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California Spearfishing Talk here about spearfishing on California's Pacific Coast, and post those reports and photos!

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Old 04-10-2009, 04:22 PM   #1
slavikf
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California freshwater spearfishing

I am advanced SCUBA diver and beginner spearfisherman. I made few dives / got some fish at CA ocean and love that. But i live in Sacramento, where ocean is kind far, so i was trying to spearfish in lakes with no luck. Lake, if compared to ocean are just deserts. I do not see any fish. I got some crawfish.

So, i wonder, if i doing anything wrong? Do i need to dive at specific time (i.e. early morning), or find some "special" place in lake? How people do it? Is "fish finder" device would be any help?

Particularly, i was diving at Folsom lake, Ice house water reservoir and Sly park.

I searched internet for resources and looks like everyone spearfishing in ocean. -
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Old 04-10-2009, 04:29 PM   #2
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

ummmmm.



Troll?





Edit: If this is not a joke, then I would suggest you look at the Ca Department of fish and game law books. Essentialy, it's illegal to spearfish in freshwater in california. Sorry. That's the reason you only find info about people spearfishing in the ocean.
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Old 04-10-2009, 04:30 PM   #3
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

Better check the DFG regulations i believe its illegle to spear game fish in fresh water.
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Old 04-10-2009, 04:49 PM   #4
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

Go to Arizona, they just love spearfishermen there.
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Old 04-10-2009, 04:53 PM   #5
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

Not a troll.

I live in Sacto too and there is not much in the way of spear fishing oportunities since we are land locked.

I have checked the regs but don't have them memorized. Basically you can't hunt freshwater gamefish and can't hunt in waters with the salmon or steelhead. I think you are only allowed to take suckers, pike minnow, carp, hardheads and catfish.

I have heard of a few people targeting carp in lakes, but I don't have any specifics. I would suggest the lower level lakes where you are likely to find carp or pike minnow.

Good luck,

MN
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Old 04-10-2009, 04:58 PM   #6
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

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Originally Posted by Mike N View Post
Not a troll.

I live in Sacto too and there is not much in the way of spear fishing oportunities since we are land locked.

I have checked the regs but don't have them memorized. Basically you can't hunt freshwater gamefish and can't hunt in waters with the salmon or steelhead. I think you are only allowed to take suckers, pike minnow, carp, hardheads and catfish.

I have heard of a few people targeting carp in lakes, but I don't have any specifics. I would suggest the lower level lakes where you are likely to find carp or pike minnow.

Good luck,

MN

Carp? Yumm....They're like Poo with scales.
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:00 PM   #7
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

I didn't say I shot them.

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Old 04-10-2009, 05:15 PM   #8
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike N View Post
Not a troll.

I live in Sacto too and there is not much in the way of spear fishing oportunities since we are land locked.

I have checked the regs but don't have them memorized. Basically you can't hunt freshwater gamefish and can't hunt in waters with the salmon or steelhead. I think you are only allowed to take suckers, pike minnow, carp, hardheads and catfish.

I have heard of a few people targeting carp in lakes, but I don't have any specifics. I would suggest the lower level lakes where you are likely to find carp or pike minnow.

Good luck,

MN
I've spent hours and hours at the Hazel F&G office trying to figure out if I can spearfish in freshwater.
You cannot spear in "salmon spawning streams". That includes the American, Sacramento, and Feather Rivers.
Folsom lake is okay by F&G standards, but Folsom lake Rangers said that I could not spear there......go figure.

So after many fruitless hours trying to sort this out I have given up hope for spearing in fresh water.

So, I just try to head up to the ocean as much as possible to cure my spearing urges.
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:21 PM   #9
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

you can spear carp unless the rules have changed...rules vary for different areas...you can see stripers in the river over by Folsom...freshwater fish like carp, hang in brush or thermoclines...won a freshwater spearfishing contest once by swimming out in the middle of the lake, diving down and found the fish hanging on top of a thermocline about 20' down...other divers were in shallow too warm water.....good place to practice making jackknife dives until you are so quiet, your fins don't make a sound as you slip beneath the surface....also practice getting all the bubbles out of your suit..one bubble escaping will spook that once in a lifetime giant fish you are about to spear....we do this by cutting dime size holes in the heel and toe of our booties and making some upright vertical drops so we can work the bubbles out of our neck and head spaces....then, make a couple of shallow descending dives to work the bubbles out of your leg and foot areas....good hunting...

