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2B Daily News – Saturday, October 13, 2012 Outdoorlife living & High Sierra lake offers perfect chance to catch German brown trout California Outdoors Q&A I Caught a Tagged Lobster … Now What Do I Do? Question: While out lob- ster fishing last weekend, I caught a lobster with a tag attached to it. What should I do with it? (Anonymous, San Diego) Answer: Most lobster tags are small colored strips of plas- tic inserted into the underside or back of the lobster. Look closely for a unique identification code (tag number) and phone number (or website) printed on the tag. Please record the date, location where the lobster was caught (GPS coordinates are best, but distance to a recognized landmark will work if you don't have a GPS), the carapace length of the lobster (to the nearest mil- limeter, if possible) and the tag number. All four pieces of information (date, location, length and tag number) are important when reporting a tagged lobster to scientists. Carrie Wilson MCT photo The Vermilion Cliffs, named for their reddish hue, rise above the east end of Edison Lake in the Sier- ra National Forest as seen from a kayak. BY MAREK WARSZAWSKI The Fresno Bee FRESNO (MCT) — The sun had yet to peek from behind the Mono Divide early one Saturday morning when I parked my truck near the receding waters of Edison Lake. There was no one else around. As I grabbed a few things, a mov- ing flash caught the corner of my eye. A large brown trout was swimming in the shallows, its distinctive spots unmistakable even in the early morn- ing light. It must've been 2 feet long. I excitedly grabbed the nearest ger specimens. Dos Palos battled a monster brown for more than an hour until his line snapped. The next day, a couple kids found it floating with the lure still in its mouth and netted it. On Aug. 24, 1974, Loren Dale of fishing rod and flicked a short cast in the fish's direction. Nothing. I reeled in and cast out again. Nothing. Again. Nothing. That sucker wasn't biting. Eventually, I gave up and unloaded the kayak. But what a way to start the day. brown trout — and in my wildest dreams, a 20-pound monster — is incentive enough to make the brutal drive over Kaiser Pass Road from Huntington Lake. The chance to catch German Introduced to the Sierra area in northern California in 1890, browns are known for being feisty and terri- torial. Most of all, they're elusive. Which means your chances of catch- ing one aren't great. inch fish failed to meet the criteria for any official record. But it still elicits awe every time I see it, mounted and hanging above the front counter at the Vermilion Valley Resort. In 1996, the legend grew when 14 people aboard the VVR ferry claimed to have seen a brown that one of them estimated to be 44 to 48 inches long. That fish was never caught — although many have tried — and it's been a while since Edison produced a true monster. (A 19-pound, 7-ounce brown was caught at Huntington in 2009.) Still, the thought tantalizes anglers whenever they feel a thump on the line. For me, that moment came while headed back to the launch area below the dam, which is completely exposed. I had already caught a nice rainbow while casting near the inlet of Mono Creek, but my trolling efforts had proven fruitless. Paddling upwind near the center of Because of that, the 27-pound, 39- California's state record for brown trout — 26 pounds, 8 ounces — was caught in 1987 at Upper Twin Lake in Mono County by Bakersfield's Danny Stearman. But Edison has produced even big- the lake, I turned to see my rod tip flexing in its holder. I grabbed the rod and immediately felt the weight. Unlike so many other false alarms, this was no snag. It took a few minutes to reel in the 100 feet or so of line and, judging by the lack of resistance, I knew this was Duluth News Tribune DULUTH, Minn. (MCT) — In the pitch black of a November morning, three of us were getting ready to go deer hunting. I was still inside when I heard the unmistak- able sound of a rifle report just outside the house. One of the other hunters had accidentally dis- charged a rifle while load- ing up. Nobody was injured, but I had no idea where the bullet went. Sobering. Many of us have heard such stories. Some of us have been part of similar stories. Most of us who hunt, I would venture, have been in uncomfortable sit- uations from time to time. Firearms safety classes think. We've talked about safe gun handling, and we communicate better in the field. And I've hunted with groups that put safety first. Here are some tips from those experiences: I always like it, espe- cially when hunting with people I may not know well, when someone in the group offers a few basic safety tenets before the group goes afield. I've seen it in deer camps and on bird hunts. It doesn't take much, just a quick reminder about what kind of shots are OK and what are not. It tells everyone that safety is the most important aspect of the hunt. have greatly reduced the number of hunting acci- dents and fatalities. But it never hurts to fine-tune our safety practices in the field. Through the years, my hunting partners and I have become safer hunters, I no monster. But the 16-inch brown trout that struck my jointed Rapala had plenty of fight, diving under the kayak in a last-ditch attempt to escape. After using my phone to take a couple pictures and shoot a short video, I removed the lure from the fish's mouth with a pair of pliers and watched it skitter away. Memories like that are what make all the hassle and expense of getting up here worthwhile. High Sierra reservoirs like Edison are what the Department of Fish and Game calls a "put and grow" fishery. The lake is stocked every spring and fall with rainbow trout fingerlings — 100,000 of them are scheduled to go in this year, nearly double the number from both 2010 and 2011 — that either grow to catchable size or make a tasty meal for the browns, which reproduce naturally. "The browns in Edison are a wild sure. However, if the lobster is less than legal size and is tagged, please quickly