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Recreation
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- Written by: Editor
The closure will take effect from Nimbus Dam on the lower American River to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) gauging station cable crossing approximately one-half mile downriver (California Code of Regulations Title 14, sections 7.50(b)(5)(A) and (B).
Under current regulations, the American River from Nimbus Dam to the Hazel Avenue bridge piers is open to fishing all year (CCR Title 14, section 7.50 (b)(5)(A)), and from the Hazel Avenue bridge piers to the USGS gauging station cable crossing about 300 yards downstream from the Nimbus Hatchery fish weir from Jan. 1 through Aug. 15 (section 7.50(b)(5)(B)).
Closure of the Nimbus Basin to fishing is part of the Nimbus Hatchery Fish Passage Project, which involves reorienting the hatchery’s fish ladder into the Nimbus Basin and removing the existing fish weir.
This project will create and maintain a reliable system of collecting adult salmon and steelhead broodstock for the hatchery and increase the amount of natural spawning and rearing habitat available in the lower American River.
The changes will also minimize American River flow fluctuations associated with installation and removal of the hatchery’s weir and eliminate health and safety concerns relative to the deterioration of the existing weir structure.
The new spawning habitat opened up by the permanent removal of the weir will improve juvenile salmon production and increase harvest opportunities downstream.
The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife completed a joint Environmental Impact Statement/Environmental Impact Report (EIR/EIS) for the Nimbus Hatchery Fish Passage Project in 2011.
Planning is currently under way and construction is scheduled to begin in federal fiscal year 2019.
The EIR/EIS is available for download from www.usbr.gov/mp/ccao/hatchery.
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The archery-only hunting season follows immediately afterward, running from May 7 to 20.
Young hunters will have additional opportunities to bag a spring tom turkey. Junior Hunting License holders may hunt the weekend before the general opener, March 24 and 25, and the two weeks after the general season closes, May 7 to 20, using shotguns or any other legal method of take.
Shooting hours for spring turkeys are from one-half hour before sunrise to 5 p.m. Both a hunting license and an upland game bird stamp validation are required to hunt wild turkeys, although an upland stamp is not required of Junior Hunting License holders.
Nonlead shot is required when taking wild turkeys with a shotgun anywhere in the state except when hunting on licensed game bird clubs.
These regulations apply to both public and private land, including all national forests, Bureau of Land Management, and California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) properties.
For more information on nonlead ammunition regulations, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/Hunting/Nonlead-Ammunition.
CDFW is offering 89 separate special turkey hunting opportunities throughout the state. Starting this year, application for these special hunting opportunities must be made through CDFW's Automated License Data System.
Hunts are grouped into three separate drawings: Junior hunts, general opening weekend hunts and balance of season hunts.
There is a $2.42 application fee and only one application per hunter is allowed for each drawing.
Applications allow hunters to select their top three hunt choices in order of their preference. Hunters may only be drawn once per application.
The application deadlines for these hunts are as follows:
– Junior hunts: Saturday, March 3.
– Opening weekend general season hunts: Saturday, March 10.
– Balance of the season hunts: Wednesday, March 14.
To apply for these hunts, please visit www.ca.wildlifelicense.com/internetsales, sign into your account, select the "Purchase Licenses" link and select "2017 - Hunting" from the menu on the left side of the page.
Spring turkey hunt application items will be available under the "Drawings" section on the right side of the page.
After submitting your application, checking out and completing payment, you will be able to download a receipt confirming your entries into the drawing.
For more details and descriptions of these hunts, please visit www.wildlife.ca.gov/turkey-hunts.
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WASHINGTON, DC – Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatUS) urges recreational boaters and anglers residing in states with U.S. Senate Commerce Committee members to speak up now in favor of passing the Modern Fish Act.
The bill, which will be voted on Wednesday, Feb. 28, aims at improving federal marine fisheries management for recreational anglers. If the bill passes the committee, it will go to the full Senate floor for a vote.
“The bill corrects a long-running mistake of regulating recreational fishing in the same way as we do commercial fishing,” said BoatUS Manager of Government Affairs David Kennedy. “They are simply not the same, and the Modern Fish Act recognizes that. It’s smart legislation.”
Since 1976, saltwater recreational fishing in federal waters has been regulated by the Magnuson-Stevens Act (MSA) which is credited with achieving success in managing commercial fishing. However, MSA never adequately accounted for recreational fishing.
The goal of the Modern Fish Act - S.1520 - is to finally address the needs of the nation’s 11 million saltwater recreational anglers, improve access to federal waters and promote marine resource conservation.
It will ensure exempted fishing permits help fisheries management and conservation, rather than the status quo that can hinder both, and support new data collection methods.
The legislation also modifies annual catch limit requirements to allow for more adaptive approaches, and it’s also designed to give federal resource managers access to more data and perform long-overdue examinations of fishery allocations.
States with U.S. Senate Commerce Committee members include Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, Wisconsin and West Virginia.
Boaters and anglers can take action today to contact their senator by going to www.goo.gl/2HXryk.
For more information on the benefits of the act, go to https://keepamericafishing.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/HR-200-Onesheet.pdf.
Fifty-nine percent of the more than half-million members of BoatUS fish aboard their boat.
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- Written by: California Department of Fish and Wildlife
Small game hunting restrictions
Question: What is the reasoning for not allowing small game (squirrel and rabbit) hunting in the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge units?
The California squirrel hunting map indicates that the entire north state is an open squirrel zone and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) Web site does not say anything about not being able to hunt these areas.
There is a list of "huntable" game at www.fws.com, but it does not say what you cannot hunt in those units. It is very confusing. (Trevor)
Answer: Although much of northern California is seasonally open to squirrel hunting, there may be areas that are either closed or have additional restrictions. California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 552(a)(6) refers to the Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge and lists the species for which take is allowed.
These species include goose, duck, coot, moorhen, dove, snipe, turkey, pheasant, quail, deer and wild pig from Sept. 1 to March 15. Section 552(a)(6) goes on to clarify that "...hunting of all other species is prohibited ..."
For additional information, please refer to page 49 of the 2017-2018 Waterfowl and Upland Game regulations booklet or the U.S. Fish and Wildlife ServiceWeb site at www.fws.gov/refuge/Sacramento_River/Hunting.html .
OK to transport crayfish?
Question: Can crayfish be caught in one lake and transported to another lake? Can they be frozen and used for bait later? (Raleigh)
Answer: Yes, for the most part, provided the crayfish were legally caught.
Crayfish are a freshwater crustacean, and legally acquired and possessed crustaceans can be used for bait in almost all inland waters in California (CCR Title 14, section 4.00).
There are regulations governing the method of take. Crayfish may be taken only by hand, hook and line, dip net or with traps not over three feet in greatest dimension.
Any other species taken need to be returned to the water immediately. Traps need not be closely attended. Crayfish can be caught year-round, and there is no bag limit on them. (CCR Title 14, section 5.35).
There are special protections in place to safeguard the Shasta crayfish, California's only native crayfish and an endangered species that lives in the northeastern part of the state.
There are restrictions on catching crayfish and using them for bait on parts of the Fall River, Pit River and Hat Creek, for example (CCR Title 14, sections 4.30(c) and 5.35).
There are also special laws and rules in place throughout the state to prevent the spread of quagga and zebra mussel infestations.
The use of crayfish caught in contaminated water for bait may not be prohibited, but it is illegal to move adult or larval quagga and zebra mussels from infested waters.
Is it illegal for a minor to sell his catch to the neighbors?
Question: Before I throw cold water on a neighborhood kid's moneymaking scheme, please advise me if what he is doing is legal.
He regularly fishes in Half Moon Bay and is advertising through email to sell the catch to neighbors on an ongoing basis, depending on what he catches.
I suspect that he needs a commercial fishing license to engage in this commerce, but I don't have the regulations to back up my belief. What does such a license entail, by the way? (Anonymous)
Answer: Where to start! What that young person is doing is illegal – likely on many different fronts.
First and foremost, it is unlawful to sell or purchase any sport-caught fish or amphibians taken in the waters of California (Fish and Game Code, section 7121).
A commercial fishing license is required for any resident 16 years of age or older to take fish for commercial purposes or otherwise contribute materially to the activities onboard a commercial fishing vessel (FGC, section 7850).
Furthermore, there is a whole host of additional permits, licenses and stamps required of commercial fishermen depending on where they fish, how they fish and what they fish for.
You can see a complete listing of descriptions and fees at the CDFW Web site at www.wildlife.ca.gov/Licensing/Commercial/Descriptions.
Additionally, there are regulations for commercial take that often involve different seasons and size limits than what is required of recreational anglers.
These commercially caught fish then have to be "landed" by a licensed receiver before they are sold (FGC, section 8033).
As you can see, it's no simple undertaking to be a commercial fisherman in California, but these regulations are meant to help conserve the state's fisheries.
The illegal activities you've described need to stop. If the individual does not stop, please call our CalTIP number (888-334-CalTIP) so that our wildlife officers can educate this young person.
If you have a question for the California Department of Fish and Wildlife, please email