America’s National Wildlife Refuge System - California

Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge
c/o San Francisco Bay NWR Complex, P.O. Box 524, Newark, CA 94560; (510) 792-0222; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11648. Office hours, 10:00 am-4:00 pm, except closed on all federal holidays. The refuge is open 7:00 am-6:00 pm, November to March, and 7:00 am-8:00 pm, April to October. Good access roads. Nearest main highways are I-880 and U.S. 101. Nearest communities are Fremont and Newark. Fishing is allowed year-round. Refuge waters include approximately 6 miles of shoreline plus one fishing pier. A fishing license is not required of anglers who use Dumbarton pier. Available species include striped bass, sculpin, shark, croaker, halibut, sturgeon and crabs.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Hiking and nature trails / Information center

Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes National Wildlife Refuge
Managed as part of Hopper Mountain NWR Complex, 1055 Guadalupe St. (Scenic Hwy. 1), Guadalupe, CA 93434; (805) 343-9151. Office hours, 9:00 am-3:00 pm. Nearest communities include the City of Guadalupe and Pismo Beach. Nearest highway is Hwy. 1. Surf fishing and access to the refuge is south along the shoreline half-a-mile south of the end of the boardwalk. For more information, go to http://www.dunescenter.org. Available species include surf perch and striped bass. The refuge has no facilities. Fishing season is year-round.

Amenities: Food nearby / Maps available / Hiking and nature trails / Information center

Humboldt Bay National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 576, Loleta, CA 95551; (707) 733-5406; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11590. Office hours, 8:00 am-4:00 pm, daily. Hookton Slough Unit is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is Hwy. 101. Nearest communities are Fortuna and Eureka. Refuge waters include South Humboldt Bay. Fishing is permitted over refuge tidelands. Non-motorized boat launch and dock are at the Hookton Slough Unit. Public boat launch is at Fields Landing. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include shellfish, jacksmelt and shark.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Bait & tackle nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Hiking and nature trails / Information center / Disabled angler facilities

Klamath Marsh National Wildlife Refuge
4009 Hill Rd., Tulelake, CA 96134; (503) 667-2231; http://klamathbasinrefuges.fws.gov/klamathmarsh/klamathmarsh .html. Office hours, 8:00 am-4:30 pm, daily. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Nearest main highway is U.S. 97. Good access roads. Nearest community is Chemult, OR. Public fishing is permitted along the Silver Lake Highway in the borrow ditch adjacent to the marsh. No boating is allowed.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Bait & tackle nearby / Maps available

Modoc National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 1610, Alturas, CA 96101; (530) 233-3572; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11690. Office hours, 7:30 am-4:00 pm. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is U.S. 395. Nearest community is Alturas. Refuge waters include Dorris Reservoir (approximately 1,000 acres, when at full capacity) which is open to fishing February-September 30. Walk-in access only is available February 1-March 31. Boat access is open April 1-September 30. Available species include largemouth bass, catfish, sunfish and rainbow trout.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Hiking and nature trails / Canoeing and kayaking / Information center / Disabled angler facilities

Sacramento River National Wildlife Refuge
Packer Unit, managed as part of the Sacramento NWR Complex, 752 County Rd. 99W, Willows, CA 95988; (530) 934-2801; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11627. Office hours, 7:30 am-4:00 pm. Refuge is open sunrise to sunset. Nearest community is Ordbend. Nearest highway is Hwy. 45. The Packer Unit contains a 100-acre oxbow lake. Best time for angling is March-November for species such as bluegill and largemouth bass. A narrow dirt road provides access to an unimproved boat launch area. There is limited fishing from the shoreline. No facilities are available.

