CDFW News

CDFW Rescues Nearly 6,000 Eagle Lake Rainbow Trout Stranded in Pine Creek

Wed, 20 May 2026 14:22:14 GMT

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) this spring conducted the largest rescue of Eagle Lake rainbow trout in more than a decade, returning approximately 5,800 adult fish to Eagle Lake that were at risk of becoming stranded in the lake’s main tributary, Pine Creek.

The emergency efforts occurred over four days in March and April and involved more than 25 CDFW biologists, hatchery staff and several community volunteers.

“These fish are long-lived so there’s a very good chance that fish returned to the lake could return in subsequent years to spawn again,” said Paul Divine, CDFW’s District Fisheries Biologist for Lassen and Modoc counties. “And it’s also putting adult-sized fish back in the lake that could be enjoyed by anglers to catch as well.”

Eagle Lake opens to trout fishing on Saturday, May 23 with a two-fish daily limit and a four-fish possession limit. Eagle Lake rainbow trout are endemic to Eagle Lake and its main tributary, Pine Creek. Catching an Eagle Lake rainbow trout within Eagle Lake qualifies toward CDFW’s Heritage Trout Challenge. Anglers can report their angling experience at CDFW's California Inland Recreational Angler Survey (CIRAS).

Eagle Lake rainbow trout play a significant role in CDFW’s trout hatchery operations as the popular sport fish are stocked far and wide for recreational fishing in waters across the state ranging from Lake Annie in Modoc County to Cuyamaca Lake in San Diego County.

Prior to the fish rescue, CDFW was able to meet its spawning goals, collecting 1.3 million fertilized eggs from 320 pairs of Eagle Lake rainbow trout. About 170,000 of those offspring will be returned to Eagle Lake to support the fishery.

Fish strandings are not a new phenomenon at Pine Creek. CDFW records document periodic rescues dating back to 1959. The lower 25 miles of Pine Creek is seasonal and completely dependent on snowmelt for its flows.

Unseasonably warm weather this past February and March accelerated runoff and Pine Creek flows into Eagle Lake, triggering an early spawning run among the rainbow trout. Overall snowpack levels were low, however, and diminished quickly in the warm weather, potentially stranding thousands of trout within Pine Creek’s deeper pools and forcing CDFW to mobilize the largest emergency trout rescue there in more than a decade. The fish were collected using backpack electrofishing units, block nets and dip nets. The fish ranged in size from 9 to 24 inches, some weighing 4 to 5 pounds.

“Pine Creek has always been unpredictable, but we’re seeing more extremes over the last 10 years,” said Divine, who has managed the Eagle Lake fishery and overseen spawning operations there for nearly 20 years.

Pine Creek’s flows have dried up three times in the last 10 years, preventing Eagle Lake’s rainbow trout from accessing their primary spawning and rearing grounds altogether. CDFW’s spawning operations conducted this past March were the earliest to occur in 40 years.

CDFW Photo: Pine Creek as it looked in early April 2026 necessitating a large fish rescue.

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Media Contacts:
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858
Paul Divine, CDFW Northern Region, (530) 251-6712

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Chinook Fishing to Reopen on Klamath, Trinity and Sacramento Rivers After 3-Year Closure

Tue, 12 May 2026 16:02:59 GMT

Following three consecutive years of closure, salmon fishing will return to the Klamath River Basin and Sacramento River for the upcoming summer and fall seasons. More good news comes for inland anglers with a full season on the Feather, American and Mokelumne rivers after a shortened season in 2025. These added fishing opportunities come as a result of an increase in numbers of adult Chinook salmon returning from the ocean to the Klamath Basin and Central Valley.

The California Fish and Game Commission at its May 6 meeting adopted amendments to sport fishing regulations specifying season dates, bag and possession limits for the Klamath River Basin and Central Valley, and a quota for the Klamath and Trinity rivers. The adopted regulations aim to protect salmon as populations are expected to continue to rebound as a result of actions guided by California's Salmon Strategy for a Hotter Drier Future (PDF).

