Amador Fly Fishers

Amador Flyfishers (AFF) meets the third Tuesday of each month in the Amador County Administration Center at 810 Court Street, Jackson.

Craig Nielsen is the owner and operator of Shasta Trout. A Northern California native, he has been chasing trout with a fly rod for over 45 years and guiding professionally since 1992. Having fished all across the west, B.C. and Alaska he especially appreciates the angling diversity Mt. Shasta offers. From presenting tiny dries to selective Fall River Rainbows, swinging streamers with switchrods for the Klamath’s fabled steelhead, dry fly fishing on the McCloud, or nymphing the Upper and Lower Sac for trophy ‘bows, Craig enjoys it all. Everyone appreciates his patience, angling versatility and local knowledge. A certified casting instructor, he has taught at Mel Krieger’s school and was one of the first authors on switchrods. Craig has been a featured guide for Fish First, Flywater Travel, The Ashland Flyshop, Leland, Ted Fay, The Clearwater House and The Flyshop. He holds a Teaching Credential and a Master’s degree from Chico State where he worked as an Instructor, Administrator and Counselor before following his passion to guide full time.

This is a (belated) fishing report for June 25-27, 2010 for Frenchman Lake, Davis Lake, and Milton Reservoir.  I am happy to report no wine or other items were lost on this trip (though there was a brief 5 minutes of panic while a camera was temporarily misplaced).  The Sierraville Ranger Station could not confidently tell us whether or not Milton Reservoir was accessible (“we’ve just had so much snow this year”), so Frenchman Lake was substituted as a “Plan B” backup site for the AFF Fishout.

Frenchman 6/25.  Attendees at Frenchman were Charlie Moore and his son Casey, Dennis Larson, and Ron Calvert.  Fishing was “fair” at the Snallygaster access just north of Lunker Point.  When we arrived (around lunch time) the fish seemed to be holding in deeper/open water.  It was frustrating fishing.  The strikes were short and soft, with probably 2-3 missed grabs or lost fish for every one landed.  Most of the rainbows brought to hand were in the 14-17” range, but put up an admirable fight.  (My last fish of the day was a spunky 15-incher that dove under my float tube at the last minute, breaking my Scott 4-weight rod.)  Popular patterns were Sheep Creek Specials, Pheasant Tail Nymphs, and Blood Midges.  A few dark olive-green damsel nymphs were also observed.  Small lime green midges appeared on the water late in the day; a small sea-green Serendipity pattern worked well during those hours.

The Amador Fly Fishers staffed two booths at the Great Sutter Creek Duck Race.  The first booth was selling hamburgers and the second was providing information to the public about our organization.  

A special thanks is owed to the following members for their support:  Ray Mutter, Ron Calvert, Don Mittelstaedt, Dennis & Sandy Larson, Bill Heger, Pete Bunting, James Yep, Mark Thygessen, Jerry Caton, Cindy & Dustin Rocksvold and Ken & Jeri Brown.  Through their efforts the club was able to bring in a net profit of $310.00.  We were also able to hand out fliers to prospective members and make some connections with other organizations.  The weather cooperated and it was a fun day.  Thanks again to everyone involved.  I apologize if I missed anyone.

Completing the California Heritage Trout Challenge was a rewarding experience for me; therefore, I wanted more anglers to experience the fun and sense of accomplishment that I experienced.

For years anglers have casually challenged themselves to achieve a “Sierra slam” (usually catching five species of trout in the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range located in both California and Nevada), but I have created my own official version of the Sierra slam, which can be quite fun and rewarding and will require neither miles of driving into the back country nor hours and hours of scientific research. Here’s the deal: Catch five distinct species of trout within the Sierra Nevada. The fish do not have to be native to their waters, but they do have to be caught and released in the Sierras on a fly rod. Nine species of trout are common in the Sierras, and we are only requiring anglers to catch five, so there is room to play around with which trout to catch. After you have caught your five different species of trout, just mail in your pictures with dates and locations (which will be confidential) and we will send you a customized and numbered certificate displaying artistic renderings of the five species you caught.

You can challenge your friends to complete it first, learn more about which Sierra waters hold which species, learn how to identify trout species, and just gain bragging rights for your fishing prowess.

Depending upon where you are fishing in Amador County, Alpine or Calaveras Counties, you will be in one of two Fish & Game Districts, the Valley District or the Sierra District.

