News
ENLARGE
We often hear about the problems with various fish populations. Crisis plays well in the media. Our fall salmon run in California is a prime example of a species in trouble. There are other animals in nature that are peaking in their natural cycles. The current example of this is the waterfowl migration in the Pacific Flyway.
The ducks do not arrive in quantity until the waters of the Northwest freeze solid. When these ice over the ducks move south to find open water for feeding and safety. The deep freeze of a couple weeks ago moved the ducks and geese into the upper Sacramento Valley. Their normal stop over in the Klamath Lake area froze and pushed them all into the central valley.
The numbers that migrate south is all about conditions in Canada during the summer breeding season. This past summer was excellent and there is an abundance of waterfowl that has not been seen in quite some time in the rice country north of the Sutter Buttes. For some reason, the birds have yet to spread south into the San Joaquin Valley, making the concentration even greater than expected.
As of the early December count in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) complex, there were 1.2 million ducks in this group of refuges alone. This is well over double the 2008 count at the same time last season. The goose count this year is 400,000, quadruple the 2008 numbers. In anticipation of the good number, duck limits have been raised for this season.
The foregoing facts are not news to the dedicated duck hunters. They have been out in the recent bad weather enjoying their passion. There is an opportunity for the rest of us, especially if you are looking for something to do with out of town guests after Christmas.
This coming Sunday, the Sacramento NWR is hosting “Nature Photography for Kids and Families.” The event starts at 10 a.m., with an indoor lesson on beginning photography. It will cover the basics of composition, sun angle, etc. Then, there will be the photo opportunity on a handicap accessible nature trail. This takes place in the refuge area outside of hunting zones. This will be led by a Refuge Naturalist who will be available to point out photo opportunities and answer questions. The two-hour event will conclude at noon with a review of participant pictures.
Another activity will be the opportunity to drive the 6-mile road tour of the refuge loafing areas. The fee for the auto tour is $3 per carload, unless you have a current duck stamp. The nominal fee helps to support the refuge system. The Sacramento NWR is 6 miles south of Willows along Interstate 5. There are brown signs on I-5 that direct you to the refuge.
Be sure to bring your camera and binoculars. For those who do not have binoculars, ask the refuge personnel about loaner binoculars that have been donated by the Audubon Society.
If your schedule does not allow you to go this Sunday, there will be a second event on Saturday, Feb. 13. For further information and a reservation, call the Sacramento NWR (530) 934-2801.
For the anglers looking for fishing this next week we have a few options. For the technical fly angler the Lower Yuba is the best bet in the Sacramento Valley. San Juan Worms, Hares' Ears and BWO patterns are working. The egg bite has run its course but don't go without a few egg patterns just in case. There have been scattered reports of skwala stoneflies hatching. This is very early but a couple anglers report fish hitting adult skwala patterns on the surface.
The Feather River has not fished well this year and it continues to produce few fish. The Sacramento River is running very low in an attempt to conserve water in the lakes. The flows are low and clear but the clarity can change rapidly due to local rain events.
For the boating angler, Comanche Reservoir south of Highway 50 has been the hot lake to fish. Trout in the 5 pound class are common. Trollers are using a variety of grubs, trolling flies and spoons. The common denominator is the color orange. The trout are high in the water column, long lining at 1.5 to 2.1 mph has been producing.
Denis Peirce writes a weekly fishing column for The Union and is host of “The KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report,” which airs 6-7 p.m. Fridays and 5-6 a.m. Saturdays on 830-AM radio. Contact him via e-mail at dpeirce@theunion.com.
The ducks do not arrive in quantity until the waters of the Northwest freeze solid. When these ice over the ducks move south to find open water for feeding and safety. The deep freeze of a couple weeks ago moved the ducks and geese into the upper Sacramento Valley. Their normal stop over in the Klamath Lake area froze and pushed them all into the central valley.
The numbers that migrate south is all about conditions in Canada during the summer breeding season. This past summer was excellent and there is an abundance of waterfowl that has not been seen in quite some time in the rice country north of the Sutter Buttes. For some reason, the birds have yet to spread south into the San Joaquin Valley, making the concentration even greater than expected.
As of the early December count in the Sacramento National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) complex, there were 1.2 million ducks in this group of refuges alone. This is well over double the 2008 count at the same time last season. The goose count this year is 400,000, quadruple the 2008 numbers. In anticipation of the good number, duck limits have been raised for this season.
The foregoing facts are not news to the dedicated duck hunters. They have been out in the recent bad weather enjoying their passion. There is an opportunity for the rest of us, especially if you are looking for something to do with out of town guests after Christmas.
This coming Sunday, the Sacramento NWR is hosting “Nature Photography for Kids and Families.” The event starts at 10 a.m., with an indoor lesson on beginning photography. It will cover the basics of composition, sun angle, etc. Then, there will be the photo opportunity on a handicap accessible nature trail. This takes place in the refuge area outside of hunting zones. This will be led by a Refuge Naturalist who will be available to point out photo opportunities and answer questions. The two-hour event will conclude at noon with a review of participant pictures.
Another activity will be the opportunity to drive the 6-mile road tour of the refuge loafing areas. The fee for the auto tour is $3 per carload, unless you have a current duck stamp. The nominal fee helps to support the refuge system. The Sacramento NWR is 6 miles south of Willows along Interstate 5. There are brown signs on I-5 that direct you to the refuge.
Be sure to bring your camera and binoculars. For those who do not have binoculars, ask the refuge personnel about loaner binoculars that have been donated by the Audubon Society.
If your schedule does not allow you to go this Sunday, there will be a second event on Saturday, Feb. 13. For further information and a reservation, call the Sacramento NWR (530) 934-2801.
For the anglers looking for fishing this next week we have a few options. For the technical fly angler the Lower Yuba is the best bet in the Sacramento Valley. San Juan Worms, Hares' Ears and BWO patterns are working. The egg bite has run its course but don't go without a few egg patterns just in case. There have been scattered reports of skwala stoneflies hatching. This is very early but a couple anglers report fish hitting adult skwala patterns on the surface.
The Feather River has not fished well this year and it continues to produce few fish. The Sacramento River is running very low in an attempt to conserve water in the lakes. The flows are low and clear but the clarity can change rapidly due to local rain events.
For the boating angler, Comanche Reservoir south of Highway 50 has been the hot lake to fish. Trout in the 5 pound class are common. Trollers are using a variety of grubs, trolling flies and spoons. The common denominator is the color orange. The trout are high in the water column, long lining at 1.5 to 2.1 mph has been producing.
Denis Peirce writes a weekly fishing column for The Union and is host of “The KNCO Fishing & Outdoor Report,” which airs 6-7 p.m. Fridays and 5-6 a.m. Saturdays on 830-AM radio. Contact him via e-mail at dpeirce@theunion.com.
