Fishing is Hot and Heating Up!

Starting with salmon, after a month of "fits and starts" both the ocean and the salmon are becoming more reliable with reports from party boats and private boaters of a fish and a half per rod on kings and (sadly) more then guys care to count on silvers/coho.

I spoke with one private boater who claimed to have caught and released 40-50 silvers between him self and two other skiffs. That said, I can't emphasize enough the importance of shaking those silvers off the hook without boating the fish as they have a notoriously poor ability to coagulate their blood which causes them to bleed out like hemophiliacs, even if they appear to swim off unscathed. That said, the top baits are 5.5" apex lures in "police car", and "watermelon", green R.S.K.s and clear F.B.R.s both baited with green or red size herring. Most action seems to be centered around dux and the N buoy.

Halibut has been a little tricky this year however in the last two weeks several reports spoke of 1-2 fish a rod in the 10-20lb range drifting live bait and a handfull of giant pacific halibut in the 30-50lb range that have wandered into the bay. Best spots are Red Rock, Berkeley Flats, Chevron Tanker Turn Around near the off loading pipes, the Marin Islands, and Crissy field.

Salmon and Halibut are great and very tasty, but the thing that gets me SUPER PUMPED is the striped bass action. Most creeks and sloughs in Marin and Petaluma are holding great numbers of 4-10 lb bass. Places like Corte Madera Creek, the San Rafael Canal, Richardson Bay, and around the Richmond-San Rafael bridge are kicking out great numbers on 4" swimbaits, hair raisers, Rat-L-Traps, and Yozuri Crystal Minnows. I use freshwater bass tackle on these guys, and I love it.

The big boys (those stripers which have moved out into saltwater, feeding voraciously and reaching 25-45 lbs) are on the beaches, Fort Point, Elephant Rock, and Crissy Field, and demand real striper tackle - surf rods, 50-65lb braid, big Pencil Poppers, serious iron like 2-4oz Kastmasters or Hopkins. Here in Marin, look to Stinson Beach where they have already stuck a dozen fish in the 25-35lb class, or Muir Beach, where perch anglers find themselve alone and unable to keep the big stripers off their rigs.

The weather is looking pretty good for this weekend, so get out and enjoy!

It's Summer in the Hunting Department

If you didn't put in for deer or other tag draw, it's certainly time for a new 2010/2011 Hunting License. (As always, you need to bring a previous year's license or other Hunter Safety evidence.) A-Zone will be here before you know it.

There's a few new things to consider if you will be hunting within California - be sure to stop by and pick up the new 2010-2011 regs read up on the non-lead ammo bill (# AB 821 Ridley-Tree Preservation Act, page 3 of regs.)

This is a key time to go through your gear and remember all those things you weren't gonna forget - I know that I need to bring in my rifle that got bumped around and get it bore-sighted, plus I thought I had more than half a box of 3+ year-old ammo -- that's not enough since I'm going out of state.

Right now, we are in good stock on most key loads of hunting ammunition. Some of the less common calibers (like 300 Savage) have been impossible to get, but we've been grabbing the most popular loads whenever they come available. Again - don't wait for the last minute!

When I went through things, I found my pack saw, checked my gambrel and pulley assembly, but it's time to replace my gear bag - too many holes - for waterfowl season (don't forget the CWA Pig Feed on July 11th, and the new DU Dinner later this month in Petaluma!) I'm gonig to check my JJ Lares calls to make sure I've got extra reeds - the waterfowl season is only 16 weeks away!

Of course, we'll be having our big Fall Shooting Sports Super Sale in August - but in the meantime, it's time to clean everything up and figure out what needs fixing and upgrading.

This is a great time to get your dog out and start working them in preparation for the fall season - we've got the higher quality dummies which you can't find at the big pet stores.

A few other things:

The California Department of Fish and Game has updated their website to allow hunters to check the status of their draw results -
https://biggame.dfg.ca.gov/biggame/

Condor Habitat Zone information -
http://www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/condor/

Carlo's Fly Fishing Update

Well, we needed rain and we got it! That made our steelhead season a short-lived one, and all this late season snow runoff has made both shad fishing and early trout season a tough one for fly fishing.

But, now things are shaping up to be a great mid- to late-season for trout fishing throughout the state. Small creeks in the Sierra are producing well now. Backpackers should now be able to start fishing most of the High Sierra lakes in the next few weeks. Smart anglers have been picking up some of the new 3 weight 4 pc rods from Sage (the Flight Series has a 7' which is perfect for this) or the Redington CT series (Redington also makes a new 6-piece 3 weight 8' rod which is proving popular, too).