Valley District
The Valley District consists of all of Butte, Colusa, Glenn, Kern, Kings, Merced, Sacramento, San Joaquin, Solano, Stanislaus, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties; Tulare County west of the west boundaries of Sequoia National Forest and Sequoia National Park; Fresno County west of the west boundaries of Sierra and Sequoia National Forests (including all of Pine Flat Lake); Madera County west of the west boundary of the Sierra National Forest; Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Mariposa, Nevada, Placer and Tuolumne counties west of Highway 49 (including all of Don Pedro, McClure and New Melones lakes); that portion of Alameda County which is both east of Interstate 680 and north of Interstate 580; and all of Contra Costa County east of Interstate 680 and that portion of Contra Costa County which is both north of Highway 4 and east of Interstate 80; and all of Black Butte Lake.

General Trout Season/Regs

1. All lakes and reservoirs except those listed by name in the Special Regulations. All year. 5 trout.
2. All anadromous waters except those listed by name in the Special Regulations (See definition of anadromous waters, Section 1.04). All year.  0 trout and steelhead.  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.

Sierra District
The Sierra District consists of all of Modoc, Lassen, Shasta, Sierra, Plumas, Alpine, Inyo and Mono counties; Tulare County east of the west boundaries of Sequoia National Forest and Sequoia National Park; Fresno County east of the west boundaries of Sierra and Sequoia National Forests (excluding Pine Flat Lake); Madera County east of the west boundary of Sierra National Forest; Mariposa, Tuolumne, Calaveras, Amador, El Dorado, Placer and Nevada counties east of Highway 49 (excluding Don Pedro, McClure and New Melones lakes); the portion of Siskiyou County southeast of a line drawn between Mt. Eddy and the Black Butte summit railroad crossing of Interstate 5 and east of Interstate 5 between the railroad crossing and Weed and east of Highway 97 between Weed and the Oregon border; and Tehama County excluding Black Butte Lake. Those waters excluded above are part of the Valley District (see section 6.36).

General Trout Season/Regs

1. Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15.  5 trout per day, 10 in possession

SPECIAL BROOK TROUT BONUS BAG AND POSSESSION LIMIT

1. IN SIERRA DISTRICT WATERS OF SISKIYOU, SHASTA AND TEHAMA COUNTIES, UP TO 10 BROOK TROUT PER DAY LESS THAN 8 INCHES TOTAL LENGTH MAY BE TAKEN AND POSSESSED IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER DAILY BAG AND POSSESSION LIMITS SPECIFIED FOR THE SIERRA DISTRICT.
2. IN THE SIERRA DISTRICT SOUTH OF INTERSTATE 80, UP TO 10 BROOK TROUT PER DAY LESS THAN 10 INCHES TOTAL LENGTH MAY BE TAKEN AND POSSESSED IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER DAILY BAG AND POSSESSION LIMITS SPECIFIED FOR THE SIERRA DISTRICT. THIS ALLOWANCE DOES NOT INCLUDE RED LAKE IN ALPINE COUNTY OR KIRMAN, LANE OR ROOSEVELT LAKES IN MONO COUNTY.

Frank Bertaina Obituary
3/21/10 Sunday SF Chronicle:
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/sfgate/obituary.aspx?n=frank-bertaina&pid=140927617

Frank Louis Bertaina Died from a heart attack on March 3, 2010. Born to Louis and Evelyn Bertaina on April 14, 1944 in San Francisco, California. He leaves his son Frank Jr., granddaughter Amanda, great granddaughter Alyssa Grace, sister Jackie, an aunt, cousins, countless friends, and fishing buddies; predeceased by his long time companion Ann Joergenson and beloved canine pal Jake.

Frank was a major league pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles where he was on the roster in the 1966 World Series. He also pitched for the Washington Senators, and St. Louis Cardinals. Frank co-owned and founded Fishing International in Santa Rosa, CA and was a co-owner of Lava Creek Lodge in Fall River Mills, CA. To write his obituary is a most difficult task. To sum up in limited words a life full of adventure, accomplishment, and passion is nearly impossible. To write an ending to a life teaming with anticipation of more things to do, more fishing, wherever in the world the fishing was good, is an exercise in futility, but one that must be done. Where to begin. Simply - it is about doing, not about material things or accomplishments. "Embrace life", he would say. "Find your passion". "Seize the day".

For Frank it was all about the fishing; being on the water, anticipating being on the water; finding the fish; making the cast, and sharing these experiences with his friends. He made a final cast on March 3, 2010. A cast made for a far different purpose than all the others. Still the line was skillfully drawn back with fluid perfection, then hesitating just long enough to change direction at the exact right moment, allowing the line to effortlessly unfold and stretch out to meet a welcoming target; a target that would draw him in, hook him gently and guide him on to new waters. Now he has arrived. Finally he is home.

