At its December 2014 meeting in Southern California, the California Fish and Game Commission designated for wild-trout management an additional 39 miles of streams that include, either in their entirety or as a section, Pauley Creek, near Downieville; Caples Creek, south of South Lake Tahoe; and Putah Creek, near Winters.
In addition, the commissioners added 180 acres of lakes and reservoirs for special wild-trout management: Solano, near Winters; Milton, between Truckee and Sierraville; Manzanita, ear Mt. Lassen; and Gerle Creek Divide, near Pollock Pines.
As a result of this designation, all of these waters will become part of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Wild Trout Program.
At the same meeting, the commissioners rescinded Wild Trout Program status for the Martis Creek Reservoir, in Placer and Nevada Counties, a popular f loat-tubing destination located just southeast of Truckee. Following a recommendation by the DFW, the commission removed the Wild Trout designation to avoid a conflict with the existing policy that emphasizes put-and-take management with hatchery trout there, instead of managing for wild trout.
“This fishery historically and currently is managed through supplemental planting of fingerling and sub-catchable trout,” which is allowed under wild-trout management policy, said a DFW policy memo to the commission. The change in status for Martis “does not translate into a lack of interest in the fishery by the Department,” but rather is intended “to provide greater flexibility for adaptive management which may include put-andtake for increased harvest-related angling opportunities near the town of Truckee.” The DFW memo pointed out that the addition of Lake Solano and Milton Reservoir to the program makes up for the loss of Martis and fulfills the legal requirement to add a new lake each year.
(Other Martis news: In November 2014, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a draft master plan for Martis, which is available at http://www.spk.usace.army.mil/Portals/12/documents/parks_lakes/Martis/Master%20Plan%20 Update/Martis_Creek_Draft_Master_ Plan_Nov2014.pdf. Adoption of the master plan has been delayed, but the corps has said it will adopt the final 160-page plan by mid-2015.)
The Wild Trout Program, which was created in 1971, “provides for designation of ‘aesthetically pleasing and environmentally productive’ streams and lakes to be managed exclusively for wild trout, where the trout populations are managed with appropriate regulations to be ‘largely unaffected by the angling process,’ ” according to the DFW. By law, the commission and its policy-implementing partner, the DFW, must annually designate at least 25 miles of stream and one lake as Wild Trout Program waters. The designated waters are open to the public for fishing and, if stocked, are planted only with hatchery-raised “wild” or semiwild trout strains. The current fishing regulations apply to these newly designated Wild Trout waters. (For a list of designated Wild Trout waters, check a regulation booklet or go to http://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Regulations. Current regulations are valid through February 28, 2015. For questions about waters in the Wild Trout Program, contact Stafford Lehr, chief of the DFW Fisheries Branch, at (916) 4453181 or by e-mail at stafford.lehr@wildlife.ca.gov.)
“There is a common misperception that these waters automatically have catch-and-release regulations,” said Stephanie Hogan, a DFW staff member who works on the program out of Sacramento. “No fishing regulations have changed as the result of these designations.” She added, “The designations mean that these waters are managed as a self-sustaining wild-trout fishery. As part of that, we will analyze them to determine if any future regulation changes are needed.”
Here are more details about the newly designated Wild Trout waters.
Pauley Creek (Sierra County). Fifteen miles of this semiremote canyon stream contain a self-sustaining population of coastal rainbow trout. It is classified as a “fast-action f ishery,” which means management for a catch rate of greater than two fish per hour. The majority of the lands in this segment are administered by the U.S. Forest Service as part of the Tahoe National Forest. Nearby Lavezzola Creek is currently designated as a Wild Trout water, so the addition of Pauley Creek contributes to a watershed-management approach.
Caples Creek (El Dorado and Alpine Counties). The 11 miles of creek from the confluence with the Silver Fork of the American River to Caples Lake Dam covered by this designation contain rainbow, brown, and brook trout. This stream segment is located within the U. S. Forest Service’s Eldorado National Forest. The designation follows fishery and habitat assessments conducted at Caples Creek since 2005, including electrofishing, snorkeling, and angling. The El Dorado Chapter of Trout Unlimited has worked with DFW staff to provide additional angler data to support the wild trout designation.
