Is a Steelhead Report Card Required When Fishing in Steelhead Waters?

February 19, 2009

Question:The local lagoon that sometimes supports anadromous fish is currently home to a school of striped bass. I would like to fly fish for them (catch-and-release only) but since I know steelhead may also occur here, will I need to have a steelhead report card in my possession to do so? I am not interested in fishing for steelhead and would instead prefer for them to stay in the river to run upstream and spawn. There is a very remote possibility that I might hook one, though. The regulations seem to suggest I do not need a card, but I would like to know for sure before wetting a line. (Rob K.)

Answer: If a stream is open during steelhead season, then anyone fishing must have a steelhead card in possession. Incidental take of other species, like striped bass, is allowed.

Am I reading this wrong? If fishing any open stream you must have a steelhead report card in your possession? So salmon fishing the sac or bass fishing the Russian requires a report card? I agree that it is good practice, but a legal requirement?

Just Hojo spreading bad info 

5.88. STEELHEAD REPORT AND RESTORATION CARD REQUIREMENTS FOR INLAND WATERS.
(a) Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card Required. All anglers must have a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card in their possession while fishing for or taking steelhead in anadromous waters, as defined in Section 1.04.

The reg section isn't helpful one way or the other, and is at best ambiguous. Prudence should dictate that you keep a steelhead card with you and fill it out, even if shad fishing on the sac.

5.88. STEELHEAD REPORT AND RESTORATION CARD REQUIREMENTS FOR INLAND WATERS.
(a) Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card Required. All anglers must have a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card in their possession while fishing for or taking steelhead in anadromous waters, as defined in Section 1.04.

The reg section isn't helpful one way or the other, and is at best ambiguous. Prudence should dictate that you keep a steelhead card with you and fill it out, even if shad fishing on the sac.

I don't think it makes sense to fill out a steelhead report card when you are not targeting steelhead.  The steelhead report card tracks steelhead fishing effort and catch rates (among other things), and if we were to fill out our report cards when not targeting steelhead it would lead to bad effort and catch rate calculations.

Rob K. was trying to save a buck in 2009 

5.88. STEELHEAD REPORT AND RESTORATION CARD REQUIREMENTS FOR INLAND WATERS.
(a) Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card Required. All anglers must have a Steelhead Fishing Report and Restoration Card in their possession while fishing for or taking steelhead in anadromous waters, as defined in Section 1.04.

The reg section isn't helpful one way or the other, and is at best ambiguous. Prudence should dictate that you keep a steelhead card with you and fill it out, even if shad fishing on the sac.

I don't think it makes sense to fill out a steelhead report card when you are not targeting steelhead.  The steelhead report card tracks steelhead fishing efforts and catch rates, and if we were to fill out our report cards when not targeting steelhead it would lead to bad effort and catch rate calculations.

+1.  I'd be willing to get into a debate with a warden if he/she were to cite me for not filling out my steelhead card when I wasn't targeting steelhead, and I'd bring up this exact argument.  Quoting the language that is on the steelhead report card itself: "Title 14, Sections 1.74 and 5.88, of the California Cod of Regulations, require that this card be in your possession while fishing for steelhead trout..."

Makes sense that if you are NOT fishing for steelhead trout, you would not require the card.

Oh I agree with you guys. It's just that the word "take" appears in the reg, and what we are worried about is incidentally hooking a trout >=16", which fits the strict definition of "take" of a steelhead even if you let it go.

I just think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure here. If you did get a ticket I think you could convince a judge to toss it out, but that's a hassle and steelhead cards are cheap.

Oh I agree with you guys. It's just that the word "take" appears in the reg, and what we are worried about is incidentally hooking a trout >=16", which fits the strict definition of "take" of a steelhead even if you let it go.

I just think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure here. If you did get a ticket I think you could convince a judge to toss it out, but that's a hassle and steelhead cards are cheap.

I agree that it is better to play it safe.  It would be prudent to carry a steelhead report card in steelhead waters even if you are not targeting steelhead. However, I don't think it is wise or necessary to fill out a steelhead report card unless you are targeting steelhead.

I know what you mean Crash--I do the "ounce of prevention" thing when I'm fishing the Klamath for salmon by filling out my steelhead card first thing in the morning.  It makes sense because it's common to hook steelhead on salmon gear, and I want the ability to keep a hatchery fish if I happen to hook one.

I think this situation with fishing for stripers, or shad, or sturgeon, and accidentally hooking into a steelhead would fall under a warden's discretion.  I'd HOPE a warden would come to the conclusion that the angler was not targeting steelhead in this situation.  Otherwise, wouldn't every striper angler on the Sacramento River have to fill out a steelhead card?  That'd booger up the steelhead catch data big-time.

Rob K. was trying to save a buck in 2009 

It wasn't me, really!

I was told by a specific warden, in a specific spot where both stripers and steelhead are supposed to exist, and he said that you did not need to have a steelhead card to fish there.  However Striper Lures are pretty hard to say they are for steelhead, so maybe he just assumed he could tell that we were specifically targeting stripers, and didn't worry about an incidental catch of steelhead with rat-traps and hair raisers. 

But I do recall that the last steelhead card I had, had the option of marking something like "Did not fish for steelhead".  Which makes me believe that the intent of the card is for tracking steelhead catches, targeted and incidental and should be filled out prior to fishing in a steelhead water regardless of the fish your attempting to catch.