Hunters who want to chase pheasants and turkey have their chance as of tomorrow.

Pheasant hunting in California is nothing like South Dakota, but we still have a season; there are enough birds each year to have a short season. Habitat is key to everything in the health of wildlife.

Pheasants get very smart after the first weekend of the season. Up to 50 percent of all the cock pheasants are taken on opening weekend. Also, the majority of all pheasant hunters are in the field on opening weekend. Another 25 percent are taken over the next few weeks of the season, and the survivors have the best genes to keep the future populations going. Only the colorful male birds are fair game. Most set aside is on private lands, and there are co-ops you can join. Just contact the chamber of commerce in the rice communities for more information; places like Willows, Marysville, Tule Lake and Colusa.

Turkey hunters looking to score on a wild turkey for Thanksgiving, may find a bird at Cache Creek Wildlife area, Knoxville Wildlife area, or Mendocino National Forest. The fall season allows you to take either a male or female bird.

Klamath River dams

to be removed

An administrative judge has ruled that fish have a right to return unheeded, and that the dams need to be removed. The ruling is a huge victory for Klamath Basin tribes, commercial fishermen, and recreational fishermen.

There are four dams on the system. Pacific Corp owns of the dams. The company is owned by billionaire Warren Buffet, who challenged the decisions of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The California Coastal Conservancy filed a report that the dams could be removed safely and affordably without leading to flooding. Dam removal will cost less than fish ladders. There will probably be a counter suit, but at least the way has been paved to save our salmon and steelhead on the Klamath River.

 

Napa River stripers

The last few weeks has found the number of fishermen on the Napa River increased tenfold. At the same time, the numbers of keeper stripers has also increased. I had a chance to fish with Bob Fisher. He spends a lot of time fishing the river, and has a very informative Web page: www.sportfishworld.com

We started early and caught some nice stripers to 25 inches, 7 pounds. Bob likes to use rattle traps and rubber swim baits. I used large Rapalas and my son, Guy, used a new Rapala with a feather tail. We cast into cuts in the levies and scored on some nice fish. The first two fish were a 22-incher and Guy’s 25-incher. I hung a nice fish who snapped off and broke my 10-pound line.

Then 10 minutes later another good hit just grabbed my lure and started a run. I could tell he didn’t feel the line or my setting the hook. He just was a steady tug until he pulled loose, leaving two of his cheek scales on my hook. The bite ended by 9 a.m. We caught six striper, including some small ones, and had a ball. The striper run of these bigger fish should last until December.

The biggest stripers I’ve heard of have been a pair of 37-pound fish and one 50-pound striper caught behind Copia.

This week I’ll be fishing the river again with Reed McDonald. And then my wife and her brother and his wife will all be at Sea Ranch for the weekend. We hope to get in some kayaking on the Gualala River.

Napa Valley Register outdoors columnist George Carl can be reached at gcarl@sbcglobal.net.