The recent discovery of invasive Quagga mussels in California waters has been cause for great concern for the Department of Fish and Game, the Department of Boating and Waterways, The Department of Water Resources, California State Parks and water facility managers of every kind throughout the state.

California's Secretary for Resources Mike Chrisman said, "Once the Quagga are established in a waterway, they have significant environmental, recreational and economic impacts."

The destructive freshwater mollusks originated in Asia, and were brought into the Great Lakes in the ballast water of cargo ships. They were first detected in California's Lake Havasu in January 2007, and have now been discovered in the 242-mile Colorado River Aqueduct, Lake Matthews, Lake Skinner, Lake San Vicente, Lake Dixon and Lower Otay Reservoir.

Problems include engine damage due to blocked cooling systems; wasting fuel due to increased drag on the bottom of the boat; jammed steering equipment; colonization of all underwater surfaces such as boat ramps, docks, lines, requiring constant cleaning.

Quagga mussel infestation can potentially lead to the closure of boating in affected waterways. They also wreak havoc with the environment, disrupting the food chain and causing millions of dollars in damage to water transport facilities.

Thus far, the mussels have not been found in California's State Water Project [which includes Lake Oroville]. The main risk of mussel introduction in the SWP is from trailered boats.

The DFG recommends all boaters take the following steps to inhibit the spread of the Quagga mussel: Inspect all exposed surfaces; wash the hull of the watercraft thoroughly; remove all plant and animal material; drain all water; drain and dry the lower unit; clean and dry all live-wells; empty and dry any buckets; dispose of all bait in the trash; wait five days and keep watercraft dry between launches into different waters.

Sacramento River

Salmon action was generally slow on the Sacramento River over the holiday weekend, reported local guide Kevin Brock. "We are catching about one to three salmon per day on the Sacramento", said Brock. "Fishing is pretty slow, but the salmon are mostly nice big ones. Most are running in the 18 to 25 pound range, and we had a 36-pounder on Labor Day. We even had an eight-pound striper as a bonus."

"We are getting all of our fish on the red cured roe/pink puff ball combination. I rig it up on a 15-pound test fluorocarbon leader and a black #1 Owner SSW Needle Point hook."

Brock added, "There are very few boats out on the river because fishing is so tough, but those who work hard at it are catching a fish or two."

Feather River

Relatively low numbers of big salmon were the story on the Feather River this week, noted Rick Thompson at McGrath's in Oroville. "Salmon fishing has been slow to fair", said Thompson. "Really about the same as it's been, I would not say that it's been on fire at any time this season."

"The people catching fish at the Thermalito Afterbay Outlet are using beads with three ounces of weight and are throwing right into the center of the flow. There have been a couple of big salmon up to about 45 pounds, and we heard of one that was even bigger."

The key is to get on a spot and stick with it, because the chances are that a group of fish will move though eventually. If you can fish for five or six hours straight it might pay off. If you take a break for lunch, you might find out that was the only time the fish came by."

Thompson added, "There have been some nice stripers to about 40 pounds being caught down by Live Oak on cut bait and topwaters."

Lake Oroville

Uncomfortable conditions prevail on Lake Oroville this week, although good fishing can still be had according to Fil Torres at Oroville Outdoors. "Conditions at the lake have been low, smoky, hot and uncomfortable", quipped Torres. "Bass fishing is still pretty good, with some nicer two and three pound fish being seen now that the Labor Day crowd is backing down.'

The mudlines are definitely drawing fish up, both the ones caused by boats and the wind. Chartreuse/blue crankbaits and chartreuse spinnerbaits with a gold blade are working best. There are also fish down at 30 feet hitting on tubes, jigs, dartheads and dropshot baits."

"We are very excited about the CAST for Kids [Catch a Special Thrill] event scheduled for the Spillway Launch at Lake Oroville this Saturday. Over 60 handicapped kids will be going out for a great day of ???Pro-Style' bass fishing."

Torres tipped, "Some of those steelhead that were stocked in the Afterbay have started to show up again. They are running about 16 inches long and are hitting on spinners."

Dove hunting

Last weekends dove hunting season opener saw mixed results, reported Dave Ebright at the Chico Sportsmen's Den. "The opener was fair to middling'", observed Ebright. "Some people had some very good shoots, others did not. Nobody was saying exactly where they did well."

Other reports indicated that the best action was on gravel bars in the Sacramento River, with easy opening morning limits in some cases.

CAF meeting

The Chico Area Flyfishers will conduct their monthly meeting on September 12 at the Seventh Day Adventist Church at 1877 Hooker Oak in Chico. Fly tying demonstrations will start at 6:30 PM, and the general meeting will commence at 7:30 PM. Agenda items include nominations for officer elections. Guests are welcome, call 343-6442 for more information.

Trout plants

The DFG planted catchable-size trout this week in the following area waters: Butte County- Thermalito Forebay; Tehama County- Deer Creek; Lake County- Upper Blue Lake; Nevada County- Donner Lake.