“The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is incredibly encouraged to see our public and private collaborative efforts pay off, allowing us to expand opportunities for California’s dedicated angling community while maintaining a steadfast commitment to long-term population recovery,” said CDFW Director Meghan Hertel. “It is a moment of genuine celebration for everyone invested in the health of our watersheds. CDFW looks forward to seeing anglers return to the Klamath Basin and Central Valley for fishing and fun on the river.”

Increases in hatchery production, investments in salmon research and habitat restoration projects, a series of good water years, dam removals and inland and ocean fishery closures have all aligned to bring Chinook and with that, Chinook fishing, back to the Klamath River Basin and Central Valley.

For the Klamath Basin, fishing will open for late spring-run Chinook salmon July 1 and will continue until Aug. 14 on the Klamath River and Aug. 31 on the Trinity River. Fall-run Chinook salmon fishing will begin on Aug. 15 on the Klamath River and Sept. 1 on the Trinity River and continue until Dec. 31. The fall-run adult quota is 3,248 fish, though fishing for jacks will continue after the adult quota is met. For the late spring-run salmon fishery, the daily bag limit is one fish of any size and the possession limit is two fish. For the fall-run salmon fishery, the daily bag limit is two fish, only one of which can be an adult greater than 23 inches; the possession limit is six fish, of which only three may be adults greater than 23 inches.

For the Central Valley, the general fall-run salmon fishing season will open on July 16 and close on Dec. 16, with some variation for upper and lower stretches of the rivers. For each tributary a daily bag limit of two fish and a possession limit of four fish of any size has been set.

All regulations, season dates and boundaries will be printed in the Freshwater Sport Fishing Regulations (PDF) when available.

The Pacific Fishery Management Council finalized its recommendations for California’s recreational and commercial ocean salmon seasons and harvest limits at its April 7-12 meeting. For more information about the 2026 ocean salmon fishing season, see the press release.

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Media Contacts:
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120
Sheena Holley, CDFW Fisheries Branch

Naturally Reproduced Coho Salmon Found in Russian River’s Upper Basin for the First Time in Decades

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 13:15:21 GMT

Discovery in Isolated Pool Prompts Fish Rescue by Pinoleville Pomo Nation and CDFW

In case you missed it:

SACRAMENTO – Governor Gavin Newsom last week celebrated a monumental achievement for California as salmon are making a comeback in Northern California. This summer, several juvenile Coho salmon were spotted in the Russian River’s upper basin — a first in more than 30 years. California has recently marked significant progress in its comprehensive strategy to help these threatened and endangered salmon species recover — all the more critical as protections for endangered species have been rolled back at the federal level.

“California’s salmon strategy is about more than restoring a species — it’s about restoring an entire way of life,” said Newsom. “It’s about honoring tribal sovereignty, protecting the ecosystems that define this state, and doing the hard, generational work to make sure these rivers still run for our kids and grandkids. The return of this species to the Russian River demonstrates a new win in our strategy to preserve a healthy and sustainable future for all.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) announced that juvenile Coho salmon were spotted in a tributary of the Russian River in Mendocino County by a Pinoleville Pomo Nation water specialist — the first observation confirming natural reproduction of Coho in the Russian River’s upper basin since 1991. Governor Gavin Newsom’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, coupled with beneficial wet weather conditions, is supporting California’s struggling salmon populations as they return to historical habitats like the Russian River.

The Coho discovery was a sign of recovery for the endangered species, but it also called for swift action to ensure their survival.

Snorkeling in an isolated pool on Ackerman Creek north of Ukiah in June, Pinoleville Pomo Nation Environmental Protection Agency Water Resources Specialist Dakota Perez Gonzalez discovered young Coho salmon. These fish, as well as juvenile steelhead trout and Chinook salmon, were disconnected from surface water flow and other suitable habitat and likely to perish when the pool eventually dried up.

