California Fly Fisher edit committee members Rebecca Ramirez and Bernard Yin constantly seek to achieve an understanding of trout habitat shifts in California, especially Southern California. As ambassadors for the conservation nonprofit California Trout, the pair wrote about their efforts tracking temperature patterns in the San Gabriel River Watershed in a Field Notes post on the organization’s website. Yale Climate Connections read about their efforts resulting in an interview to learn more about their work.
Bernard and Rebecca know that the dynamics involved when looking for wild and native trout in the mountains of Southern California is a game unlike any other. The backdrop of increasingly erratic seasons that seem to never repeat themselves was the focus of Yale Climate Connections’ inquiry.
While the seasons are ever-changing, the resilience of southern steelhead is not. Whether landlocked or not, the strong genetics of the species help these fish survive the impacts of a changing climate, such as warmer water, drought, and fires. The message the pair shares with anglers is to not cause further stress to these fish when they are in moments of high vulnerability, similar to the Hoot Owl guidelines for anglers that are occurring with greater frequency. During these times, it is better to head to the Sierra Nevada and find colder water or switch to your saltwater fly game!
