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Recreation
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
“It’s been a busy summer in Lake Tahoe with regard to bear activity and conflicts,” said Jordan Traverso, CDFW’s deputy director of communications. “One of the things we’ve learned from this is that there is a tremendous hunger among residents for reliable, truthful and practical information about bear activity and CDFW’s policies, management and response to that activity. We expect this new blog to help address that information void.”
Tahoe Basin residents can find the Bear Naked Truth blog here.
There is an option to subscribe and receive blog updates by e-mail. The blog features CDFW contact information for residents dealing with bear issues, links to CDFW’s bear policies and best practices for living and recreating safely in bear country.
“Our responsibilities regarding bears in the Tahoe Basin, and all of California for that matter, are ensuring a healthy black bear population, public safety and education,” Traverso said. “This blog will help advance those goals. Bears can become public safety threats if they become comfortable around people and dependent on human food and garbage. Keeping these bears wild for their own well-being and the well-being of those who live and vacation in Lake Tahoe is in everybody’s best interest.”
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- Written by: Lake County News Reports
CLEARLAKE, Calif. – University team of Luke Blanchard of Vancouver, Washington, and Nathan Phillips of Kelseyville, California, won the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI at Clear Lake event Saturday with a five-bass limit weighing 16 pounds, 13 ounces.
The victory advanced the Simpson bass club to the 2021 College Fishing National Championship.
The Red Hawks duo won by a 4-pound margin over the second-place team of Ryan Beaty and Taj White, also from Simpson University, who weighed in five bass totaling 12 pounds, 13 ounces. The tournament launched from Redbud Park in Clearlake, California.
The top eight teams Saturday at Clear Lake finished:
First: Simpson University – Luke Blanchard, Vancouver, Wash., and Nathan Phillips, Kelseyville, Calif., five bass, 16-13
Second: Simpson University – Ryan Beaty, Martinez, Calif., and Taj White, Glendale, Ariz., five bass, 12-13
Third: University of California-Merced – Kalib Caples, Sebastopol, Calif., and Herbie LeBlanc, Gilroy, Calif., five bass, 12-9
Fourth: New Mexico State University – Marquez Perez and Wyatt Sandoval, both of Las Cruces, N.M., five bass, 12-0
Fifth: New Mexico State University – Daylon Smith, Frazier Park, Calif., and Bradley Jones of Las Cruces, N.M., five bass, 8-13
Sixth: New Mexico State University – Logan Cooper and Clay Stearns, both of Las Cruces, N.M., five bass, 8-3
Seventh: Simpson University – Austin Rojas, Lake Havasu City, Ariz., and Sheldon Reese, Witter Springs, Calif., two bass, 7-3
Eighth: Sonoma State University – Brook Spencer, Salinas, Calif., and Dawson Stroud, Modesto, Calif., zero bass
Complete results for the entire field can be found at www.FLWFishing.com.
The Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI event on Clear Lake was the third and final regular-season qualifying tournament for Western Conference anglers. The next event for College Fishing anglers will be this week, Oct. 2 – the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI Ouachita River Open in Monroe, Louisiana.
Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI teams compete in regular-season qualifying tournaments in one of five conferences – Central, Northern, Southern, Southeastern and Western. The top ten teams from each division’s three regular-season tournaments and the top 20 teams from the annual Abu Garcia College Fishing Open advance to the following year’s Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI National Championship.
For complete details and updated information visit www.FLWFishing.com. For regular updates, photos, tournament news and more, follow the Abu Garcia College Fishing presented by YETI on FLW’s social media outlets at Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
What's the latest on chronic wasting disease in cervids?
Question: What is California doing to protect our deer and elk from Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) this season? What do I need to know if I am hunting out of state? (Bud)
Answer: As many hunters are aware, CWD is a fatal neurological disease affecting deer and elk. It has not been found in California's deer or elk populations to date. However, it has been detected in captive and free-ranging deer in 26 states and abroad.
Increased testing is critical to ensure early detection and quick implementation of management options in response to a detection in California. This year, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is focused on expanding the scope of its monitoring and testing efforts. CDFW's Wildlife Investigations Lab set a goal of testing 600 cervids statewide during this year's hunting seasons as a step toward increasing surveillance to around 2,000 animals per year in the future. CDFW has been testing for CWD since 1999, averaging about 300 tests annually.
