Let’s Go Fishing: Fish and Game decides on inland salmon season

After a delay in the decision-making process, the California Department of Fish and Game Commission reached a conclusion for the 2010 recreational salmon season in the Sacramento River watershed.
The salmon fishing season on the Feather River will open first, from July 31 to Aug. 29. The next river to open will be the lower Sacramento River, from the Carquinez Bridge to Knights Landing, from Sept. 4 to Oct. 3. The upper Sacramento River will be open from Red Bluff to the Deschutes Bridge from Oct. 9 to 31. And the American River will open from Oct. 30 to Nov. 28, giving anglers a shot at a fall Chinook.
The last and longest section of river open for late-fall Chinook salmon will be the Sacramento River from Knights Landing to the Red Bluff diversion dam, with the season starting Oct. 9 and remaining open until Dec. 12.
The limit for all stretches is two salmon per day, per angler.
“We will be happy to get back on the water fishing for fall Chinook,” reported fishing guide J.D. Ritchey, from J.D. Ritchey Sport Fishing in Sacramento.
It has been three years since some of these rivers have had a legal open season for salmon and it will be highly anticipated.
“The largest crowd may show up for the early opener on the Feather River, but I am looking forward to fishing my home river, the American,” Ritchey added.
The open-season days do not necessarily correspond to the best timing for the peak run of salmon season, but they may mean a boost for local economies and raise interest in fishing.
Many anglers share the joy of an open season for salmon, while we might also worry about proper management of the species. We will see whether the 2010 estimated return of 223,000 salmon in the Sacramento River pans out after the ocean escapement.
In the meantime, local ocean anglers are busy catching rockfish, lingcod, halibut and salmon. The spring weather remains blustery, but as the weather stabilizes, more rockfish, lingcod and halibut will show up along the coastal waters. Salmon continue to be spotty, but more fish from down south could show up any time.
• Mike Baxter has fished in the Monterey Bay Area since he was a boy and has been a licensed charter boat captain for more than 15 years. Contact him at [email protected]. He also hosts a fishing show on radio station KSCO (1080 AM) from 7:06 to 8 p.m. Thursdays April through September.