BY MIKE STEVENS
My first role at Western Outdoor News was proofreading pages. That’s it. Zero writing, or anything else really. I came in one day a week, and as the editorial department finished each page of the paper, I would jump on it and hunt for typos. My role grew as time passed, two days a week, three, and eventually the owner said, “I don’t know why you don’t just come here full time,” and I fell into Southern California Freshwater Editor role, it being the only one somewhat open.
Fast forward to now, and I have my hands on every section of each paper at some level. Along with still proofing pages, I still write freshwater, some saltwater, Sierra features, conservation stuff and even a touch of hunting. Over the years, touching on every section of the publication has taught me some cool things I might not have ever uncovered. Here are the first that come to mind.
‘Duct anglers are crazy
In a good way. I knew the California Aqueduct existed and people fished it, but I have to admit, I figured it filled a similar role as pier fishing, only inland. Oh no. These guys are serious, dedicated-as-hell anglers who will fish all night as well as through scorching daytime temps (I’m speaking of the Bakersfield ‘duct guys here, that’s the stretch WON covers). The ‘duct is a unique fishery, and they have their own arsenal of specialized tactics to hit it with. Some even have bicycles customized for patrolling the banks with all their gear so they can cover more water. This isn’t news to local anglers or shops like Cope’s Tackle and Rod in Bakersfield that caters to ‘duct guys, but I wouldn’t have known if I wasn’t filling out half of the SoCal Reports by Region (RBR, formerly “Form Charts”).
One time I found out the starting quarterback for the Raiders, David Carr (Bakersfield native, now retired) fished the aqueduct in the offseason. Dude is sittin’ on millions, could fish anywhere in the world, and he hits THE DUCT. Outstanding!
Willow Beach guys are tough nuts to crack
It took me forever to establish contacts for Willow Beach reports because everyone out there (the trophy striper guys anyway) doesn’t want anyone else fishing there. I remember thinking I was making progress, but started noticing everyone told me they caught their big fish at “Mile Marker 52.” Eventually, I made a fair amount of legit contacts, several of which fully admitted, “Yeah, we all just say Mile Marker 52 when people ask where we caught our fish.” To be fair, it’s not a bad spot to fish, and one of those guys actually sent me a photo in front of the Mile Marker 52 sign with him holding up multiple big stripers.
White Seabass hunters are the salt version of Willow Beach guy
WON’s seabass sources are on the up-and-up in part because they are in the business of taking you fishing for them and they WANT you to know they are biting. Oftentimes, photos pop up on social media of tanker seabass being caught which causes a buzz and all the sudden the Parker fleet is mobbed up in ghost country. Well, I’ve personally connected the dots on a lot of these private boater seabass reports and could tell the majority of those particular success stories are intentionally posted weeks if not a good month later than when it acutally went down. I don’t blame them for wanting to protect “their” bite, and they’re still inspiring anglers to hit the water, so more power to ‘em.
Baja is incredibly underutilized
Of course I knew Baja had great fishing, but since taking over the Baja Reports, I now know that pretty much every inch of Baja has great fishing. It’s just a matter of how far you want to go, and you don’t have to go too far to get into some world-class exotic stuff. Recently, WON sales guy Landon drove to L.A. Bay seemingly on a whim, crushed it, and came home a few days later. It’s just peppered with endless options from Cabo to the U.S. border. There’s countless small boat operations, way more tackle shops than I ever imagined and oceanfront lodging for every budget, even those qualifying as “jack squat.”
Summer Dovin’, Have you a blast
This was an early realization, but, you scatter gunners really love dove hunting, don’t you? Seems some of your families have been hitting the dove opener for several generations kind of like the Eastern Sierra opener faithful. And Yuma is the center of the dove hunting universe? Right in our backyard (which is to say nothing of Imperial and other dove hotspots within day-trip range from anywhere in SoCal). I’ve never shot doves (have a couple that live on my porch though), but honestly, I’m a big fan of the opener and of the photos you all send in the wake of it.
Sierra Secrets
Fuggetaboutit. I already knew them all. Actually, I went from simply knowing the Owens Valley bass scene existed to borderline-obsessed with it in no time. These days I never head up 395 without dedicating some time to Owens River bass. So I guess I just know all the trout ones.
