Tag Archives: salmon fishing

Archery Practice Down a Dirt Road?

Posted on May 9, 2013 by | 1 Comment
(Photo by Michigan DNR)

The most important factor to always keep in mind while archery shooting is public safety (Photo by Michigan DNR)

Question: My neighbor who lives a few houses down from me has a 15-year-old son who shoots his BB gun in his backyard. I used to shoot my bow in my backyard until my dad found out it’s illegal. I am 13 and live in the mountains of Southern California (close to San Bernardino) and am hoping it might be legal to practice my archery by shooting down a dirt road? Can you please let me know ASAP? Thanks. (Ashmanger)

Answer: Generally, Fish and Game Code laws only regulate the use of archery equipment or firearms while hunting. However, the same rules for firearms apply to archery equipment in this situation – you may not shoot over or across a road or within 150 yards of a neighbor’s home, barns or outbuildings, even if just archery target shooting (Fish and Game Code, section 3004). If you are on a private road on private property (off the public roadway), no Fish and Game Code law prohibits target practice with your bow and arrow. Beyond this, different counties and communities may have more restrictive ordinances that they enforce so you should check with your local law enforcement office for this information.

The most important factor to always keep in mind is public safety. Well-traveled roads and highways, or even those occasionally traveled, are not appropriate places to shoot. If you were to injure another person or livestock, or damage property, you could be subject to civil and possibly criminal prosecution. While shooting even just off a road may be legal, it may not be safe.

Hooks for salmon in San Francisco Bay?
Question: When fishing for salmon from the bank in the San Francisco Bay with spinning lures, is a single barbless hook ok or does it have to be a barbless circle hook attached to the spinning lure? (Terry D.)

Answer: Barbless circle hooks are only required when fishing with bait and angling by any means other than trolling. Since you’re not using bait, no circle hooks are required, even though you are not trolling. You must be doing both things – using bait, and fishing in a manner that is not trolling – to be required to use barbless circle hooks. In addition, you should be using no more than two single-point, single-shank barbless hooks with your spinning lure (California Code of Regulations Title 14, section 27.80.)

Fishing attractant or pollutant?
Question: I have heard that spraying WD-40 on a fishing lure as a fish attractant works well. Is it legal to use? There seems to be much confusion as to what is actually in WD-40. I would also like to know if the sunscreen I put on before entering the water is hazardous to marine life. (Ray I.)

Answer: It is not legal to spray WD-40 on your fishing lures as an attractant. The same goes for any substance that may be harmful to fish (e.g. sunscreen).WD-40 contains petroleum and is specifically prohibited by law to be deposited or introduced into the waters of the state (Fish and Game Code, section 5650). When it comes to sunscreen, I would just try to use discretion as any foreign substance, even sunscreen, may carry chemicals that may be harmful to fish and other aquatic life if introduced in large enough quantities. General rule of thumb is when applying sunscreen, wait 20 minutes before swimming for it to completely soak into skin so that it is less likely to wash off in the water.

How to determine private vs public property?
Question: How do I find if a body of water is legal to fish out of? I am wondering about a local lake with a public road that leads up to it. There are no private property signs posted anywhere. However, from a boat you can see signs are posted in some of the yards. (Anonymous)

Answer: Even though private property perimeters are required to be either fenced, under cultivation, or posted with no trespassing signs at 1/3 of a mile intervals (Penal Code Section 602.8) so the public knows or can determine correctly if the property is private, it’s best to stay on the safe side. If you can’t find signs specifically prohibiting access, trespassing and fishing, you may want to contact your local sheriff’s office, which should be able to define which waters and properties are public, which are private and where the boundaries are.

# # #

Carrie Wilson is a marine environmental scientist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week in this column. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@wildlife.ca.gov.

The most important factor to always keep in mind while archery shooting is public safety

→ 1 Comment

Posted in Archery, Saltwater Fishing, Tackle, Uncategorized

Tagged , , , , , ,

Do Crippled Birds Add to My Bag Limit?

