Fish Sniffer On Demand Digital Edition Issue 3616 July 21- August 4 2017 - Page 17

Elk Grove Florin Rd

VOL . 36 • ISS . 16

Overview : The CDFW ’ s Urban Fishing Program serves Californians living in the Sacramento , San Francisco and Los Angeles metropolitan areas .

The program was created in 1993 to improve angling opportunities for California ’ s growing urban population . Consistent with trends across the country , California ’ s urban anglers identified a lack of free time as the primary reason why they don ’ t fish more or stopped altogether .

Many city and regional park lakes , ponds , and streams were all but forgotten as potential fishing sites and many lacked adequate facilities , staff , or fish to sustain a fishing program . Some suffered from nonsource-point pollution and habitat degradation . All were surrounded by communities ready to provide the support necessary to create fishing in the city .

The program ’ s Fishing in the City Clinics gives city dwellers an opportunity to learn how to fish , and to fish close to home . It also gives participants an opportunity to borrow rods , bait and tackle through the Tackle Loaner Program .

Ponds are stocked with trout in winter and catfish the rest of the year . Anglers 16 years of age and older need to have a fishing license except for on Free Fishing Days .

Another outreach program is the Kids in Creeks school-based fishing program in the San Francisco Bay area . In Marin , Alameda and Contra Costa Counties , teachers complete a three-day watershed education program followed by a fishing trip . In Santa Clara County , similar programs are available .

For information about the Sacramento area Fishing in the City Program , contact ( 916 ) 358-2872 , https :// www . wildlife . ca . gov / Fishing-in-the-city / SAC .

For information about the Fishing in the City program in the San Francisco and South Bay areas , contact Ethan Rotman : Ethan . Rotman @ wildlife . ca . gov • ( 415 ) 892-0460

For general information about the program , go to : https :// www . wildlife . ca . gov / fishing-in-the-city

Elverta Road

2

5

38

Business

ZOO

Landpark Dr

5 th

6

5

Dry Creek

6 th 7 th 8th 9th

S T U V W

Broadway

13th Ave

Sutterville Rd

62

Freeport Blvd

Q

160 61

Watt Avenue

1 . Gibson Ranch Bus # 19

38 56 15 2

51

56 2

51 51

83

Sutterville Rd

8 . William Land Park Bus # 2,5,6 , 61,62,87

X

Dry Creek

Road

10th 11th 12th 13th

15

9 . Southside Park ( park on Street ) Bus # 2 , 15 , 38 , 51,56

Jacinto

61

Center Parkway

Cosumnes

Cosumnes River College

River Blvd

To Sacramento

99

Sheldon Road

7 . North Laguna Creek

99

12th Ave

5

80

99 99

Ethan Way

Elverta Rd

Rio Linda

Sacramento 9

8

July 21 - August 4 , 2017

Lakes & Ponds are Available By Regional Transit

80

5 7

160 99

8

El Camino Avenue

Business 23 ₈₇

23

HoweWay

Cottage Way

Arden Way

1

Watt Ave

Fair

80

Oaks Blvd

2 3

50

Arden Way

20 20

2 . Howe Park Bus # 20 , 22 , 23 , 87

Bell Street

Sunrise Ave

4

Hazel Ave

Nimbus Hatchery

FISHING NOTES :

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife ( CDFW ), through a private

