Amador Flyfishers

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.

Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card
If you are fishing the rivers below the last impoundment, i.e. Camanche Dam on the Mokelumne River, you are considered to be fishing in anadramous waters.  This requires the posession of a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card.  One note note mentioned in the Regulations:  The Report Card must be dated the river recorded prior to starting fishing for the day.

Anglers must have a nontransferable Steelhead Trout Catch Report Restoration Card issued by the department in their possession while fishing for steelhead trout in anadromous waters. For purposes of this regulation, a steelhead trout is defined as any rainbow trout greater than 16 inches in length found in anadromous waters. Anglers must record, with a ball point pen, the month, day, location fished, number of steelhead caught and kept, and number of steelhead caught and released. Month, day and location must be recorded EVEN IF NO STEELHEAD WERE CAUGHT.

A report-restoration card shall be valid for the calendar year. When the card is completely filled-in, a person may purchase another card. Anglers are required by law to return Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration cards to the Department of Fish and Game by January 31 of the year following the card expiration. Example: 2009 cards are to be returned by January 31, 2010.

CATCH AND RELEASE ZERO LIMIT WATERS
In waters where the bag limit for trout or salmon is zero, fish for which the bag limit is zero must be released unharmed, and should not be removed from the water.

District General Regulations.
Unless otherwise provided, waters shown as open to trout and salmon fishing in subsections (a) through (g) below, are open to fishing for other species. Gear restrictions listed in this section apply to the take of all species of fish unless otherwise noted. Every body of water listed in subsections (a) through (g) of Section 7.00 (below) is closed to all fishing, except during the open season as shown. Unless otherwise provided, waters closed to trout and salmon fishing are closed to fishing for all other species, except that these closures do not apply to fishing for amphibians (see Section 5.05), freshwater clams (see Section 5.20), crayfish (see Section 5.35), and lamprey (see Section 5.40), using legal fishing methods other than hook-and-line fishing, and saltwater clams, crabs, ghost shrimp, and blue mud shrimp (see Ocean Regulations Booklet Sections 29.20 to 29.87). Crabs may only be taken using hoop nets or by hand, and Dungeness crab may only be taken within the North Coast District and Sonoma and Mendocino counties.
Daily bag and possession limits, unless otherwise provided, mean the total number of trout and salmon in combination. Unless otherwise provided, no more than one daily bag limit may be possessed. Silver (coho) salmon may not be taken in any of the waters of the State, except in Lake Oroville. Incidentally hooked silver (coho) salmon, except in Lake Oroville, must be immediately released unharmed to the waters where they are hooked. In waters where the bag limit for trout or salmon is zero, fish for which the bag limit is zero must be released unharmed, and should not be removed from the water. These waters may also be subject to restrictions on fishing methods and gear (sections 2.00 through 2.40), fishing hours (section 3.00), and the use of bait (sections 4.00 through 4.30).

Alphabetical List of Waters with Special Fishing Regulations

• American River, North Fork, Middle Fork, South Fork and their tributaries above Folsom Lake (Placer, Eldorado, Amador, and Alpine cos.).  
  
  • Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15.  5 per day 10 in possession
  • Nov. 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in Apr. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. 0 trout.
• Big Tree Creek (Calaveras Co.) Within Calaveras Big Trees State Park (upstream of the Highway 4 culvert crossing).  Closed to all fishing all year.
• Calaveras River downstream from New Hogan Dam and the diverting canal (Mormon Slough) from Bellota Weir downstream to Interstate Highway 5 (Calaveras and San Joaquin cos.).  Fourth Saturday in May through Mar. 31. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  1 hatchery trout or 1 hatchery steelhead**
• Carson River, East Fork and tributaries (Alpine Co.).
  • Carson River, East Fork and tributaries above Carson Falls.  Closed to all fishing all year.
  • Carson River, East Fork from Hangman’s Bridge downstream to Nevada State Line.  All year. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. 0 trout.
• Cosumnes River (Sacramento Co.) from Highway 99 bridge upstream to the Latrobe vehicle bridge.  Jan. 1 through Oct. 15. Only barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout.
• Corral Valley Creek and tributaries (Alpine Co.).  Closed to all fishing all year.
• Coyote Valley Creek and tributaries (Alpine Co.).  Closed to all fishing all year.
• Heenan Lake.  Only on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from the Friday before Labor Day through the last Sunday in Oct. Fishing hours: only from sunrise to sunset. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout.
• Heenan Lake tributaries.  Closed to all fishing all year.
• Meiss Lake (Alpine Co.).  Closed to all fishing all year.
• Milk Ranch Creek and tributaries (Alpine Co.) above the confluence with the North Fork Mokelumne River.  Closed to all fishing all year.
• Mokelumne River (San Joaquin Co.):
  • From mouth to Highway 99 bridge including Lodi Lake.  All year. 1 hatchery trout or 1 hatchery steelhead.**  Closed to salmon fishing. No take or possession of salmon.
  • From Highway 99 bridge to Camanche Dam.  
    
