I wouldn't bother... There was a time when DFG planted 'bows in Novato Creek, but there were some fears that the planted fish would interbreed with costal steelhead, and those days are long gone.
If you're looking for places to fish for trout in Marin your options are pretty limited. Lagunitas Creek is the only stream I know of for sure that will hold salmonoids, but it's totally off limits all year due to the presence of endangered cohos and costal steelhead. I hear tell of a few tributaries of Kent Lake that hold a small population of rainbow trout, but so far I have been unable to substantiate those rumors. Other than that, you are limited to the put-and-take/sit-and-wait fisheries of the Marin reservoir system.
Has anyone ever fished Lagunitas Lake? I heard that they had special regs there where you could only use artificial lures with barbless hooks. I also heard that there were only trout in there. I think that's the name of the lake anyway.
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"Nothing makes a fish bigger than almost being caught."
yes, i just fished it this weekend and it's only barbless artifical lures with a max size of 14"in" . I go up there a lot, but i never catch much. Try Bon Tempe, it's stocked with trout all winter! Also, from the last sat. in april to nov. 15th a creek running from alpine dam to kent lake is open. A lot rainbows that just love dry flies. Please be free to ask any more Q's about fishing in marin county!
Are you talking about Lagunitas Creek below Alpine Dam? The regs say Lagunitas Creek is closed to fishing all year. Usually if there is an exception to a stretch that is usually written in the regs. If this area of the Creek is open I would really like to know. I can get there in about 15 minutes from my house. I usually fish Putah, but I always thought that area was closed. Also do you know of any other tributaries to Kent that hold fish? I have mountain biked the area, and would appreciate a good spot to ride to that is off the beaten path.
I've talked to the most knowlegible Fly fishermen (in my opinion) in the area and he says it's open as a kent lake trib. I believe there are other tribs to kent lake w/ small pop.'s of rainbows, but I don't know there names
You wouldn't happen to know of a good map of Kent Lake and its tributaries would you (preferably something online)? I live in the city these days, but I grew up in Marin and it would be great to have some decent fly fishing in my backyard, so to speak.
I still have a bunch of friends in the San Anselmo/Fairfax area, and a number of them want to try fly fishing, but so far I haven't found a decent stream based fishery close enough to make it worth while.
Your in luck! I found an extreamly deataled map of the entire Marin Municiple Water shed it shows a bunch of tribs to some lakes. go to http://www.marinwater.org/documents/01.24.06_Vstrmap_b_w.pdf
From the maps, it looks like Carson Creek might hold a small population of trout. Maybe San Geronimo Creek too, but it also looks like it joins up with Lagunitas Creek prior to the dam at Kent Lake. Which would make it off limits to fishing.
I called Western Sport Shop to ask about fishing regs on the stretch of Lagunitas Creek that runs from Alpine Lake and Kent Lake, and they were very non-committal (I didn't even get a yes or no answer). They indicated that it's a pretty gray area, and not even Fish and Game has a consistent answer. It sounds like it whether or not you get fined depends on which warden you happen to run into. Either way, I put in a call into Fish and Game, and I'll find out what they have to say about things.