22 January 12 , 2024 VOL . 43 • ISS . 1

FRESHWATER REPORTS :

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PYRAMID LAKE

when a fish takes , make the most out of every grab and you can still be rewarded with a fair number of fish to hand with some big ones in the mix . The hardcore Pyramid anglers are saying that 15 pounds is the new 10 . In other words , there are so many 10-pound fish in this lake right now , that it ’ s hardly even a milestone at this point . That ’ s just crazy to think about !

-Miles Zimmerman

RIO VISTA / DELTA

Spooners Battle Sherman Island Stripers

RIO VISTA – While the swimbait bite on stripers has tapered off , the spoon bite has shifted into high gear in the Sherman Island

Jack Naves holds up a quality sized striped bass that he caught while soaking chicken liver near Chain Island on the Sacramento River .

Photo Courtesy of Jack Naves

Area . “ We spent the last month catching lots of stripers in 2 to 4 feet of water in the Sherman Island Area ,” said Alan Fong of Alan Fong ’ s Outdoors . “ However , those fish that were

holding in shallow water had left when Denise Loo , Jennifer Noakes and I fished around Sherman Island on January 1 , 2024 .” “ We looked around and found those fish in 33 feet of water ,” said Fong . “ We caught over 30 fish while fishing Blade Runner spoons . When the tide slowed , we caught a few fish while fishing ¾ oz . Impact swimbaits with swimbait with Blade Runner heads . We had a number of triple-hook-ups while spooning . Our better fish were in the 5 to 8 lb . range . On his latest trip to the Delta , two anglers fishing with Don Paganelli of Paganelli ’ s Bass Fishing Experience found outstanding striped bass action in Broad Slough and in Sherman Lake . “ We hooked over 30 plus stripers , with 4 caught on Blade Runner spoons and the rest on swim baits ,” Paganelli revealed . “ The spoon fish were 20 to 25 feet deep and the swimbait fish were 3 to 4 feet deep . It was the first striper for

CONTINUED ON PG 24

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife ( CDFW ) recently announced that emergency regulations enacted by the California Fish and Game Commission ( Commission ) in October to reduce the harvest of white sturgeon in state waters are now in effect , having been approved by the Office of Administrative Law . The new regulations reduce the number of fish that can be kept to one per year , reduce the slot limit to 42-48 inches , cap the number of white sturgeon that can be possessed on a vessel at two per day and add seasonal closures to sturgeon fishing in key spawning areas . The new regulations were enacted by the Commission following a joint recommendation by CDFW and angling groups . The emergency action was taken in response to long-term declines in adult white sturgeon populations as well as impacts of a harmful algal bloom ( HAB ) in the summer of 2022 . There are two sturgeon species in California : green sturgeon and white sturgeon . Green sturgeon are listed as a threatened species under the Federal Endangered Species Act . White sturgeon are listed in California as a Species of Special Concern . Sturgeon are one of the oldest fish in existence with fossil records dating back more than 200 million years . Individual white sturgeon can live about 100 years and don ’ t start spawning until approximately 14 to 19 years old . Scientists estimate that white sturgeon in the Central Valley only spawn successfully every six to seven years . White sturgeon abundance has declined significantly from approximately 200,000 harvestable fish in 1997 to around 33,000 ( recent five-year average ). Sturgeon fisheries in California have closed multiple times in the past due to overharvest . During the summer of 2022 , a HAB in the San Francisco and San Pablo bays caused the death of tens of thousands of fish including at least 864 sturgeon . Most sturgeon experts believe there were likely thousands more sturgeon killed during the HAB , that sank to the bottom of bay waters and were not counted . Harvest has been reduced to one white sturgeon for 2023 and 2024 . Catch and release fishing for white sturgeon will still be allowed with a valid sturgeon report card after one sturgeon is kept except for closures outlined in California Code of Regulations , Title 14 , Sections 5.80 ( opens in new tab ) and 27.95 ( opens in new tab ). The slot limit has been reduced to 42-48 inches , and a limit of two fish per vessel per day was added . Fishing for white

sturgeon will also be closed seasonally upstream of the Highway 50 bridge on the Sacramento River and Interstate 5 bridge on the San Joaquin River from January 1 to May 31 , 2024 . This upstream area will re-open to catch and release fishing on June 1 , 2024 , once spawning season is over . Sturgeon Report Cards purchased in the 2023 calendar year remain valid for the remainder of 2023 . All reporting , tag and report card requirements remain in effect . Only one sturgeon harvest tag will be valid . Any remaining sturgeon harvest tags beyond one still in possession for the 2023 calendar year will be invalid for the remainder of 2023 . Anglers that have already harvested one or more fish in 2023 will still be allowed to catch and release sturgeon for the remainder of 2023 with a valid

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Sturgeon Report Card . The changes to sturgeon harvest regulations may cause a delay in availability of 2024 sturgeon report cards and the single harvest tag . Report cards for 2024 will be available for sale soon . Sturgeon Report Card requirements will remain in effect for 2024 . CDFW is currently working on a white sturgeon regulation package to allow for limited harvest . The regulation package is scheduled to go through the Commission regulation setting process with a target effective date of January 2025 . For more information visit CDFW ’ s sturgeon web page . Questions can be sent to sturgeon @ wildlife . ca . gov .

- CDFW

LAKE SAN PABLO LAKE SHADOW LAKE

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