Outdoors triple crowns aren’t as easy as 1-2-3

Photo: Troy Pittock

On trip to the San Mateo County coast, this bobcat surprised Troy Pittock, who reacted quickly to catch the cat in mid-snarl with a photo.

On trip to the San Mateo County coast, this bobcat surprised Troy...

The Bay Area wildlife triple crown is to see a mountain lion, bobcat and lynx in a single day.

The triple crown of bay fishing is to catch a salmon, striped bass and halibut in a single day. If you want the grand slam, add the elusive sturgeon to the collection.

Only a handful of people have ever done these things, and for the most part, you have to take their word for it.

Last week, Miles DeGraffenreid, a San Francisco firefighter, was trekking near the Castle Rock Trail outside Walnut Creek on the flank of Mount Diablo, when he joined the Triple Crown club.

DeGraffenreid was able to photograph the bobcat and the lynx (noted by the banded tail), but the mountain lion “was too fast,” he said.

There’s luck involved with these things, but what you also learn is that the lucky ones are outside quite a bit more than most people and many of them grew up in a family with a passion for the outdoors. That’s the case here, with dad Richard a hiker and explorer who has a passion for finding historical sites.

The bobcat was first, DeGraffenreid said, and the distant photo shows how the cat turned to look at him. The lynx was next, a clear moment of luck at short range. The mountain lion, probably a yearling, had a “tail as long as its body,” DeGraffenreid said.

The grand slam of the bay is even a more difficult challenge. Armand Castagna, the Outdoors Hall of Fame Bay skipper out of San Rafael, has 17 triple crowns but has yet to get the slam.

“It was always the sturgeon we couldn’t get at the end of the day,” Castagna said. “So we decided to do the sturgeon first, the hardest. Three different times, we had our sturgeon, bass and halibut, and then the ocean was so rough, we couldn’t make it out for the salmon, the easiest of them all.”

We’ve analyzed this year’s conditions and believe one of the best opportunities in years to try to catch the grand slam will be in July. After a careful look at the tide book, Castagna and I will pick the dates and team up for the attempt.