DFG News Archive

Putah Creek to Re-open to Fishing April 24

YOLO COUNTY -- In anticipation of the re-opening of Putah Creek to fishing on April 24, the California Department of Fish and Game intends to plant two thousand pounds worth of big fish. Solano Lake, which is part of Putah Creek will get one thousand pounds and Putah Creek itself will get another one thousand pounds. “Those are the biggest fish I’ve got out there,” promised Dennis Redfern, Manager of the American River Fish Hatchery. Most fish in what hatchery personnel call the “catchable” category are in the half-pound range. These fish average just over ¾ pounds. After planting fish, hatchery personnel will be going through the same procedures DFG is asking anglers to use in order to prevent any possible transport of the snail from one place to another. Drivers will be using only one set of wader boots for Putah Creek and when they return to the hatchery, those boots will be placed in the hatchery freezer for 24 hours to kill any snails that may have inadvertently attached themselves.

Putah Creek was closed to fishing for a 120-day period to evaluate possible alternatives to eradicating the snail and to launch a public awareness campaign as to how to avoid inadvertently transporting the snail from Putah Creek to uninfested waters. For more information about the history of the NZMS in California along with high quality images for download, go to www.dfg.ca.gov/news.

Sacramento Valley & Central Sierra Region Field Office
1701 Nimbus Road, Ste A
Rancho Cordova, CA 95670
(916) 358-2938