Thermalito Afterbay steelhead

A few good reports on the steelhead stocked in the Thermalito Afterbay have finally leaked out, after having been a closely guarded local secret for the past few weeks. An additional 6,000 of the 10 to 14-inch steelies were stocked early this week.

"Some of those ?? to ?? pound steelhead are now being caught in the Afterbay", reported Craig Bentley of Huntington's in Oroville. "The fish are biting on Roostertails, Kastmasters, Power Bait and nightcrawlers under a bobber. The fish are spread out from the Wilbur Street bridge to the mouth of the canal. Some people are also walking out on the jetty and casting off the rip-rap."

Feather River

Steelhead action on the Feather River remains at a relatively slow pace, according to Rick Thompson at McGrath's in Oroville. "Most of the steelhead fishing is up in town [Oroville] right now", said Thompson. Some fish up to eight pounds are being caught, but most of them are darkening up. Unless we get some weather, it probably won't change much.

"As much as these fish have been worked over, you have to be real good to catch them. It's mostly all on bait or flies right now, not much on lures."

Lake Almanor

Mother Nature is making the 2007 Lake Almanor fishing season a tough go so far, reported guide Bryan Roccucci. "One might consider an ice auger instead of a boat", quipped Roccucci. "The lake appears to 98-percent covered by ice right now, but most of it is not safe for ice fishing.

"On our most recent trip, we took a course along the dam and east shore. We landed seven fish in short order, but once the sun hit the water the action went quiet. The ice prevented us from changing locations.

"Trolling very slow was key, and we did best on Uncle Larry's spinners with an orange grub, a silver dodger with a white grub trailer, and copper/red spoons. We fished a downrigger at anywhere from two to 20 feet. Water temperatures ranged from 34.4 to 35.2."

Lake Oroville

Local anglers Mike Jones of Corning and Jack Johnson of Red Bluff found excellent coho salmon fishing in Lake Oroville this week. The fish were cookie-cutter 10 to 12 inches, and the best area was up the south fork about two miles from the bridge.

Most productive setup was a whole anchovy behind a silver prism 1/0 Sep's Dodger at 35 to 45 feet. Also good were Sep's grubs behind a watermelon-color Sidekick. Trolling speed was 1.1 to 1.6 mph in water that was 47.3 to 48.1 degrees.

Invasive species

It's been a rough couple of weeks in the battle against invasive species in California waters. First, the DFG announced drastic new measures to be deployed against northern pike in Lake Davis. Sometime after Labor Day, the Department will partially drain the lake, and treat the water with a powerful new formulation of the poison Rotenone.

Next, the busy Hot Creek Trout Hatchery was quarantined due to an infestation of New Zealand mud snails. The Hot Creek facility will not be shut down, but fish produced there can only be stocked in waters such as Crowley Lake that already harbor the exotic snail.

Finally and perhaps worst of all was the announcement of the discovery of quagga mussels [a subspecies of zebra mussels] in California waters at Lake Havasu. The destructive mollusks have the potential to severely damage the pipes, pumps and other equipment that distributes California's water supply.

CAF banquet

The Chico Area Flyfishers will hold their annual fundraising banquet at 6:00 PM on Feb. 23 at the Masonic Family Center in Chico. Special guest speaker will be Hal Janssen, a nationally-known writer, author, lecturer and expert on Stillwater Fly Fishing.

Lots of great raffle prizes will be available, including one-of-a-kind custom rods, guided fishing trips, a pontoon boat and more. Dinner tickets are $50 [includes family membership] and additional dinners are $25. Reservations can be made at Chico Fly Shop, Fish First, and Sierra Stream and Mountain in Chico.

Steelhead cards

The DFG reminds anglers that the law requires 2006 Steelhead Report Cards to have been returned by Jan. 31. "Unfortunately, some anglers see this program as a hassle, but their information is critical", said Terry Jackson, program coordinator. "Our goal is to improve California steelhead fishing. This requires accurate and complete data."

The green Steelhead Report Card is a fishing report, not just a catch report. Steelhead anglers must record where and when they fished, even if no fish were caught on a given trip. Mail SRC's to: DFG, Steelhead Report-Restoration Card, PO Box 944209, Sacramento, CA 94244-2090.

BCCER hunt program

The Big Chico Creek Environmental Reserve has announced details of its' 2007 hunting program. In an effort to reduce paper use and streamline the application process, all applications are now available on the California Deer Association website home page at www.caldeer.org. Application forms can be downloaded for submission by regular mail, or e-mailed. Fees can also be paid online or submitted with the application.

In addition to previously available spring turkey hunts, fall quail hunts and deer hunts, several new hunting opportunities are available on the BCCER. They include archery-only spring turkey, archery-only deer, fall turkey hunts and special opportunities for handicapped hunters.

BCFGC meeting

The Butte County Fish and Game Commission will conduct its' quarterly meeting at 7:00 PM on Feb. 5 at the Paradise Senior Center, 877 Nunneley Road in Paradise. Agenda items include a warden's report, biologist's report and awarding of financial grant proposals for 2008.?? Also included will be presentation by Kelly Moroney about public use and access on the US Fish and Wildlife/Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge lands. The public is invited.

Waterfowl scores

Highest daily averages at the refuges for the final weekend of general waterfowl season were as follows: Delevan- 3.69 birds per hunter average [74 geese]; Colusa- 3.80 [23 geese]; Howard Slough- 2.69 [7 geese]; Little Dry Creek- 5.14 [84 geese]; Llano Seco- 2.34 [zero geese]; Sacramento- 3.46 [78 geese].

Send your outdoor news items to Steve Carson via e-mail to scarson@sunset.net.

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