fish lipping on the surface; just slurping the little bugs. Or sometimes they are chasing bait, so they are attacking from below. And those flies provide a nice profile that they can come up and hit,” Valdez explains. “I think the flies are just a bit more natural presentation than a spoon or even a nightcrawler, but once that first hour and a half to two hours of the morning is gone, that’s when I’ll typically make a switch over to the spoon or nightcrawler.”

“I hate to admit it, but Gary traditionally outfishes me with this technique,” he adds. “(That’s) because one of the things that makes a big difference in this type of fishing is adding extra motion to the fly. When I drive the boat, 90 percent of the time my rod is in a holder with a wiggle disc. I am driving the boat and drinking my coffee, and I have too many things to do than to constantly maintain my rod. On the other hand, Gary very seldom puts his rod down and he continually imparts a little jerking action. So he is just moving

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“When we first started trolling for trout together,”

says, “he didn’t have any leadcore rigs, so instead, he just used his fly rod.”

his rod back and forth, and these fish are triggered by the changes in movement. And it doesn’t matter what the movement pattern is; he just keeps it moving with a change of cadence. Because these flies are made with softer materials, when you jerk the fly will get streamlined, but once that jerking motion is done, the fly will start to flutter back and all the material will fan out. That, for whatever reason, is what seems to give those fish that desire to strike. The fly is puffing back and forth, it’s getting narrow when you pull it, and then it flares out as it drops back.”

Whenever Valdez takes out someone who is new to this type of trolling, he always adds a wiggle disc to their fly and instructs them to leave their rod in the holder and just wait until it pops.

“You don’t really need to set the hook because the forward motion of the boat is plenty to generate enough force to hook up,” he says. “From that point on, it’s fish on. Just maintain constant pressure and don’t hurry the fish; just take your time. When the fish decides to run, stop reeling, and when it stops it is time to reel. Most fly reels have a 1:1 gear ratio, so anytime the fish decides to run towards the boat, you really need to crank fast.”

MORE SPECIFICS

Valdez likes to troll with an 8-foot, 6-inch to 9-foot, 6-inch, 6- to 7-weight fly rod with a matching reel. Next, he spools up with 90 feet of intermediate sinking fly line, to which he adds a 10-foot leader of 8-pound monofilament line. Before tying directly to the fly he threads on a small plastic wiggle disc 4 to 8 inches in front of the fly. The wiggle disc gives the fly a natural swimming action and vibration.

Valdez typically alternates between three different styles of trolling flies.

“The flies that I fish the most are the streamers,” he says. “Those are primarily designed to look like a little

baitfish. The other two that I like to use look like a Woolly Bugger. One is tied with a feather over the top to make it more streamlined to imitate a baitfish. And the last fly is one I call the Flash-A-Bugger; it imitates more of an insect.”

When it comes to trolling specifics, Valdez customarily prefers to let out about 100 feet of line behind the boat to where his fly reel backing is just visible on the spool of the reel. Trolling speed is important and slow is the way to go – somewhere in the range between 1.3 to 1.7 miles per hour, which is just a little faster than kokanee trolling speed.

Valdez is not a straight-line troller. He believes that adding variability to his trolling path is an important key to getting more bites. Speed up or slow down, turn right or turn left –anything that changes the direction and cadence of the bait can trigger a strike from following fish.

If you are looking to add an extra level of excitement to your trolling game, try trolling flies with a fly rod. I bet you’ll enjoy the fight. CS

Editor’s note: To contact Dan Valdez or to purchase his trolling flies or dodgers, he can be reached at his Facebook page (Draggin’ Flies by Dan).

CATS OUT OF THE BAG

FIGHT BIG WHISKERFISH AT LAKE BERRYESSA AND BEYOND

By Cal Kellogg

“

I’ve got one running up here,” Nate related with excitement in his voice.

He was sitting on a cooler in the bow of the boat at Lake Berryessa, holding a long, limber kokanee rod while line disappeared from the spool. Something had inhaled a whole anchovy, dangling 15 feet beneath the boat, and was headed for the submerged creek channel 35 feet below.

