from Paul Garrido…07/08/10

We received your check for $7,500 on June 29th.  The AFA and its Board of Directors wish to thank you very much for your generous grant of $15,000.  Without this grant I do believe that we would have lost the cages this year due to poor maintenance.  We actually found panels that had buckled and opened, allowing the fish to swim out and that’s only the first four cages.  Almanor Dock Supply will resume the refurbishment after the a4th of July holiday.  Thank you very much again for your assistance and I will update you after the holiday.

Update 6/24/10 from Paul Garrido, Almanor Fish Association: 

Almanor Dock Supply began the refurbishment of the second platform this week.  Should be completed by early next week.  We are replacing two beams on this platform.  One new beam will be used on the side and one old beam will be utilized in the center walkway.  At that time it will be refloated and the third platform brought to shore to begin refurbishment.

ALMANOR PEN PROJECT UPDATE
June 18, 2010

The Board of Directors of California Inland Fisheries Foundation, Inc., (CIFFI), recently approved a $7,500 grant to the Almanor Fishing Association (AFA).  This $7,500 is in addition to the $7,500 granted to AFA earlier this year, making a total of $15,000 for needed improvements to AFA’s Fish Cage Program at Lake Almanor.   AFA’s representatives, Paul Garrido and Doug Neal, attended the February 2010 CIFFI meeting and made a presentation to the Board, requesting assistance in the... [more]

Thursday, January 7, 2010 –

Department of Fish and Game arrived at Markley Cove, Lake Berryessa with 1,000 pounds of rainbow trout.  The fish were carefully netted and approximately 250 went into each of the four pens.

DFG personnel directing were: Mike Harris, George Kneeland, Phil Moeller and Adam Meyer.
CIFFI members/family were:  Sunny and Kyle Lampe, Larry Goodell, Mary Helmer, Dallas & Judy Freeman and granddaughter Meigan Rains, Ron DeRosa, John Eagleton, Dennis Harvel and Jim Thompson.

The fish will be monitored and fed until early Spring…when they will be released into Lake Berryessa for the pleasure of trout anglers.  CIFFI provides the fish food and volunteers to maintain this project.

The Berryessa Pen Project began in 1999 and has successfully raised and released rainbow trout each year since.

Click on photos for larger views.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

Markley Cove, Lake Berryessa

California Inland Fisheries Foundation volunteers met at the CIFFI Pen Project location at Lake Berryessa early in the morning.  The event? To release the rainbow trout that spent several months growing in the Pens.  Armed with nets and fish food, the volunteers and DFG personnel began to systematically net fish for evaluation.  Mike Harris and Phil Moeller of DFG, measured and weighed samples, collecting data that will help them determine growth rates.  They handled 46 fish, ranging in weight from 1-3/4 to 3-3/4 pounds, providing statistics that will assist in all future pen projects.  The fish all looked very good, had no disfigurements and should provide great opportunities for anglers to enjoy catching trout at the lake.

Dallas Freeman, developer of the new-age pens at Berryessa, was on hand, making sure the doors opened correctly, which they did.  The fish weren’t very cooperative…when anything changes around their pens, they head for the safety of the bottom.  Volunteers, Kevin Yost of Lucky Strike Fishing and Markley Cove employees, had to “fish” deep with the nets to catch them.  Sep and Marilyn Hendrickson and CIFFI member Ray Erck provided support. 

BERRYESSA – Pen Project Update 12-30-08
And Fish placed on 1/5/09

The Berryessa pens are in the water- 12/30/2008- ready for the fish delivery on Jan 5th. 1,000 lbs Eagle Lake strain rainbows. All went well. 

Special thanks to:  Sunny Lampe, Kyle Haynes, Dallas Freeman, Larry Goodell, Gary Bernat, Ed Fisk, Kyle Granholm, John Eagleton, Ron Derosa, Terry Shoeffler, Stacy McCleavy, J.T. , Don Nevis, Andy Nevis, Jim Thompson, Sam Bobb, and from Gone Fishin Marine- Ron Brown & Bruce Sheldon                   Photos can be seen here.

Video of the placement of Berryessa Pens
  

BERRYESSA – Pen Project Update
Click on photos for larger view.

More Photos of Lake Berryessa Pen Replacement and Fish Plant 1/5/09

On Tuesday, November 25th, volunteers brought two new, state-of-the-art fish pens to Markley Cove, Lake Berryessa.  Sunny Lampe and his son, Kyle, carefully maneouvered the two pens down the freeway from Sacramento on a flatbed trailer behind their truck.  Sunny mentioned it was a bit stressful at times – these are big pens, destined for placement into the CIFFI pen project at the Lake. 

The pens were designed and built by Dallas Freeman, contractor, who donates a lot of time and effort to CIFFI.  His partner in the construction is Kyle Haynes, Sunny’s son.  The pens are a new design and are strong, solid and very versatile, with entry doors on one side- a great improvement over our past pen structures.  Markley Cove’s forklift assisted in taking the pens off the flatbed and Dallas kept a close eye on his project.

Within the next few weeks, the other two pens will be completed and once again, delivered to Markley Cove.  Once the four pens are at Markley, Sunny will arrange for a compatible date, and an army of volunteers will move the pens onto a barge and subsequently over to the pen area where they will be placed into position.  This will be coordinated with Dept. of Fish and Game who will then provide trout to be placed into the pens.  Here, they will grow to larger sizes, prior to release in late spring of 2009.

A very rewarding experience – and thanks to Sunny, Kyle, Dallas and Troy Barr and JT Tidwell for a job well done.  And thanks to the membership who continues to support our efforts – we are making a difference!  Here’s to good fishing at Lake Berryessa!

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