Though their return, celebrated by the Salmon Festival, indicates a skimpy year, at least so far.
Salmon return celebrated
By Alison apRoberts - Bee Staff Writer
Published 12:00 am PDT Sunday, October 14, 2007
The morning fishing report at Lake Natoma on Saturday was full of tales of ones that didn't get away.
"I catched one," said Nicholas Mayo, who is 6, as he stood patiently, rod in hand, hoping to catch another.
"I did, too," said his big brother Christian, who is 7.
"Now we've got all the boys hooked on fishing," said their mother, Angelique Mayo, who was here with her husband, Angelo, and the couple's five sons, ages 3 to 10.
The boys had an advantage as about 400 trout had been dumped into one end of the lake Saturday morning to make sure there would be lots of lucky fishing stories to take home from the 11th annual American River Salmon Festival.
The Mayo family from Fair Oaks had been happily reeled in to returning to the American River Salmon Festival, which they first attended last year. The event, at the Nimbus Hatchery and Lake Natoma, ends its weekend run today.
It is put on by the state Department of Fish and Game and the American River Natural History Association, along with many public and private organizations and hundreds of volunteers.
The guests of honor -- the salmon -- drew people to line the fish ladder as it cascaded down to the river. There were few fish that made it to their early welcome-home party, but those that did were rewarded with yelps of admiration from the audience, as they ascended with great splashes up the ladder.