In Frank's own words found in a letter written to a dear friend over 25 years ago he expressed his thoughts about fishing that day and just being there: "... Fishing good; loving every second of it. There's something here that freshens up my reason for being alive. My senses are so tuned, every sight, scent, and sound. There's a music, a song, a love that's wonderful. My heart soars like a hawk..." To end I leave you with one of Frank's favorite sayings, one he expressed often, "Get your casts in while you can fore tomorrow is promised to no one."

Private services were held. A gathering to celebrate his life will be held on April 18th at 1:00 pm at the Odd Fellows Lodge, 545 Pacific Ave., Santa Rosa, CA 95404. Donations in Frank's name may be made to the Russian River Wild Steelhead Society, mailing address: 16129 Main Street, Unit B, Guerneville, CA 95446,
e-mail address: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

While I was driving around toady I got to thinking about what events AFF could have for fun, and possibly to attract new members.  Here are the ideas I came up with:

• One-Fly Competition - Blue Creek?
  • The idea behind a one-fly competition is that each person who enters the competition is allowed one fly, and one fly only to spend the day fishing with.  Once the fly is lost, the participant is out of the competition.  A count of fish caught on the fly will be taken and the highest angler gets bragging rights, and maybe a prize.  My idea is to hold this event during the week of the Blue Lakes Outing September 13-19, 2010.   I was thinking of Blue Creek as the target water.  If anyone has any other suggestions, offer them up.
• Skills Rodeo
  • The idea behind the Skills Rodeo is to have various casting, knot tying, fly tying obstacles set up and to time, or score the participants. The person with the best time, or the highest score wins a prize, or bragging rights.
• Fly Tying Jam Sessions
  
  • Anyone interested in gatherings to tie flies, say one weekend a month?
• Novice Seminar
  • Same as in years' past.
• Kids Seminar
  
  • A twist, and a simplification of the Novice Seminar targeted to minors
• Boy Scouts - NEED TO CONTACT THE JACKSON TROOP

Anyone else have any ideas?

Ted Nahhas and I floated the Lower Mokelumne with Bill Heger on Monday February 22, 2010.  It was a cold and dreary day and the fish were not very cooperative.

We tried throwing everything but the kitchen sink at them, but the bite did not turn on until after lunch.  We were below the Highway 88 before we found willing fish.  The hatchery juvenile steelhead were still present and was mostly what we caught.  We caught most of them nymphing on black Copper Johns and a few on Micro Mayflies.

We were on the water about 9:00 AM and fished until 5:30PM.  A nasty wind came up in the afternoon and we raced the storm to get off the water before the rain hit.  We managed to get the boat out and secured and were in the truck when it started to sprinkle.  Not bad timing at all.

New sport fishing regulations take effect March 1

The California Fish and Game Commission has adopted the following changes to sport fishing regulations. All take effect and will be enforced starting March 1, 2010.

Display of Sport Fishing License is Not Required Anglers will no longer have to display their sport fishing license on their outer clothing above the waist, but their sport fishing license must still be in their possession while fishing.

Sturgeon Fishing Closure on Upper Sacramento River There will a year-round closure to sturgeon fishing on the Sacramento River from the Keswick Dam (Shasta County, west of Redding) to the Hwy

162 Bridge (near Butte City). The use of wire leaders or any type of shrimp or lamprey bait is also prohibited in this area.

Spiny Lobster

Spiny lobster must be kept in a whole, measurable condition until it is being prepared for consumption. See Section 29.90(e).

Increased Bag and Possession Limits for Hatchery Trout and Steelhead The statewide bag and possession limits were raised to two fish per day and four fish in possession. These increased limits will be in place for all rivers and streams where the take of hatchery trout or steelhead is presently allowed except for the Feather, Klamath and Mokelumne rivers.

Refer to the Section 7.50 of the regulations for each individual reach.

New Rules for the Smith River

Only barbless hooks will be allowed in all reaches of the Smith River.

The “Klamath-Trinity Salmon Report Card” has been renamed “North Coast Salmon Report Card” and will now be required on the Smith River also. The annual bag limit for wild trout or steelhead was reduced to zero and no more than five wild Chinook may be kept per year.

Sunfish and Crappie Combined Bag Limit and Separate Tilapia Limit The daily bag limit for sunfish is reduced to 25 fish and incorporated into a combined bag limit of 25 sunfish and crappie of all species, except as noted in Section 5.82. Tilapia are moved out of the sunfish bag limit and continue to have no limit on take.

Splittail and Lamprey Changes

Sacramento splittail may be taken only by angling, with a bag limit of two fish. The bag limit for lamprey is reduced to five and the use of traps is no longer allowed.

There are other changes to the sturgeon and steelhead report cards and general district regulations, so please review all of the 2010 regulations pertaining to the species you intend to pursue. Regulations are available on the Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Web site at www.dfg.ca.gov/about/fishing .