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2B Daily News – Saturday, February 25, 2012 Outdoor & living FRESNO (MCT) — Few people, if any, know the San Joaquin River as well as Louis Moosios. The 36-year-old fishing guide, whose family owns 400 acres on the Madera County side, has been fish- ing, boating and swimming in the river since he was a boy. Piloting his 14-foot alu- minum skiff up river, Moosios keeps the 40- horsepower outboard's throttle steady through a series of bends and side channels, and even across a small weir. "I've snorkeled the entire river from (Freeways) 41 to 99 — that's how you get to know every little turn, every little bush, every big rock and fish hiding spot there is," Moosios says. Moosios picks me up below Riverside Golf Course, and it's a 10-minute run to one of his favorite spots: a reclaimed gravel quarry connected to the river. We're here to fish and talk about the river restora- tion, especially aspects of the project that have received scant attention even though they'll affect nearly everyone who uses the river for recreation. By now, everyone should be aware Chinook salmon are slated to be reintroduced to the San Joaquin, perhaps as soon as this year. And like in other California rivers where salmon have been re- established after a long absence, those fish will either be off limits to anglers or strictly catch and release. But what seems to be lost in all of this, even though it's spelled out in the Draft Envi- ronmental Impact Report, is that the presence of salmon will also mean the end of all trout fishing and, potentially, bass fishing. No more trout fishing in the San Joaquin? It says so right in Section 3.3 of Chap- ter 21, which quotes Califor- nia Fish and Game Com- mission policy: "Domesti- cated or nonnative fish species will not be planted, or fisheries based on them will not be developed or maintained, in drainages of salmon waters, where ... they may adversely affect native salmon populations by competing with, preying upon or hybridizing with them." Think about what that means for a moment. No more trout plants at Lost Lake Park or North Fork bridge, the two most popular spots on the river. No more trout derbies at the Fresno County Sports- men's Club. Thousands will have to go elsewhere. The report states that 18,000 anglers use Lost Lake Park every year. What are all those people sup- Land meeting The Pacific Forest and Watershed Lands Steward- ship Council, a land con- servation and youth invest- ment foundation, announces its next board of directors meeting will be held in Sacramento on Wednesday, March 7. The Stewardship Coun- cil Board of Directors may take action on the follow- ing agenda items related to its Land Conservation Pro- gram, as well as on other matters. The Stewardship Coun- cil Board of Directors may take action to recommend life San Joaquin River salmon return comes at a cost California Outdoors Q&A Transporting multiple waterfowl MCT photo Fishing guide Louis Moosios shows off a 4-pound spotted bass he caught in the San Joaquin River about 2 miles east of Riverside Golf Course, Jan. 30 using a crankbait. posed to do now? Simple, it concludes: They'll just have to go to the Kings River instead. Even though the report lists the impact on trout fish- ing as "potentially signifi- cant," I'll bet this is the first you've heard of it. By the time the San Joaquin flows into Fresno, where Moosios and I are spending the afternoon, it becomes a warm-water fish- ery inhabited by bass, crap- pie, bluegill and catfish. And, yes, the fishing for those species will be affect- ed as well. Most of the best bass fishing takes place in reclaimed gravel quarries. But the report states these ponds, and there are many of them, must either be filled in or separated from the river so that juvenile salmon don't get swallowed by predators. What happens to the fish in these ponds when their habitat gets cut off from the river? Water levels, tempera- ture and quality are impact- ed to the point where "fish populations may decline or may be eliminated over the longer-term if conditions for fish deteriorate." Guess that means no more bass fishing in the San Joaquin, either. This is where Moosios has a problem, noting that most of the river's inverte- brates and insects, potential food sources for salmon, are produced in these ponds, then flushed into the river. Isolate all the ponds from the river, and you're affect- ing the health of the river as well. "They need to do a lot more research before they separate these ponds from that PG&E retain fee title to the entire 1,612 acres of the Burney Gardens