[env-trinity] Cool Releases Bring Salmon, Steelhead Into Klamath System

[Daniel Bacher]

Here's my latest article. Thanks to Ed Duggan for his informative report 
that I incorporated into the article.

Dan


Cool Releases From Trinity Bring Salmon and Steelhead Into Klamath System

by Dan Bacher

Releases of cold water from the Trinity River have spurred the migration of 
king salmon and steelhead into the lower Klamath River – and prevented a 
fish kill like that of September 2002 that many anglers feared. The releases 
have also resulted in improved salmon and steelhead fishing on the lower 
Trinity.

“Due to increased flows from Trinity and Iron Gate dams, the lower Klamath 
water temperatures have dropped better than 10 degrees and are bringing in 
some fresh salmon and steelhead,” reported Ed Duggan, fishing guide. The 
Trinity flows, after going up to 1650 cfs, are down to 1210 cfs and will 
continue to ramp down 60 cfs daily, reaching 1050 cfs by about September 11. 
The releases will return to 450 cfs on September 14.

Mike Orcutt, fisheries program director of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, said the 
36,000 acre feet of water being released down the Trinity includes 11,000 
acre feet that the Bureau of Reclamation purchased from the Metropolitan 
Water District and 23,000 acre feet from Sacramento area water contractors. 
He added that the Yurok Tribe also got 2600 acre-feet of water released from 
Iron Gate Dam for cultural purposes.

Keith Parker, Fish Sniffer reader and Yurok tribal member, has been 
regularly fishing the lower Klamath for salmon and steelhead. During August, 
Parker widely circulated an action alert urging the Bureau of Reclamation to 
promptly release the water from Trinity Lake when he and other anglers 
encountered salmon dying from gill rot disease in the low, warm water 
conditions.

“The cool water has made an incredible difference,” said Parker, who had 
just got on the river in his jet boat on Labor Day morning. “The water 
temperature, in the seventies several weeks ago, has dropped to 63.4 
degrees. On Saturday, September 4, three of us landed 9 king salmon.”

Parker and his buddies fished roe and spinners from Blue Creek down and 
found chinooks in every hole. In addition to the salmon, they also landed 
three steelhead over 5 pounds while using Glo Bugs and Zonker and Blondie 
flies.

“All of the salmon and steelhead were bright fish,” noted Parker. “When I 
fished the river 10 days before when the water was still warm, many of the 
salmon were already dark.”

However, Parker believes that the bulk of the salmon run still hasn’t 
entered the mouth of the Klamath. “There is a large school of salmon 
reported in the ocean off Crescent City, so we expect the main run to move 
into the river any day,” he added.

“The salmon action in the lower Klamath has been in spurts,” confirmed Owen 
Chew at Little Ray’s Tackle Box in Klamath Glen. “The heavy pressure of 70 
boats slowed the fishing down on Labor Day. There are a lot of fish in the 
river and fishing has been best in the evenings because of heavy fishing 
pressure in the mornings.”

The adult chinooks are averaging 16 pounds each, with the biggest reported 
so far this season weighing 32 pounds, according to Chew. Large numbers of 
jacks are also showing in the Klamath.

On the Trinity, the fishing has also dramatically improved with the 
increased flows. “The half pounders have showed up and are giving fly 
fishers super action with the occasional adult in the mix,” said Duggan.

Meanwhile, Duggan said fall run salmon arrived in the valley just in time 
for Labor Day weekend. “While the town of Willow Creek celebrated ‘Bigfoot 
Days,’ the salmon started frolicking in the river,” said Duggan. “There have 
been reports of 20-pounders being landed below Big Rock and up in Salyer. A 
good amount of half-pounder action at the mouth of South Fork helped make 
the weekend. There were lots of fly fishers working the river all the way up 
to Del Loma.”

Steve Key, who was staying at the Del Loma Park, caught and released over 20 
half-pounders and a nice 20 in. adult steelhead just as the holiday started. 
The park also saw some 20 pound salmon in camp as well as a 23 inch 
steelhead.

The Willow Creek weir will not go in until after Sept 15. The Junction City 
weir has been counting fish all along except for when the water flows came 
up, noted Duggan.

The Lower Klamath creel count (quota) has reached 589 below the Weitchpec 
Bridge (Highway 96). The number of fall-run chinook salmon below the Highway 
101 Bridge has reached 227. “The magic number we are looking for on the 
Lower-Klamath quota is 2,350. After that, only jacks can be harvested,” said 
Duggan.

As soon as the bulk of the fall run moves into the system, anglers can 
expect increasingly good action for the hard-fighting chinooks that the 
Trinity and Klamath rivers are noted for.