Outdoor Notes : Winter Hunt Adds a New Wrinkle
There will be a new wrinkle when the annual nine-day winter hunt begins Saturday at Camp Roberts military reservation near Paso Robles in San Luis Obispo County.
For the first time, steelhead and salmon fishing will be permitted along the banks of the Salinas River during the hunt period.
Wildlife biologist Jim Lidberg of the Department of Fish and Game warns, however, that fishing prospects are only fair, at best.
Hunters probably will do better than anglers. Prospects range from very good for wild pig, quail, and rabbit hunters to fair for waterfowl gunners. Lidberg said that if winter storms in Northern California increase, the waterfowl population probably will go up.
Hunting will be allowed Saturday and Sunday, then again Dec. 27 and 28, then Dec. 31-Jan. 4. Fishing will be permitted on Saturday and Sunday both weekends and Wednesday, Dec. 31.
According to Lidberg, reservations are neither necessary nor accepted. “We can host 250 hunters a day and have never come close to filling that quota during a winter hunt,” he said.
Hunters need a daily $7 permit besides a state hunting license and both state and federal waterfowl stamps. Fishermen need a $5 three-day permit.
Sportsmen must check in and out daily at Gate 3, which will be open from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. on hunt days. Gate 3 can be reached by taking the East Garrison turn-off from U.S. 101.
Barrett W. McInerny, a Van Nuys attorney and leader of a legal battle to preserve Rush Creek, the Owens River Gorge and other waters for fish and wildlife, has been chosen as the recipient of the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers’ Order of the Jassid.
The order of the Jassid is named for an artificial fly tied with the feathers of the jungle cock, an endangered species. “It is symbolic of all endangered species and waters,” said John Crisp, president of the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers.
McInerny, a vice president of CalTrout, has represented that conservation organization in litigation to maintain adequate water flows in Rush Creek, the Owens River and other Eastern Sierra streams.
The California Fish and Game Commission reminds that hunting rules for 1987 will be considered in February, a month earlier than usual.
The three-step process will begin Feb. 6 in Long Beach, when recommended rule changes will be received. At a meeting March 6 in Redding, the commission will allow public discussion and will tentatively adopt the regulations. Final regulations will be adopted April 3 in Sacramento.
Briefly The Loyola Marymount University Bass Fishing Institute will offer four Wednesday night sessions in bass fishing techniques, starting Jan. 28. Each session will be conducted by a leading sportfishing authority. Cost for the institute is $49. Additional information is available by calling (213) 642-2757. . . . The largest group of lingcod since 1970 is thriving in Monterey Bay, according to the DFG. The fish are 17-18 inches long now and are expected to reach legal size, 22 inches, in 1988. . . . Fishing licenses for 1987 are available now at many outlets. The basic general permit for ocean and inland fishing is the same price as this year’s, $18.50. . . . W.I.L.D. Programs Unlimited and the Sacramento Safari Club have opened nominations for pro-sportsman educator of the year. The award is given yearly to a California teacher actively supporting or promoting pro-sportsman education. Nomination packages can be obtained from Randy Orzalli, 7713 Ecton Rd., Citrus Heights, Calif., 95610. . . . The Nevada Department of Wildlife reminds parents planning to give an air gun or firearm to a youngster for Christmas to accompany the gift with an enrollment in a hunter-safety course. . . . The Arizona Game and Fish Dept., in cooperation with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept., has begun capturing more than 100 Chihuahuan pronghorn antelope in Texas for transplanting in Greenlee and Cochise counties in Arizona.