By Andy J. Danylchuk, PhD

 

release

 April Vokey releases a Skeena River steelhead. Photo: Adrienne Comeau

 

Recreational angling is an incredibly popular leisure activity in North America, spanning a wide demographic of our society and occurring almost every place fish can be found. Tools and techniques for recreational angling are also vast and selecting the right gear often consumes a lot of our leisure time, basements, and wallets. It is not a ‘one size fits all’ sport and, for the most part, I think we like it that way.

 

Read More: The Cleanest Line

 

checkpoint

 

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) will be conducting a wildlife checkpoint operation in the Eastern Sierra in late April to promote safety, education and compliance with laws and regulations.

CDFW wildlife officers will be conducting the inspection on westbound Highway 108, north of Bridgeport, on Monday, April 27 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting.

 

Read More: CDFG News

 

opener

 

The general trout opener in many counties throughout California will commence on Saturday, April 25, one hour before sunrise.

Because of the popularity of this annual event with the angling public, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is making every effort to stock trout in all accessible waters approved for planting prior to the season opener. Lingering winter conditions and this year’s unprecedented drought could play a major role in determining how many rivers, creeks, lakes and reservoirs can be stocked before April 25.

 

Read More: CDFG News

 

 

In 1974, Montana did something that stunned anglers across the state and the nation: it stopped stocking trout in streams and rivers that supported wild trout populations. After decades of use and millions of dollars invested, hatchery production was not helping, and in fact was the leading cause of the collapse of the fishery. Ground-breaking research on the Madison River in the late 1960s and early '70s organized by fisheries biologist Richard Vincent led to that decision. His study results showed that as hatchery production increased, trout abundance decreased, and native stocks were displaced.
Nearly forty years after Richard Vincent's study, Montana is one of America's premier trout fishing destinations. Focusing on habitat and discontinuing river hatchery stocking, trout fisheries have recovered and wild populations are self-sustaining.
On the anniversary of this monumental decision, Wild Fish Conservancy presents The Montana Story: Forty Years of Success. This is the first volume in a series of short videos called the Wild Fish Video Journal. This educational collection is an extension of our printed Wild Fish Journal.

 

This will be the most talked about subject this summer.

Posted on March 30, 2015 by UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences

California WaterBlog By Jay Lund

 

cal drought


Dry fields and bare groves looking west toward the Coast Range, near San Joaquin, Calif. Photo by Gregory Urquiaga/UC Davis, 2014

This fourth year of drought is severe, but not yet the driest ever. The drought’s impacts are worsened by record heat, which has dried out soils and raised the demands for irrigation, and the historical high levels of California’s population, economy, and agricultural production, and historical low levels of native fish species. There is need for concern, preparation and prudence, but little cause for panic, despite some locally urgent conditions.

 

Read More: California Water Blog

 

This is what I talked about at the last meeting.  This is from Moldy Chum about the New Mexico stream access.

Saturday, April 4, 2015 At 12:00Am

 newmexico

This sucks.

Gov. Susana Martinez has signed into law a measure aimed at strengthening current state regulations restricting the ability of anglers to fish and wade New Mexico waters on private property.

 

Read more: Moldy Chump