CRIMES AGAINST THE AMERICAN RIVER!

[Adam Grace]

Awesome post JD! I totally agree.

[sculpin]

Jd
This is a great topic and Tristan your post is very spot on . As Tristan stated any of us who fish for adult steelhead or salmon in a river are fishing for spawners . I hope the fresh ones we catch can recover enough to spawn . Am I going to quit fishing for steelhead ? Nah . A lot of the problem with people fishing the Reds is each year there is a new crop of steelhead fishermen that need to be educated . When they see all those big fish they get all excited and go after them . The only way to help the fish is giving them a place or time or both that they can spawn without being harassed . In my area some feeder streams are closed to all fishing year round to provide a place for the fish to spawn and some main stem rivers close at spawning time or switch to fly fishing only . It's not perfect but it seems to work .

Mark

[Darian]

It seems that a longer or more stringent closure of rivers/streams or extension of existing closures (to cover the entire spawning season) is the only sure way to allow fish to spawn, undisturbed. Unfortunately, that event might mean that all fishing in those areas would be stopped in the valley, above the delta. Including Striper or resident Trout fishing... No longer realistic, as it probably would be unacceptable to most of the guides (including jd) and or business owners who benefit from fisherman spending. Would any of us support more closures I gotta say that, altho, I understand the frustration, etc., behind the original post, it's unrealistic to assume that everyone who uses that river feels the same way about it....

As Tristan correctly points out, if we're fishing Steelhead, we're fishing for spawners; regardless of where in the river we fish. So, basically, our complaints amount to objection to fishing/wading for Steelhead on the redds and actively spawning fish. I'm not going to condemn anyone for any LEGAL method they use to fish Whether to use gear/fly and/or boating/wading are all personal choices. So, IMHO, this is an educational issue. Lets keep the confrontations under control.

[fishbonz]

so for those of us who don't know better, how can you tell a steelhead is on the redd, vs. just resting? teach the rest of us, please....

also, based on the theory that the steelhead are on their way to spawn, whether they are on the redd or not, are we not weakening them either way? (just playing devils advocate!!! )

BTW, I can't tell the difference, so I just swing my fly and hope a fish is nearby.... I have yet to catch a fish I can see in the American....

ced.

[hookedupanglers]

Good post, tough topic. I wrote almost the same thing on my web site about a month ago. It was my personal thoughts and I didn’t feel like I should be telling others what to do. Since JD broke the ice, I am more than willing share my experience on the subject. If you have seen the guy, his son and dog that hang out in the upper section then you know exactly what we are talking about. I myself find the best way to deal with it is to ask them if then need help landing it. The usual response is no, or I think I might have foul hooked it. I will sit there and wait to see what they do. The fish get off about 70% of the time. I find the toughest thing is explaining to your clients what is going on, and why we are not doing it. Everyone wants to catch fish. I guess some are a little more aggressive than others. I do think most of it is just being uneducated about fishing in general. What seems perfectly normal to one guy is shameful to another. This also happens quite a bit on the Yuba. I find it harder and harder to fish under the populated conditions we are currently in. I do enjoy fishing the lower American river. With year round fishing and close location it’s a great fishery. I hope no one is upset enough to stop fishing. This will not help the situation. Everyone makes mistakes and with the proper help we can all improve. My fist steelhead experience was a buddy taking me to the low flow of the Feather River below the hatchery. He rigged up my pole and we fished in the creeks. I look back at it and am able to laugh. I am pleased that the new all year fishing regulations are soon upon us, and hopefully will be spending a lot more time with my clients on other rivers. When it comes to steelhead fishing, I feel better about hooking them on the freeway than the parking lot.

[Hairstacker]

What seems perfectly normal to one guy is shameful to another.

I think that about sums up a lot of it.

[lee s.]

From what little we have seen, resting fish generally move VERY little except for what is needed to maintain in the generally shallow, mild current they choose. Shallow being relative, often, to clarity. Spawning fish generally choose like water but often a bit more shallow and having certain density to the cobble. They move and dance around a lot, returning to the redd. Moving fish generally choose a seam or "path" and have generally a meandering, steady pace that they vary little from.....even to trounce on bugs!
.....lee s.

[dberry]

Whether we like it or not, we have created an artificial salmon and steelhead fishery in the American. Not all of the returning fish can be used by the hatchery so the excess fish spawn in areas where they normally wouldn’t choose to spawn. Fish spawn from Paradise all the way up to the hatchery. No matter where you fish from mid-December through the end of March, you will be fishing over steelhead on redds. Those of us who fish for steelhead in the American try not to deliberately cast to fish on the redds and we should be aware of redd structure so that we don’t tromp through a redd as we wade to our favorite spot. All steelhead on the American are potential spawners.
The November 1st to January 1st closure of the American from Ancil Hoffman up to the hatchery is designed to prevent fishing/harassment for the fall run of Chinook salmon on the redds and wading through redds. The steelhead follow the salmon up the stream and their normal feeding habits focus on salmon eggs and later on alevins. Unlike salmon, some steelhead actually spawn and return to the salt water. These fish are almost always hens as bucks stay in the stream until there are no more hens in the stream.
If DFG were to restrict steelhead fishing from January to the end of February in the spawning habitat of the lower American, there would be a huge outcry from all of us who fish the American. The closure would protect the majority of the steelhead on redds which might increase the already non-native population of steelhead. However, no matter how one manages this fish population, not everyone will be happy with the steelhead management in the American [also the Feather]. The best we can hope for is to try not to disturb steelhead on the redds and teach some common sense, sportsmanship, and biology to the uninformed.

[mike N]

perhaps it is time to remove nimbus dam? I understand that Nimbus was installed as an emegency cooling water source for the now decomissioned rancho seco power plant and that the hatchery was installed to offset the spawning habitat that was lost by nimbus's installation. EBMUD can get their water directly from folsom. I seem to recall reading this in a book titled A History of the Lower American River.

MN

[Darian]

Hmmmm,.... I seem to recall that Nimbus was constructed/installed as a regulator forebay for Folsom dam having been built in 1955. That was long before installation of Rancho Seco. Altho EBMUD proposes drawing it's water from the Folsom South Canal, I suppose that's water from Folsom (technically).... The mouth of that canal is adjacent to Nimbus Dam and runs southward from there.

Lets not go overboard with this.... Removal of Nimbus dam would contribute to an unregulated flow of water thru Sacramento during high water periods. Don't know about anyone else, but I'm not willing to sacrifice my house or life to flooding in order that Salmon/Steelhead/Stripers have more water.