record the number on the tag and immediately release the lobster. Do not remove tags from any short lobsters. No undersize lobster (even if tagged) may be brought aboard a boat, placed in any type of receiver or retained in any manner. Lobsters may be brought to the surface to mea- In 2011 and 2012, scientists from the Depart- ment of Fish and Game (DFG), San Diego Oceans Foundation, San Diego State University and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla collaborated with lobster fishermen and volunteers on a project to tag and monitor thousands of lob- sters in Southern California. By reporting tagged lobsters, the data can then be analyzed to deter- mine current abundance levels, size composition of the population, and movement and growth of indi- viduals over time. To learn more about the tagging programs or to report a lobster tagged with a blue, yellow, or green tag, please visit www.taggedlobster.com fish that benefit from the hatchery resource," DFG supervising biologist Brian Beal said. "I've seen them eat some pretty large rainbows." Because Edison Lake is largely inaccessible in the spring, fall is the best time to hunt for browns. And due to last winter's paltry snowpack, along with Southern California Edi- son's full-throttle hydroelectric pro- duction, lake levels are scheduled to drop to their minimum pool of 5 per- cent (6,000 acre feet) by the end of the month. Which means less water to cover and less room for the fish to hide. My return trip is already scheduled. Gun safety should be top priority for hunters BY SAM COOK momentarily loses sight of the other, one of us will call out. The other will answer. Then we all know where we are, and we can continue the hunt. This is especially important in the grouse woods, where hunters momentarily lose sight of each other in the trees. guns out of the truck and facing away from other hunters, then return the cases to the vehicle before loading up. When I'm upland game hunting in the proximity of others, I continuously ask myself, "If a bird got up right now, could I safely shoot?" If I don't know exactly where my hunting partners are, the answer is "no." My hunting partners and I check in with each other often. If one of us Sometimes, especially while hunting pheasants, one of us might veer away from the group to pursue a bird. Perhaps the others will go on. When one of us rejoins the group later, we always announce our pres- ence with a wave or a shout, making sure our partners acknowledge us. One of the highest-risk situations is when hunters are at their vehicle, prepar- ing to hunt. Guns are being uncased and loaded. Dogs are being released from the pickup or their travel ken- nels. In short, a lot is hap- pening. Training dogs to stay until released is one way to reduce the chance of an accident. In our group, we try to uncase Another higher-risk sit- uation is when hunters gather in the field at the conclusion of a hunt to plan the next move. With several hunters milling in a small area, muzzle control is of paramount impor- tance. If you rest your gun on your shoulder, then pivot to respond to some- thing, your muzzle may point at another hunter. In those situations, we typi- cally unload and make sure our guns are never swung or pointed at others. If you feel someone has taken an unsafe shot in a hunting situation, speak up. It's an awkward thing to do, but for the continued safety of the group, some- one needs to say some- thing. Take care of each other. Come home. Get out there. Have fun. begin hunting/shoot an animal? I see guys hunting ditches just off the road for pheasants all the time. Also, what constitutes a "road" for this purpose? (Michael O., Woodland) Answer: There are several laws that apply to what you describe. Most counties regulate the dis- tance from a public roadway a firearm may be dis- charged under a county ordinance. Many counties require 150 feet, but this is highly variable and you would have to check with your county to find out. It is always unlawful to negligently discharge a firearm, and California Penal Code, section 374c prohibits the discharge of a firearm from or upon a public road or highway. Fish and Game Code, sec- tion 3004(b) makes it unlawful to discharge a firearm or release an arrow or crossbow bolt over or across any public road or other established way open to the public in an unsafe and reckless man- ner. Definitions for road and roadway can be found in sections 527 and 530 of the California Vehicle Code. Road Hunting Question: How far off the road must one be to Question: I live on a 50-acre ranch and want to hunt bears this year. I have been using a single bale of alfalfa as an arrow stop to practice shooting my bow on the ranch. Would this alfalfa bale be con- sidered feed, bait or a material capable of attract- ing a bear in section 365 of the regulations? If so, how many days must I wait before hunting bear? (Bret G.) Answer: Bears are more likely to be attracted to fruits and vegetables and meat products rather than alfalfa. As long as the bears aren't attracted to the alfalfa then it would not be considered bait. However, if the alfalfa does prove to be an attrac- tant, you will need to completely remove it and not hunt within 400 yards of the area for 10 days. "Baiting" for bears is prohibited and this means placing or using any feed, bait or other materials capable of acting as an attractant for the purpose of taking or pursuing bears (California Code of Regu- lations Title 14, section 365(e)). A "baited area" is defined as any area where shelled, shucked or unshucked corn, wheat or other grains, salt, or other feed whatsoever capable of luring, attracting or enticing such birds or mammals is directly or indirectly placed, exposed, deposited, distributed or scattered, and such area shall remain a baited area for ten days following complete removal of all such corn, wheat or other grains, salt or other feed (CCR Title 14, section 257.5). Bear bait Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone's questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov.