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27th Sportsman's show returning to fairgrounds
By STEVE MERLO, Bakersfield Californian Contributing Columnist
February 28, 2003
Show coordinators have gone out of their way to provide another high-class event with their 27th Annual Central Valley Sportsman's, Boat and RV Show set for March 7-9, 2003 at the Kern County Fairgrounds.
The show covers all facets of the outdoor world.
Offering the finest in fishing, hunting and outdoor living for the entire family, this year's show will include special hands-on features, guest speakers, factory representatives and outdoor supply merchants from all over the west.
Special attractions will include Jimmie Rizzo from Primos Calls, who will put on various calling demonstrations for turkey, varmint and elk, as well as speakers from the Bureau of Land Management and the Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Nor Cal Productions will also have its 3,200-gallon Mobil Bass Bin on site. A live 14-pound bass highlighted the show last year.
Local fishing professionals will put on plenty of seminars to help people learn about the newest fishing techniques, rods, lures and reels, all while trying to get the tank bass to eat their presentations. Local tackle shops Lakeport Tackle and Bob's Bait Bucket will have booths to provide the latest in fishing technology.
"Eastman's Hunting Journal" and "H and H Wildlife" will feature trophy and world-class mule deer heads. Their combined 120 feet of display will probably be the largest trophy and record mule deer exposition ever seen in California and perhaps the entire western United States.
Official scorers for the Boone and Crockett Big Game Club will be on hand to measure heads taken by local hunters. This is the perfect chance for outdoors enthusiasts to bring in their own trophies and have them scored for free for potential admission into the "Record Book."
A hands-on fly casting pool and tying theater will be also be available.
Sponsored by the Kern River Flyfishers Club, the pond will allow fishermen to try their hand at actual fly-casting under the tutelage of some of the best fly casters in both the world and local arena.
Another of the highlights will be the return of the very popular children's fishing pond, where children can catch their very own live trout. The B.A.S.S. Kids Casting State Championships and 2004 qualifier will also take place during the three-day event.
'Women in the Outdoors,' the hottest new all-women's organization dedicated to conservation and the outdoors will be there, too. Providing key education in the camping, hunting and fishing world for women everywhere, this group should highlight the show by providing hands-on teaching to girls and women interested in becoming part of our total outdoor heritage.
Field dog training, Kern County Fire Department K-9 Urban Search and Rescue Team, a youth archery area, live music, and even a large paintball field will round off this fun, exciting, productive and action-packed show.
Opening and closing times have changed this year to accommodate those who have to work late. The show will start at noon on Friday and run until 9 p.m., reopen Saturday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. then run Sunday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday will be Senior's Day with half off the general admission price of $7. Children 12 and younger will get in free, and a $2 discount is available for anyone bringing in a canned food donation to the Golden Empire Gleaners.
CCFCC files suit against DFG
One of my favorite pastimes used to be fishing for rockfish off the coast of Morro Bay and Port San Luis. Using light bass tackle and a small 3-4 ounce jig, I could keep a bend in my rod all day and just have a ball catching them.
If the bite was "on," my catch would often include many different species that I fought up through the depths. If I was really lucky, a nice lingcod or two, arguably the best eating fish that swims, would grace the bottom of my sack.
Quite often, my friends and I would pay a reasonable fee and venture out into the Pacific Ocean on a Virg's or Patriot's sportfishing boat and bring back some nice bags of great tasting fillets. Ocean fishing was fun, economically feasible and popular as all get-out with the Taft, Bakersfield and Fresno crowds, and thousands of people made the trip to the Central Coast to go "deep-sea-fishing" each year.
All of that changed, however, when the California Department of Fish and Game arbitrarily and effectively put a stop to off-shore rockfishing. As far as I can tell, the DFG did this without any specific scientific reasoning or studies to back its decision. Fishing had been halted, and businesses, jobs and fishermen were out of luck, their state constitutional rights violated by the whims of political, rather than biological, decree.
Fortunately, a non-profit corporation has recently been formed to combat the unfair decisions being made by our state government. The official name is the Central Coast Fisheries Conservation Coalition and it has two goals:
* Conservation of Central Coast fisheries so future generations will be able to enjoy this great public resource and go fishing.
* Political resistance to laws that unreasonably limit the recreational fishermen's rights to fish.
With these goals in mind, the CCFCC has filed suit against the DFG to overturn current regulations and return them to the laws in effect in September.
Relying on the fact that the state constitution gives people the absolute right to fish on public waters, the CCFCC's stand is unfair, unsubstantiated and unmitigated governmental trespass and will no longer be tolerated. DFG officials readily admit that the closures were based on whim, not fact, and that they have done nothing to scientifically evaluate fish stocks along the California coast.
The CCFCC believes that the current mission of the political appointees running the DFG is to shut down all recreational ocean fishing on the West Coast through closures and unnecessary marine reserves.
As the voice of people like you and me, who only want to go fishing where and when we want to, the CCFCC needs to be backed by all outdoorsmen.
