I saw a post by Bono in another thread where he mentions talking to DFG about designating Putah as a wild trout fishery.
Making Putah a wild trout fishery would be a great idea. The only problem with that is since it's so close to an urban area there had better be some DFG enforcement on the regs., like a full time warden on the creek! It should be catch and release all the time with maybe a 1 or 2 fish limit UNDER 18 inches. I don't think I've ever seen as much poaching anywhere as I see on Putah, especially in the winter season. Guys snagging monsters with 2 ounce spoons and treble hooks, guys walking out with stringers of fish, etc....not to mention all the trash that place collects. I've stepped up in the past and mentioned to poachers that they were taking fish out of season, sometimes it's ignorance of the regs and sometimes it just doesn't matter....like the time I got a gun pulled on me for mentioning it was catch and release only.
If Putah got the wild trout designation I think the fishery would decline pretty fast. All the large breeding stock that poachers would take would affect the wild population in a short time. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see Putah not get any more planters and have nothing but wild naturally sustaining populations of trout but there are just too many meat fishermen there who have to keep everything they catch.
Packrat has a great point. Any designation that makes this stream in a sense "valuable" to off season meat hunters-will just gather more meat hunters.
As for the guns on the creek? There's more than a few toothless, meth addicted, mullet wearing miscreants who use this stream alternately to throw garbage into, piss in, and or drag off-season treble hooks with the rallying cry of "lookee here, I don caughts a fifh!".
The guns are a bit much as are those sad sacks who break into cars for a few cd's and the remains of that Subway sandwich that's been sitting on your front seat.
All of this seems "almost" alright when the Fishing Gods grace you with a perfect day and several 20 inch long hogs who run you to the backing in a sweat inducing hell fire run up one side of the creek and down the other, only to come to rest in the palm of your hand.
That is until you look up to see some idiot with his pants down, one hand on his "old man" pissing into the stream and the other hand pointing at your fish... "lookee there, you don caughts a fifh!".
God bless Putah Creek and all those who fish her fertile banks!
You know I was just discussing this topic with a guy at Truckee River Outfitters while I was up there. I guess after they posted regs on the section below Truckee (boca bridge area to state line) there were a bunch of pissed off bait fishermen who made it a point to kill every big brown they caught just to spite the DFG and all the fly fishermen. Talk about a bunch of lowlife poachers. They have problems up there at some of the truckee tributaries they recently posted regs on too. Spawning fish need protection in the fall and spring, but the fishermen who are used to keeping fish and using whatever bait/lure they want either don't know or don't care about the new regs and there are too few wardens to enforce it. Anybody want some state employment? Now would be a good time to get a job!!! Come on you get to wear a gun and pick on all the toothless meth heads! How bad can it be? chuck
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"when you put your hand into a flowing stream you touch the last that has come before and the first of what is still to come" -DaVinci
Putah will never become a wild trout fishery, The simple reason is because putah creek, formorly known as the putah river before lake berryessa was built, This river did not contain trout until they were planted, The wild trout fishery's in california are for places that origanally contained wild or if you will native fish stocks. Basically putah is not a river that would have a single trout in it if it were not for stocking many a years ago. Make sense ? I've seen this topic come up before and it ain't gonna happen. As far as guns go, I always carry when I fish in more remote sierra rivers and streams, But not on putah, although I have been attacked by a german shepard there, I carry mostly to protect myself against idiots first, wildlife second.Besides when the fishin sucks its always fun to pop off a few rounds at some pinecones, Of course you must pickup all brass ! When it comes to people bait fishing in winter, it pisses me off, BUT, its not my job to enforce the law, beside you may run into trouble, I dont worry to much about the bait fishers, Just watch a few, They couldnt catch a wild trout if there life depended on it.
Chuck, I once inquired about becoming a fish and game warden in my younger days, Then they wanted a bachelors degree in some sort of biology. HaHa, Me and school are like drinkin and drivin, we dont mix.
I think harvesting a few of the bigger fish is maybe good, just not in the winter time. Sometimes taking some of the pigs allows the 16-20 fish to take their spots and grow big later. Guys have been harvesting monsters out of the Truckee a long time and it' still good. Hard to say really. Matt probably knows more about that than I do. Wait until you change the rules on the bait dudes and see what happens. One thing I do know is I put in close to 70 days on Putah last year and never, I mean never saw a game warden.
Cole, I fish putah quit a bit, And in the last year I have been checked for a license 4 times, two times I was at my car changing out of waders, getting ready to go home and a game warden rolled up, searched my cooler, my trunk, and my backpack. I agree there should be more wardens, Actually would be a pretty cool job I think. Oh and i had no problem with gettin searched for trout, We actually ended up talkin about fishin.
