Kids angle for trout at last year's Fishing Derby in Gardnerville,Nevada. (USFWS photo)

Lahonton National Fish Hatchery Co-Sponsors Kid’s Fishing Derby in Nevada

The Lahonton National Fish Hatchery Complex in Gardnerville, Nev., helped kick-off National fishing week as a co-sponsor of the 19th annual Kids' Fishing Derby May 31 and June 1 in Gardnerville.   

The Kid’s Fishing Derby draws more than 2,400 kids (ages 3-12) to Lampe Creek in Lampe Park in Gardnerville each year, and is billed as one of the largest free kids fishing events west of the Mississippi River. The event is jointly sponsored by The Kids' Fishing Derby, Inc., the Douglas County Parks and Recreation Department, the Nevada Division of Wildlife and the Lahontan National Fish Hatchery.

The hatchery provides approximately 1,700 Lahonton cutthroat trout to this “kids only” event as well as provide educational materials and hands-on assistance during the event.  The hatchery has been involved in the event since 1992.

Gardnerville is located about 15 miles east of Lake Tahoe in Douglas County, Nev.More information about the event is available from the Douglas County Parks and Recreation D Department 782-9828.  More information about Lahonton NFH is available at: http://www.fws.gov/lahontannfhc/index.html

Angle for Rainbow Trout at Fourmile Quarry Ponds in Klamath Falls June 7

The Service’s Klamath Falls Fish and Wildlife Office in Klamath Falls, Ore., is co-sponsor a kids’ fishing day at the Fourmile Quarry Ponds Saturday, June 7.  The event is part of Oregon’s Free Fishing Weekend. Kids can fish free for stocked rainbow trout and no license is required. Registration from 8:30 to 9:00 a.m. Fishing starts at 9 a.m. and concludes at 3 p.m. A barbecue lunch and prizes BBQ lunch and prizes for kids.   The event, which includes a barbecue lunch and prizes for kids, supports the South Portal Project - An Urban Fishery Project for kids.  Other sponsors include Fishin' Friends, Fremont-Winema National Forest and other partners.  The ponds are located about 30 minutes west of Klamath Falls. Take Highway 140 to the Cold Springs Trailhead turnoff  (Forest Road 3651). The Cold Springs turnoff is just 3 miles west of the Rocky Point turnoff along Hwy 140.  Follow the signs to the fishing event

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay Refuge Hosts “Fish the Bay” Event June 7

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge will celebrate National Fishing Week (June 1–7) by offering the public a near worry-free day to Fish the Bay Saturday June 7.  The refuge will provide interested anglers with fishing poles, bait and tackle free of charge from 10 a.m. to noon at the refuge’s Dumbarton Fishing Pier, 1 Marshlands Road in Fremont, Calif.  No fishing license is required.  Interested anglers should meet at the end of the fishing pier. For more information or to reserve a pole, call the refuge at 510-792-0222 ext. 43. Driving directions are on the Web at http://www.fws.gov/desfbay/directions.htm

If you’re not up to fishing events, but want to cast your line during National Fishing Week, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service offers opportunities for fishing and other outdoor recreation at the following National Wildlife Refuges in California and Nevada. Information about these and other refuges in California and Nevada is available at http://www.fws.gov/cno. Anglers should contact the refuges for the latest information.

The Service also offers opportunities for fishing at the following national wildlife refuges in California and Nevada:

California   

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge. Managed as part of the San Francisco Bay NWR Complex, P.O. Box 524, Newark, Calif. 94560; (510) 792-0222; Office hours (at San Francisco Bay NWR), 10 a.m.- 5 p.m., except closed on all federal holidays. Salinas River NWR is open during daylight hours. Primitive access roads. Nearest main highway is Hwy. 1. Nearest communities are Seaside and Monterey. Salinas River NWR provides access to surf fishing via a 1/3-mile trail. Waters include the mouth of the Salinas River and Monterey Bay, with approximately 1 mile of shoreline open to surf fishing. Fishing is primarily for sea perch and shark. There are no facilities on Salinas River NWR.

San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge. Managed as part of San Francisco Bay NWR Complex, P.O. Box 524, Newark, Calif.,  94560; (510) 792-0222; Office hours (at San Francisco Bay NWR Complex), 10 a.m. - 5 p.m., except closed on all federal holidays. San Pablo Bay NWR is open year-round during daylight hours. Nearest main highway is Hwy. 37. Nearest community is Vallejo. Fishing season is year-round by boat only on all open waters and navigable sloughs of the refuge, including lower reach of Tolay Creek and all of the northern portion of San Pablo Bay. No shoreline fishing is currently permitted. Saltwater species include flounder, striped bass, sturgeon, rays and sharks. Boat ramps are located in Vallejo, on the Napa and Petaluma Rivers.

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge. Managed as part of Hopper Mountain NWR Complex, 1055 Guadalupe St. (Scenic Hwy. 1), Guadalupe, Calif., 93434; (805) 343-9151. Offices hours, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Nearest communities include the City of Guadalupe and Pismo Beach. Nearest highway is Hwy. 1. Surf fishing and access to the refuge is south along the shoreline half-a-mile south of the end of the boardwalk. The refuge has no facilities. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include surf perch and striped bass.

