Steelhead Report and Restoration Card

Enter the day, month, and location code BEFORE beginning to fish and when you move to a new location code.

• These columns must be filled out whether or not you catch fish.

Immediately upon retaining a hatchery steelhead, write a tally mark under the "Hatchery Kept" column.

Immediately after you finish fishing for the day or you move to a new location code, record all wild and hatchery steelhead that you released and the number of hours you fished.

If you did not fish for steelhead during the year your report card is valid, check "DID NOT FISH" at the top of the Steelhead Report Card.

The information collected from Steelhead Report Cards allows CDFW to assess angling trends by evaluating data such as the number of fish caught and the number of fishing trips reported. This data is graphed below by month for each location code (2016 through 2018). Detailed information regarding the analysis of report card data can be found within the   administrative (PDF) and  legislative reports (PDF).

Total Catch and Number of Fishing Trips by Location Code

• Locations 1-5
• Locations 6-10
• Locations 11-16
• Locations 16-20

South Fork Eel River Adult Steelhead Sonar Monitoring Project

California Trout, Inc.

• Overview
ARIS/DIDSON sonar equipment will be used to estimate the number of steelhead entering the South Fork Eel River to spawn, as well as the number of spawners returning to the ocean. The project provides a direct benefit to anglers with conservation concerns who wish to know the run size of the South Fork Eel River steelhead population. The project will also inform CDFW of the number of wild steelhead and Chinook Salmon available for the in-river catch and release recreational survey by helping assess angler impact on the resource by providing a comparison between the total escapement estimate and the number of released steelhead reported through the Steelhead Report Card program. Additionally, the project will be used to help educate anglers on conservation issues through public events such as the Humboldt Steelhead Days celebrating the Eel River's famed steelhead runs.
• Project Updates
California Trout has used funding from the CDFW Steelhead Report and Restoration Card Program to enumerate the 2018-19 spawning run of Steelhead, Chinook Salmon, and Coho Salmon on the South Fork Eel River with a SONAR video camera. The camera was deployed from November 22, 2018 until May 15, 2019

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Population Estimates 2018-19

• Steelhead - 3,382
• Coho Salmon - 1,980
• Chinook Salmon - 3,831

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• Maps/Images






North Cow Creek Fish Barrier Removal

Western Shasta Resource Conservation District

• Overview
This project will provide design plans to remove or modify a fish barrier and improve fish passage over the abandoned pipe siphon in North Cow Creek. The siphon impedes adult steelhead and Chinook Salmon passage at flows under approximately 500 cubic feet per second(cfs)and juvenile steelhead and Chinook Salmon passage at flows under approximately 100 cfs. Consultants will be subcontracted to provide options on how to appropriately address fish passage and stay in compliance with environmental regulations; the modification or removal of the pipe will be determined with the completion of the designs. A working partnership will be established between private organizations, agencies (local, state, and federal), and landowners. The completion of this project design is the first phase of a multi-phase project that will lead to the modification or removal of a fish passage barrier, which will increase the number of fish able to migrate upstream in North Cow Creek. Final design plans will be determined through a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) comprised of engineers, environmental agencies, and consultants.
• Project Updates
Field data (longitudinal profile, locations of structures, etc.) to complete the project design was collected in late summer 2019. The design engineer, Cascade Stream Solutions (Cascade), believes if the siphon is removed, the streambed will headcut upstream eliminating the abrupt change in grade and allow for fish passage in a wide range of conditions; however, the time period required for the channel slope to adjust and reach a stable slope is unknown. Cascade developed three options for stakeholder consideration.

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Option A

Removes the siphon and slopes the stream bed at about 10 percent to catch existing ground. It is likely prudent to identify the stability of the upstream bed by scarifying the upstream substrate and assessing the bed's structural integrity. If the bed substrate needs to be loosened to ensure natural mobilization during moderate flows an excavator will be used to do so.

Site Grading Plans and Cross Sections

Sample image #13

Sample image #14

Option B

The same as Option A, but with a re-profiled bed slope of 7.5 percent.

Site Grading Plans and Cross Sections

Sample image #13

Sample image #14

Option C3

Similar to Options A and B, but involves re-profiling the streambed to a slope of about 1.5 percent, which is the slope Cascade believes the channel is likely to evolve to match.