Posted on December 13, 2012 by | Leave a comment
Ethical hunters will make every attempt to find a downed bird and count it to their bag whether they find it or not. (USFWS photo)

Ethical hunters will make every attempt to find a downed bird and count it to their bag whether they find it or not. (USFWS photo)

Question: I was informed that a downed crippled bird that was not recovered, even though a true effort was made to find the downed bird, still counts toward your bag limit. Where is this stated in the regulations? (Aaron W.)

Answer: It is not in regulation. It is an ethical hunter issue. Ethical hunters will make every attempt to find a downed bird. Even if that bird is never located but the hunter knows it was hit, the ethical hunter will still count it towards their bag limit. Ethical hunters do what is right even when they think no one’s looking.

Fishing and retrieving lobster hoop nets
Question: I understand that each person that drops a hoop net must be the same person that retrieves it. How is this going to be monitored? If we have four people in the boat and 10 nets, are we supposed to somehow mark each net to distinguish whose is whose? (Bill J.)

Answer: The law states that the owner of the hoop net or the person who placed the hoop net into the water shall raise the hoop net to the surface and inspect the contents of the hoop net at intervals not to exceed two hours.

According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Lt. Eric Kord, the intent of this law is to require a minimum checking interval of every two hours at least by whoever placed the net in the water and not to cite somebody for pulling up their buddy’s net. Wardens understand if you are working together as a team, but any net placed into the water is your responsibility to raise and inspect every two hours. Depending on someone else to do that for you may result in you receiving a citation if they fail to comply with this requirement.

Filleting salmon on board
Question:Can a private fisherman filet a fresh-caught salmon on the Sacramento River while retaining the carcass? I ask because I am of the opinion the salmon is not a size or weight limit fish. Does this change the answer? (Leslie G.)

Answer: You are correct that there is no minimum size or weight for salmon caught in the Sacramento River as there is in the Klamath River and ocean. This means Fish and Game Code, section 5508, does not prohibit anglers from filleting salmon caught from the Sacramento River. However, Fish and Game Code, section 5509 provides it is unlawful to possess on any boat or to bring ashore any fish in such a condition that the species cannot be determined. Since there are multiple species and runs of salmonids in the Sacramento River, and it is difficult to determine which is which based only on fillets, anglers shouldn’t filet salmon until they are ashore.

Anglers taking salmon from the shore are not affected by this prohibition and not restricted from filleting their catch. Retention of the carcass is not required.

What to do with old abalone shells?
Question: I know that abalone shells may not be sold, but what about shells found on private residential property? In this case, abalone shells had been used for landscape decoration and were removed in a clean up of that property. Can they be sold or given away? What about buying abalone shells from retail shops such as those located on Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco or other retail tourist destinations where they display these shells for sale? If someone does buy a shell from one these tourist shops, would the purchaser be violating any DFG regulation for that purchase and possession? Does the Lacey Act of 1900 apply?

What do private citizens do if in fact they encounter abalone shells that have been used for landscape decoration and are in the ground and have been for some years? What about unsuspecting people who obtain shells at a retail tourist shop? How do they ensure they do not inadvertently run afoul of any DFG regulation? (Dr. Thomas G.P. Luparello, D.C. (Ret.))

Answer: California fish and game laws that protect abalone apply to all parts of the fish, including the shell. Under these laws, shells of sport-caught abalone may not be sold.

However, there are many abalone fisheries throughout the world, there was a commercial abalone fishery in California until 1993 and abalone are lawfully produced and sold by aquaculture facilities. The prohibition on selling sport-caught abalone shells does not apply to the shells of these abalone.

Additional information regarding this valuable and vulnerable resource is available online at www.dfg.ca.gov/marine/invertebrate/abalone.asp.

