West Delta Pittsburg to Rio Vista
VOL . 36 • ISS . 22
Run 4 Salmon- The Salmon Will Run Statement
Who are we ?
Winnemem Wintu Chief Caleen Sisk and a group of Indigenous women , activists , and allies are organizing the Run 4 Salmon , a 300-mile trek that follows the historical journey of the salmon from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Winnemem ( McCloud River ) to raise awareness about the policies threatening our waters , our fish , and indigenous lifeways . It ’ s a dire time in California for wild chinook salmon ( Nur ) – climate change , giant dam projects and draining rivers for Big Ag irrigation threaten the survival of the keystone keepers of our waters .
Salmon bring essential nutrients to the waterways , forests , and lands . However , since the Shasta Dam was built 71 years ago , the salmon have been unable to return to their home waters in the Winnemem ’ s ancestral watershed . Now , the Winnemem Wintu Tribe is working on a plan to bring the genetic descendants of their salmon from New Zealand back to their home waters .
What ’ s the problem ?
Our waters , our fish , and indigenous ways of life are all under attack . The U . S . Bureau of Reclamation , Westlands Water District , and Senator Dianne Feinstein plan to raise the height of Shasta Dam by 18.5 feet . Gov . Jerry Brown of California wants to build two giant tunnels through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that will divert our fresh water from the Sacramento River for the GMO Agricultural industry and have the potential of diverting every drop of fresh water from the Sacramento River .
If they build these tunnels and raise the dam they will kill the largest estuary on the Pacific coast , inundate future spawning grounds on the McCloud River , and flood Winnemem Wintu sacred sites . These projects will destroy sacred ceremonial places , poison the soil , and destroy unique habitat that is essential for salmon as well as other plants , birds , and marine life .
What are we doing ?
The Run4Salmon 2017 took place from Sept . 9 to Sep . 23 beginning at Segorea Te ( Glen Cove , Vallejo , Ca ) along the Bay-Delta Estuary and up the Sacramento River and ending at a Winnemem Wintu Village and Ceremonial site on the McCloud River , where the Salmon once spawned in their ancestral spawning grounds before Shasta Dam was built .
This event raised awareness about the threats to the salmon ’ s existence and the vital role salmon play in keeping our waters and forests healthy . We will be laying down blessings along the route they will take once they are brought back from New Zealand . This is a ceremonial way of bringing Salmon home , who have historically been the keepers of the water , and whose jobs are essential to keeping our waterways healthy for human life and for all other life that depends on these rivers . As we run , we will be praying to bring balance to the rivers of California and to all of the waters of the world , which are connected .
For more information , go to ; http :// www . run4salmon . org /
MAP FEATURE
Shiloh Rd .
Birds Ldg Road
Van Sickle Island
Shiloh Rd .
Montezuma Slough
Pittsburg
Railroad Av .
RUN4SALMON ROUTE
Sacramento
The
River
West Delta Pittsburg to Rio Vista
Love
Olsen Rd
Birds Ldg Rd
Birds Landing Montezuma
Collinsville Road
Montezuma Collinsville
Solano , Sacramento and Contra Costa Counties
Talbert Lane
Montezuma Chain Island Is
Browns Island
New York Sl
E . 14th St
Ridge Rd
Buchnnan Road
Middle Sl .
Broad Slough
Winter Island
Sherman Island
Antioch
Kemball Is .
Rd
Oct . 13 - 27 , 2017
Hills Hills
Sherman Island Waterfowl Management Area
Donlan Is
West Is .
Montezuma
The Sherman Island area between Pittsburg and Rio Vista is one of the most fertile fishing areas in California , with migrations of striped bass , sturgeon shad and king salmon taking place throughout the year .
Sacramento River
Sherman Lake
Dam
Wilbur Avenue E . 18th Street
Mayberry Sl
Sherman Island Rd .
Rd .
Sherman Is .