plan- ning unit and approximate- ly 642 acres of the Lower Drum planning unit. The specific recom- mendations made by the Watershed Planning Com- mittee that will be consid- ered by the board on March 7 are as follows: • Shasta County: PG&E to retain fee title to all lands in the Burney Gar- dens planning unit, con- sisting of approximately 1,612 acres within 15 parcels (parcels 272-286). • Placer County: PG&E to retain fee title to a total the river," Moosios says in between casts. "They might be spending money in one place that costs them even more in another." Even without salmon, the river restoration has already adversely impacted fishing. To demonstrate, Moosios steers us toward a gravel bar. Once we get out, I immedi- ately notice dozens of saucer-shaped clusters of pebbles. Moosios explains these are bluegill nests, estab- lished when the river was running high. But one night a couple of months ago, dur- ing mid-spawn, water levels dropped, leaving the entire colony high and dry. "When they dropped the river, millions of bluegill fry in these nests dried up and died," Moosios says. "Peo- ple like to catch bluegill, and these nests could've repopu- lated the whole river." Whether guiding clients or fishing by himself, Moosios spends several days a week on the San Joaquin. More than any- thing, he fears that having salmon in the river will bring out the worst kind of people: poachers. Moosios has plenty of first-hand experience with poachers. He's caught peo- ple trespassing on his prop- erty carrying 100-pound stringers. He's seen people use a car antenna and surgi- cal tubing to make home- made spears called Hawai- ian slings. He's found fish- ing lines tied to bushes with baited hooks just left in the water. He's seen gill nets strung across the entire channel, entangling every fish that happens by. What'll happen when of approximately 642 acres that had been made avail- able for donation within all or portions of 16 parcels (parcels 871-873, 876, 879, 884-889, 891, 897, 901, 902, 907) in the Lower Drum planning unit. If the above recommen- dations are approved by the board, transaction negotiations between PG&E and the selected holders of the conservation easements would com- mence. The proposed con- servation easements would become part of the Land Conservation and Con- veyance Plans (LCCPs) to salmon are present? Moosios practically shutters at the thought. "The poaching is going to go crazy," he says. "Peo- ple are going to see these fat salmon in the river, and they're not going to be able to help themselves. The only way they're going to stop it is if (the Department of Fish and Game) puts a full-time warden on the river between Friant and 99." Given California's bud- get woes, and the fact that the DFG is already vastly underfunded, good luck with that. Before we exit the pond and try our luck in the river — where Moosios uses a crankbait to catch and release a 4-pound spotted bass, a female plump with eggs — he has one more thing to show me. In November, you might remember hearing about a large deer that went for a run through northwest Fresno before being captured in someone's garage. Three local TV stations carried the story with all the requisite cuteness. "Since that story was on the news, I've been noticing more people on the river with bows and guns," Moosios says. "That's prob- ably what happened to this animal." Glancing down along- side the boat, a disturbing image begins to take shape. It's a large deer with its head chopped off. The carcass just lays there, half sub- merged. Hard to imagine a more pitiful sight. If a 200-pound deer can be poached, in full view of a line of luxury bluff homes, salmon don't stand a chance. be considered for adoption by the board at a later date after an opportunity for public comment. Transac- tions will be finalized upon LCCP review and approval by the California Public Utilities Commission. The board meeting will be from 1 to 2:30 p.m., March 7 at the Sacramento Public Library, West Meet- ing Room, 828 I St. DFG Enhances Urban Trout Planting Efforts in Sacramento Region Urban trout DFG is enhancing its urban trout planting pro- limits legally Question: I had a good waterfowl season and gave many ducks to friends who wanted to try duck. I also shared some duck jerky with them and they loved it! Now they all want some jerky or sausage, too! I called the butcher and found out they require 25 lbs of meat to make a batch of sausage. I weighed my possession limit and it doesn't come close enough to make the weight. How do I legally bring enough ducks to the processor without putting myself into an overlimit