#  #  #

Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Abalone, Buy/Trade/Sell/Gift, Lines/Rods/Equipment, Regulations, Waterfowl

Tagged , , , , ,

If I own the land, do I need to be drawn to hunt it?

Posted on July 29, 2010 by | Leave a comment

 

Question: I was looking into buying some land in California to use for hunting, but someone told me that even if you owned the land, you would still have to be drawn to hunt it. Were they correct or full of it? In Texas and in most other states, you can hunt on your own land. (Mitch, Southern California)

Answer: Yes, it’s true. The wildlife belongs to the State of California and not to the landowner who owns the land they may be residing on or passing through.  Under the provisions of a Private Lands Management program (PLM), however, landowners can improve their property to benefit wildlife, and in return receive additional tags that they may sell or use themselves. These tags may also allow them additional hunting rights that begin before or run after the regular hunting seasons and that allow additional cows, spikes or bucks to be taken.

To learn more about the PLM program, please go to www.dfg.ca.gov/wildlife/hunting/plm.html.

Why do silvers need to be thrown back?
Question: While fishing yesterday, we boated very few “keeper” king salmon but caught and threw back several good sized silvers. The skipper said they are not endangered, just protected. The explanation I got was that the state does not want to pay hatcheries to raise them so that’s why we can’t keep them. The problem is, by the time you bring them up from 75 to 100 feet, de-net and unhook them, they are tired and almost dead … but we still have to throw them back. What a waste of resources. Do you have any information on that? DFG requires the same thing for certain species of rockcod — we have to throw them back even if they are dead. (Bob C.)

Answer: According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Senior Marine Biologist Melodie Palmer-Zwahlen of the Ocean Salmon Project, both California coastal coho (endangered) and northern California coho (threatened) are indeed listed under the Endangered Species Act and the retention of coho (marked or unmarked) in any California ocean fishery is specifically prohibited under the National Marine Fisheries Service’s recovery plans for these stocks. Although some of the coho currently being contacted in California waters may be from hatcheries in Oregon and Washington, our own stocks are so depressed that it’s not possible to allow a direct take at this time. We do have several hatcheries currently spawning coho as part of a captive broodstock program specifically designed to enhance California coho populations.

Sport anglers can help by fishing nearshore and using larger lures to reduce coho encounters. In addition, since coho can be identified by their white gums, coho should be shaken off the hooks while still over the water and not netted or brought onboard. If the fish is hooked deeply, the angler should simply cut the line.

Can someone receiving abalone as a gift be cited?
Question: If someone gifts abalone that are tagged but the tags are filled out improperly (or not at all), who gets the ticket, the person with the abalone or the original pickers?

Answer: Both individuals can be cited. The individual who took the abalone can receive a citation for failing to tag abalone or improperly tagging abalone. The individual who receives the abalone can be cited for unlawful possession of abalone that are not tagged or improperly tagged. (Fish and Game Code, section 2002).

Legal to fish from the dam?
Question: Shasta Lake is so full this year and I am wondering if there are any laws against or regulating fishing from the dam. (Charlie K.)

Answer: It’s unlikely, but check with the folks who manage and operate Shasta Lake and Dam to see what their policies are. DFG does not make or regulate these laws so such restrictions would come from the lake and dam managers. Boaters and anglers used to be able to boat right up to the ends of the dam wall, but because of concerns for homeland security since the 9/11 terrorist event, this is no longer allowed.

Hunting big game with a cow decoy?
Question: I know that cow decoys may not be used for hunting birds.  Does this also apply to hunting deer or other big game? (Brent N.)

Answer: No, it is not prohibited when taking mammals (FGC, section 3502 ). There are no Fish and Game laws or regulations on the books regarding using any type of “blind” when taking mammals.

# # #

Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone’s questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov.

→ Leave a comment

Posted in Abalone, Catch & Release, Decoys, Fines/Penalties/Citations, Fisheries Management, Fishing, Private Land, Waterways

Tagged , , , , , ,