This is an archived article and the information in the article may be outdated. Please look at the time stamp on the story to see when it was last updated.

american river fishermenSACRAMENTO-

The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced Monday that it will cut back on water flows from the Nimbus Dam from 1,100 cubic feet per second to 500 cubic feet per second into the American River by Jan. 10.

“I understand the drought. We’ve got to do what we’ve got to do, but it’s just too bad to see it go,” fisherman Loni Frederick said. He had caught himself a nice steelhead Monday.

Reclamation hopes the move will actually save fish as well as water.

They’re predicting water levels will get so low in the months to come that fish spawning there now will be leaving their eggs on what will eventually be dry riverbed, or stranding the next generation in pools with not enough water-flow to get downstream.