Cross
Antioch Bridge
Toll Plaza
Main
Rd
Brannan Island State Park
Sherman Island
Sherman
Street
Rio Vista
Decker Island
US Army Rio Vista Depot
Emmaton
Island
3 Mile Slough
East Leve
San Joaquin River
Big Break
Oakley
Fishing Notes
• Striped Bass are caught in this region year round with the best times being spring , winter and the late fall . Trolling is best when water temperatures are warm and the water is clear , while bait fishing is best when the water is colder and discolored .
• Sturgeon are also found here throughout the year , but the peak migration times are in the winter and spring . Use ghost shrimp , grass shrimp and lamprey eel for bait .
• White and Channel Catfish are found throughout the sloughs and river channels . Dunk clams , sardines and other baits .
• Black Bass offer world class action in a variety of areas , including Sherman Lake , Mayberry Slough and Big Break .
Road
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Brannan Is Twitchell Is of people who need to wake up to what ’ s happening with the salmon ,” Sisk added .
The first day of our boat journey began at the Pittsburg launch ramp . Going on the boat were Chief Sisk , her son Michael , Pua Case , a native Hawaiian Singer and activist , Gary Thomas , a Pomo Roundhouse leader from Lake County , and documentary filmmaker Will Doolittle . After Netzel launched his boat , we made good time up the Sacramento River from Pittsburg to Rio Vista , going through the windy stretch around the west side of the Sacramento .
Pittsburg is regarded as the true mouth of the Sacramento River where the river hits Suisun Bay below where the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers merge . Although I had fished many of the areas included on our trip many times , I had never boated the entire stretch at the same time .
As we drove along the river , Chief Sisk pointed out to us all of the grapevines and other vegetation that were choking the growth of the alders . She noted that alders play a significant role in the ecosystem , since their leaves and branches provide food and habitat for the insects that young salmon and other fish need to survive .
Gary also noted the presence of pipelines carrying natural gas and other materials across the river . One sign on the left side of the river warning boaters from hitting the pipe was completely hidden by trees – and the sign was new , so the sign had been put up before the trees had overgrown it .
After we passed Vieira ’ s Resort , the river became narrower as the “ Old Sacramento ” split off from the Sacramento Deep Water Shipping Channel . Along the way , we saw an occasional angler in a boat or shore fishing for salmon or stripers , but we didn ’ t see any salmon caught . The first place we saw a concentration of anglers was in Walnut Grove , where anglers had caught a couple of salmon .
After we picked up some ice cream in Locke , we drove by where the Delta Cross Channel enters the Sacramento . That ’ s where Captain Netzel decided to try an experiment . He stopped the boat at the entrance to the channel gates , where the Sacramento River water is diverted to the Mokelumne , then to the San Joaquin River up into the South Delta to the state and federal water project pumping facilities .
He clocked a speed of 1.0 mph , like a slow trolling speed , as we drifted up the channel with the water going to corporate agribusiness interests and southern California .
‘ I ’ ve always wanted to try going up the channel so today ” Netzel said . “ We had to start up the motor to get back into the Sacramento .
Imagine what happens into all of the salmon and other fish that are sucked up into the channel .”
“ We have a lot of work to do ,’ said Sisk . “ Most people don ’ t know about what it means for the flows to go against the fish . There are miles of water pushing the fish into the wrong direction . During the drought , there were major profits made off exporting this water south .”
We drove up the river as we passed through the Delta Communities of Hood , Clarkburg and Freeport until we arrived in Sacramento city limits . There were more boaters on the river , but most were recreational boats .
As we passed Clarksburg I jokingly pointed out how where I caught the “ second best tasting ’ salmon I had ever eaten , an 18-inch jack salmon taken from shore .
We all arrived safely at Discovery Park , just in time for a big feast provided by the Shingle Springs Rancheria before a ceremony by the local Miwok Tribe .
For more information about Tight Lines Guide Service , call ( 888 ) 975 — 0990 .
In the following edition of this publication , we will cover the journey down the Sacramento from Discovery Park to Colusa with Captain Rob Reimers of Rustic Rob ’ s Guide Service .
The colored water of the Sacramento River merges with the clear water of the American River at Discovery Park . Photo by DAN BACHER , Fish Sniffer Staff .