Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3903 Jan 17-31 2020 | Page 29

Jan 17-31, 2020 VOL.39 • ISS. 3 A 27 My Year In Review As The Editor Of The West’s Best Fishing Magazine! s I stand here at my tall desk typing away it is 5:30 AM Christmas morning 2019. For me 2019 has been a fantastic year, although the last 48 hours, while certainly memorable have been less than fantastic. You see about 36 hours ago I had a huge molar, slightly smaller than a dinosaur tooth extracted from my jaw and replaced with a bone graph topped off with some stiches that feel like 65-pound Power Pro. At the moment, there is a dull ache emanating from where the tooth used to live and I feel generally woozy from the pain killers I took a while ago, so excuse any rambling or typos in the upcoming paragraphs…LOL! One of the cool things about the Fish Sniffer is that we consider our readers family, so we share triumphs and defeats with them just like you would with any other family. We talk about new boats, big fish, anglers and friends that have passed and the joy of having a tooth ripped out… Let’s talk fishing! Having gotten my Kayak City Hobie Pro Angler 14 kayak back in the spring of ’18, 2019 marks my first full year of kayak fishing. I’ve put that kayak through its paces for sure and it has some battle scars to prove it, but it has never failed me and its proven to be a big fish catching machine! This year I also had the good fortune of signing a deal for a sponsored 18’ Duckworth Advantage Sport from Mark Blanton and team at Gone Fishin’ Marine. I’m co-captaining that boat with the Fish Sniffer’s own Wes Ward, so the boat has spent a lot of time on the water all over northern California. In terms of fishing this year was about trout, trout and more trout. Sure, I caught some halibut and stripers, rockfish and salmon, but trout were definitely on center stage. Early in the spring I successfully took on the challenge of kayaking Folsom Lake and ended up getting my first king out of the kayak. The spring trip that stands out the most for me was the trip I took to Frenchman’s Reservoir. I’d never been to the lake before and found it to be both unique and productive. The lava structures that surround the lake are amazing and French- man’s straddles the divide between the desert country of the Great Basin and the conifer forest of the northern Sierra/ Southern Cascades. I found the trout action at Frenchman’s to be absolutely Cal Kellogg enjoyed outstanding trout fishing in 2019 catching hundreds of fish and several large rainbows, including this amazing 4 pounder that he battled at Lake Almanor during an April outing. epic and I caught Photo by CAL KELLOGG, Fish Sniffer Staff. several energetic Eagle Lake rainbows on orange Needle- fish on the day I spent there. payed off. We hook 3 fish. One rainbow piece. The pain killers have kicked in and Another special destination I visited was tiny. One was over 3 and Gena’s beast my jaw has stopped hurting too…LOL! this spring was Lewiston Lake. I took my was over 5. In closing I want to thank all the readers wife Gena up there for our anniversary in I was so proud of Gena that day. The fish of the Fish Sniffer and all the viewers of May. We ended up being plagued by wind charged the boat, so I wasn’t able to clear the Fish Hunt Shoot Productions channel and rain and only spent enough time on the downriggers or other lines and I saw for all the support you gave me and the the water to land one smallish rainbow, right away that it was barely hooked. rest of the team in 2019. If it wasn’t for but the long narrow lake is intriguing and Gena fought that fish like a champ and you folks we couldn’t do what we do! beautiful. I will certainly be back! followed every direction from me as I We’ve got some exciting things in the I hit Lake Davis a number of times this stalked the fish with the net, watching it planning stages for 2020 and it all kicks spring and fall and really fell in love with surge down and headshake repeatedly off at Cal Expo in mid-January when we’ll the lake. I caught over 200 trout there and right next to the downrigger cable! all be at the big Sacramento ISE Show. many of them were over 16 inches. On the video side, my YouTube channel When we wrap that show, I always figure Davis is back in the wake of the Fish Hunt Shoot Productions continues spring and more outstanding fishing are infamous pike poisonings and the trout to blitz forward. We published over 200 right around the corner! fishing available there is absolutely videos this year and are approaching If you make it to the show, stop by the incredible. It’s weedy forage rich waters 3 million total views and are just 80 Fish Sniffer Booth and say hello. We love are home to a massive population of subscribers short of 10,000! seeing all of our old friends and making holdover and wild rainbows and on top of Well I hear Gena and Lucy stirring new ones…Merry Christmas, Happy New that, Davis is heavily planted. It’s a terrific around upstairs so I better conclude this Year, Cal! destination for both kayakers and boaters. Early and late in the year I observed bank anglers doing every bit as well as I was doing from the kayak. A lot of big trout hit the deck of the kayak and the Duckworth this year, including numerous 3 pounders a 5 pounder at Collins, a 4 pounder at Shasta and a 4 plus at Almanor in April, but the most memorable trout of the year for me was the big 5 plus pounder Gena caught 232 GULFSTREAM at Almanor this fall on a trip that had included breaking down with the boat in tow and lots of big wind. Everything seemed to be going against us, but we stayed at it and persistence FISH SNIFFER COUNTRY by Cal Kellogg GRADY-WHITE BOAT SHOW SPECIALS on All Grady White Boats @SHELTERLODGE Gear Up HEAVY DUTY TR-530 VINYL COATED STEEL SPACE SAVING For Crab Season COLLAPSIBLE TR-830 STAINLESS STEEL POT QUICK SOAK TR-632A HINGED DOOR COLLAPSIBLE BOX STYLE 208 ADVENTURE 228 HARDTOP TR-555 COLLAPSIBLE BOX STYLE TRAP SEE OUR COMPLETE LINE OF ACCESSORIES Call Now for details and availability! TR-102W FOLDING CRAB TRAP NE-107,107XL, & 107XLH AMBUSH SERIES HOOP NET AVAILABLE AT SELECT TACKLE & SPORTING GOOD STORES FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT (866) 264-1562 OR VISIT US ONLINE AT WWW.PROMARNETS.COM FOLLOW US (408)371-6681 www.cvmarine.com 3902