    • Jan. 1 through Mar. 31.  1 hatchery trout or 1 hatchery steelhead.**  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
    • Fourth Saturday in May through Oct. 15.  1 hatchery trout or 1 hatchery steelhead.**  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
  • Between the Woodbridge vehicle bridge and the Woodbridge Irrigation District Dam. Closed to all fishing all year.
• New Hogan Reservoir Stripers- 10 fish limit, no size restrictions
• San Joaquin River. (Fresno, Madera, Merced, San Joaquin, and Stanislaus Cos.).
  • From Friant Dam downstream to the Highway 140 bridge. All year.  5 trout.  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
  • From the Highway 140 bridge downstream to the Interstate 5 bridge at Mossdale.  All year.  0 trout or steelhead.   Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
• Silver King Creek and tributaries (Alpine Co.)
  • Silver King Creek and tributaries including lakes above Tamarack Lake Creek (within section 7 T7N R22E).  Closed to all fishing all year
  • Silver King Creek and tributaries from the confluence with Tamarack Lake Creek (within section 7 T7N R22E) downstream to the confluence with Snodgrass Creek.  May 21 through Nov. 15.  10 trout per day 10 in possession
• Stanislaus River (Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Tuolumne cos.).
• From Goodwin Dam downstream to the Highway 120 bridge in Oakdale.
  • Jan. 1 through Oct. 31. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout.  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
• From the Highway 120 bridge in Oakdale to the mouth.  Jan. 1 through Oct. 31.  Bait may be used from Jan. 1 - Oct. 31. However, from April 1 through the Friday preceding the fourth Saturday in May, bait may be used only with single hooks having a gap between 1/2 and 1 inch, or with multiple hooks having a gap between 1/4 and 1/2 inch.  0 trout.  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
• Stanislaus River, Middle Fork (Tuolumne Co.).
  • Beardsley Afterbay.
    • All year. Minimum size limit: 14 inches total length. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. 2 trout
  • From Beardsley Dam downstream to the U. S. Forest Service footbridge at Spring Gap.  
    
    • Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15. Minimum size limit: 14 inches total length. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  2 trout
  • From the U.S. Forest Service footbridge at Spring Gap to New Melones Reservoir.
    • Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15.  2 trout
• Tuolumne River (Stanislaus and Tuolumne cos.).
  • From O’Shaughnessy Dam (Hetch Hetchy Reservoir) downstream to Early Intake Diversion Dam.
    • Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15. Maximum size limit: 12 inches total length. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  2 trout
    • Nov. 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in Apr. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout
  • From Early Intake Dam downstream to Lumsden Bridge.
    • Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15. 5 trout
    • Nov. 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in Apr. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout
  • From Lumsden Bridge downstream to Clavey River Falls
    • Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15. Maximum size limit: 12 inches total length Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  2 trout
    • Nov. 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in Apr. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout
  • From La Grange Dam downstream to Hickman bridge.
    • Jan. 1 through Oct. 31. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout or steelhead.  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
  • From Hickman bridge to the mouth.
    • Jan. 1 through Oct. 31. Bait may be used from Jan. 1 through Oct. 31. However, from Apr. 1 through the Friday preceding the fourth Saturday in May, bait may be used only with single hooks having a gap between 1/2 and 1 inch, or with multiple hooks having a gap between 1/4 and 1/2 inch.  0 trout or steelhead.  Closed to salmon fishing.  No take or possession of salmon.
• Upper Truckee River and tributaries upstream from confluence with Showers Creek (Alpine and El Dorado cos.).
  • July 1 through Sept. 30. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  0 trout 
• Walker River, East Fork (Mono Co.) From Bridgeport Dam to Nevada State Line.
  • Last Saturday in Apr. through Nov. 15. Minimum size limit: 18 inches total length. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. NOTE: BOW AND ARROW FISHING FOR CARP ONLY IS PERMITTED DURING TROUT SEASON.  1 trout
  • Nov. 16 through the Friday preceding the last Saturday in Apr. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used.  NOTE: BOW AND ARROW FISHING FOR CARP ONLY IS PERMITTED DURING TROUT SEASON.  0 trout