Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition 3803 Jan 17- Feb 1 2019 | Page 17

Elmanto Rd d om ls Fo A can ri me r l D de fan Zin O ir Fa r ve Ri Powerlines Rancho Cordova lvd s B ak Fish Hatchery Sacramento Bar Rossmoor Bar Upper Sunrise Palm Dr. Van Alstine Sarah River can eri Am Kenneth El Camino Ave. Fish Screen Marconi Ave. C.M. Goethe Park Blv Bike Path Parking Major Put-in & Take-out Point Cartops/Drift Boats Wilm. B. Pond Rec. Area Annual Fees: Vehicle (private or commercial - $50.00 Motorized watercraft and trailer plus vehicle pass - $100.00. Boat launching: Concrete boat ramps are available at Discovery Park, Howe Avenue, Watt Avenue and Sunrise. Unimproved gravel launching is available at Gristmill, Ancil Hoffman, Rossmoor and other areas on the river. The fee for non-motorized watercraft is $3 (plus vehicle fee) and the fee for motorized watercraft is $5 (plus vehicle fee).
 Bureau. In a big contrast with January 1 of 2017, when high flows of 35,000 cfs to 80,000 cfs were raging down the river as record snow and rain hit the river watershed, this year the flows were low, cold and clear with releases of 1750 cfs below Nimbus Dam. The good news is the hatchery staff is seeing decent numbers of steelhead this year, so fishing is expected to pick up when the region receives some storm inflows to add color to and warm up the water. The facility had trapped adult 447 Eel River-strain hatchery steelhead as of December 31, according to Paula Hoover at the hatchery. “During our latest spawning session, we counted 56 new males and 32 new females,” she said. “We also released 2 Central Valley strain males and two Central Valley females.” However, in banner years on the American, as many as 2000 fish have already been reported at the hatchery as of January. During the best years I’ve experienced on the American fishing, the hatchery has seen between 2500 and 4000 total steelhead all season. The hatchery staff has taken 214,000 steelhead eggs to date. “We hope to take around a million eggs to make sure we meet our goal of producing 450,000 smolts,” said Gary Novak, hatchery manager. During 2014, the Bureau of Reclama- tion conducted a one year experiment by releasing 150,000 tagged Coleman National Fish Hatchery-strain steelhead into the river. “This was not done to supplement the American River run, but was a study to find a potential replacement for the current strain of steelhead,” said Novak. “They were looking for an appropriate ad Ro Winding Way Pennsylvania Sailor Bar Landis Ave. Day Use: The entrance fee for vehicles under 22 feet in length is $5.00, except on summer holiday weekends when the fee is $8.00. The fee for trailer or vehicle 22 or more feet in length is $10.00 except for summer holiday weekends when the fee is $13.00. Guided Fishing Trips: Jerry Lampkin, T.N.G. Motor Sports Guide Service, (530) 320-0994. Sunset Avenue Fair Oaks Fair Oaks Blvd The salmon fishing season is set at the Fish and Game Commission meeting every spring. In 2018, the salmon season ran from July 16 to December 31 except for the small section of river from the Jibboom Street Bridge to the mouth that closed on December 16. Review the California Fresh Water Sport Fishing Regulations Booklet for bag and possession limits, hook restrictions and additional restrictions: Fishing Information: Fisherman’s Warehouse, Sacramento, (916) 362- 1200; Elkhorn Outdoor Sports, Rio Linda, (916) 991-5298; Sacramento Pro Tackle, (916) 925-0529. Carmichael Fishing Season: The section from Discovery Park to the SMUD powerline at the Southwest Boundary of Ancil Hoffman Park is open year round to fishing for all except for salmon. The river above the SMUD powerline to the U.S. Geological Survey gauging station cable crossing about 300 yards downstream from the Nimbus Hatchery fish rack site is open to fishing to steelhead and other fishing other than salmon from January 1 through October 31. Park information: www.sacparks.net, Sacramento County Department of Regional Parks, Recreation and Open Space Administration, 3711 Branch Center Rod, Sacramento, CA. 95827. For General Parks, Golf and Rangers Information, call (916) 875-6961. Lower American River Facts Location: The 23 miles of the American River from Nimbus Dam to its junction to the mouth are located in the heart of the Sacramento metropolitan area. The entire river is accessible to bank anglers and boaters, since it is located in the beautiful American River Parkway. The parkway is located in a protected greenbelt that cuts Sacramento County in half. It features a paved bicycle and running trail, many rest areas and access from most neighborhoods adjacent to the river parkway. 