JBGQUICK,

Black bears are predators, although they might not prey all that often. They can prey upon large ungulates.

I do recall reading a story in an outdoor magazine of a fisherman, in Minnesota I believe, who was returning with a creel of fish. A black bear killed him and took his fish. Since bears like nutrient-rich fish, just the smell of them on my hands is disconcerting. That's one of the reasons I try to release my catch without taking it out of water and without handling them.

A marina worker in the Eastern Sierra told me that black bears raid fish cleaning stations at night. They don't even have to waste energy looking for their own. They dine on leftovers.

I have heard the loud noise bear defense strategy. And I have heard of black bears attacking and killing humans regardless of defensive strategy. National Geographic airs a program about how dangerous male black bears in heat are. They will kill just to kill.

I live among black bears. In fact, they walk streets of my community at night. That's why I don't walk anywhere at night, avoidance being my primary defense. I have fished a lot in the Eastern Sierra where they're seen in campgrounds & near lakes. So if I see them around I know to find another fishing hole.

Black bears are probably the greatest concern to fishermen in the Eastern Sierra, but there are other critters that can kill me just as dead, including bipedal vermin. I wouldn't doubt felons holed up in the High Sierra. Charles Manson had his ranch in the Eastern Sierra not too far from where we fish. The Eastern Sierra also has a substantial lion population.

The most feared critter in the Eastern Sierra is the elusive but predatory jackolope. Every year many fisherman disappear & are feared to have become 'lope victims. I heard tell of a particularly vicious one that chased a half dozen anglers waist deep in a frigid High Sierra lake & held them at bey until a posse of game wardens chased it & off with RPG's. I think the posse might've wounded it. Chupacabras are becoming a problem in the Eastern Sierra, too. When they get a whiff of bear spray or hear loud horns they come alookin' for dinner. I hear they've taken a liking to afternoon skinny dipping in High Sierra lakes. Not even a gauge works on chupies. But they're slow running downhill, so you got half a chance if you find yourself on a slope & surrounded by a pack of blood-thirsty chupies.

What would fishing be w/o a few good fish tails (tales)?


Buena Suerte,

R