16 August 4 - 18 , 2017 VOL . 36 • ISS . 17

with superficial articles written by writers that have little gravitas … And that ’ s being kind !

When you start putting on years ( I just turned 50 ) and realize the world around you has changed you start to get a little sentimental . You look around the world and begin looking for anchors to the past that link you to golden days that you will never experience again .

It was this sort of thinking that prompted me to reach out to two prominent outdoor writers that I ’ ve read for decades and happen to know personally .

One was John Higley and the other was Bill Adelman . John has been covering hunting and fishing in California and beyond about 50 years and he ’ s especially well known for his passion for deer and turkey hunting . John has written too many magazine articles to keep track of and several books as well .

Bill has hundreds upon hundreds of fishing articles and a lesser number of hunting articles to his credit . He also has an extensive resume as a guide , rod builder , fly tier and he ’ s a fanatical shad fisherman .

In addition to all that , Bill has been with the staff of the Fish Sniffer longer than I have . In fact , I was reading Bill ’ s stuff in the pages of the Sniffer when I was still in college .

My idea was to get John and Bill together on a boat where we could catch a few fish and I could bounce a few questions off of them about hunting , fishing and the futures of the sports we love . When they agreed to join me , I called up Robert Weese of Northern California Guide Service and set up a wild rainbow trout trip on the Sacramento River .

Robert is a super talented river guide , but he ’ s also calm and mature … A perfect fit for the kind of trip I had in mind .

And such is the back story that prompted Adelman , Higley , Weese and I to meet at the Jelly ’ s Ferry launch ramp a few miles north east of Red Bluff early on the morning of July 10 .

After exchanging pleasantries , Robert launched his jet boat and we all climbed aboard . The plan for the day was to drift

With master guide Robert Weese looking on , John Higley shows off a feisty Sacramento River wild rainbow that couldn ’ t resist a juicy cricket .

Photo by CAL KELLOGG , Fish Sniffer Staff .

www . NoSeeUmNoMore . com

crickets for the river ’ s rainbows . Robert spent a few minutes explaining the tackle , the technique and how to properly pin a cricket on the hook . After that we were fishing !

As we fished we all shared lots of stories and I asked Bill and John a long list of questions , none of which I have the space to cover here . But my central questions were , “ How has hunting and fishing in California changed over the past 25 years and what will our sports look like 25 years from now ?”

John : “ I think we ’ ve seen a steady decline in opportunity over the past quarter century . We are seeing less big game tags being issued , it ’ s harder to get a quality tag and there are less trout being stocked , both at local waters and in the backcountry . Of course , it isn ’ t all doom and gloom . Heck some of us thought it would be even worse by now .”

Bill : “ Politics has become more and more central to hunting and fishing in California and in many ways , it ’ s politics that has killed and is killing our sports . The fact is that while I love California the political climate and ever shrinking opportunities have prompted me to do my hunting out of state . Until California gets serious about hunting they won ’ t be getting any more of my hunting dollars . I go to Wyoming every other year now . Tags are more available and the hunting is far superior . We could have great hunting in California , but it ’ s just not a priority for the people of California or for the CDFW .”

John : “ I think one of the big issues is the changing attitudes of Californians . Hunters and anglers are connected to the land , but these days with most folks living in cities there is a big disconnect from the land . We ’ ve moved from an outdoor society to a city society . Most folks don ’ t view the outdoors as

a place to go to harvest fish or game and sports like fishing and hunting aren ’ t viewed as viable “ recreation ” for the majority of people . In that way hunters , anglers and our sports have become marginalized .”

one event you can ’ t afford to miss out on .

Why , you ask ? The answer is simple , during the sale there is storewide savings on everything you ’ ll need when the season opens and the birds start streaming back into the Sacramento Valley !

Do you need to replace those leaky waders ? Could you use some fresh decoys for your spread ? Would you like to start off the season with a fresh case of steel shot shells ? All these things and a whole lot more will be going out the door during the sale at the lowest prices of the year . For the folks at Kittle ’ s that annual waterfowl sale is one of the big events of the entire year

“ Our annual waterfowl sale is pretty exciting ,” relates Kittle ’ s owner Pat Kittle . “ We ’ ll be offering all the nuts and bolts items that waterfowlers rely on at super low prices .”

As if the annual waterfowl sale isn ’ t exciting enough , the California State Duck Calling Championship will take place amidst the sale !

Bill : “ 25 years from now our sports , will exist in some form but people won ’ t have the opportunities we have now and the politics of our state is shaping our sports in a way that is very negative .”

John : “ I agree with Bill and I ’ d add that as expensive as our sports have become , we are only seeing the tip of the iceberg . You ’ ll still be able to hunt and fish in California in 25 years , the question is will you be able to afford it ?”

Robert weighed in and summed things up pretty well saying , “ In California hunting and fishing has become a political football that politicians use as leverage . Decisions are made for political reasons and not to push our sports forward . In many ways politicians are very negative for our sports because they routinely divert the money that we spend on hunting and fishing to fund other agendas . That money is supposed to be spent to enhance hunting and fishing , but that ’ s not what

The 2017 California State Duck Calling Championship

The 2017 California State Duck

Calling Competition is set for August 26 & 27

The City of Colusa and Kittle ’ s Outdoor & Sport Co . once again have the honor of hosting this fantastic event . The State Championship Event gives California Sportsman and Sportswoman the opportunity to test their calling skills in a competitive environment , and possibly qualify for the prestigious 81st Annual World Championship in Stuttgart , Arkansas . The competition consists of numerous classes including but not limited to ; Open Contest , Intermediate Contest , and Junior contests .

The calling contest will be held at Colusa ’ s Veteran ’ s Memorial Park right across from Kittle ’ s .

For more information , check out the Kittle ’ s ad in this edition of the Fish Sniffer !

Kittle ’ s is located at 888 Market St . in Colusa , Ca . If you have any question or for more details you can call ( 530 ) 458- 4868 or visit the Kittle ’ s website-www . kittlesoutdoor . com .

has been happening .”

While all this conversation was going on , we were catching fish . Several shiny beautifully marked wild rainbows came to the net and were released , along with some jumbo hardheads , pike minnows and suckers .

We all had a great time cheering when one of us would stick a rainbow or jeering when a rough fish boiled to the surface . When the July sun climbed high in the sky and the temperature went from warm to hot , we tucked our tails and headed back to the ramp to eat our lunches in the shade !

I want to extend my thanks to Robert for taking a trio of grumbling writers out for a day of fun , fish and conversation .

A special thanks goes out to Bill and John , not for joining me on the water , but for all the memories and insights I ’ ve gleaned from reading their ramblings over the past three decades . I was listening to both of you !