15 Jan 17 - Feb 1, 2019 MAP FEATURE VOL.38 • ISS. 3 Ma the r F American River Steelhead iel d R oa d Sacramento County d om ls Fo Blv Fishing Notes though fish are also caught in the fall before the • Steelhead - Fishing is best from January through mid-April, spawning goes January into effect. Use Glo Bugs, night fish crawlers, Cleos • salmon Steelhead - Fishing closure is best from through mid-April, though are also salmon caught in roe, the spinners fall before and the Little salmon while bank fishing or into wading. do night well crawlers, pulling Wee Warts Hot Shots back while bouncing. roe. or spawning closure goes effect. Driftboaters Use Glo Bugs, salmon roe, and spinners and Lil or Cleos bank fishing • Striped Bass - Available in the Wee deeper bait fishing and using wading. Driftboaters do well pulling Warts hole and for Hot anglers Shots or back bouncing. roe. top water lures during steelhead season. • Striped Bass - Available in the deeper hole for anglers bait fishing and using top water lures during steelhead season. • Consult California Sportfishing Regulations for open seasons, bag limits and gear restrictions: http://www. • eregulations.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/18CASF_LR.pdf Consult California Sportfishing Regulations Supplement #2 for open seasons, bag limits and gear restrictions. ended up taking 8,465,329 eggs, more majority of steelhead in the river, replacement for the current Eel River than enough to produce 4 million although fishermen still believe there strain. We wanted to see if these fish salmon smolts for release in the spring is a remnant run of American River would come back if we raised them at of 2019. The facility began trapping on steelhead that still returns in the spring the hatchery.” November 5 and did their last spawn on from March through May to spawn. In 2017, a good number of those December 13. The biggest trout or steelhead caught Coleman hatchery fish returned to The hatchery trapped 1717 unmarked on the American was a 24 pounder the hatchery, but only one returned in caught and released by an angler fishing Chinook males, 1586 unmarked 2018. However, a few Central Valley strain steelhead, believed to be from the below the hatchery in February of 2002, females, 976 unmarked jacks and 148 unmarked jills this fall. The facility Mokelumne or Coleman, have appeared but a few fish in the 19 to 20 pound lb. also counted 599 marked males, 549 class were reported in the 1980s and at the hatchery this season. 1990s. Most adult steelhead caught this unmarked females, 410 marked jacks The current steelhead run has an time of year are in the 6 to 10 lb. range, and 78 marked jills. interesting history. The completion Let’s hope we get a wet January, though larger fish are hooked every of Nimbus Dam in 1955 and Folsom February and March to draw more year. Dam in 1956 prevented salmon and steelhead up the river – and provide This winter’s promising steelhead steelhead from reaching most of their abundant water of good rearing and run follows a tough salmon year. The historic spawning areas in the main spawning conditions for salmon and salmon run this year was smaller than river and the river’s north, middle steelhead this spring, summer and fall. in most years, but the hatchery still and south forks and tributaries. The Bureau of Reclamation, the agency that built the dams, built and funds the Nimbus Fish Hatchery to mitigate for the loss of spawning habitat. However, after just a few hundred of the original strain of American River steelhead returned to the hatchery each spring in the first few years after the dams were built, the CDFW decided to introduce Eel River strain steelhead from the Mad River Fish Hatchery to create a more substan- tial run of fish. It is those Eel River- strain of steelhead that comprise the Fly fishing was one of the most effective techniques for catching steelhead on the opener. Photo by DAN BACHER, Fish Sniffer Staff.