Dreamin’ of Time Travel
May 3, 2001
I’ve always thought it would be cool to build a time machine that doubled as a boat…with it I sure could take some killer fishing trips that don’t exist in the present day. How fun would it be to head over to the Truckee River back in the 1700’s, when giant Lohantan cutthroat trout were swimming upstream out of Pyramid Lake to spawn? Forty-pound trout in a small river…awesome! Of course, I’d also have to fish the North Fork American River around Yankee Jim’s for steelies before all the dams and hydraulic mining messed things up and then I’d zip over to Salmon Falls on the South Fork and watch the bazillions of kings trying to leap upstream. Then, I’d roll the dials of my machine to February 1703 and head for the McCloud River above present-day Lake Shasta. In those days, you could have fished this small stream for chrome winter-run chinook salmon and steelhead at the same time. Before I came back to 2001… if I ever came back…I’d jam down to the Bay and catch sturgeon and halibut until my arms fell off.
You’ll notice I didn’t mention anything about heading over to Clear Lake for a little Civil War-era bass fishing or to the Delta to tap into some pre-Revolution striper fishing. Nor would I take my time machine in search of brown trout or brookies or crappie or catfish. Why? Well, because most species we now fish for aren’t native to California. Before white settlers moved West, this state’s fish populations looked a lot different.
Sure, we had native king and silver salmon, steelhead, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, golden trout and bull trout, along with sturgeon, blackfish, Delta smelt and many others, but common fish like bass, catfish, striped bass, brown, brook and lake trout, crappie, bluegill, green sunfish, redear sunfish, carp, kokanee, white bass and northern pike are all introduced species. All these foreign species, along with habitat loss and several other factors, have sounded the death knell for many of our native fishes.
The Sacramento Perch
One of our original species here in California, the Sacramento perch, is still hanging around in a few waterways. These panfish, which look a little like a cross between a bluegill and a largemouth bass, are native to waters west of the Rocky Mountains. Historically, there were good populations in the Delta, the Pajaro and Salinas rivers and Clear Lake, but Sacramento perch don’t compete well with other introduced species — particularly sunfish — and their range has been reduced significantly. Loss of suitable spawning areas due to human encroachment has also contributed to the downfall of the Sacto perch.
Though I have yet to come up with a design for my time traveling boat, your car can serve a bit like a time machine by taking you to one of the lakes that still harbor these true native Californians. So, if you’re looking for a something out of the ordinary to do this spring, try fishing for a little bit of history.
Perch Waters
Crowley Lake near Mammoth is one of the best places to go after Sacramento Perch. The lake has a solid population of these little guys, but be sure to check the regulations before you go. Closer to home, Pyramid Lake, just outside of Reno, also has lots of perch — and that’s where the world record 17-inch, 4-pound, 9-ouncer came from. You know that little lake you can see off to the left of I-80 near Vacaville? Yea, the one near the gliders…well, that’s Lagoon Valley Reservoir, and in recent years, it’s held fishable numbers of these fish as well. Also, Briones Reservoir near Orinda has some Sacramento Perch in it. You may also catch the odd one in the Delta, San Luis Reservoir, Lake Del Valle and several other waters, but they’re not worth targeting in those spots.
Perch Tackle
Go after these guys with ultralight spinning gear and lures like Beetle Spins, small curly-tailed grubs, Rebel baby crawdad crankbaits and mini crawlers. They will eat just about anything from aquatic insects to small fish. In the spring, Sacramento Perch will be in shallow, weedy areas and then will head for a little deeper water as the weather warms.
And, in the meantime, I’ll keep you posted on the status of my time-jumping boat, the Herbert George W.
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