Hunter cooperation will be key to achieving CWD testing goals. CDFW is setting up sampling stations during the various deer seasons allowing hunters to voluntarily bring in their harvest for a quick removal of lymph nodes for CWD testing. Information on sampling locations is available on CDFW's website. CDFW is also partnering with professional meat processors and butchers throughout the state to take samples from deer and elk at the request of hunters. Hunters who are unable to visit a station for sampling are encouraged to ask their butcher ahead of time if sampling is available at the time of processing.
If you harvest a deer or elk out of state, you will be responsible for abiding by regulations related to CWD for that state. To prevent the accidental importation of CWD-infected tissues into the state, California Code of Regulations (CCR) Title 14, section 712prohibits hunters from importing or possessing any hunter harvested deer or elk (cervid) carcass or parts of any cervid carcass imported into the state, except for the following body parts:
(a) portions of meat with no part of the spinal column, brain or head attached (other bones, such as legs and shoulders, may be attached).
(b) hides and capes (no spinal column, brain tissue or head may be attached).
(c) clean skull plates (no brain tissue may be present) with antlers attached.
(d) antlers with no meat or tissue attached, except legally harvested and possessed antlers in the velvet stage are allowed, if no meat, brain or other tissue is attached.
(e) finished taxidermy mounts with no meat or tissue attached (antlers in the velvet stage are allowed if no meat, brain or other tissue is attached).
(f) upper canine teeth (buglers, whistlers, ivories).
If hunting in a state where CWD is present, make sure to check with that state's wildlife agency for information about hunter check stations and how to get your animal tested in the state where it is harvested. An animal that is taken in a CWD endemic zone should be processed in that area or state. The best and safest approach is to bring back only packaged meat or prepared taxidermy specimens. If a harvested animal tests positive for CWD, CDFW supports the recommendation of the Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization to not consume the meat. Additionally, we request that the hunter contact a CDFW office or the Wildlife Investigations Laboratory to have all remaining tissues incinerated.
How to properly measure a fish
Question: I am under the impression that striped bass are to be measured using the "total length" measurement, and not the fork length. Is this correct? (Stu)
Answer: Yes. Most freshwater fish with a size limit, including stripers, are measured to total length. This is the longest straight-line distance from the tip of the head to the end of the longest lobe of the tail (CCR, Title 14, section 1.62). The first rule when measuring fish is to lay the fish flat on its side and always pinch the mouth closed. The most accurate method is to place the fish's snout against a perpendicular surface and then measure along the intersecting horizontal surface to the end of the tail. Don't measure using a flexible "tape" over the fish itself or you will be given a longer (false) reading.
On the ocean side, most saltwater fish with size limits are measured to total length, but there are some that are measured to fork length instead (e.g. bonito, albacore, barracuda and yellowtail). Fork length is the straight-line distance from the tip of the head to the center of the tail fin (CCR, Title 14, section 1.62). So again, lay the fish flat on its side, pinch the mouth closed and take your measurement from the tip of the head to the center of the fork of the tail. These are the only two measurements that you will need to know for the purposes of the regulations when measuring whole fish.
Two rifles while hunting?
Question: Can I carry two rifles when hunting – one for deer and one for squirrel? For example, a rimfire and a center fire? (TC)
Answer: Yes, for your example, you can carry a centerfire rifle to take deer (and squirrel) and a rimfire rifle to take squirrel.
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, please feel free to ask us via email at
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
The reopened properties are Butte Valley Wildlife Area in Siskiyou County, Heenan Lake Wildlife Area in Alpine County, and By Day Creek Ecological Reserve and Pickel Meadow, West Walker River, Green Creek, East Walker River, Cartago, and Burcham & Wheeler Flats wildlife areas all in Mono County.
All other fire-related closures remain in effect through Monday, Sept. 21.
Fire danger is extreme in California currently. Hunters and outdoor enthusiasts are strongly encouraged to check for closures before leaving on any recreational trip.
The following links show up-to-date closures.
CDFW Land Closure List
Map of closed ecological reserves
Map of closed wildlife areas
U. S. Forest Service Lands
Bureau of Land Management Lands