Doug Stanley spent years as part of the fishing team for the television show "Deadliest Catch" as a producer. Now this Sacramento-area native has founded his own production company, Ridgeline Entertainment in Folsom, and will let folks hear about his plans as part of a monthly lecture series sponsored by the Capital Film Arts Alliance and hosted by The Art Institute of Sacramento. Attendees will learn what his new Folsom studio is up to and Doug will share the story of his career path and future plans. The meeting is on Tuesday, May 15, and starts at 7:00 p.m. at The Art Institute, 2850 Gateway Oaks Dr., Sacramento. Free to CFAA members; $5 for guests. About Doug Stanley, CEO and Founder

The Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op is the best place in the state to purchase sustainable seafood, and No. 2 in the nation, according to Greenpeace. “(The co-op) is one of those great stores that has taken amazing steps in realizing that sustainable seafood is incredibly important,” said Casson Trenor, seafood campaigner for Greenpeace. Greenpeace ranks the 20 biggest grocery store chains on how sustainable their seafood is, and Trenor said some smaller grocers are included as well due to their commitment to ensuring seafood is sustainable. Sustainable seafood is seafood that is not being overfished or fished in hazardous ways that deplete the ocean’s stocks or destroy the environment.

The Sacramento Bass Trackers Club is a community of local fisherman who share a passion for the good catch with good friends. Founded in 1984, the Bass Trackers host monthly club tournaments that help the veterans hone their tactics and teach the rookies the ropes. “The club gives someone interested in bass fishing who can’t afford it otherwise the chance to go out and fish on nice bass boats and learn how,” said Bass Trackers Club President Bob McCorkle Sr. A typical tournament consists of a $100 buy-in that pools between the teams of two, with cash prizes given to the top three winners. Teams are selected by a random drawing at the club’s monthly meeting. To win the tournament, teams m

A bird launches from shore as a man fishes along the Sacramento River along the Garden Highway. Now is apparently a good time for catching Steelhead, Rainbow Trout, White Sturgeon, Striped Bass and American Shad. The headwaters of the Sacramento River include numerous tributaries. Its three main forks stride down from alpine slopes gaining girth and grandeur as streams and creeks converge into it. At the Sacramento River Delta, the watershed empties 31 percent of California's total water runoff into the San Francisco Bay. In its 384 mile journey, the mighty Sacramento River feeds Lake Siskiyou, Lake Shasta, and the Keswick Reservoir. At Lake Shasta, it is joined by the McCloud River, the

With Sacramento's proximity to both the Sacramento and American Rivers and the abundance of fishermen in both locations, many Sacramentans look no further than the river system to fulfill their fishing needs. However, this would be a mistake - one that the Department of Fish and Game's Fishing in the City program is trying to correct. The Fishing in the City program stocks fishing ponds in cities throughout California, focusing on parks in the San Francisco, Los Angeles and Sacramento areas. Although workers stock multiple ponds in the Sacramento region, the only two ponds in central Sacramento that are refilled fairly regularly are Southside Park and William Land Park. These ponds are st

Grab your poles, bring your kids and come on out for some good ol' fun, family fishing at Granite Regional Park. I am proud to say thanks to myself, a few other volunteers, and several sponsors, the Annual Gone Fishin’ Derby – an event held at Granite Regional Park for the past five years – will continue its sixth derby this year despite the bad economy and the Director’s medical conditions. The event will take place on Saturday, August 1 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in the Granite Point area of Granite Regional Park and is open to the public. Refreshments will be provided at no cost, along with loaner fishing poles from the Department of Fish and Game for those needing it. Children’s priz

60 years ago, Land Park resident Walt Bennett, was a die-hard steelhead fly fisherman, something that doesn’t sound very impressive until you’ve seen the new documentary film Rivers of a Lost Coast. From the 1940s to the early 80s California’s remote north coast was host to a culture of consumed anglers that mirrored the dedication and passion of Hawaii’s earliest big wave surfing pioneers. Complete with a cast of superbly talented anglers, egos-to-boot and a camaraderie that resembles an armed forces unit, Walt Bennett will tell you California’s north coast fly fishing community was something else in its day. Local filmmakers Justin Coupe and Palmer Taylor spent 4-years producing a docume

Ever wonder how those park ponds, including Howe Park, Gibson Ranch, and Hagan Park, magically always have fish?  Well, thanks to California's Department of Fish and Game's, Fishing in the City program, people of all ages may enjoy the sport of fishing.  Fishing in the City  works with several organizations to stock area ponds, educate the public on helpful fishing techniques and ethics.  Several days throughout the year, fishing clinics and derby's are offered free or for a low cost to all community members.  Coming up on Saturday, February 21, 2009 the Fulton-El Camino Recreation and Park district is offering their annual Fishing Derby at Howe Park Pond, 2201 Cottage Way Sacramento 9582

You can fish in downtown Sacramento. The lake in Southside Park has been stocked with fish for the past year by The California Department of Fish and Game. I spoke with a Joe Ferrier at The Department of Fish and Game about the history of the program. Ferrier said that the program to stock urban lakes started fifteen years ago when Fish and Game got a grant from the federal government under the Sport Fish Restoration Act. About five years ago a sewage spill contaminated the lake and Fish and Game stopped stocking the lake until about one year ago. Ferrier said that at that point the lake water was no longer contaminated and likely cleaner than ever. Due to budget constraints Southside P

Have you noticed anything different about Southside Park lately? You may have seen the signs or the fencing around the lake and wondered what exactly is being changed in Southside Park and why. It started years ago with a meeting in the community. According to Hindolo Brima spokesman for the Department of Parks and Recreation, "[The Department of Parks and Recreation] hold periodic meetings within the community and usually send out invites to people in that [surrounding] neighborhood, saying 'Come in, we're remaster-planning this park and we want to know what you want to see at this park.'"  Brima stresses the importance of engaging the community on these remodeling projects because of

I wanted to talk to someone in the Parks and Recreation department about who stocks the lake? Do fish help to keep the lake healthy?