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By Bud Neville
 On the map the route looked simple enough. Maybe it wound about a little, but most back lumber roads between Highway 101 and the ocean in California's coastal range do. We'd been hunting north of the town of Loyalton and were taking a beach break.
The whole family was on this trip, 12-year-old son, 6-year-old daughter, and wife too. That explains the run to the coast, since a multi-day hunting trip should offer other diversions as well. Can't have the natives getting bored with the itinerary.
"Why are we turning around?" wife Deanna, who is an avid hunter herself, asked.
"I think we missed a turnoff back there," I answered, trying to portray an air of confidence. "Pretty country, huh?"
"One of dad's famous shortcuts, I guess," Ryan said.
When the gravel road started to finally slope down, and we could see there were no more mountain ridges between us and the western horizon, I knew we were close to our destination for the afternoon. Sure enough, we broke out of the mountains to a vista of royal blue ocean. Here the coastline is studded with rocks with the occasional sandy beach. Nearly all the beaches are public.
This region, called the Lost Coast of California, encompasses some of the most pristine northwest rainforest country on the west coast. Undammed "short run" streams like the 10 Mile, the Bear and Mattole rivers are the last holdout of wild steelhead and salmon stocks. Zero industry (outside the dwindling lumber businesses) and a constant, westerly air flow means pure air. The area is known for abundant rainfall, which creates strong conifers and a carpet of ferns and mosses in most of the forests.
Most of this country is timber company land, some of it off limits, other portions open for limited recreation. There are also sections of national forest, and one of the only public areas that offers a decent opportunity for harvesting a wild pig in California--the King Range National Conservation area near Shelter Cove. The Kings Range is really the Lost Coast mountains topped by 4000-foot-high Kings Peak, sloping down to the Pacific Ocean. This is the one section of California's coast which Highway 1 doesn't parallel. That famous ribbon of pavement turns in to meet with Highway 101 and doesn't return to the coast until reaching Eureka, some 80 miles north.
Though hunting pigs is a winter possibility in the region, more people will travel here to play catch-and-release with the native steelhead. Another big draw is the bottom fishing. Due to a lingcod closure during November and December 2000, anglers are able to chase lings once again as of January 1, 2001.
Though private boaters can launch boats at Shelter Cove and south at Fort Bragg, the party boats based in Fort Bragg probably account for more rockfish and lingcod than any other effort. These boats traditionally travel up the coast to fish underwater reefs loaded with blue and black rockfish and some lunker lingcod. Shelter Cove's party boats generally don't start running until May, when the salmon and pacific halibut will also be fair game.
 Another possibility for bottom fishing is fishing from shore. Long rods and heavy lines are necessary due to the rocky bottom you'll need to fish in. Lings are commonly caught from the deep, rocky spots near shore. The state of the ocean is the most important factor for both boat and shore anglers; a rough day means little chance of finding fish close to shore due to excessive surge and currents. The same conditions translate into dangerous and uncomfortable boating on the open ocean.
Shore-based anglers need not exclusively target the species which choose the rocky bottoms as home. The beaches offer opportunities for surfperch. The most popular is the red tail surfperch, which will move into shore in greater numbers later in the spring.
One of the biggest draws to the area are abalone, but winter travelers won't have an opportunity here. The season doesn't open until April, closing at the end of November with additional monthly closures during the year.
Though there once were opportunities for the off-roader to access some remote beaches on the Lost Coast, recent actions by the Bureau of Land Management have closed down the last beach spots. There are still some "beach running" opportunities near Eureka, though some areas like Humboldt Bay's south jetty have been closed here too. For more information on off-roading, check out the region's 4x4 club at http://www.lostcoast4x4.org/.
Though driving the beaches is no longer a possibility, intrepid hikers can still follow the coast via the California Coastal Trail that goes some 24 miles from Smith-Etter Road out of Honeydew north to the old lighthouse at Punta Gorda. Those less interested in long backpacking journeys can also do short day hikes from both trailheads, and all along the King Range Conservation Area, which offers 2 or 3 dirt roads which reach almost to the ocean.
Spend a few days exploring this region, and you'll start to see why they call it the Lost Coast of California.
More about the hunting
As mentioned before, this region is host to wild, or actually, feral pigs. The King Range area offers thousands of acres of steep and brushy habitat that hides these highly sought game animals. Count on doing some serious brush busting, and don't count on a high success ratio. Still, since most of the good pig hunting country in California is private, this rugged area is a possible choice for the unattached hunter. Another nice thing about pig hunting is that the season is year-round.
On another trip to the King Range Conservation area, I went alone. My goal was to try to pig hunt this area years ago before I learned more about these wily creatures. I spent a full day glassing open saddles and brushy hillsides to no avail. I walked a couple miles along dirt roads hoping to bisect a pig track. Not much luck here either.
I'd approach the task differently now. I'd start by following creeks instead of roads, and plan to spend a couple days scouting for sign. You might get lucky and not have to spend the time to score here, but plan on devoting a couple trips before you see hair. You should also plan on putting some mileage on your hiking boots; pigs don't spend much time where they can be shot at, so the most inaccessible and brushy areas are where you'll find them.
Deer seasons in the area (the Department of Fish and Game designated this area as B4) are over early, even by California's standards. In 2000, the rifle season ended on October 1, so as a winter sport, the Columbian blacktails inhabiting the area are not a factor.
On the upland front, shot gunners can count on decent quail hunting until January 28. The area hosts mountain and California valley quail. Top bets for the birds are along the river valleys, which often offer meadows fringed with berry patches and other thick cover. Be prepared for some quick and challenging shooting!
Sidebar: Special angling restrictions in the region
Since native steelhead and salmon were designated as endangered, many of the short run streams are subject to full or partial closures to protect the fall and winter runs of these fish. Be sure to check your regulations; you can't just pull off and dunk a worm at any stream you come across. Here are some highlights of the fishing restrictions:
Bear River (Humboldt County): Open from the fourth Saturday in May through March 31. Only artificial lures with barb-less hooks may be used. Limit is one hatchery trout or one hatchery steelhead.
Mattole River (Humboldt County): From mouth to 200 yards upstream: Closed to fishing. From 200 yards upstream of mouth to confluence with Stansberry Creek, open January 1 through March 31, artificial lures with barb-less hooks only, zero limit (catch and release only). From Stansberry Creek upstream to the confluence with Honeydew Creek, open January 1 to March 31, and from the fourth Saturday in May until August 31, artificial lures, barb-less hooks only. Zero limit.
Usal Creek (Mendocino County): Open from the fourth Saturday in May through October 31, artificial lures, barb-less hooks only. November 1 through March 31, barb-less hooks only. Limit: One hatchery trout or one hatchery steelhead.
Hatchery trout and steelhead are determined by eroded dorsal fin or clipped adipose fin.
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