Speaking of backpacking, the other multi-piece rod which is a staff favorite is the Echo Trip - another 6 piece rod with the light action for all-around backpacking travel.

Want to catch a Golden Trout this summer? How about catching one and not have to hike? Drop by or call me at the Santa Rosa shop (707-542-4432) and I'll tell you just where this is possible!

This Saturday! Long Range / Reel Repair Seminars

Get your chores done early, because you don't want to miss the free Long Range Fishing and Reel Repair Seminars taking place this Saturday, June 26th at our San Rafael store. Whether you are already signed up for our September Shogun 5 Day Fishing Trip out of San Diego, or just have a curiosity about this wide-open saltwater fishing, drop on by and learn from the experts!

The Long Range Fishing Seminar will be led by Charter Master (and Western Sport Shop staff member) Richard Birnbaum. Starting at 1 pm, Richard will go over the schedule of the 5 Day Trip, talk about the types of techniques which will be used and the tackle needed, as well as the sheer fun of fishing for hard running fish. Then Jeff Burroughs, author of Long Range Sportfishing San Diego Style will go over some more of the necessary techniques, and the excitement of this high velocity fishery! Jeff will also be able to sign copies of his book.

In addition to that, there will be a fundraising raffle for the Friends of Rollo Fund. The Shogun has graciously donated several gift certificates, good towards payment of trip fees or for on-the-dock fish processing. It's a nice way to help a great cause and maybe even save a few bucks on the trip!


To start the day off, renowned reel repair and tuning expert Alan Tani will be leading one of his Hands-On Reel Repair Seminars. Starting at 9:30 am, Alan will be set up with several workstations and tool sets, willing to help you dig into your conventional style reel (sorry - no spinning reels at this seminar!) to get it cleaned out, tuned up and ready for the hot summer fishing season.

This popular clinic demystifies the inner workings of your reels, lets you get a better sense of how to care for them, and gives you the confidence to dig in and fix something yourself.

(Please note, you may bring more than one reel to work on during the seminar, but may be asked to rotate with others to allow everyone a chance to learn the inner workings of their reels.)

Again -
This Saturday - San Rafael

Alan Tani Hands-On Reel Repair Seminar - 9:30 am - 3 pm

Long Range Fishing Seminar with Richard Birnbaum and author Jeff Burroughs - 1 pm

San Diego / Long-Range Fishing Seminar Set - 6/26!

If you have ever wondered about the crazed, big-fish action that takes place on our September Shogun 5-Day trip out of San Diego, don't miss our San Diego/Long-Range seminar which takes place at the San Rafael store on Saturday, June 26th!



This free seminar features sessions on the various tackle and techniques used on the boat, as well as an overview of this wide-open fishing style. Learn from the experts and bring all of your questions along.

Look for an update with more information before the event, or call Richard at our San Rafael stores (on Tuesdays and Wednesdays) - 415-456-5454. Just make sure you mark your calendar for the 26th.

G. Loomis Trout Series Rods in San Rafael

G. Loomis Trout Rods, originally uploaded by Western Sport Shop.

It takes a lot for a new trout rod to stand out of the crowd, and for every ten new rods we see, there might be one which catches our attention. The G. Loomis Trout series is that one. If you are looking for a superlight, light action spinning rod for trout, this is a pretty amazing piece of gear.

According to G. Loomis, they've designed these rods are made with one objective in mind... to help serious trout anglers become more successful and enjoy their time on the water with the lightest, most sensitive rods available. The "fiber blend" models feature a combination of regular cork and composite cork for a new, unique looking rear grip with up-locking reel seats and Fuji, single-foot Alconite guides. Reviewers have stated, "These rods are like fishing with a feather!" Varying in power from ultra-light to light, rated from 1-pound test line up to 8-pound, they are surprisingly strong. You'll want to take one these rods along for all your fishing adventures.

We're stocking the most effective sizes for our areas, and everyone was seriously blown away by the kokanee rod. If you are serious about your trout fishing, take a moment to drop into the San Rafael store and check out these rods.

Shimano Voltaeus Goodies! Free with Rod Purchase!

Goodies You Can Get, originally uploaded by Western Sport Shop.

We recently received our batch of Shimano Voltaeus rods - a new series from Shimano that has us all pretty impressed. These combine a rugged rod with lightweight materials, resulting in good sensitivity and control.

The cool thing is that in order to kick off things with this new series, Shimano sent us a box of Voltaeus goodies to throw in on each new rod purchase! So, when you buy a Voltaeus rod (not the rod/reel combo - there's already a coupon for a free computer game that comes with those!), you get a Shimano Voltaeus hat, sticker and sunglass keeper.

Strictly limited to what we have on hand - come on down to either store and check out the Voltaeus!