Once I had the camera focused on Nate, he engaged the reel and cranked

the huge circle hook home. When the rod bent into a 180-degree arch, the fight was on. The fish moved slowly. Grudgingly, it would come off the bottom a few feet, only to surge right back down.

Nate kept the limber rod loaded and gradually the fish weakened. When we got our first glimpse of the monster channel cat it looked huge, but it seemed even bigger when Nate scooped it into the net. And bigger still when Captain Nate Kelch, all of 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, held the impressive fish up with its pencil-size whiskers standing erect. At first, we

guessed the cat’s weight at 15 pounds, but by the time Nate released it we were convinced it weighed over 20.

Regardless of its exact weight, after a lifetime of chasing catfish it was the second largest channel cat I’d ever seen in person, eclipsed only by a 26-pounder I caught and released at Collins Lake three years ago.

Despite marking many dozens of cats on the early September day, we only hooked one other channel cat, which weighed in at a modest 12 pounds or so. The problem we had was the amount of threadfin shad available. Every cove swarmed with shad

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California has plenty of productive channel cat lakes. Author Cal Kellogg hooked and landed a 26-pound beast while jigging with a Pinhead Spoon at Collins Lake. (CAL KELLOGG)

CHANNEL SURF: 6 MORE WATERS

While Lake Berryessa is one of the state’s finest trophy catfish waters, Northern and Central California are home to several other lakes that consistently produce excellent channel cat fishing. From fertile valley reservoirs to quiet Sierra foothill impoundments, these waters offer plenty of opportunities for anglers who crave the tug of a whiskered heavyweight. Here are some of California’s other channel catfish hot spots

1) Perhaps California’s most famous catfish destination, Clear Lake, in Lake County, has been producing giant channel cats for decades. The lake’s warm, shallow waters are loaded with shad, hitch, crayfish and other forage, and that allows cats to grow fast. Ten- to 15-pound fish are common, and Clear Lake regularly produces 20- to 30-pound monsters. Summer nights are legendary here, when bank anglers line the shoreline soaking cut mackerel, chicken livers or nightcrawlers under lantern lights.

2) Located in Calaveras County, New Melones Lake is better known for trout and kokanee, but its catfish fishery is outstanding. Channel cats thrive in its deep, fertile waters and grow to impressive sizes. Anglers find success on cut shad or anchovies along creek arms like Angels Creek or near the Tuttletown area. Late summer and early fall evenings are prime time, and trophy fish over 20 pounds show up every year.

3, 4) Two Madera County spots, Eastman Lake and Hensley Lake, are heavily planted with catfish by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, making them popular family fishing destinations. Eastman, in particular, has a history of producing trophysize channels. Both lakes provide easy bank access, campgrounds and steady action from spring through fall. Stink baits, chicken livers and cut shad are reliable producers.

5) While best known as a trout fishery, Yuba County’s Collins Lake quietly supports an excellent channel catfish population. Cats here grow large on a steady diet of trout plants, panfish, shad and crawdads. Warm summer nights are best, with anglers catching fish both from boats and the shoreline near campgrounds. The chance of hooking a trophy 10- to 20-pounder adds excitement to every trip.

6) Finally, the California Delta deserves some mention. While better known for stripers and sturgeon, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is home to vast numbers of channel catfish. They’re often overlooked, but patient anglers working deep holes or slow current edges with cut bait are rewarded with both numbers and the occasional giant.

Together, these lakes offer catfish anglers a wide range of options, from easy family outings to serious trophy hunts. CK

and we watched several catfish up on the surface chasing them in open water. With so much bait around, the big cats were feeding as selectively as stream trout during a big hatch.

We tried fishing with both whole squid and whole anchovies, but only the anchovies tempted strikes from the cats, which were hyper-focused on gobbling live baits.

In a strange aside, the one hit we did get on squid turned out to be from a largemouth bass that weighed upwards of 4 pounds. That big ol’ bass left us laughing as we observed that all the tournament bass anglers we saw running around the lake were doing everything wrong. They didn’t need Senkos and swimbaits. Instead, they just needed a couple boxes of frozen squid, a kokanee rod and some 10/0 circle hooks!

