Double_Haul
01-24-2008, 08:49 PM
From the Fish Sniffer Board
The state Fish and Game Commission will decide next month whether to impose a two-month fishing ban on the lower American River during the heart of steelhead trout season. Florence Low / Sacramento Bee file, October 2007
The state Fish and Game Commission is set to consider a two-month fishing ban on the lower American River. If approved at the commission's February meeting, it would mark the first such ban along that stretch of river in years.
The ban would interrupt steelhead trout season in full swing along one of the region's most popular fishing spots
The Northern California Council, a branch of the national Federation of Fly Fishers, is asking for the ban during February and March, saying the unusually low river levels increase the opportunity for "snagging." Snaggers illegally catch fish by dragging a line through the water until a fish gets hooked, often on its body.
Steelhead trout spawn during February and March, making them particularly vulnerable to snagging, according to the group.
The fishing group is asking for the ban in hopes of ensuring the population is able to spawn and remains viable in the long run.
Unseasonably low water levels along the American River are not likely to change during the rest of spawning season, according to the U.S. Burea of Reclamation.
The commission will consider the ban when it meets on Feb. 7 and 8 in San Diego.
The state Fish and Game Commission will decide next month whether to impose a two-month fishing ban on the lower American River during the heart of steelhead trout season. Florence Low / Sacramento Bee file, October 2007
The state Fish and Game Commission is set to consider a two-month fishing ban on the lower American River. If approved at the commission's February meeting, it would mark the first such ban along that stretch of river in years.
The ban would interrupt steelhead trout season in full swing along one of the region's most popular fishing spots
The Northern California Council, a branch of the national Federation of Fly Fishers, is asking for the ban during February and March, saying the unusually low river levels increase the opportunity for "snagging." Snaggers illegally catch fish by dragging a line through the water until a fish gets hooked, often on its body.
Steelhead trout spawn during February and March, making them particularly vulnerable to snagging, according to the group.
The fishing group is asking for the ban in hopes of ensuring the population is able to spawn and remains viable in the long run.
Unseasonably low water levels along the American River are not likely to change during the rest of spawning season, according to the U.S. Burea of Reclamation.
The commission will consider the ban when it meets on Feb. 7 and 8 in San Diego.