Last edited by Bob Ballew; 04-10-2009 at 05:51 PM.
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:29 PM   #10
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

I spent significant amount of time looking to DFG regulations. Here is what for spearfishing in freshwater:

2.30. Spearfishing.
Spearfishing is permitted only in:
(a) The Colorado River District for carp, tilapia, goldfish and mullet, all year.
(b) The Valley District for carp, goldfish, western sucker, Sacramento blackfish, hardhead, Sacramento pikeminnow and lamprey, from May 1 through September 15, except that no spearfishing is permitted in:
(1) Shasta and Tehama counties (see Section 2.12).
(2) Butte Creek (Butte Co.).
(3) Feather River below Oroville Dam (Butte Co.).
(4) Designated salmon spawning areas.
(c) The Kern River from the Kern-Tulare county line upstream to the Johnsondale Bridge for carp, goldfish, western sucker, hardhead and Sacramento pikeminnow, from May 1 through September 15.


6.36. Valley District Definition.
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.

6.37. Colorado River District Definition.
The Colorado River District consists of Imperial County and those portions of Riverside and San Bernardino counties lying south and east of the following line: Starting at the intersection of Highway 86 with the north boundary of Imperial County; north along Highway 86 to its intersection with Interstate 10; east along Interstate 10 to its intersection with Cottonwood Springs Road; north along Cottonwood Springs Road and the Mecca Dale Road to Amboy; east along old Highway 66 to its intersection with Interstate 40; east along Interstate 40 to its intersection with Highway 95; and north along Highway 95 to the California-Nevada boundary. All of the Coachella Canal and Lake Cahuilla are included in this District.
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:32 PM   #11
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

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Originally Posted by danny j View Post
Go to Arizona, they just love spearfishermen there.
Danny, I see you have now logged 122 posts, very impressive!

Call me when you have 1000.

PS - If you are interested in more info on fresh water spearfishing, contact the guys at:

http://rockymountainspearfishing.org/rmsa/

Although not the SAC area specific, you can get some info from them, there's quite a large contingent of FW Spearos. Mike McGuire, Dennis Hausler are quite involved with the group, amongst a lot of other great divers that have no ocean close by.


PS # 2 No comments from you Danny, please! From Tucson AZ, Mexico is just a skip and a jump, you want to go week after next?

Regards

Seamus
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:37 PM   #12
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

I even draw map, too see, where, according DFG, it is legal to spearfish. It is not exact, but let me see Valley district area.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...32acfab2e79fc2

Tell me, what you think about this map.
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:44 PM   #13
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

Last year Dennis Haussler put on a great freshwater tourney at New Hogan Reservoir, and I know Dennis had a pretty hard time finding a location that was legal and practical.
Another lake I want to look into is Bullard's Bar, which is in the valley district, full of carp, and not regulated by State Parks. The vis in most of the lake in the summer is terrible, but there are areas where it's not too bad. I just haven't gotten around to doing any research on it though.
Ron.
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:47 PM   #14
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

Slavikf, Keep in mind a lot of that map is "designated salmon spawning areas" since a lot of it is the delta. That phrase is kinda a catch all for anything that empties into the ocean, which is pretty much everything below a dam.
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Old 04-10-2009, 05:58 PM   #15
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Re: California freshwater spearfishing

If you get out Las Vegas way, it it legal to spear stripers in the lake by Hoover dam...illegal in the river, last I knew....had a blast in the river competing in the Nevada State Spearfishing Championships...won 1st a couple of times...carp there up to 20 lbs, big stripers and not unusual to see a bass swim up to your swim fin to check you out...mountain lions and goats up on the cliff edges as you swim downriver from Hoover Dam...you can rent boats at Willow Beach...very interesting freshwater diving experience...

Last edited by Bob Ballew; 04-10-2009 at 10:53 PM.
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