BERRYESSA AT A GLANCE

Lake Berryessa, nestled in the eastern hills of Napa County, is both a scenic getaway and a productive fishery. Completed in 1957 with the construction of Monticello Dam, the reservoir was created to provide water storage, power and flood control for the region.

At full capacity, Berryessa spans over 20,000 acres and stretches nearly 26 miles in length, making it one of the largest reservoirs in California. Surrounded by oak-dotted hillsides and rolling vineyards, it has become a popular destination for anglers across the state.

The lake’s history as a fishery is just as rich as its engineering story. The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has long managed Berryessa as a multi-species resource, and today it offers some of the most diverse angling opportunities in Northern California. Trout, bass, salmon and panfish all thrive in its deep, nutrientrich waters, but let’s focus on the cats.

GET TO KNOW BERRYESSA WHISKERFISH

Lake Berryessa is a catfish lake hiding in plain sight. While trout, salmon and bass get the headlines, the reservoir’s

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thriving population of channel cats makes it one of Northern California’s best destinations for numbers and size.

Fish in the 5- to 10-pound class are common, and every year Berryessa gives up cats in the 20- to 30-pound category. For anglers willing to put in the time, it offers some of the most consistent trophy channel catfish action in the state.

WHY THEY GROW BIG HERE

The lake’s size and productivity are what sets it apart. Berryessa’s fertile waters are packed with forage, with threadfin shad, pond smelt, crayfish and other baitfish, all of which combine to provide a constant buffet.

The long, hot summers Napa County is known for extends the growing season, allowing channel

cats to feed heavily and pack on weight year after year. With a combination of deep water, expansive mudflats, rocky points and flooded creek channels, the lake has every type of habitat big cats need to thrive.

TACTICS THAT WORK

Berryessa cats aren’t picky eaters, but they reward anglers who come prepared. The classic approach is a sliding-sinker rig with a 2- to 3-foot leader and a sturdy 2/0 to 4/0 hook.

Freshly cut shad is the number one bait, but anchovies, chicken livers and big nightcrawlers all account for plenty of fish. In snaggy areas, a slip float rig keeps the bait suspended just off the bottom and visible to cruising cats. Mediumheavy tackle spooled with a 12- to 15-pound-test line is a good starting point, though serious trophy hunters often step up to 20-pound line to handle Berryessa’s true giants.

SEASONAL PATTERNS, HOT SPOTS

The just completed summer was Berryessa’s prime catfishing season. Some of the biggest fish of the year are hooked on those hot July and August nights, when cats feed aggressively under cover of darkness. As the sun sets and the water cools, fish slide into the shallows to hunt flats, coves and mud bottoms. Shore anglers often set up at places like Capell Cove or Oak Shores, where night fishing with lanterns and cut bait produces both numbers and size.

Spring offers another excellent window. As the lake warms, catfish gather near inlets and coves, feeding heavily on baitfish and crayfish. This is a great time to catch numbers of smaller cats, with the occasional big fish mixed in.

Winter sees slower action, but patient anglers should target deeper channels. On sunny afternoons, cats often rise slightly shallower to feed, providing opportunities even in the coldest months.

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“For those who love the pull of a heavyweight catfish and the mystery of fishing after dark,” author Cal Kellogg writes, “Berryessa remains one of the state’s true sleeper fisheries – a place where the next bite might be the cat of a lifetime.” (CAL KELLOGG)

Here in fall, catfish will begin to transition to the lake’s middle depths. Flooded valleys such as the Putah Creek Arm are reliable producers, as are rocky points and submerged channel edges throughout the main body. Anglers drifting baits by boat often find steady action during the day, while bank anglers at Markley Cove score after sunset.

QUANTITY AND QUALITY CATS

Many California lakes produce catfish, but Berryessa’s combination of size, habitat and forage allows channel cats to reach trophy proportions. It’s a lake where a determined angler can fill a cooler with pan-sized fish one trip and land a 25-pound brute the next.

For those who love the pull of a heavyweight catfish and the mystery of fishing after dark, Berryessa remains one of the state’s true sleeper fisheries – a place where the next bite might be the cat of a lifetime. CS