The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Fisherman and boaters need your support!

A proposal to restrict boating near the Cypress Street bridge will be brought before the Redding City Council tonight at 7:30. The Shasta County Sheriffs Office and the California Department of Boating and Waterways recommend that all boating activity be restricted until construction is complete. This could have a huge impact on the local economy for years to come. The Hwy 44 bridge is next in line after completion of the Cypress Street bridge which could limit use on the river until the year 2012.

The construction company used a plan set forth by Caltrans to ensure safe boat passage during the construction period. I think somebody dropped the ball on this one. To my knowledge, the Sheriffs Department(who enforces boating safety), and the California Department of Boating and Waterways were never asked for their input on a safe passage for boaters.

As a local fly fishing guide, I use this portion of the river professionally and recreationally. To restrict boating on this stretch of river would mean loss of income for local guides, shops, restaurants, and hotels. Will I have to tell my clients, "Sorry. We can't float the upper stretch of river and catch big, beautiful wild rainbows under the Sundial Bridge. Try again in 2012."

I urge all boaters, fisherman, photographers, and retailers to attend tonights meeting at 7:30 to keep our public waterway open.

Thanks,

Tim

Point of clarification - Caltrans held meetings with interest groups, conducted a very strong outreach program, and incorporated community input received for the Hwy 44 Bridge project. The controversy lies with the current City of Redding project on Cypress and the potential boating hazard created.

Info for the upcoming Hwy 44 project: http://www.../dist2/projects/dana.htm

As I understand it, the City Council decided not to close the bridge at this point, although it sounds like they are going to do more study and then figure out if more action is needed later on. Sounds like the Fly Shop made a pretty good case for the economic boneheadedness of closing that part of the river.

B-

I was not able to attend the meeting last night so I sent an email to the Mayor (Ms. Stegal). I was pleasantly surprised to get a phone call from her office today explaining what will happen from here. It sounds like they are going to explore closing during high flows and closing it entirely to certain vessel types, they are more worried about joe weekend warrior in his $20 imflatable raft than they are about drift boats. Unfortunately the Sherifs office (remember how good they are with boats, I seem to remember a sunken jet boat at the ACID dam) and the boating safety admin are adament about closing that section of river.

Unfortunately high flows are from april until.....late summer, the months when the most fishermen are on the river....

Long and short,,,I was happy to get a response from the Mayors office. I highly recomend everyone send her an email and the rest of the council. They are listening.
here is the email address:

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I have a question more than a comment. It would seem the authority, at least the river portion, would be with the Shasta County Board of Supervisors, not the City Council? Just curious.