Strong Regional Partnerships

To help the species continue to thrive, Pinoleville Pomo Nation and CDFW partnered for a rescue effort when it was discovered that these juvenile fish had become stranded in an isolated and drying pool.

“Pinoleville Pomo Nation respects the relationship of traditional ecological knowledge, passed down through generations, while learning about contemporary conservation practices,” said Pinoleville Pomo Nation Vice Chairperson Angela James. “We honor Mother Earth by protecting the sustainability of our natural resources. Our Tribal Citizens currently utilize every cultural resource Ackerman Creek provides for us. By actively engaging in habitat restoration, water quality monitoring and the preservation of native species, we reaffirm our commitment to the health of the Ackerman Creek for future generations.”

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and Pinoleville Pomo Nation staff set out to rescue the Coho and as many other fish as possible from the isolated pool. Teams used nets to collect two Coho, three Chinook, 146 steelhead and hundreds of other native and introduced fish species. Three Pinoleville Pomo Nation environmental interns — T.J. Feliz, Marisol Tlelo and Riley Dizon — provided critical support to the fish rescue.

The adult Coho that spawned these young fish likely migrated in December 2024 from the Pacific Ocean, through more than 90 miles of the Russian River, and into Ackerman Creek. The last confirmed account of juvenile Coho in upper Russian River tributaries was prior to 1991. The 2025 observation of juveniles in Ackerman Creek is the first evidence that adult Coho have successfully reproduced in the Russian River’s upper basin in over 34 years.

This isn’t California’s first salmon rescue operation: during the drought-prone years of 2021-23, CDFW staff engaged in 51 rescue events in 25 waters, saving nearly 14,000 Coho salmon from death in drying pools and warm water. These rescued juvenile fish go on to support healthy adult populations of salmon statewide.

Hatcheries at Work

The Coho were taken to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery where a Coho captive breeding program has been working to recover endangered Russian River Coho since 2001. The steelhead were also taken to the Warm Springs Fish Hatchery, and other native fish were released into Ackerman Creek near its confluence with the Russian River.

“Coho likely would have disappeared from the Russian River basin by 2004 if not for the Coho captive breeding program,” said Bay Delta Region Inland Fisheries Program Manager Corinne Gray. “While there have been five observed adult Coho that have returned to their natal waters at Coyote Valley Fish Facility below Coyote Dam since 2012, it has been decades since evidence of successful spawning and rearing of Coho has been seen in tributaries in the Russian River’s upper basin.”

In the winter of 2024-25, Coho returned in record numbers to habitat throughout the northern half of the California Central Coast, from the Golden Gate National Recreation Area in Marin County to the Sinkyone Wilderness in Mendocino County. Though there have been successful returns of Coho in the lower Russian River watershed, Coho are not often seen migrating into the upper Russian River watersheds.

CDFW staff actively seek out naturally reproduced Coho juveniles to maximize genetic diversity in the captive breeding program. The Russian River Coho captive breeding program is a multi-agency partnership implemented by the United States Army Corps of Engineers, where these natural origin juvenile Coho are hatchery reared to adulthood and then spawned. This takes a few hundred fish and multiplies them to about 150,000 that are released to local tributaries with the goal of restarting sustaining populations of Coho.

Improved Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration

As the state invests in improved fish passage and habitat restoration, California is starting to see salmon emerge in unexpected and historic watersheds.

This summer, Coho salmon were spotted in the Jenner Headlands Reserve on the Sonoma Coast, their first sighting in the area in roughly 60 years. This area was previously preserved in 2010 thanks in part to funding provided by the California State Coastal Conservancy and the Wildlife Conservation Board. These investments by the state support critically important habitat restoration and preservation opportunities, even years after acquisition.