Rainbow hatchery

Trout and

– the

The American

Department River Fish

of Fish Hatchery

and ,

Wildlife plants rainbow

, trout in through urban ponds a private every winter hatchery . The and program the American also stocks River channel Fish catfish in select Hatchery ponds , plants every summer rainbow . trout in urban ponds every January The exact and schedule February and . the The lakes exact planted schedule changes changes every year every . This map year shows . Fish most PowerBait of the ponds , Power that Eggs have , been Pautzke planted Fire with Bait trout , and catfish at times since Fishing in the City began in the Sacramento area in the nightcrawlers summer of 1993 , spinners . The plants , spoons are less and frequent flies for now maximum and generally accompany success community . and CDFW events . However , more fish are usually put Channel in when Catfish plants take – The place CDFW . stocks urban ponds with Rainbow channel Trout catfish - Fish every PowerBait summer , Power . The Eggs exact , Zeke schedule ’ s Sierra changes Gold Floating Trout every Bait year , nightcrawlers . Use mackerel , spinners , anchovies , spoons , and nightcrawlers flies for maximum , chicken success . Channel liver and Catfish prepared - Use mackerel baits . , anchovies , nightcrawlers , chicken liver and For prepared the latest baits information . and schedule , contact Joe For Ferreira the latest : Joe information . Ferreira @ and wildlife schedule . ca ., gov contact • ( 916 ( 916 ) ) 358-2872 ., https :// www . wildlife . ca . gov / Fishing-in-the-city / SAC .

American River

12

Thom

Rd

5

Stockton

Lower Sac . Rd

17

Lodi

Eight Mile Rd Hammer Lane 99

Harding Way

5 . Oak Grove Regional Co . Park ( Not Shown on Map )

Elk Grove Blvd 61

Elk Grove

99

Chase Dr

Folsom Blvd

Coloma Rd

Mather

50

Folsom Blvd

Zinfandel

3 . Hagan Park Bus # 1

Rancho Cordova

Sunrise Blvd

6 . Elk Grove County Park Bus # 56

Sunrise Blvd

Douglas Rd . Eagles Nest Rd

Golf Course

4 . Mather Regional Park the summer when the water temperatures are too high to plant rainbow trout .

Joe says the success of the program is demonstrated by the fact that many anglers who fish for a variety of species grew up as children in the program .

“ I meet a lot of adult anglers in the Sacramento area who started out by coming to our clinics ,” he said . “ In fact , Dmitri , who grew up coming to our events and fishing local ponds , is now a scientific aide with the CDFW .”

In covering Fishing in the City events , I ’ ve seen some amazing catches . I ’ ve seen crappie , huge redear sunfish , brook trout and even brown trout caught at Elk Grove Park .

However , none of the catches I ’ ve witnessed touches the 22 lb . white catfish that James Robinson of Sacramento pulled out of William Land Park Pond in March 1994 , a catch that Joe documented with a photo . That fish is not only the state record , but also a world record for the species , according to the Freshwater Fishing Fall of Fame .

You can find out the schedule for clinics and lakes being planted by calling ( 916 ) 358-2872 or going online at : https :// www . wildlife . ca . gov / Fishing-in-the-city / SAC .

Joe Ferreira ( center ) and CDFW staff and volunteers for the Fishing in the City pose in front of the program ’ s van .

Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff . every week , the plants have become less frequent , but more fish are put in during the plants .

When I attended the first “ Fishing in the City ” event at Southside Park in Sacramento in the summer of 1993 , I was impressed by the then new program and its mission of actually encouraging young anglers to fish as part of enjoying and appreciating the outdoors and practicing conservation .

Joe Ferreira was there with parks district officials , former City Councilman Jimmy Yee and a bunch of kids and some adults after the first plant of channel catfish in the lakes .

Since that inaugural event , I have attended over 60 of the program ’ s events , as well as fishing in a few of them . This program is one that actually increases angling opportunities , rather decreasing them or taking them away as California ’ s population continues to grow .

When I was a kid growing up in Sacramento , I had to figure out how to fish in local waters pretty much on my own . I would often travel to the American River by bike to fish for shad , steelhead and striped bass .

Nowadays , young and novice anglers have good opportunities to learn about fishing from angling experts in clinics , seminars and workshops provided by government agencies , fishing groups and bait and tackle stores , but no program equals “ Fishing in the City .”

“ Fishing in the City ” gives city dwellers opportunities to both learn how to fish and to fish close to home . The CDFW and local sponsors stock ponds in urban areas with rainbow trout in the winter and catfish during

Simmeul Reed and Billy Smith had fun fishing for catfish at Howe Community Park on Free Fishing Day .

Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff .