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Recreation
Night fishing or sleep fishing?
Question: The other night while camping/fishing at Clear Lake, the whole campground was bombarded by a sting of rangers at 4 a.m. waking up campers with flashlights in our eyes to check fishing licenses.
I was in my tent looking through the window at my poles and popped out when I heard someone walking up on our campsite. It was a ranger and he said I was not allowed to sleep with my poles in the water (I wasn’t asleep, but that’s beside the point).
My poles were about 6 to 8 feet from me and he told us that if we wanted to sleep we had to reel them in. Our poles had bells on them and glow sticks.
He said we weren’t “actively fishing.” Is this correct?
Catfishing at night with a bell on your pole and being woken up by a jingle jingle has always been pretty standard stuff.
Can you please clarify this? (Adam S., Lodi)
Answer: The ranger was correct. If you have your hook and line in the water, it must be closely attended.
Angling is defined as taking fish by hook and line with the line held in the hand, or with the line attached to a pole or rod held in the hand or closely attended in such a manner that the fish voluntarily takes the bait or lure in its mouth (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 1.05).
If you are angling with a pole not in your hand, you should be closely attending and watching it and able to immediately grab the rod to reel it in if a fish bites your hook.
The reason for the law is to reduce hooking mortality for fish that swallow a baited hook and then struggle against the line.
If the hook is impaled, the line will restrict gill movement. If you were to catch an undersized bass or trout at night, it may not pull hard enough on the line to disturb you from the tent, and then the fish would likely be dead when you checked your line the next morning.
Bottom line … fishing from inside your tent, whether you’re asleep or not, is not considered “actively fishing” or closely attending to your fishing line.
Can restaurants prepare and serve customers’ sport-caught abalone?
Question: I have a question regarding abalone used for commercial restaurant use. Would it be illegal for someone to catch abalone (legally according to current regulations) on their property, and then sell and serve it to customers at their own restaurant located on their property?
Are restaurants allowed to sell wild abalone at all? (Katelyn S.)
Answer: No, it is not legal for someone to catch abalone under a California sport fishing license and then serve it as a meal to a paying customer no matter where the restaurant is located.
Fish and invertebrates caught under the authority of a sport fishing license may not be bought, sold, traded or bartered (Fish and Game Code, section 7121).
Sport-caught abalone may be given away but cannot be sold in any form, even if it’s being made into a meal.
In most cases, sport-caught abalone may not even be possessed in a restaurant. The only exception would be if the person who lawfully took or otherwise legally possessed the abalone remained present on the premises while the restaurant cook/chef prepared the abalone for consumption by the person who lawfully took it (FGC, section 2015).
Currently, there is no legal commercial fishery for California’s native abalone (FGC, sections 5521 and 5521.5).
However, there are licensed abalone aquaculture farms in the state that raise abalone for the commercial market, as well as commercial fish businesses that import wild-caught and aquaculture abalone into California through a special CDFW importation permit. No non-native, live abalone may be imported into California, though.
Bone collector donates preserved specimens to local schools
Question: I am a bone collector. I have been collecting my entire life but have recently been able to clean and preserve specimens at a museum level.
I mainly collect local native species that have fallen victim as "road kill" but I also collect on hikes and at the beach. After I clean and preserve a specimen, I donate it to local schools.
I was wondering if there might be any licensing available for this kind of work. I would love to have some documentation to share in the event I run into the authorities. I have a biology degree and happily offer all specimens for educational benefit.
Thank you for your time and consideration. (Anonymous)
Answer: To legally do what you are proposing, you will need to have a scientific collecting permit issued through the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to operate as a biological collector for various schools or institutions in need of specimens.
See California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 650 for further information. Mountain lions require a special permit. See CCR Title 14, section 251.4.
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at
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HIDDEN VALLEY LAKE, Calif. – Clearlake Youth Soccer League will have its last registration table this Sunday, June 28.
The registration will take place from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Hidden Valley Lake Water District in Hidden Valley Lake.
Applicants can still register online in lieu of coming to a registration table at www.calnorth-cysl.affinitysoccer.com .
New applicants should bring a birth certificate to the registration table at the water district and be prepared to upload a birth certificate for new applicants when registering online.
Regular registration ends on June 30.
The cost is $80 and includes a jersey, shorts and socks.
Late registrations will be accepted up until July 8 with a $25 fee.
If you have registration questions please email
Persons age 10 and up that would like to be a referee this year can email
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A painting by Chuck Black of Bozeman, Mont., was chosen as the winner of the 2015 California Duck Stamp Art Contest.
The painting, which depicts an American green-winged teal, becomes the official design for the 2015-2016 stamp.
Following the contest held June 17 in Davis, the judges complimented Black's painting, praising the artist's anatomic accuracy, and attention to feather detail and habitat.