In November, for the first time since the 1950s, Chinook salmon were documented migrating into the reaches of Alameda Creek in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Chinook were able to swim further up the largest local tributary to the San Francisco Bay as a result of the Sunol Valley Fish Passage Project implemented by CalTrout and PG&E. Developing and updating fish passages is also identified in the state’s Salmon Strategy as a key way to support movement of healthy fish populations.

Additionally, in a key effort to advance the Salmon Strategy, CDFW and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries have partnered on Salmon Habitat Restoration Priorities (SHaRP), a collaborative commitment to restore important salmon and steelhead habitat. SHaRP helps salmon build resilience, and projects in the impacted zones have seen substantial increases in adult Coho salmon returns which in turn can help repopulate upstream areas like Ackerman Creek.

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Media Contacts:
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120
Angela James, Pinoleville Pomo Nation Tribal Council

‘Salmon Everywhere’ One Year After Klamath Dam Removal

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 11:55:30 GMT

A little more than a year after the historic removal of four hydroelectric dams on the Klamath River, California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) scientists are seeing salmon reoccupying just about every corner of their historic habitat.

“The speed at which salmon are repopulating every nook and cranny of suitable habitat upstream of the dams in the Klamath Basin is both remarkable and thrilling,” said Michael Harris, Environmental Program Manager of CDFW’s Klamath Watershed Program. “There are salmon everywhere on the landscape right now, and it’s invigorating our work.”

While adult returns of salmon are ongoing and final estimates won’t be available until January, initial reports indicate a stronger fall-run Chinook salmon return than last year with widespread dispersal of the fish. Recent signs of salmon recovery throughout the Klamath Basin include:

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and Klamath Tribes report seeing widespread salmon spawning within the Oregon portion of the Klamath River, including within multiple tributaries upstream of Klamath Lake where salmon haven’t been seen in more than century.

Fish-counting stations on newly accessible tributaries within the former reservoir footprints in California have recorded 208 adult Chinook salmon in Jenny Creek and 260 adult Chinook salmon in Shovel Creek to date. While multiple state and federal agencies, Tribes and non-governmental organizations are monitoring salmon throughout the Klamath Basin, CDFW is particularly focused on monitoring these newly accessible tributaries. CDFW field crews are surveying regularly for salmon nests and adult fish.

CDFW snorkel crews this summer documented juvenile salmon and/or steelhead occupying nearly all of the newly accessible tributaries in the reservoir footprints. In Fall Creek, one of the newly accessible tributaries upstream of the former Iron Gate Dam location, approximately 65,000 wild juvenile Chinook salmon were counted.

CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, a $35 million state-of-the-art facility in its second year of operation, began spawning returning fall-run Chinook salmon in mid-October. To date, the hatchery has spawned 416 female fish and collected roughly 1.27 million eggs – four times the number of salmon spawned this time last year. More than 1,200 Chinook salmon have entered the hatchery so far.

Temperature monitoring in 2024 and 2025 along the mainstem Klamath River following the removal of the four dams reveals the return of natural, seasonal fluctuations of water temperatures benefiting salmon. Post-dam removal water temperatures are cooling sooner in the fall when adult fall-run Chinook salmon are returning and need that cool water most followed by warming temperatures in the spring when juvenile salmon are rearing and out-migrating to the ocean.

Scientists are seeing a lower prevalence of Ceratonova shasta – or C. shasta – a parasite that plagued juvenile salmon prior to dam removal. Harmful algal blooms in the Klamath River are smaller now and less frequent since dam removal.

A primary goal of Klamath River dam removal was the reestablishment of viable, wild, self-sustaining populations of salmon and other anadromous fish species for conservation, for their ecological benefits, and to enhance Tribal, commercial and recreational fisheries.