Steve Merlo can be reached via e-mail at merloworms@earthlink.net
By STEVE MERLO, Bakersfield Californian Contributing Columnist
February 28, 2003
Show coordinators have gone out of their way to provide another high-class event with their 27th Annual Central Valley Sportsman's, Boat and RV Show set for March 7-9, 2003 at the Kern County Fairgrounds.
The show covers all facets of the outdoor world.
Offering the finest in fishing, hunting and outdoor living for the entire family, this year's show will include special hands-on features, guest speakers, factory representatives and outdoor supply merchants from all over the west.
Special attractions will include Jimmie Rizzo from Primos Calls, who will put on various calling demonstrations for turkey, varmint and elk, as well as speakers from the Bureau of Land Management and the Kern National Wildlife Refuge. Nor Cal Productions will also have its 3,200-gallon Mobil Bass Bin on site. A live 14-pound bass highlighted the show last year.
Local fishing professionals will put on plenty of seminars to help people learn about the newest fishing techniques, rods, lures and reels, all while trying to get the tank bass to eat their presentations. Local tackle shops Lakeport Tackle and Bob's Bait Bucket will have booths to provide the latest in fishing technology.
"Eastman's Hunting Journal" and "H and H Wildlife" will feature trophy and world-class mule deer heads. Their combined 120 feet of display will probably be the largest trophy and record mule deer exposition ever seen in California and perhaps the entire western United States.
Official scorers for the Boone and Crockett Big Game Club will be on hand to measure heads taken by local hunters. This is the perfect chance for outdoors enthusiasts to bring in their own trophies and have them scored for free for potential admission into the "Record Book."
A hands-on fly casting pool and tying theater will be also be available.
Sponsored by the Kern River Flyfishers Club, the pond will allow fishermen to try their hand at actual fly-casting under the tutelage of some of the best fly casters in both the world and local arena.
Another of the highlights will be the return of the very popular children's fishing pond, where children can catch their very own live trout. The B.A.S.S. Kids Casting State Championships and 2004 qualifier will also take place during the three-day event.
'Women in the Outdoors,' the hottest new all-women's organization dedicated to conservation and the outdoors will be there, too. Providing key education in the camping, hunting and fishing world for women everywhere, this group should highlight the show by providing hands-on teaching to girls and women interested in becoming part of our total outdoor heritage.
Field dog training, Kern County Fire Department K-9 Urban Search and Rescue Team, a youth archery area, live music, and even a large paintball field will round off this fun, exciting, productive and action-packed show.
Opening and closing times have changed this year to accommodate those who have to work late. The show will start at noon on Friday and run until 9 p.m., reopen Saturday from 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. then run Sunday from 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. Friday will be Senior's Day with half off the general admission price of $7. Children 12 and younger will get in free, and a $2 discount is available for anyone bringing in a canned food donation to the Golden Empire Gleaners.
CCFCC files suit against DFG
One of my favorite pastimes used to be fishing for rockfish off the coast of Morro Bay and Port San Luis. Using light bass tackle and a small 3-4 ounce jig, I could keep a bend in my rod all day and just have a ball catching them.
If the bite was "on," my catch would often include many different species that I fought up through the depths. If I was really lucky, a nice lingcod or two, arguably the best eating fish that swims, would grace the bottom of my sack.
Quite often, my friends and I would pay a reasonable fee and venture out into the Pacific Ocean on a Virg's or Patriot's sportfishing boat and bring back some nice bags of great tasting fillets. Ocean fishing was fun, economically feasible and popular as all get-out with the Taft, Bakersfield and Fresno crowds, and thousands of people made the trip to the Central Coast to go "deep-sea-fishing" each year.
All of that changed, however, when the California Department of Fish and Game arbitrarily and effectively put a stop to off-shore rockfishing. As far as I can tell, the DFG did this without any specific scientific reasoning or studies to back its decision. Fishing had been halted, and businesses, jobs and fishermen were out of luck, their state constitutional rights violated by the whims of political, rather than biological, decree.
Fortunately, a non-profit corporation has recently been formed to combat the unfair decisions being made by our state government. The official name is the Central Coast Fisheries Conservation Coalition and it has two goals:
* Conservation of Central Coast fisheries so future generations will be able to enjoy this great public resource and go fishing.
* Political resistance to laws that unreasonably limit the recreational fishermen's rights to fish.
With these goals in mind, the CCFCC has filed suit against the DFG to overturn current regulations and return them to the laws in effect in September.
Relying on the fact that the state constitution gives people the absolute right to fish on public waters, the CCFCC's stand is unfair, unsubstantiated and unmitigated governmental trespass and will no longer be tolerated. DFG officials readily admit that the closures were based on whim, not fact, and that they have done nothing to scientifically evaluate fish stocks along the California coast.
The CCFCC believes that the current mission of the political appointees running the DFG is to shut down all recreational ocean fishing on the West Coast through closures and unnecessary marine reserves.
As the voice of people like you and me, who only want to go fishing where and when we want to, the CCFCC needs to be backed by all outdoorsmen.
Steve Merlo can be reached via e-mail at merloworms@earthlink.net
