Citizen science

ASF seeks native trout evidence in upper Arroyo Seco

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The trout are back! After a long dry spell recent rains have created excellent conditions for trout recovery. We want to document the presence of native Rainbow Trout in the Arroyo Seco. It will build a good case for improving stream and habitat conditions in the Arroyo Seco, a key tributary of the Los Angeles River.

We would like to enlist some enthusiastic scouts to search the upper reaches of the Arroyo Seco stream to find native trout there. The upper stream is accessible from trails off of Angeles Crest Highway. ASF can provide information about likely sites and proper procedures.

This will be a very signifcant and exciting project for fishers and Arroyo lovers to participate in. If you are interested or want to report a sighting, please send a message to fish@arroyoseco.org.

volunteer

Volunteer Opportunity: Sepulveda Basin clean-up set for April 13

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Calendar Item: Learn trophy trout tricks at Orvis next Saturday

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birdwatching

Calendar Item: Owens Lake Bird Festival returns in April

Here’s the list of birds spotted at the 2017 Owens Lake Bird Festival:

Gadwall

American Wigeon

Mallad

Blue-winged Teal

Cinnamon Teal

Northern Shoveler

Northern Pintail

Green-winged Teal

Canvasback

Redhead

Lesser Scaup

Long-tailed Duck

Bufflehead

Red-breasted Merganser

Ruddy Duck

California Quail

Eared Grebe

Double-crested Cormorant

American White Pelican

Great Blue Heron

Great Egret

Snowy Egret

White-faced Ibis

Turkey Vulture

Osprey

Bald Eagle

Northern Harrier

Cooper’s Hawk

Red-shouldered Hawk

Swainson’s Hawk

Red-tailed Hawk

Sora

American Coot

Black-necked Stilt

American Avocet

Back-bellied plover

Snowy Plover

Semipalmated plover

Killdeer

Spotted Sandpiper

Solitary Sandpiper

Greater Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Willet

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Fabulously fishy films come to Pasadena

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Events

Owens River Clean Up takes out the trash
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BRAVING THE COLD, volunteers gather to get the Owens River into a cleaner state. (All photos courtesy Chris Leonard)

Who doesn’t love it when anglers and others take care of their local waters?

Attendees of the fifth annual Owens River Clean Up woke up to a dusting of snowfall in
Bishop, California, on Saturday, Feb. 9. It didn’t however stop thirty-five brave,
hearty souls from meeting at the Pleasant Valley Campground at 8 a.m. for baked goods
and coffee. Event organizer Chris Leonard thanked the volunteers for showing up, and
handed them trash bags to divide and conquer the river for the morning.

clean up signage

The volunteers were about half local folk and half Southern Californians who traveled
north for the event. As usual, an assortment of various waste was removed from the
river. Everything from the usual spent beer cans, worm containers, and fishing line to
broken mirrors and rolls of carpet. The good news is that everyone agreed that the river
looked cleaner this year. In five years of an estimated 250 total people working four hours, that’s 1,000 hours of picking up trash since the inaugural clean up in 2015.

Next year’s event will be Saturday, Feb. 8, 2020 – always the Saturday following
the Super Bowl. People interested in making donations for the raffle – or any inquiries —
can call Chris Leonard at 818.288.3271.

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ORGANIZER CHRIS LEONARD ballyhoos the fact that this trash is headed for the dump, not downriver.

See you on the river, Jim Burns

Worth a thousand words...

Is it a goldfish, a koi or fake news?
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(Courtesy Cassie Anderson)

So, here’s the great Facebook debate: Cassie Anderson took this picture of her brother after he caught this golden fish. She wrote:

“What you are witnessing is NOT national geographic! It is not a stolen image or edited photo!
This is my brother!! Who is holding what could possibly be…. that pet goldfish we flushed when I was 9!!!
…I swear, I thought you were dead bubbles!!! lol lol
Caught in danville ky y’all!! Oh my gosh don’t flush your pets! ”

2News in Beaumont, Texas, went on to report that it was a 20-pound goldfish.

What do you think?

If that fish is 20# then he must be 6′-8″ and 300#. Goldfish or carp, let’s agree to just call it a very nice catch…….

I’m originally from Ohio and they take their fish’n serious in KY. 200lb catfish and stuff. Don’t even get me started on BASS fish’n. Also I don’t see any jars of shine, so I think it is true.

 

See you on the river, Jim Burns

 

News

Storm videos show the destructive power of the LA River

Thanks for these dramatic video images of the Los Feliz and Sunnynook areas from Trout Unlimited’s Bob Blankenship and stills from Pasadena Cast Club’s Steve Kuchenski. If you ever needed a reminder to stay away from the LA River during storms, this is it!

 

 

 

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THE STORM’S aftermath shows debris halfway up the wall where the water crested. Note, this is the same area as in the video above! (Courtesy Steve Kuchenski)
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TIME FOR another river clean up, with more storms on their way. (Courtesy Steve Kuchenski)

 

See you on the river, Jim Burns

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Calendar Item: ‘Simple Fly Fishing’ book release at Patagonia on Friday

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Calendar Item: Free Pasadena screening of ‘Eternally Wild,’ Thursday
Eternally
Join Craig Ballenger, California Trout Fly Fishing Ambassador, for an evening of fly fishing films, tales and discussion at the Pasadena Orvis Store, Thursday, Feb. 7, starting at 6 p.m. Entry is free. Craig will be showing a few of his outdoor film projects, “Eternally Wild” — an official selection of the Wild and Scenic Film Festival, in addition to two projects on the Pit River, and will hold a Q&A following the films. Come and see why Craig calls the Pit “the most adventurous trout stream in California.”
“Eternally Wild” is a film about the iconic Smith River, a salmon and steelhead stronghold, its history and its plight. The Smith is threatened by a proposed nickel mine that would sink 59 drill holes over 4,000 acres on the pristine North Fork of the Smith River. This would pave the way for one of the largest nickel mines in the Western United States.
As usual, pizza and beers on us. RSVP here!
See you on the river, Jim Burns