To that end, CDFW has invested more than $30 million to support fish habitat restoration projects within the Klamath Basin. These investments include:

$20 million in grants awarded to 10 projects within the Scott and Shasta rivers and watersheds, crucial salmon strongholds within the Klamath Basin. These projects, which include improved fish passage and post-McKinney Fire restoration, were developed in collaboration with and in support of local Tribes, ranchers, farmers and nonprofit fish conservation organizations.

A $130,000 grant to Trout Unlimited to remove a manmade concrete barrier on Jenny Creek to reopen approximately one mile of additional salmon and steelhead spawning and rearing habitat.

A $1.4 million grant to Trout Unlimited to install buffer fencing around the Iron Gate and Copco I reservoir footprints. The fencing will protect approximately 3,235 acres of riparian habitat within the reservoir footprints, support restoration plantings and reduce erosion that negatively impacts water quality and salmon and steelhead populations.

A $582,915 grant to the Klamath River Renewal Corporation (KRRC) to develop new public access and a recreational boating launch facility in the Copco Valley, site of the former Copco Lake reservoir, to provide new public access to the restored Klamath River for boating, fishing and other recreation.

The historic Klamath River dam removal project was a key milestone of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Future, introduced in 2024 to chart important priorities and actions needed to support California’s struggling salmon populations.

Photo: CDFW scientists survey a Klamath River tributary looking for salmon carcasses and salmon nests.

Media Contacts:
Michael Harris, CDFW Northern Region, (530) 410-5334  
Peter Tira, CDFW Communications, (916) 215-3858

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Line Up Some Summer Fun on Free Fishing Days

Mon, 30 Jun 2025 09:56:43 GMT

Summer is in full swing and that means pool parties, barbecues, camping trips and Free Fishing Days!

This year you can catch an opportunity to fish throughout California without a fishing license on two Free Fishing Days — Saturday, July 5, and Saturday, Aug. 30 — and you might also catch a rainbow trout, largemouth bass or Kokanee salmon. It’s a great excuse to relax next to a beautiful lake or river and enjoy the great outdoors, and you might go home with tasty fish to throw on the grill.

For those new to fishing, this is a chance to explore a rewarding and exciting new hobby. For licensed anglers, this is a chance to introduce or reintroduce someone else to the joys of becoming an angler. Free fishing days are also a perfect time for former anglers to return and reconnect to the activity.

Children 15 and younger can fish for free every day of the year in California, but Free Fishing Days offer a time when families and friends can experience the hobby together.

Those interested in fishing California’s lakes, streams and rivers can find information aboutinland fishing locations and species on the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) website. Information is also available about year-round free fishing opportunities found on specific piers, jetties and breakwaters along the coast. Other helpful tools for anglers include the fish planting schedule, fishing guide and Recruit, Retain, Reactivate (R3) Program resources.

A variety of offerings are also available from CDFW’s Fishing in the City program, which focuses on teaching Californians how and where to fish in metropolitan areas. General information about the Fishing in the City program can be found on the CDFW website.

Dozens of bodies of water across the Golden State await anglers with catchable-size trout recently stocked by CDFW hatcheries staff.

Some of those waters include Big Bear Lake in San Bernardino County, Stoney Creek in Tulare County, Shaver Lake in Fresno County, Silver Lake in Amador County, Lake Almanor in Plumas County and Burney Creek in Shasta County.

All fishing regulations, such as bag and size limits, gear restrictions, report card requirements, fishing hours and stream closures remain in effect. CDFW encourages potential anglers to check rules and regulations for each water they plan to fish.

For new anglers who get “hooked” on fishing, be sure to purchase an annual sport fishing license. Revenue generated from license sales helps conserve fish populations and habitats while supporting California's longstanding angling opportunities for future generations. Annual sport fishing licenses are now valid for a full 365-days from purchase. More information on licenses, validations and fees can be found on CDFW’s sport fishing licenses web page.

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Media Contacts:
Krysten Kellum, CDFW Communications, (916) 825-7120
Taylor Williams, CDFW R3 Initiative, (916) 203-1362