Trout Clout: CalTrout and TU Joint Statement on New CA Inland Trout Regulations 2021

[tcorfey]

So I went to look if there were any changes to the regs for the Trinity river. I can say one thing if the goal was to make this easier it is not any easier. Actually trying to find regs through tables 7.40(b) and 7.50(b) it seems to just send me in circles.

I open the 2021-2022 Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations.

I find references in table 7.40(b) 50 on page 42 regarding Klamath an it's tributaries below Iron Gate Dam sub sections 50 and 51 regarding fishing for Salmon.

Then it gets interesting,In 7.40 (b) it breaks up the Trinity into three sections (B,C & D) with no description for each section and having a redirect to the 7.50(b) table.

Sections:
(B) Trinity River segment identified in subsection 7.50(b)(91.1)(E)6.b
(C) Trinity River segment identified in subsection 7.50(b)(91.1)(E)6.c.
(D) Trinity River segment identified in subsection 7.50(b)(91.1)(E)6.e.

ok but table 7.50(b) (91) is McGee Creek (Mono Co.)

So I find 7.40(b)(114)Trinity River and tributaries downstream of Lewiston Dam.
This redirects you back to Klamath River 7.40 subsection (b)(50)

I search the 7.50(b) table and on page 55 I overrun it and see a red highlighted section on page 54 that says...

Attention Anglers! – Note that the following 7.50 (“trout table”) looks different this
year, and displays water bodies in alphabetical order that are actually no longer
found in the 7.50 section of Title 14 as of March 1, 2021. This is intended to help
anglers quickly find the regulations for their favorite fishing spots where they are
used to looking for them and direct them to their new location in the regulations
(e.g., the “anadromous table” in Section 7.40, or are now covered under the
Statewide Regulation in Section 5.85). Grey text indicates changes, and grey rows
indicate newly designated special trout waters. In future years, the 7.50 table will
only include the trout waters in the current Title 14, CCR regulations.

So now I find I need to go to Statewide Regulation in Section 5.85).

(2) All inland streams, rivers, and canals, except
those listed in Section 7.50(b), are open to fishing
from the last Sat. in Apr. through Nov. 15, with a five
trout daily bag limit, and ten trout possession limit,
with no gear restrictions. From Nov. 16 through the
Fri. preceding the last Sat. in Apr., a zero trout bag
limit applies, and only artificial lures with barbless
hooks may be used. In waters where the
bag limit for trout is zero, trout must be released
unharmed, and should not be removed from the
water.

So I guess that means I can fish for trout including Steelhead on the Trinity River below Lewiston Dam, with flies and barbless hooks year round if I practice C&R.

Am I reading this correctly?

[StevenB]

ON page 31
DISTRICT GENERAL REGULATIONS it says:


NOTE: New Regulations Effective March 1, 2021: Section 7.40 (Alphabetical List of Hatchery Trout, Hatchery
Steelhead, and Salmon Waters with Special Fishing Regulations) will be available with the Supplemental Sport
Fishing Booklet or https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/regulations

so as I understand this until the supplement is out we really do not know what the Regs are.

But Klamath/Trinity system has been "Special Reg" water for quite some time so I would not expect the Statewide Regulation in Section 5.85
to be the rules to use.

Just because I have time I will continue to review the Regs to see if there is a better answer to your question
and will edit this post if I find anything else.


Gee, sure glad they made this simpler

added -

for what it is worth the reference section 7.50(b)(91.1)(E)6.b is in the 2020-2021 supplement (last years supplement)

added 3/7

Since the supplement is not published, the answer to this question is hard to figure out. No sure how the law works in this case - Regs that are supposedly in-effect but are not published to the public, do we gotta obey them?

Taking the most conservative interpretation what you are left with is:

Since the Trinity/Klamath system is not listing in the special regs (sort of) then the north coast district Regs take effect not the state wide Regs. The North Coast District default Regs on Anadromous water is CLOSED

(a) North Coast District
District/Water Open Season and
Special Restrictions
Daily Bag and Possession Limit
(1) Anadromous waters of the Klamath and Trinity
River systems, and those entering the ocean south
of Humboldt Bay, which are not listed in the Special
Regulations.
Closed to all fishing
all year.

But a equal argument could be made that the Klamath/Trinity system is in the special regs section but no steelhead/trout rules can be found cause those will be in the supplement so in that case I do not have any idea what the regs would be. I would be real tempted to call the local warden and ask him what he was gonna enforce if I was gonna try to fish any of that water.