VOL . 43 • ISS . 7

The Granite Regional Park is one of the five ponds that is stocked with channel catfish in in the warmer months and rainbow trout in the cooler months .

Photo by Dan Bacher

Fish and Wildlife ’ s Fishing in the City program , now in its 31st year , is conducting Beginner “ Learn to Fish ” fishing clinics for children from 5 to 15 years old and planting urban ponds in the Sacramento Metro Area area with channel catfish this summer . The program sponsored an opportunity to participate in free fishing clinics and fish for channel catfish on Saturday , May 11 at Granite Regional Park in Rancho Cordova . The CDFW also stocked channel catfish at four other Sacramento Area ponds . Lacey Carlson , the Fishing in the City Sacramento Coordinator since November 2023 , said the program is in the process of trying two new things . First , the program features a new clinic model that they introduced this summer . “ We will be testing out the new model and making adjustments so that it works for the community ,” she said . Currently the program is sponsoring five short clinics that youths are required to attend before they are allowed to borrow a fishing rod and tackle box to fish the pond . The topics are : ( 1 ) practicing casting , ( 2 ) safety and fishing ethics , ( 3 ) knot tying ,( 4 ) ecology and fish adaptations and ( 5 ) rigging and knowing what baits to use , according to Carlson . The five clinics take a

total of 45 minutes to complete and then the young people go fishing . “ Our goal is to create self-sufficiency with the young anglers ,” Carlson said . These events are geared towards children ages 5-15 years old with little to no fishing experience . All participants must be accompanied by an adult , and use Fishing in the City provided rods / reels and tackle ( no personal fishing gear allowed ). These events have a rolling start time of 8 am – 10 am . Second , Carlson said the program is transitioning to a community-based model working with parks departments and different community groups to recruit more volunteers . Fifteen volunteers participated , including folks from the CDFW , NRVP ( Natural Resource Volunteers Program sponsored by the CDFW ), Hooked on Fishing Not on Violence and community members , at the event I attended . Fishing in the City is consistently planting five park ponds this summer – Granite , Howe , Hagen , Mather and Elk Grove , said Carlson . They are hoping to expand to other ponds in the future . The Youth Beginnner “ Learn to Fish Clinics will be held on June 15 starting at 8 a . m . at Hagan Community Park in Rancho Cordova ; July 6 starting at 8 a . m . at Howe Park ; August 3 starting at 8 a . m . at Granite Regional Park ; August 31 at Elk Grove Regional Park ; and September 14 starting at 8 a . m . at Mather Regional Park . Pre-registration is required . When signing up , people should choose which time they plan to arrive ( between

Chao and Bradley Vang display the channel catfish that Bradley caught during the CDFW Fishing in the City event at Granite Regional Park on May 15 .

Photo by Dan Bacher