Fish fanciers take note: The salmon ladder at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery opened Nov. 1, signaling the official start of the spawning season on the Sacramento River.
Nimbus is one of three state-run hatcheries in the Central Valley that will take approximately 38 million eggs from salmon over the next two months in order to produce 24 million Chinook salmon for release next spring.
Nimbus has a viewing area where visitors may watch the spawning process and a playground where kids and adults may enjoy replicas of giant salmon.
The center, located at 2001 Nimbus Road, Suite F, Gold River, is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekends every day except Christmas. Raceways (fish-rearing ponds) are open from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. Opening time may vary during spawning season.
The fish ladder at Nimbus Hatchery on the American River is expected to open for the season Tuesday, giving visitors a chance to witness a resurgent fall salmon run.
Visitors are likely to see a strong fall chinook salmon run at the hatchery for the first time in four years. Fishermen are enjoying the first full salmon season since 2007. Anglers are crowding both the American and Sacramento rivers for the chance to catch a king salmon, which typically return to spawn in their freshwater birthplace after three years in the ocean.
The building could be built on the American River next to the Nimbus Fish Hatchery.The federal and state government is studying three different locations for a new flood operation center that would house three state and federal agencies, the Department of Water Resources, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Weather Service.
The proposed site is the Nimbus Fish Hatchery and two alternative sites are Mather Airport and near the intersection of Sunrise and Killgore in Rancho Cordova.
The size of the proposed center is 200,000 square feet.
Hundreds of concerned residents are angry the government would even consider building such a large structure so close to the river and the bike trail.
Are you the type of person who fishes shad out of the Sacramento River and who treks along the American River to forage for blackberries, fennel, miner’s lettuce and all sorts of other goodies? Do you go down to Napa to shoot wild turkeys grown fat on thieved grapes from the vineyards or crawl into Dixon to blow away a few quail for dinner?
Local food writer Hank Shaw is best known for his food blog Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (http://honest-food.net), where he chronicles his gourmet approach to wild food. Shaw has recently come out with a new book. Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast (Rodale, $25.99) is the must read for the hunter/fisher/forager and all-around foodie.
The body of a missing Sacramento-area fisherman was recovered from the American River late Friday afternoon, just a few hours after another man was found unresponsive further upstream.
Search crews found the body in the river near the Harrington Way river access, downstream of Riverbend Park, where park rangers found the fisherman’s truck parked Thursday night.
Assistant Chief Scott Cockrum of the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District said a fire district helicopter and boat crew were assisting law enforcement in the search and recovered the body.
The name of the 54-year-old fisherman was not released pending notification of family.
A local man who left home Wednesday afternoon to fish on the American River by River Bend Park hasn’t been seen since.
The man’s wife reported him missing to authorities on Thursday.
The 54-year-old man’s truck with fishing equipment inside was located by Sacramento County rangers about 10 Thursday night, said Deputy Jason Ramos with the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department.
The final environmental impact report on the Nimbus Hatchery Fish Passage Project has been released by the federal Bureau of Reclamation and California Department of Fish and Game for public review.
The agencies propose to extend the fish ladder from the hatchery to the Nimbus Dam stilling basin, using the basin itself to hold and divert fish to the ladder.
Under this proposal, the existing weir would be permanently removed and the Department of Fish and Game would recommend changes in local fishing regulations to the California Fish and Game Commission, according to a news release.
The Nimbus Fish Hatchery is along the lower American River, a quarter-mile downstream from Nimbus Dam.
Flows in the American River below Nimbus Dam will be decreased Tuesday and Wednesday for maintenance and installation of a fish weir structure at the Nimbus Fish Hatchery in Rancho Cordova.
The federal Bureau of Reclamation announced that flows will be temporarily decreased from 3,500 cubic feet per second to as low as 1,000 cfs to perform maintenance and prepare the hatchery weir foundation for installation of the weir’s super structure.
Working hours will be from approximately 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The bureau will increase flows at 4 p.m. Tuesday to 2,500 cfs and at 4 p.m. Wednesday, to 3,500 cfs. If necessary, maintenance flows could extend into Thursday, according to a bureau news release.
