Monday August 1, 2022
Sierra Sun Times —
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is soliciting public input on a proposed regulation change that would restrict the harvest of striped bass to a “slot limit” between 20 and 30 inches for inland anadromous waters. Under the proposal, all striped bass caught below 20 inches in length and above 30 inches in length would have to be released.
The Nor-Cal Guides and Sportsmen’s Association has submitted the regulation change proposal to the California Fish and Game Commission. The stated goal is to protect the species by increasing the minimum length to allow more fish to mature and successfully spawn prior to harvest and to protect the larger fish that tend to be the most prolific spawners and are becoming increasingly rare in the fishery.
If approved, the slot limit would apply to any striped bass caught by recreational anglers in all anadromous inland waters of the state, which includes coastal and Central Valley rivers and streams and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Carquinez Bridge near Vallejo. This proposal would not include inland reservoirs or lakes or ocean waters, which include the San Francisco and San Pablo bays up to the Carquinez Bridge.