Site Grading Plans and Cross Sections

Sample image #13

Sample image #14

Expected Changes to Flow Velocity

Cascade used SRH-2D, a two-dimensional depth averaged hydraulic model, to compare flow conditions between the existing conditions and Options A and C3. The models are not calibrated but provide a qualitative assessment of flow conditions. The velocity scale was capped at 7 feet per second (fps) to simplify the visual comparison between scenarios.

SRH-2D Contour Plots (100 and 500 cfs)

Sample image #13

Sample image #14

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Cascade, CDFW, and NOAA engineers identified three goals for the design:

• creating immediate fish passage for juvenile salmonids
• allowing the streambed to naturally reconfigure itself
• limiting the amount of project impact and disturbance

In order to achieve these goals, a compromise between Option A and Option C3 would be preferable. The suggested design strategy is to create the channel gradient conditions created in Option C3, but not spanning the entire width of the channel. A 10-foot-wide channel will be re-graded in order to create the 1.5 percent slope conditions that create desirable flow velocities. If the hydraulic analysis reveals velocity conditions that are too high in the channel to allow adult and juvenile fish to migrate upstream, Cascade will incorporate ‘alcoves’ branching from the 10-foot-wide channel to lessen the velocities.

A secondary suggestion was to move the 180 linear ft of channel re-grading downstream. Design option C3 puts most of the stream re-grading upstream of where the siphon will be removed. Moving the excavation area downstream may allow for more of a balance between the cut and fill by filling in the area where the siphon will be removed.

Cascade will be taking these design objectives, analyzing the hydraulic conditions they would create, and submitting a final design for review.

• Maps/Images

State sport fishing regulations may change during the year. Before engaging in any sport fishing, please access one of the following sources for up-to-date information:

• Check the CDFW regulations for any new changes
• Check the CDFW News Room for any new announcements
• Call the CDFW office nearest your fishing location for the latest information before heading out on a fishing trip

Any person who is 16 years of age or older must have a sport fishing license to take any kind of fish, mollusk, invertebrate, amphibian, or crustacean in California, except for persons angling from a public pier in ocean or bay waters.

Any person fishing for steelhead  must have in their immediate possession a valid non-transferable report card issued by CDFW for steelhead. Anglers who are not required to have a sport fishing license (e.g. anglers under 16 years old, anglers fishing on Free Fishing Days) are required to have a Steelhead Report Card when fishing for steelhead. Steelhead Report card requirements apply to anyone fishing for steelhead regardless of whether a sport fishing license is required.

• Prior to beginning fishing activity, the cardholder must record the month, day, and location code on the first available line on the report card.
• When a hatchery steelhead is retained, the cardholder must immediately mark the appropriate field.
• When the cardholder moves to another location code, or finishes fishing for the day, the angler must immediately record on the card the number of wild and hatchery steelhead that were released from that location.
• In the event an angler fills in all lines and returns a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card, an additional card must be purchased to continue to fish for steelhead.

If your one, two, or ten-day Sport Fishing License expires you may replace the expired license without purchasing a new report card so long as the report card is still valid.

RETURN OF REPORT CARDS IS MANDATORY

The deadline for returning report cards is January 31st of the following year. Reporting can be done online (preferred), or by mail or in person at the address specified on the card.

Reporting Online

If you report online you will be provided a confirmation number upon successful submission. The report card holder must record the confirmation number in the space provided on the report card and retain the report card for 90 days after the reporting deadline. Report cards submitted online must be surrendered to CDFW upon demand.

Reporting by Mail

A report card returned by mail shall be postmarked by the date the report card is due.

If you fail to return your report card to CDFW by the deadline you may be restricted from obtaining the same card in a subsequent license year or may be subject to an additional free for the issuance of the same card in a subsequent license year.

If your report card is submitted by mail and not received by CDFW, it is considered not returned unless you report your card as lost.

If your report card is lost during the period for which it is valid you may purchase an additional report card. Catch information from the lost report shall be reported online or by submitting an affidavit, signed under penalty of perjury, to a CDFW license sales office containing the following information:

• The report card holder's full name, GOID#, and a statement confirming that the originally issued report card is lost and cannot be recovered.
• A statement containing the report card holder's best recollection of the prior catch records that were entered on the report card that was lost.
• A statement describing the factual circumstances surrounding the loss of the report card. 

DO NOT report catch information from a lost card on your new report card

All steelhead taken in inland anadromous waters where a sport fishing license is required, must be kept in a condition that the species, size of the fish, and the presence or absence of a healed adipose fin scar, can be determined until the fish is placed at the angler's permanent residence, a commercial preservation facility, or being prepared for immediate consumption.