Putah Creek and Lake Solano (Solano and Yolo Counties). Five miles of Putah Creek upstream from Lake Solano to Monticello Dam at Lake Berryessa contain “trophy” coastal rainbow trout, defined as those greater than 18 inches, in a stream that is close to the Sacramento and San Francisco urban areas. A paved road that runs along the north side of the creek and many parking areas provide easy access to the creek. In addition, Lake Solano has also been added to the program. The 69 surface acres of this small and relatively shallow lake contain foraging opportunities to support a healthy population of trophy-sized trout, according to the DFW, which added that the department has not stocked these waters since 2007. The lake is created by a diversion dam on Putah Creek, which is sustained by cold water flowing from the bottom of Lake Berryessa.
Putah Creek and Lake Solano have become model waters for the DFW’s partnership with nonprofit groups — in this case, Putah Creek Trout, whose volunteers advocated for the designation and assist with administering stream surveys, conducting angler assessments, maintaining streamside data-collection boxes, and creating ways for anglers to submit forms on-line. In addition, California Fly Fishers Unlimited, a club located in Sacramento, has purchased telemetry equipment for the DFW to use to track the movement of fish between the creek and the lake. “This is just one example of a partnership for wild trout,” said the DFW’s Hogan. “We have them all over the state.”
The Truckee River (Nevada and Sierra Counties). The action by the Fish and Game Commission expands the current Wild Trout designation on the Truckee by eight miles, from the confluence with Gray Creek downstream to the Nevada state line. This will improve management of wild trout below the town of Truckee.
Milton Reservoir (Nevada and Sierra Counties). This 27-acre body of water is primarily a wild brown trout fishery, with a lesser population of rainbow trout. The reservoir, which has been studied for more than 12 years by program staff members, is located within the Middle Fork of the Yuba River watershed.
Gerle Creek Divide Reservoir (El Dorado County). These 37 acres contain a self-sustaining population of brown trout and have been studied for designation since 2013. The reservoir, located 17.5 miles from Pollock Pines, is popular among anglers interested in a challenging experience catching trout that may exceed 18 inches.
Manzanita Lake (Shasta County). This 47-acre lake is located in Lassen Volcanic National Park and is a popular fishery for brown, brook, and rainbow trout, including trophy-size fish. The lake was first proposed for Wild Trout status in 2013, but a delay to allow collaboration with the National Park Service resulted in that agency’s support.
With the latest additions and the removal of Martis Creek Reservoir, there are now 51 designated Wild Trout waters spread across California. Most of these are in Northern California. In addition to the recently designated waters, the program includes the following steams and lakes, distributed in DFW regions across the state.
Northern Region: The Fall River, the lower McCloud, upper Klamath, upper Sacramento and Sacramento Rivers, Hat Creek, and Eagle Lake.
North Central Region: The East Fork of the Carson River, the Middle Fork of the Feather River, the North Fork of the American River, and the Rubicon, Truckee, upper Truckee, and lower Yuba Rivers, plus Lavezzola, Nelson, and Yellow Creeks, and the upper Stoney Creek drainage. Lakes include Heenan and Long.
Central Region: The Clavey, Kings, and Merced Rivers, the Middle Fork of the San Joaquin River, the Middle Fork of the Stanislaus River, the South Fork of the Kings River, the South Fork of the Merced, the South Fork of the San Joaquin, the upper Kern Rivers, and the drainages of Golden Trout Creek and the South Fork of the Kern. Lakes include Lower Honeymoon, Royce, and Sallie Keys.
South Coast Region: The upper East Fork of the San Gabriel River, Sespe Creek, and the upper Piru Creek drainage.
Inland Deserts Region: The lower Owens River and Bear, Cottonwood, Deep, and Hot Creeks. Lakes include Parker and Laurel Lakes.
Building on the success of the Wild Trout Program, in 1998, the DFW created the Heritage Trout Program, which is focused on waters that meet these additional criteria: “Only waters supporting populations that best exemplify indigenous strains of native trout within their historic drainages may qualify for designation.” According to the DFW, these waters “shall be able to provide anglers with the opportunity to catch native trout consistent with the conservation of the native trout present.” California’s DFW regions have 10 designated Heritage Trout waters: in the Northern Region, Eagle Lake and the lower Yuba River; in the North Central Region, Heenan Lake, the upper Stony Creek drainage, and the upper Truckee River; in the Central Region, the Clavey and upper Kern Rivers and the Golden Trout Creek drainage; in the South Coast Region, the upper East Fork of the San Gabriel River and the upper Piru Creek drainage.
