Fishing Magic

The emerald-green stream water glistened with early morning indirect sunlight. The deepest portion of the hole, alongside the swift current, had the best potential to hold large trout.

 

The fly, hand tied on a size ten hook to the specifications provided by my brother, seemed like an insignificant item in the rushing stream water. As I flipped it towards the center of the stream, weighted with a few wraps of lead tied to the shank of the hook, the fly disappeared quickly into the churning stream.

 

Over and over again I flipped the fly watching the small ball attached to my leader about four feet above the fly. With total concentration I focused on the ball waiting for any indication of a strike.

 

It seemed like folly, but experience told me that eventually a fish would pick up the fly, fooled by the imitation. The fish would only hold onto the fly for an instant before spitting it out once it was determined to be a foreign object - not the living nymph upon which it preyed.

 

Casting over and over again, I mended the line to allow the leader and attached fly to float naturally in the moving water. A few feet under the surface, trout lay alongside the boulders. Although not visible, they were surely there.

 

Over and over, until my back ached from holding the rod outward, away from my body, but still my eyes stayed focused for any indication of a strike. Then it happened, the ball turned the wrong direction for an instant. I instinctively raised the rod - tension on the line, a few throbs on the rod tip and a trout magically appeared in the stream in front of me.

 

Like a diamond - the shaking trout flashed with each movement. He’s on I thought, as adrenaline rushed into my system. I waited for the fish’s next move. It’s during the first moments of the fight that the fish has the advantage.

 

The throbbing lasted for a few seconds and then he turned, adding the power of the river to his innate swimming ability, the rainbow shot downstream ripping line of my reel, as I clamored over the marble mountain of rocks sliding along the steep bank while holding my rod high with my left hand and reaching out with my right to maintain my balance.

 

Several times I stopped to gather or give line and assess how far I’d have to go before landing the trout. Eventually the runs became shorter and the fish turned on its side. That’s when I was able to slide it onto the shore and remove the hook from its jaw.

 

In a flash it disappeared back into the emerald water. The battle was over and I was fulfilled.

Fires Rage, Fishing Good

Roads were closed and the sky was filled with smoke, but that didn’t stop our annual trek to the north lands for trout fishing. Highway 70, up the Feather River Canyon has been closed for about a week and today highway 32 from Lake Almanor to Chico was closed due to the proximity of lighting caused fires in the Deer Creek area.

However, trout fishing at Almanor was excellent. Even a few nice small mouth bass fell to our Hex nymphs fished from float tubes.

Brother Rob lands a nice five pound brown early in the evening.

 

Fishing buddy, Kevin, readies his gear as the sun sets in smoke from the many fires in Butte County.

The Ecology of Fear

Researchers in Oregon have concluded, after extensive research, that prey species have a fear of predators and that prey species move away from their mortal enemies in an effort to survive. They have also concluded that this natural system has an important relationship to the success of other plant and animal life.

Impressive conclusion?

Interesting how a bit of research can lead to statements by politicians who are too eager to use science as a basis for social sculpturing. In our local paper (on a front-page feature article no less) Tri-Valley Herald reporter Suzanne Bohan uses the research to support her own conclusions.

” YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK - More fear of fangs is what’s needed to revive hoof-worn Western lands.”

What’s wrong with this? From what I see, the research related to this subject is most applied to wolves. There are and have never been wolves in Yosemite.

Bohan then goes on to apply the “Fear” theory to mountain lions. Then she concludes that we don’t have enough of them and we need more lions in the park for the benefit of botanical success.

Horse poop. Mountain lions are at equilibrium in California. Our habitat cannot support any more mountain lions. If you want to save the flora and fauna of Yosemite Valley, remove the tourists. They are what keeps the mountain lions away. Lions don’t like people.

Lions do move deer around and it is a benefit for the ecosystem. Human hunters do the same thing. After removing the tourists, we can then insert human hunters to assist the lions. The result will be a much improved Yosemite.

I’m all for it.

Hunting Along Alaska’s Pipeline Haul Road

On September 11, 2001 Rob and I were packed and ready to fly to Fairbanks. As we approached Oakland Airport, we came to realize that our trip would be delayed. It was four or five days later that we finally boarded a different plane and flew to Fairbanks.

Our trip was to be a self guided archery moose and caribou hunt along the Alaska pipeline road to Prudhoe Bay. We outfitted ourselves and rented an SUV in Fairbanks. A day of driving later we crossed the Yukon River and headed into what seemed like no man’s land.

Archery hunting is permited along the haul road, but rifle hunters must travel 5 miles to be legal.

Along with sheep, musk ox, caribou, moose and black bear we observed several grizzly bears along the way.

The Brooks Range was quite scenic.

 

 

The pipeline was sometimes an impressive sight. This is the North slope.

 

We camped at the Arctic Circle and had lunch the next day in Coldfoot, supposedly the coldest place on the North American Continent. We finally found some caribou to hunt after passing the Brooks Range and arriving at the North Slope. We hunted caribou for a few days and had some close encounters, but failed to get off any shots. Since our trip was cut short by 9/11, we didn’t have long before we needed to head south to the Arctic Circle to hunt moose.

While camped at the Arctic Circle, Rob fed this gray jay.