I think Cole makes a good point that it is hard to say what really is good for the creek and its wild trout population. While we may cringe when we see a fisherman walk away with a trophy trout on the stringer, it is because we as flyfishers are very much attached to each and every fish in the creek. We spend so much time trying to learn how to catch them that we end up respecting them a great deal, so when someone takes one away it is a big bummer. However, it doesn't mean that all of the sudden there will be no more huge trout in Putah creek. The truth is most of us have no idea how the poaching, bait fishing, or planters really affect the wild trout population. It is said that planted trout can overcrowd the wild fish and ruin some fisheries, but I think Putah gets so much meat fishing pressure that it balances out ok. Judging from the amount of hogs I saw last spring and the numbers of big fish some of you guys bring in on a regular basis I'd say the creek is doing pretty good despite the garbage and crack nuts. We don't really have enough knowledge or information to make an unbiased decision about what is best for the creek. Chuck
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"when you put your hand into a flowing stream you touch the last that has come before and the first of what is still to come" -DaVinci
I don't believe Putah will be designated a Wild Trout Fishery. Not so much because the creek won't qualify for such a distinction, it certainly hosts a strong population of wild fish, but due to politics. In my opinion, domestic and agricultural water users would challenge a wild trout designation. When a stream is designated a Wild Trout Fishery resource protection becomes the highest priority, including possible restrictions on water use for new development and agricultural activities. You can bet the ag and developer lobbies would be all over this. The Water District could even challenge it, since they would effectively be made responsible and possibly subject to fine if the water flows weren't managed appropriately and the wild fishery were damaged.
As far as poachers go...be a good witness and not a victim. Call the CalTip line and report them, get a good physical/vehicle description. If you do that, you have done all that should be expected of an average joe. With respect to "carrying" on the water, its probably not the best idea, but I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind (especially after running into a large posse of degenerates at #5 one evening). In the end, I figure the chances of me needing to protect myself in that manner are far lower than me getting stopped and wacked with a felony concealed weapons charge (see thecaptain's comment on the warden's vehicle search) . If you feel you need some defensive capability on the water, think about the effectivness of a small can of pepper spray and wading staff.
It would be nice to see only artifical flies or lures used at putah. If the bait anglers took what they brought with them, I wouldn't have strong opinions. Since the few ruin it for the lot, I think bait should be left to the bridge at lake salono. Harvesting fish shouldn't be an issue, because most of the fish in putah were put their to harvest. Unfortunetly, a poacher dosen't consider the rules or regulations. Since I am moving out of state, the future of putah won't effect me, but it is a nice peice of water and I would hate to see worthless fishermen ruin it for everyone. Not to put myself above anyone, i just try and take care of the things I enjoy, i enjoy fishing putah creek.
I don't believe Putah will be designated a Wild Trout Fishery. Not so much because the creek won't qualify for such a distinction, it certainly hosts a strong population of wild fish, but due to politics. In my opinion, domestic and agricultural water users would challenge a wild trout designation. When a stream is designated a Wild Trout Fishery resource protection becomes the highest priority, including possible restrictions on water use for new development and agricultural activities. You can bet the ag and developer lobbies would be all over this. The Water District could even challenge it, since they would effectively be made responsible and possibly subject to fine if the water flows weren't managed appropriately and the wild fishery were damaged.
As far as poachers go...be a good witness and not a victim. Call the CalTip line and report them, get a good physical/vehicle description. If you do that, you have done all that should be expected of an average joe. With respect to "carrying" on the water, its probably not the best idea, but I can't say it hasn't crossed my mind (especially after running into a large posse of degenerates at #5 one evening). In the end, I figure the chances of me needing to protect myself in that manner are far lower than me getting stopped and wacked with a felony concealed weapons charge (see thecaptain's comment on the warden's vehicle search) . If you feel you need some defensive capability on the water, think about the effectivness of a small can of pepper spray and wading staff.
Actually, it's perfectly legal to carry concealed while fishing. I don't think you'd get popped at the car since you'd either be on you way to or from the water.
"Historically, all 80 miles of the creek were accessible to anadromous fish. Today, only the lower 24 miles are accessible. There is evidence of historical anadromous fish species in Putah Creek. According to archeological and ethnographic research done by Schultz (cited in Trihey and Associates 1996) the Patowin people harvested Chinook salmon and sturgeon from Putah Creek through the late prehistoric period. A historical document by Shapovalov in 1947 states that both King salmon and rainbow trout were present in Putah Creek. There is also anecdotal evidence of steelhead being caught in Putah Creek as late as 1984"
There is a guy at UC Davis named Dr. Peter Moyle that is often cited in studies of anadromous fish in the sacramento basin and he indicates that it's probable that they were in there. Usually the hard evidence comes from fish bones from native american middens or trash pits, or early accounts that are deemed reliable, there are apparently a few early accounts but no bones. In general the rainbows were more aggressive in migrating into small streams than the chinook so if the chinook were there it would be hard to explain why the trout didn't take advantage of the spawning grounds. The historical runs for salmon weren't all that big, and the rainbows tend to run up during periods of high runoff and poor visibility so a small run of steelhead would be easier to overlook. I live on the peninsula and it's pretty surprising to see where remnant populations of rainbows and steelhead still can be found, though most of them are off limits for fishing.
When I began fly fishing Putah about six years ago there were a lot more spawning fish on the creek. The spawning area between access 2 and 3 was red from one side of the creek to the other side. Fishermen actually avoided the area as it was a spawning area. The past few years people are constantly trawling the same area. I don't think Putah has to be a designated wild trout fishery, but the trout should be protected.