in possession situation? (Gino B.) Answer: Most hunters are aware they cannot take or pos- sess more than a daily bag of ducks in one calendar day, and they know they cannot possess more than a legal possession limit (double the daily bag limit) of ducks at any time… unless the birds are tagged. In addition, all waterfowl must retain the head or one attached fully feathered wing between the place where taken and the hunter's personal abode (where he/she lives when not hunting) or the personal abode of a person receiving the birds as a gift, or a Migratory Bird Preservation Facility. According to Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Northern Enforcement District Chief Mike Carion, any per- son is allowed to have a possession limit of birds as long as they were taken legally by a licensed hunter. In addition, if you live at home with a significant other and three children (for example), you can possess five possession limits of waterfowl in that home. Carrie Wilson When the possession is freshly killed birds in the field, the birds must be tagged. If the possession is at home, the birds do not need to be tagged. Tags must contain the following information: • Name of hunter • Address of hunter • Date of take • Number and species of birds • Hunting license number • Signature of the hunter who took the birds Now it gets tricky! Once you take the birds to your personal abode (home), you no longer have to tag them, and you may remove the head and wings. However, you are still required to stay with- in possession limits. So, now your question is what happens once you are home (or after you've delivered your birds to someone as a gift) and you decide to have the ducks made into sausage? How can you provide the processor the 25 pounds of meat required to make the sausage? Remember, once you are no longer home and are now transporting the birds of someone else (gifted above), the birds must be tagged! Therefore, the legal way for you to transport the required 25 pounds of duck meat (by combining your birds with the birds belonging to other people) to the local meat processor is to make sure all birds are tagged as mentioned above. When turning the tagged birds over to the meat processor, you must also provide him a list of names of the people each possession limit belongs to. How many hooks for sand dabs and how many for hal- ibut? Question: How many hooks can be used when fishing for sand dabs? I was planning on using a Sabiki rig. How many hooks can I have on such a rig? Also, how many hooks can I have on my line while fishing for halibut? Is there a limit to the number in either of these situations? (Chris Jones) Answer: There are no hook restrictions unless rockfish or salmon are onboard. If either species is onboard, then only two hooks may be used. Hunting with an electronic distress caller? Question: Is it legal to use an electronic distress caller to hunt deer? I can't seem to find it in the regulations. (Louie L.) Answer: It is not legal to use recorded or electrically amplified bird or mammal calls or sounds or recorded or electrically amplified imitations of bird or mammal calls or sounds to take any animal except coyotes, bobcats, Ameri- can crows and starlings (Fish and Game Code, section 3012 and CCR Title 14, section 475(b), or the California Mammal Hunting Regulations at http://dfg.ca.gov/regulations/). Carrie Wilson is a marine biologist with the California Department of Fish and Game. While she cannot personally answer everyone's questions, she will select a few to answer each week. Please contact her at CalOutdoors@dfg.ca.gov. OUTDOOR BRIEFS gram in the greater Sacra- mento area by adding an additional 16,000 catch- able size rainbow trout. Area waters will be sys- tematically planted over the next three to four weeks (late February and early March) as close to the weekends as the planti- ng scheduling allows. The waters to be stocked include: William Land Park, Southside Park, Willow Hills Pond, Gibson Ranch Park, Granite Park, Hagen Park Pond, Mather Lake, Howe Park and Elk Grove Park. Urban fishing opportu- nities are especially benefi- cial to new and young anglers and are part of the larger DFG effort to help new and experienced anglers enjoy fishing. "One of DFG's goals is to increase urban fishing opportunities whenever possible," said DFG Direc- tor Charlton H. Bonham. "This gives youth a chance to experience the outdoors right in their communities, and gives busy parents an opportunity to spend quali- ty time with their children without extensive travel costs and planning an entire weekend around a long-distance fishing trip."