Sacramento River Fishing Closure Proposal Discussed

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife held a public meeting on Monday night to discuss possible Sacramento River closures.

KRCV in Redding has more on how the meeting went:

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) held a meeting Monday night to discuss a proposed permanent closure along the Sacramento River to protect endangered winter-run Chinook salmon.

CDFW Fisheries Program Manager Curtis Milliron said the proposal is an exact copy of the emergency closure placed over the past two years and affects the river between the Keswick Dam and the Highway 44 Bridge from April 1 to July 31.

The news left mixed feelings with some local anglers. Sacramento River Fishing Guide Dave Jacobs said another closure made him feel robbed. That section of the river is best for rainbow trout and he rarely hooks a salmon by accident.

Jacobs said he believed another closure was not necessary but the area did need more enforcement of regulations already in place.

Ed Landphere has fished for trout in the Sacramento River for 20 years and said he understood why CDFW wanted to put a closure on the river.

“As far as the closure, I’m for it. If it’s going to help the future of this fishing system … As far as us finding other areas to fish, that’s not a problem. The lower Sac, there’s a lot of fish in the system and they’re prolific down low now,” said Landphere.