There is good and bad news in the changes that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife is proposing in the state’s trout-fishing regulations. The bad news is that fly fishers will have to pay closer attention to the new regulations for their favorite waters. The good news, depending on your perspective, is that the CDFW is proposing to simplify those regulations.
The final 43-page package, released in January, includes 110 proposed changes, which will be up for review at the June, August, and October meetings of the California Fish and Game Commission. Last year, when the CDFW held hearings around the state on a preliminary draft of proposed changes, they received more than 5,000 comments from anglers and organizations. Presumably this final draft of new proposals reflects concerns that were raised then, but fly fishers, particularly those who commented previously, should review the proposals to determine whether the changes are adequate or appropriate.
Changed Regs
Here are some of the proposed changes as of our press date for waters that have interest to fly fishers. (There are many more such changes in the draft proposals.)
Burney Creek, from Burney Creek Falls downstream to Lake Britton (Shasta County) — Would open the creek to year-round angling with a zero-fish limit. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks would be allowed.
Carson River, East Fork, from Hangman’s Bridge downstream to the Nevada state line (Alpine County) — Would increase the bag limit from zero to two fish, 14-inch minimum size. Artificial lures must still be used, but could now have barbs.
Clear Lake Tributaries ( Lake County) — Would be open year-round with a zero-fish bag limit and gear restricted to artificial lures with barbless hooks.
Crowley Lake, except for the closed area near the outlet dam (Mono County) — The artificials-only season would shorten to August 1 through July 31, and artificial lures could now have barbs. No change to bag limit or minimum size.
Fall River, from its origin at Thousand Springs downstream to the PG&E Pit No. 1 Diversion Dam, including all lakes, tributaries, and springs, excluding Bear Creek (Shasta County) — The period during which the current two-fish bag limit applies would be shortened to the Saturday preceding Memorial Day through September 30, and artificial lures could now have barbs. These waters would also now be open to angling from October 1 through the Friday preceding Memorial Day, but no trout could be kept, and artificial lures must be barbless.
Golden Trout Wilderness Area, excluding the main stem Kern River and the Tule River drainage (Tulare County) – Would extend angling through the entire year and reduce the bag limit to zero. Artificial lures only with barbless hooks would remain in effect.
Hat Creek, from Lake Britton upstream to Baum Lake, exclusive of the concrete Hat No. 2 intake canal between Baum Lake and the Hat No. 2 Powerhouse — Would open the creek to fishing year-round, but reduces the bag limit from two fish to zero. No change to the requirement to fish only artificial lures with barbless hooks.
Heenan Lake (Alpine County) — Would replace the September and October weekends-only angling with daily angling from September 1 through November 30. No change to bag limit or gear.
Klamath River main stem and all tributaries above Iron Gate Dam — Would change the season for which five fish can be kept to the Saturday preceding Memorial Day through September 30. From October 1 through the Friday preceding Memorial Day, zero fish could be kept, and only artificial lures with barbless hooks could be used.
Little Truckee River, from Stampede Reservoir Dam downstream to Boca Reservoir (Sierra and Nevada counties) — Would reduce to zero fish the two-fish bag limit now in place from the last Saturday in April through November 15. The river would be open to angling year-round, with gear still restricted to artificial lures with barbless hooks.
Truckee River, from the confluence of Trout Creek downstream to the mouth of Prosser Creek (Nevada County) – Would reduce to zero fish the two-fish bag limit now in place from the last Saturday in April through November 15 for the stretch to the Glenshire Bridge. Would removes the fly-only restriction for the stretch from Glenshire Bridge to Prosser Creek, but artificial lures with barbless hooks would be required.
Truckee River, from the mouth of Prosser Creek downstream to the Nevada state line (Nevada and Sierra Counties) – Would increase the bag limit from zero fish to two fish from November 15 to the last Saturday in April. Artificial lures could now have barbs.
New Regs
Here’s a selection of proposed new regulations for some of the waters of potential interest to fly fishers. Each listing includes the fishing area, proposed season, bag limit, and gear restrictions.
Boulder Creek (San Diego County) – All year. Two-fish bag limit and only artificial lures.
Bridgeport Reservoir Tributaries (Mono County) — The last Saturday in April through November 15. Five-fish bag limit. No gear restrictions.
Caples Creek, from the confluence with the Silver Fork of the American River upstream to Caples Lake dam (Alpine and El Dorado counties) — All year. Zero bag limit and only artificial lures with barbless hooks.
June Lake (Mono County) — The last Saturday in April through November 15. Five-fish bag limit. No gear restrictions.
Lundy Lake (Mono County) — The last Saturday in April through November 15. Five-fish bag limit. No gear restrictions.
Pit River, South Fork and tributaries upstream of the Highway 395 bridge in Likely (Modoc County) — The Saturday preceding Memorial Day through the last day in February. Five-fish bag limit. No gear restrictions.
Pit River, North Fork and tributaries from the confluence with the South Fork in Alturas upstream to and including Franklin Creek (Modoc County) — The Saturday preceding Memorial Day through the last day in February. Twofish bag limit. Artificial lures only.
Rush Creek between Silver Lake and Grant Lake (Mono County) — The Saturday preceding Memorial Day through September 30. Five-fish bag limit. No gear restrictions.
Russian River, East Fork above Lake Mendocino and tributaries to the lake (Mendocino County) — The Saturday preceding Memorial Day through the last day in February. Five-trout bag limit. No gear restrictions.
Many more changes are presented in the proposed regulations. To download a list of all the proposed changes and how they compare with existing regulations, visit https://nrm. dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=175721&inline. At the very least, you may discover new waters to fish.
For more information on the background of these changes, visit https:// wildlife.ca.gov/Fishing/Inland/TroutPlan. (It also has a link for the comparison chart noted in the prior paragraph.)
The California Fish and Game Commission will take public comment on the proposed changes at these meetings: Santa Ana, June 24 and 25; Fortuna, August 19 and 20; Oakland, October 14 and 15. For more information on meeting times and locations, visit https://fgc.ca.gov/Meetings/2020. If members of the public are unable to attend Fish and Game Commission meetings, they can send letters and comments to the commission once an agenda has been created for each meeting (you’ll need to visit the website just noted to learn when agendas are available). CDFW staff also anticipate that there’ll be an additional on-line means for providing comment.
