The American River that runs through Sacramento is running very low. The winter steelhead run is just starting and they are susceptable to snaggers. The Federation of FlyFishers has asked that the lower river be closed to fishing for two months to try and preserve the population. This could turn out to be a hot button topic! I certainly don't like the thought of it but at the same time I want to have the opportunity to fish in the future. Sad that it has to come to this. But to be honest our runs the last few years have really been down, need to do something. I don't know too much about this stuff so I hope the experts know what they are talking about! If this is something that will truly help lets do it.

Mike

I hope that the powers-that-be make the right decision here. I can understand the dilemma with low water levels and low numbers of fish. Keep us posted on the situation.
Anytime you change existing fishing regulations, you are going to have some opposition. Our Hiwassee River here in SE Tennessee had a change in brown trout regulations with a minimum of 14 inches, creel limit of two which can be only browns. The meat fisherman were very upset! However, they did not take into consideration the growth of the browns and the chance to catch a real braggin' size brown trout. The river record is 15 lb., 10 oz. with several double digit fish taken. The regulation is in place but not popular.

I hope they stay with the new regs. Several years ago, when I still lived in SW MO, they changed the regs on Taneycomo below Tablerock dam. Outlawed bait for about four miles down river and put slot limits on the bows and a 20" minimum on the browns. You wouldn't believe how that fishery improved.

Why are the water levels so low on that river?

They always let Folsom down too low for fear of overfilling and flooding after an early warm rain. They do this crap every year. Gotta plan for the worst and deal with the consequences. The last few years Folsom has been drawn down from need however.

Mike

In Montana we've been fighting with Wyoming over the Bighorn fishery too...aparently they feel that since the resevoir is in their state it gives them the right to squander almost all the water into the resevoir in order to raise the lake's water level instead of suffering from the drought like everyone else. The river requires a flow of almost 2000 cfs to fill the tribs that the trout need to spawn and they were trying to let a mere 500 cfs out of the dam in order to try to raise their resevoir water level. Through some legal action I believe that we were able to force them to release around 1500 cfs though. I guess that it is all right to effectively destroy a destination area year round fishery during a drought in order to regain access to old recreation boat launches...Hang in there, the fishing restrictions should help, but it sounds like the bigger issue is the resevoir...

I like fishing in Montana a lot, go to Ennis every couple of years. I have been reading about all of the problems up there. Water has always been power in the west,guess it still is.

Mike