Salinas River National Wildlife Refuge
c/o San Francisco Bay NWR Complex, P.O. Box 524, Newark, CA 94560; (510) 792-0222; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11642. Office hours (at San Francisco Bay NWR), 10:00 am-5:00 pm, except closed on all federal holidays. Salinas River NWR is open during daylight hours. Primitive access roads. Nearest main highway is Hwy. 1. Nearest communities are Seaside and Monterey. Salinas River NWR provides access to surf fishing via a 1/3-mile trail. Waters include the mouth of the Salinas River and Monterey Bay, with approximately 1 mile of shoreline open to surf fishing. Fishing is primarily for sea perch and shark. There are no facilities on Salinas River NWR.

Amenities: Hiking and nature trails

San Luis National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 2176, Los Banos, CA 93635; (209) 826-3508; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11655. Office hours, 7:45 am-5:00 pm, Monday-Friday. Refuge is open a half-hour before sunrise to a half-hour after sunset. Good access roads. Nearest main highways are I-5, Hwys. 99, 165 and 152. Nearest community is Los Banos. Refuge waters include Salt Slough and the San Joaquin River on the east side of Hwy. 165. The fishing season is year-round. Available species include striped bass, crappie and catfish. No boats are allowed.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Hiking and nature trails / Canoeing and kayaking / Information center / Disabled angler facilities

San Pablo Bay National Wildlife Refuge
c/o San Francisco Bay NWR Complex, P.O. Box 524, Newark, CA 94560; (510) 792-0222; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11644. Office hours (at San Francisco Bay NWR Complex), 10:00 am-5:00 pm, except closed on all federal holidays. San Pablo Bay NWR is open year-round during daylight hours. Nearest main highway is Hwy. 37. Nearest community is Vallejo. Fishing season is year-round by boat only on all open waters and navigable sloughs of the refuge, including lower reach of Tolay Creek and all of the northern portion of San Pablo Bay. No shoreline fishing is currently permitted. Saltwater species include flounder, striped bass, sturgeon, rays and sharks. Boat ramps are located in Vallejo, on the Napa and Petaluma Rivers.

Amenities: Hiking and nature trails

Sonny Bono Salton Sea National Wildlife Refuge
906 W. Sinclair, Calipatria, CA 92233; (760) 348-5278 http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11631. Office hours, 7:00 am-3:30 pm, Monday-Friday. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highways are Hwys. 111 and 86. Nearest communities are Niland, Calipatria, Westmoreland and Brawley. Refuge waters include Salton Sea, a saltwater inland “lake,” saltier than the ocean. There are approximately 35,500 acres of refuge lake area open to fishing, with water ranging from shallow to about 20 feet deep. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include orangemouth corvina, sargo, gulf croaker and tilapia. Boat fishing only is permitted.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Primitive camping / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Hiking and nature trails / Information center

Tijuana Slough National Wildlife Refuge
P.O. Box 334, Imperial Beach, CA 91933; (619) 575-1290; http://refuges.fws.gov/profiles/index.cfm?id=11681. Office hours, 7:30 am-4:00 pm, Monday- Friday. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is I-5. Nearest community is Imperial Beach. Surf fishing access is below mean High Tide Line, but angler walk-in access is permitted through refuge. Fishing season is year-round. Available species include surf perch, croaker, corvina and California halibut. No boats are permitted. No fishing is allowed at the Tijuana River mouth, in the lagoon, sloughs or marsh areas. Fishing is permitted only in the ocean.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Public rest facilities / Hiking and nature trails / Information center

Upper Klamath National Wildlife Refuge
Rt. 1, Box 74, Tulelake, CA 96134; (916) 667-2231; http://klamathbasinrefuges.fws.gov/upperklamath/upperklamath .html. Office hours, 8:00 am-4:30 pm, daily. Refuge is open during daylight hours. Good access roads. Nearest main highway is U.S. 97. Nearest community is Klamath Falls. Refuge waters include Upper Klamath Lake. Fishing season is year-round. Freshwater species include rainbow trout. The lake is covered in winter with thin ice.

Amenities: Food nearby / Lodging nearby / Bait & tackle nearby / Maps available / Public rest facilities / Boat launching / Canoeing and kayaking