16 September 6 , 2024 MAP FEATURE VOL . 43 • ISS . 10
F ishing in the City , now in its twenty-ninth year in the Sacramento area , is one of the best and most needed programs that the California Department of Fish and Wildlife has ever initiated . Created to improve angling opportunities for the growing and urban population in the nation ’ s most populous and most diverse state , the Sacramento program officially began at Southside Park in the summer of 1993 . When introduced to Sacramento and Southern California in 1993 , novices and veteran anglers alike welcomed it . Up until that time , young anglers generally were introduced to fishing by the parents and guardians , grandparents , other relatives and friends . If you didn ’ t have parents or friends that were experienced anglers , you were often out of luck . The program has been offering fishing clinics , free rod and reel rentals and stocking rainbow trout and channel catfish ponds in close to home ponds in the Sacramento and Stockton metropolitan areas for all of those years . The program also serves the San Francisco and Los Angeles metropolitan areas . The program has gone through a number of changes over the years . The current mission of Fishing in the City-Sacramento “ is to join communities in the critical work of creating a racially equitable outdoor movement to expand access for all to parks , open spaces , nature , and cultural amenities ; and to ensure that fishing opportunities are accessible , safe , and welcoming to all people who ’ ve historically been prevented from enjoying them and the health benefits they afford .” “ We stock channel catfish in the ponds in the warmer months and
The pond at Granite Bay Regional Park produces plenty of big channel catfish and rainbow trout for angler every year during the CDFW ’ s Fishing in the City program .
Photo by Dan Bacher
Sacramento Fishing in the City Program Enters 31st Year
rainbow trout in the cooler months ,” said Richard Muñoz , who took over the program after Joe Ferreira retired five l years ago . “ The catfish plants take place from May through September , while the trout plants take place from November through March .” In the five years since he has been with the program , Muñoz said the program is constantly trying to better meet the needs of the community . “ Over the past few months , we have seen a lot pf people who have never fished before and caught a fish before ,” he noted . Before coming to work for the CDFW , Muñoz worked with the state parks department in Hollister for 8-1 / 2 years . The Fishing in the City program sponsored an opportunity to catch channel catfish - and attend free fishing clinics - on Saturday , September 3 , Free Fishing Day , at Hagen Park in Rancho Cordova . The CDFW planted 300 pounds of catfish , as well as 300 pounds each at North Natomas Park and Granite Regional Park in Sacramento ,
Liem Nguyen of Sacramento landed these two large channel catfish while fishing squid at Granite Regional Park in Sacramento on September 3 .
Photo by Dan Bacher before the Hagen Park event . Information : https :// www . wildlife . ca . gov / Fishing-in-the-city / SAC .
Fishing was tough ; no catfish were landed while I was there , although some small sunfish were caught by young anglers . Why the fish were not biting remains unclear ., but it probably was because of the heat wave and warm water temperatures that came with it . While I was there , Don Paganelli , who has been with the “ Fishing in the City ” program for many years , gave three free seminars for novice anglers awhile Munoz and a team of volunteers handed out rental rods and showed the anglers how to rig and bait up the rods . Anglers at Granite Bay Regional Park found better success . Vincent Nguyen , who attended the Hagen Park event , caught two catfish in the 4 to 5 pound range at Granite Park . Liem Nguyen of Sacramento also landed two catfish weighing 8 and 9 pounds while using squid . The last in person Beginner
Clinic will be held on Saturday , September 14th at Mather Regional Park . Participants must complete a 45-minute “ Learn to Fish ” clinic in order to borrow gear . As participants arrive , they will be put into small groups to go through a series of stations , during which they will learn about casting , knot-tying , fishing safety , conservation and ecology , and more . Once they have completed clinic instruction , they may fish until noon . On a clinic day , the pond is closed to the public until 12:30 p . m . After 12:30 p . m . the pond will be open to the public for fishing . Events are held & rain or shine , hot or cold — please dress appropriately . Family members are welcome to follow along in the learning stations ,