To increase awareness of native trout, the DFW created the California Heritage Trout Challenge and the new Master Challenge, which encourages anglers to catch and photograph California’s native trout. With the Heritage Trout Challenge, anglers who catch and take photographs of six different kinds of native trout in their historic drainages receive a full-color certificate with images of their fish using art from well-known artist Joe Tomelleri. To date, 280 certificates have been issued, according to the DFW’s Hogan, who added that currently, about thirty are issued per year. Anglers who catch the remaining five species of native trout qualify for the “Master Challenge,” which has its own special certificate. To date, 13 anglers have received these certificates.
“The Master Challenge is hard, because the Paiute cutthroat is on the list,” said Hogan, adding that the DFW is currently working toward restoring this species, which is native to Silver King Creek, a headwaters tributary to the Carson River in the Sierra Nevada. “This is a lifetime award, so the fish could have been caught long ago. We had one caught in the 1950s.” For information about the Heritage and Wild Trout Program including an overview, list and maps and photos of designated waters and the related California Heritage Trout Challenge, see http://www.dfg.ca.gov/fish/resources/WildTrout.
More Conservation News
Here are other conservation-related updates.
New California Trout Chief. Curtis Knight, a 15-year staff member of CalTrout, is the new executive director of the San Francisco–based organization. Knight’s most recent position has been as CalTrout’s Mount Shasta Region manager, where he worked on issues affecting the McCloud River, Hat Creek, and the Shasta River and represented CalTrout on the group working to gain agreement on management of the Klamath River. In addition, he served as CalTrout’s advocate before the California State Legislature and state agencies. Working with leaders from Trout Unlimited, Knight helped create and run the annual Casting Call, which increases awareness of trout issues through a fly-casting contest for lawmakers held each June on the grounds of the State Capitol.
Trout Unlimited Creates Steelhead Group. With press conferences and media briefings, Trout Unlimited kicked off its new Wild Steelhead Initiative, which includes creating a new group to focus on preserving wild steelhead in the West, including in California. “We steelheaders share a common vision of the future of wild steelhead, and we know what has to be done to bring them back,” says promotional text for the new effort on the group’s snappy Web site (http://www.wildsteelheaders.org). “With millions of dollars, countless hours from staff and volunteers invested in restoring wild steelhead habitat, Trout Unlimited is launching the Wild Steelhead Initiative to make sure those investments (along with the efforts of countless other organizations) pay dividends.” The Web site includes the group’s new “Be Steelheaded” slogan and logo, a high-tech conservation atlas showing where steelhead live, a fact sheet, and opportunities to contribute.
Split Shot Ban Ahead? Get ready for a possible ban on lead split shot in 2015. Governor Jerry Brown has directed the Department of Toxic Substances Control to conduct a three-year study of the environmental impact of lead fishing tackle and to consider the ban. At issue is whether lead split shot get ingested by and result in deaths of birds. Policies are being discussed to ban lead split shot and require anglers to instead use nonlead weights, perhaps made of steel, glass, tin, or tungsten. The study will be part of the department’s $5 million Green Chemistry Initiative to study “priority products” for environmental safety. The issue is sure to continue to divide anglers and environmentalists and be a hot topic at seminars during the upcoming sports show season.
Fly-Fishing Club Donates $10,250 to Conservation
Members of the Sierra Pacific Flyfishers donated $10,250 to various conservation and fisheries restoration projects in 2014, announced conservation chair Debbie Sharpton. The 300-member San Fernando Valley-based f ly-fishing club raised the funds through year-long donations, raffles and auctions, said Sharpton.
Club donations for the year included $1,000 to the Southwest Council, International Federation of Fly Fishers; $2,000 to CalTrout for an educational film on California’s golden trout; $250 to support efforts to remove Rindge Dam [Malibu] on behalf of the southern steelhead; $5,000 to the Lahontan Cutthroat Recovery Project; $1,000 to the Western Native Trout Initiative, a collaborative effort of agencies working towards restoring native trout in the western United States; and $1,000 to assist Dr. Kathleen Matthews, USFS researcher, in her studies of the impacts of cattle grazing on golden trout in the South Fork of the Kern River.
—Bennett J. Mintz