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge. P.O. Box 576, Loleta, Calif. 95551; (707) 733-5406; Office hours, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. daily. Hookton Slough Unit is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is Hwy. 101. Nearest communities are Fortuna and Eureka. Refuge waters include South Humboldt Bay. Fishing is permitted over refuge tidelands. Non-motorized boat launch and dock are at the Hookton Slough Unit. Public boat launch is at Fields Landing. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include shellfish, jacksmelt and shark.

Modoc National Wildlife Refuge.  P.O. Box 1610, Alturas, Calif. 96101; (530) 233-3572; Office hours, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is U.S. 395. Nearest community is Alturas. Refuge waters include Dorris Reservoir (approximately 1,000 acres, when at full capacity) which is open to fishing February-September 30. Walk-in access only is available February 1-March 31. Boat access is open April 1-September 30. Available species include largemouth bass, catfish, sunfish and rainbow trout.

Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge. Packer Unit, managed as part of the Sacramento NWR Complex, 752 County Rd. 99W, Willows, Calif. 95988; (530) 934-2801. Office hours, 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Nearest community is Ordbend. Nearest highway is Hwy. 45. The Packer Unit contains a 100-acre oxbow lake. Best time for angling is March-November for species such as bluegill and largemouth bass. A narrow dirt road provides access to an unimproved boat launch area. There is limited fishing from the shoreline. No facilities are available.

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. P.O. Box 2176, Los Banos, Calif., 93635; (209) 826-3508; Office hours, 7:45 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday-Friday. Refuge is open a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Good access roads. Nearest main highways are Interstate 5, Highways 99, 165 and 152. Nearest community is Los Banos. Refuge waters include Salt Slough and the San Joaquin River on the east side of Hwy. 165. The fishing season is year-round. Available species include striped bass, crappie and catfish. No boats are allowed.

Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge. 906 W. Sinclair, Calipatria, Calif., 92233; (760) 348-5278. Office hours, 7:00 am-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highways are Highway 111 and 86. Nearest communities are Niland, Calipatria, Westmoreland and Brawley. Refuge waters include Salton Sea, a saltwater inland "lake," saltier than the ocean. There are approximately 35,500 acres of refuge lake area open to fishing, with water ranging from shallow to about 20 feet deep. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include orangemouth corvina, sargo, gulf croaker and tilapia. Boat fishing only is permitted.

Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge. P.O. Box 334, Imperial Beach, Calif.,  91933; (619) 575-1290; Office hours, 7:30 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday- Friday. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is I-5. Nearest community is Imperial Beach. Surf fishing access is below mean High Tide Line, but angler walk-in access is permitted through refuge. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include surf perch, croaker, corvina and California halibut. No boats are permitted. No fishing is allowed at the Tijuana River mouth, in the lagoon, sloughs or marsh areas. Fishing is permitted only in the ocean.

Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge. 4009 Hill Rd., Tulelake, Calif. 96134; (503) 667-2231; Office hours, 8 a.m.-4:30 p.m. daily. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Nearest main highway is U.S. 97. Good access roads. Nearest community is Chemult, Ore. Public fishing is permitted along the Silver Lake Highway in the borrow ditch adjacent to the marsh. No boating is allowed.

Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge. Rt. 1, Box 74, Tulelake, Calif., 96134; (916) 667-2231; Office hours, 8:00 am-4:30 pm, daily. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is U.S. 97. Nearest community is Klamath Falls. Refuge waters include Upper Klamath Lake. Fishing season is year-round. Freshwater species include rainbow trout.

Nevada

Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. Box 510, Alamo, Nev. 89001; (775) 725-3417; Office hours, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Refuge is open daily. Fair access roads. Nearest main highway is U.S. 93. Nearest community is Alamo. Refuge waters include Middle Pond (100 acres), upper Pahranagat Lake and North Marsh (400 acres). Fishing season is year-round, except North Marsh is closed during waterfowl hunting season. Available species include largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill, bullhead and carp. Electric motors only are allowed.

Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge. HC 60 Box 860, Ruby Valley, Nev. 89833; (775) 779-2237; Office hours, 7 a.m. - 4 p.m. Refuge is open 1 hour before sunrise until 2 hours after sunset. Fair access roads; 30-35 miles are dirt/gravel. Nearest main highways are U.S. 50, 93 and I-80. Nearest community is Elko. Refuge waters include South Marsh; Units 10, 13, 14, 20 and 21; Gravel Pit Pond; Willow Pond; North County Line Pond; and Hidden Springs Pond. (Note that there are no open-water lakes, only wetlands interspersed with cattails and bulrush, which form a maze of channels.) Fishing season is year-round. Species include rainbow, brook, cutthroat and brown trout as well as largemouth bass. No boats are permitted January 1-June 14; non-motorized boats and boats with battery-powered electric motors are permitted June 15-July 31; non-motorized boats and boats propelled by gas motors 10 hp or less are permitted August 1-December 31.
(Compiled by Scott Flaherty, Region 8 External Affairs)