Meandering Angler: Bay fishing and duck stamp contest

With virtually all inland waters in Northern California blown out, or nearly so, by rain storms, the only consistently viable fishable place is San Francisco Bay, where striped bass and sturgeon are biting like crazy.

Only high winds and heavy rain are interfering with hearty anglers who venture forth on the North Bay’s “Sturgeon Triangle,” where the really big sturgeon are known to hang out. There, anglers are not only hooking their fair share of these prehistoric monsters, plus a lot of stripers that are running as big as nine pounds. The sturgeon triangle is an area almost due east of the former Hamilton Air Force base bounded by China Camp, Buoy 5 and the Pump House. Most anglers are launching their boats at the Loch Lomond Marina, where Keith Fraser operated his bait shop and sells them live ghost and mud shrimp, the best baits right now for both sturgeon and stripers.

For more information and directions, call Keith at 415-456-0321.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is inviting artists to submit their original artwork to the 2023-24 California Duck Stamp Art Contest. Submissions will be accepted May 1 through June 9.

The artwork must depict the species selected by the California Fish and Game Commission, which for the 2023-24 hunting season is the ring-necked duck. Often found in small flocks, these small to medium-sized diving ducks frequent shallower bodies of water including fresh marshes, wooded ponds and flooded agricultural fields. They are identified by their noticeably peaked head, which on males is an iridescent black that continues down across the back and chest. The namesake ring around their neck is usually difficult to see, but the prominent white bands around their bill are easily recognizable.

The winning artwork will be reproduced on the 2023-24 California Duck Stamp. The top submissions are traditionally showcased at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association’s art show, which is scheduled to take place in July.

The contest is open to U.S. residents 18 years of age or older as of March 23. Entrants need not reside in California. Current and former CDFW employees are ineligible. All entries must be accompanied by a completed participation agreement and entry form. These forms and the official rules are available online at wildlife.ca.gov/duck-stamp/contest.

The design is to be in full color and in the medium (or combination of mediums) of the artist’s choosing, except that no photographic process, digital art, metallic paints or fluorescent paints may be used in the finished design. Photographs, computer-generated art, art produced from a computer printer or other computer/mechanical output device (air brush method excepted) are not eligible for entry and will be disqualified. The design must be the contestant’s original hand-drawn creation. The entry design may not be copied or duplicated from previously published art, including photographs, or from images in any format published on the internet.

Entries will be judged in June. The judges’ panel, which will consist of experts in the fields of ornithology, conservation, and art and printing, will choose first, second and third-place winners, as well as honorable mention.

Since 1971, the annual contest has attracted top wildlife artists from around the country. All proceeds generated from stamp sales go directly to waterfowl conservation projects throughout California. In past years, hunters were required to purchase and affix the stamp to their hunting license. Now California has moved to an automated licensing system and hunters are no longer required to carry the physical stamps in the field (proof of purchase prints directly onto the license). However, CDFW will still produce the stamps, which can be requested by interested individuals at wildlife.ca.gov/licensing/collector-stamps.