“I am extremely grateful to have been chosen,” said Black, a professional wildlife artist. “Having recently switched to oil paint from acrylic, I am thrilled to have such positive feedback because it reassures me that I am going in the right direction. I wanted to make the painting a true depiction of waterfowl but did not want to distract from the duck itself. That is why I decided to go with one drake instead of a lot of ducks ... I wanted the bird to be prominent.”
Black and 20 other artists from around the country submitted entries for this year's contest, sponsored by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW).
Jeffrey Klinefelter of Etna Green, Ind., placed second, Frank Dolphens Jr., of Omaha, Neb., placed third and Timothy Schreiber of Lincoln, Ala., received honorable mention.
The top four paintings will be displayed at the Pacific Flyway Decoy Association's 45th Annual Classic Wildlife Art Festival in Sacramento, which is scheduled July 11-12.
Since 1971, the California Duck Stamp Program's annual contest has attracted top wildlife artists from around the country.
The contest is traditionally open to artists from all 50 states in order to ensure a wide pool of submissions.
All proceeds generated from stamp sales go directly to waterfowl conservation projects throughout California.
In the past, hunters were required to purchase and affix the stamp to their hunting licenses. Today, hunters are no longer required to carry the stamps because California's modern licensing system prints proof of additional fees paid directly onto the license.
However, CDFW still produces the stamps, which can be requested on CDFW's Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/licensing/collectorstamps .
The subject of the 2016 California Duck Stamp Art Contest will be the lesser snow goose, with details on that contest to be released at a later date.
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Koi-eating heron needs a new home
Question: We live in Valley Center (north San Diego County) and had a koi pond with 75 koi. We now have maybe 20 koi. There's a huge great blue heron that is eating the koi daily.
Is there a way for Fish and Wildlife to rehome this bird so that we can save our koi? (Julie Wright)
Answer: Unfortunately, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) does not remove or rehome great blue herons. They are federally protected.
Your best bet will be to haze the bird by non-lethal methods and discourage it from hanging around. Try putting wire around and over the top of your pond to keep the heron from easily picking off your remaining fish.
Your fish may also be disappearing due to other unwanted predators. Koi are very enticing menu favorites for a number of other small backyard visitors, including domestic cats and raccoons.
Unfortunately, when various small backyard wildlife become nuisance visitors, such as koi-stealing raccoons, or possums under houses, or squirrels in attics, or rattlesnakes in your garage, etc., CDFW cannot usually assist with removal/relocation.
For all of these types of animals you would need to contact a pest management company for assistance, or visit UC Integrated Pest Management Web site for guidance. Their Web site is www.ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/ .
Back to the great blue heron, the USFWS provides guidance and permits for birds causing property damage. This is a common problem at larger live fish facilities, private hatcheries and aquaculture facilities. Check their Web site at www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/mbpermits.html .
Estimating distance from shore
Question: I have a question that’s a bit off the wall. If I am on the water, how can I accurately estimate when I am around one mile from shore?
Assuming great visibility, if I am on a boat and standing 10 to 20 feet above sea level and I have 8x binoculars, how can I tell if I am less than or more than one mile from shore?
I seem to recall someone saying to estimate half to horizon and then half of that. Does that sound correct? (Craig N.)
Answer: Because of swell conditions, it would be nearly impossible to estimate the distance from shore in the method you describe. The most reliable method would be to use a GPS or plotter.
You can also use a compass pointed toward known locations on land and triangulate your position fairly accurately on a chart.
Abalone scouting before start time?
Question: I know I cannot start picking abalone until 8 a.m. I usually get to my spot around 7:30 a.m.
If I leave all my gear on the beach, can I search the rocks to locate any abs that might be legal, mark the spots with my gloves and then at 8 a.m. go back and get them? Thanks for your assistance. (Larry P., Paradise)
Answer: Abalone may be taken only from 8 a.m. to one half hour after sunset. Take is defined as to “hunt, pursue, catch, capture or kill, or attempt to hunt, pursue, catch, capture or kill (Fish and Game Code, section 86).
Searching and locating abalone prior to 8 a.m. as you describe is prohibited because it would fall within this definition of take.
When friends share in a hunt, does everyone need licenses and tags?
Question: Let's say I plan to go hunting during the regular season and want to bring a friend or family member along, but I'm the only one who actually plans on taking game.
Additionally, let's say that I am the only one in possession of a firearm or archery equipment. Does everyone in my group need to have a hunting license and tag?
If no, am I the only one in the group who needs both a license and a tag, and everyone else is okay with just a license? (Jeffrey Y.)
Answer: No one else in your group will need licenses or tags as long as they are only observing and are not carrying a method of take with them.
Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at
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- Written by: Carrie Wilson