Unfortunately, the unseasonably warm weather precluded typical moose rutting activity and we went home without seeing a single bull moose.

This was the Prudhoe Bay gas station where we filled up. Next gas, Coldfoot, a few hundred miles south.

It was a great adventure.

Musk ox sleeping a few yards off the haul road on the North Slope.

Tracking the Black Bear

While archery hunting for mule deer in the Hoover Wilderness in 1991, I noticed that the well-warn trail leading into the hunting area was littered with animal tracks each morning only to be erased by human travelers during the day.

One morning I arose early and took a few minutes to observe, measure and sketch a beautiful and perfect pattern of black bear tracks in the deep dust of the trail. Carrying a notebook, pencil, tape measure and string is what one needs to make an accurate record of tracks. I keep these items in a ziplock bag when I’m in the tracking mode.

Note that when the black bear walks he moves one side of his body and then the other as is the case with other wide-bodied animals like porcupines, beavers, wolverines and raccoons. This is his primary mode of travel, but when he shifts into high gear, his gait will change to a lope or a gallop.

Sportsmen Testify Before State Senate Appropriations Committee on Behalf of SB1172

SB1172 creates California Fish and Game Commission oversight over expenditure of funds generated from sale of all tags and stamps issued for take of big game animals in California including funds generated from Fundraising Tags, deer, elk, bear, sheep, antelope and pig tags as well as upland game bird stamps.

 

This video shows the testimony of Senator Dutton who authored the bill, Mark Hennelly of COHA who sponsored the bill and various conservation organization representatives who testified on behalf of the bill. Since this hearing the bill has passed through the Senate and will soon be tested in the Assembly.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ICRsvptSfNg

Warthogs in South Africa

Warthogs and baboons feeding at Pillainsberg Wildlife Refuge near Sun City South Africa.

Although not considered high on the list of African trophy animals, warthogs are a very significant animal for several reasons. First of all you’ll see them often. They are interesting to watch and strange looking with their large tusks. And, they are fun to hunt.

While we stayed at the Nagala Camp, warthogs would occasionally roam through camp. The first video is a clip of a large warthog as it grazed in camp. Note how it feed from its knees.

http://www.youtube.com/v/7SdX475eYWw

The second video is a clip of a warthog I killed at Sitatanga Safaris. It is one of the two animals (both warthogs) I was able to bag while still hunting with my bow. Hunting from a blind over bait was more effective, but still hunting was the most fun and more satisfying. You will see that this was an enclosed ranch and it wasn’t large, only a few hundred acres, but the fences played no role related to the warthogs as they were frequently observed crawling under the fences.

I started the hunt at first light, not far from our camp. I spotted this pig about 60 yards away standing very still and broadside from me. At first I thought that he had seen me, but stepping back behind a bush, I was able to slowly approach to thirty yards.

At that range I decided to shoot and hit him, but it didn’t appear to be a great location. Off he went and it wasn’t until later in the day that we recovered him after a trail of about 300 yards or so. The South African speaking in the video was my professional hunter Kobus Grobler - a fun guy to hunt with.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Ed1QJqhCtQo

Watching Delta Geese

On December 1, 2007, Tom Billingsley and I sat in camp and watched the geese lift off. I related this on an earlier blog. Recently I uploaded the short video I made right after the geese lifted off. Even though many, if not most, of the geese had already flown, you’ll get the idea of the goose numbers that were packed onto Webb Tract that weekend. Check it out.

The quality of this video is very poor, but you’ll get the idea of what was going on that day if you watch.

http://www.youtube.com/v/ZIW_JGzCSM0

Roaring Lion at Kruger National Park

While in South Africa, we spent three nights at Nagala Tented Safaris. The camp was located in the bush and we had wart hogs and bushboks feeding right in camp. In fact, there was no fence so any animal could potentially walk through camp, except the elephant. To keep elephants out, an electric wire was strung about ten feet high around the camp.

One of the exciting moments we experienced while viewing wildlife at Kruger Park was watching a male lion roar from a distance of about ten to fifteen yards. The roar was quite loud. I don’t think the video does it justice.

The lions roared each night, apparently keeping track of their buddies. One night the lions roared very close to camp and one lion seemed to pass by within a couple hundred yards, but we could hear them for miles as well.

Apparently the lions keep track of their pride by roaring, but they also may be searching for female lions in other prides that are vulnerable to take over. If a male lion takes over a pride, it kills the cubs, so females with cubs often band together in groups (prides) so they can defend their young against intruders.

Lone female lions with cubs will avoid unknown male lions, as a single female lioness is less likely to be able to fight off an intruding male lion than a pride with several females.

http://www.youtube.com/v/Dmas8IA5P18

Callippe Silverspot Butterfly

 Another Bay Area endangered butterfly is the callippe silverspot. The reason for its decline is clear. Its habitat is grasslands in San Francisco and other cities surrounding San Francisco Bay.

In the Livermore Hills we find a variety of callippe butterfly that is similar. As with the callippe silverspot, this callippe butterfly is associated with violets and we have plenty of them on our ranch.

Here’s a photo of a callippe taken by my brother, Rob. The butterflies commonly utilize the nectar of the buckeye trees in spring. This one is perched on a buckeye blossom.