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Conservation

Fly Fishers International emphasizes several conservation programs including conserving our native fishes, adopting a stream in your area, and recycling fishing line.

The San Gabriel Fly Fishers has adopted a portion of the San Gabriel River between Lake Georgetown and San Gabriel Park. We have a bronze plaque announcing our adopt-a-stream program, and the City of Georgetown and the San Gabriel Fly Fishers have installed this plaque on a limestone pedestal near the river. The city hiking trail crosses the river on a footbridge a little upstream (toward Lake Georgetown) from Rivery Park; this same footbridge is a little downstream (toward San Gabriel Park) from Chandler Park by Country Club Road. The plaque was placed by this footbridge.

Planned Events

Saturday, November 7, 2015 - Cleanup of the North San Gabriel river

On Saturday, November 7, 2015 we conducted our annual stream cleanup of the North San Gabriel river.  Here are the particulars:

  • We will meet at 8:00 AM at Chandler Park, which is on Spring Valley at Country Club Drive, across from the entrance to Georgetown Country Club.  This location is approximately in the center of the area to be cleaned up.
  • We will break up into teams of three, and proceed to various spots, both upstream and downstream from the park, to conduct the cleanup.  In the event that participants choose to wade the river, we suggest that you wear waders.  We also recommend that all participants carry their cell phones, as a safety precaution.  All participants will be provided trash bags for trash collection.  You do not have to wade the river to help out.
  • Participants should place full trash bags at the edge of the Hike and Bike trail that follows the river, and the City of Georgetown will pick up all trash on Saturday afternoon, after our cleanup is complete.
  • Georgetown Country Club normally provides us with use of a golf cart, in order to monitor the cleanup up and down the river, and to bring water to the participants.
  • A Barbeque lunch will be provided at Noon at Chandler Park for all participants after the cleanup.

Please RSVP to Randy Johnson at johnsonr1948@verizon.net no later than Friday, October 30th so that we can get a good headcount for the lunch.  If you have questions call Randy at (512) 930-5039. 


Previous Conservation outings

Wednesday July 16, 2014 - Berry Springs milfoil removal - Don Johnson

At the request of Susan Blackledge, Park Manager of Berry Springs Park and Preserve, a group of SGFF volunteers went to Berry Springs to join some other volunteers and help park employees remove milfoil from the park's pond. Milfoil is an invasive water plant that is crowding out native water plants and generally making the pond unsightly and difficult to fish. Our contingent consisted of George Kimmel, Richard McIntyre, Bruce Moring, Pat and Don Carlson, and myself. We arrived at the park around 8:30 a.m. and were geared up and ready for work by 9:00 a.m.

The parks department has a tool for removing milfoil. It is a four inch pipe about five feet long that is studded with hooked spikes about five inches long (see photo 2). A rope yoke connects this tool to a 200 foot rope. Park employees put the tool into a Jon Boat and paddle across to the far side of the pond, pulling the rope behind them so it stretches across the pond with one end remaining on the near side (see photo 3). The tool is pushed off the back of the Jon Boat, and it sinks to the bottom. Another park employee uses a tractor attached to the rope to drag the tool along the bottom of the lake and up onto the near shore. The hooks on the tool tangle with the stems of the milfoil, uproot the plants, and drag them along. When the tool emerges from the pond it is encased in a coating of milfoil from six inches to eighteen inches thick. When the tool has been pulled up onto the near shore the volunteer crew swarms in and uses pocket knives and hands to cut and tear the milfoil from the tool. The milfoil is wet and heavy, and stems of individual plants are all entwined with each other; the stuff is heavy and difficult to manage. When the tool has been cut free it is returned to the Joh Boat for another pass. While the tool is being repositioned, the volunteers use hands, rakes, and pitch forks to put the milfoil into piles, like little hay stacks, where it waits to be hauled away.

From 9:00 a.m. till 11:00 a.m. we helped the department employes make pass after pass with the milfoil removal tool. Then they brought over a pickup truck and a utility vehicle, and we helped load the stacks of milfoil into these vehicles (see photo 4). The parks department then hauled the milfoil off to a dump site on the back side of the park property. By noon we were done, and done in (see photo 5). We called it day and went to our respective homes for a hot shower, lunch, and, at least in my case, a nap.

Saturday October 26, 2013 - San Gabriel River cleanup

On Saturday, October 26, 2013, the San Gabriel Flyfishers conducted their annual North San Gabriel Stream Cleanup. The cleanup began at 8:00 AM at Chandler Park near the entrance to Georgetown Country Club. The following members were in attendance:

Randy Johnson, Don Johnson, Don Carlson, Pat Carlson, Tommy Griffis, Richard McIntyre, Don Traube, and Brooks Bouldin

As in prior years, Georgetown Country Club donated the use of one of their maintenance carts to the effort, and the City of Georgetown picked up the trash after our efforts. Lunch for all the participants included barbeque from CJ’s Big Boy BBQ. We would like to thank all of these groups for their assistance.

The group found the river cleaner than in prior years. This is likely attributable to our efforts on each cleanup, but is also likely a result of the overall profile of our Adopt-a-Stream efforts. The community in general is more aware of the need to keep the river clean, and we think that less trash is being left by residents than in prior years. Hopefully, this trend will continue.

In addition to the typical cans and bottles, the members picked up about 200 golf balls washed down from the Georgetown Country Club. No large trash items were found.

Additional questions can be directed to Randy Johnson at (512) 930-5039.

Amanda Sherwood

Conservation Officer
E-mail