[env-trinity] TJ Fishing report

Wed Feb 10 20:11:34 PST 2021

http://www.trinityjournal.com/sports/outdoors/article_d5efd254-65b1-11eb-b79d-6f2744d1b37f.html

Weather determinants, fish and fishing

   - Fishing Report E.B. Duggan ‘D’ Fishing 530-629-3554 yen2fish at yahoo.com 

   - Feb 3, 2021

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What does the weather have to do with fish and fishing? Many people have asked that question. The weather has much to do with fishing. If we have had fair to good rain to get fish to come into the river to spawn, if the rivers get low amounts of rain then there is very low spawning, if the rivers get large amounts of rain then the rivers get a large number of fish to return. The return is what makes fishing good, great or awful. Right now it is a mystery why we are having low amounts of adults returning to the hatchery or streams they spawn in.

The Trinity River Hatchery has received 8,363 chinook spawners (great), 2,333 coho spawners (great) and 459 steelhead spawners (poor). The CDFW has not been able to go out and do their usual spawning checks due to the COVID-19 restrictions this year. I am sure that the spawning of native coho and steelhead will do much better if we get enough rain to open up the mouth of the spawning streams.

The Trinity River Record of Decision was made in the 1990s and signed by Secretary of Interior Bruce Babbitt in Hoopa in 2000. The ROD states the need for Trinity River restoration and part of it states that the watersheds of the Trinity are in need of restoration also. This is the problem in the Trinity Management Council, they only do the main stem of the Trinity and neglect the watersheds with no to very little public input, and that is why there is such an uproar about the Trinity River Restoration Program. We all should write our congressmen and request a complete revamp of TRRP and review of the programs it has done to see if they are working. From my experience it is NOT working as per the ROD.

I am sorry about last week as I got caught up in football and was unable to make a proper report in time. I also asked for pictures of your fishing experience but made a mistake in the email address. It should be yen2fish at netzero.net. I apologize for the mistake and hope you can now reach me.

Trinity River Hatchery, Julian week 4 ending Jan. 28: Fall chinook salmon, 0 jacks, 0 adults, total 0, season total 7,103; coho, 0 jacks, 0 adults, total 0, season total 2,333; steelhead 126, season total 459.  

Upper Klamath River video count, Julian week 3 ending on Jan. 21: Shasta River, chinook salmon 0, season total 4,101; coho 0, season total 37; Scott River, chinook salmon 0, season total 252; coho salmon 2, season total 1,754; Bogus Creek, chinook salmon 0, season total 2,289; coho salmon 0, season total 145.  

Fishing: The weather has been a big factor for fishing in the area. Lately we have been able to see a lot of half-pounder action with a few small steelhead adults in the mix. From the reports I have been getting one has a good chance to hook a good-size adult steelhead around the mouth of the South Fork or even up the South Fork. There is some fair to good fishing below the Salyer Bridge and up in the Hawkins Bar area. I haven’t received anything about fishing from there all the way up to Big Bar which has been fair to good fly fishing.  

Mid-Klamath to Happy Camp: The Klamath River at Weitchpec is flowing at 7,102 cfs, a decrease of 4,437 cfs. Iron Gate Dam is releasing 1,014 cfs. The Weitchpec area is still closed to the general public because of COVID-19 protocols but there is some fair to good action around Bluff Creek. The Orleans area has been fair to good but the rains have made it hard to fish. The good news is that the Klamath has been dropping and the fishing has been picking up some for half-pounders. The Happy Camp fishing has been getting better as the river drops but another storm is in the works and could blow the river out again. I am not sure how the fishing the Klamath above I-5 is right now but if you contact Scott Coldwell Guide Service you might get a good report.

Lake Conditions: Whiskeytown is 85 percent of capacity (no change) with inflows of 827 cfs and releasing 277 cfs on to Keswick. Shasta Lake is 47 percent of capacity (an increase of 1 percent, plus 2 feet) with inflows of 5,811 cfs and releasing 2,733 cfs into Keswick. Keswick is 86 percent (no change) with inflows of 3,131 cfs and releasing 3,290 cfs into the Sacramento River. Lake Oroville is 35 percent of capacity (an increase of 2 percent, plus 2 feet) with inflows of 1,592 cfs with releases of 671 cfs into the Feather River. Folsom Lake is 30 percent of capacity (an increase of 2 percent, plus 2 feet) with inflows of 2,125 cfs with releases of 1,056 cfs into the American River.  

Trinity Lake: The lake is 89 feet below the overflow (no change) and 51 percent of capacity with inflows of 467 cfs and releasing 879 cfs into Lewiston Lake with 563 cfs being diverted to Whiskeytown Lake and on to Keswick Power Plant.  

Trinity River flows and conditions: Lewiston Lake is 98 percent of capacity (no change) and water releases are 316 cfs into the Trinity River, with water temperature of 44 degrees as of Sunday afternoon, Jan. 31. Limekiln Gulch is 4.76ft at 326 cfs. Douglas City is 6.48ft with flows of 440 cfs with water temperature of 43.2 degrees. Junction City is 1.93ft at 444 cfs. Helena is 8.70ft at 566 cfs with water temp of 43.4 degrees. Cedar Flat (Burnt Ranch) is 3.35ft at 774 cfs. Willow Creek is estimated at 1,379 cfs and water at 43.5 degrees. Hoopa is 13.22ft at 2,153 cfs and water is 44 degrees. Water flows at the mouth of the Trinity River at the Klamath in Weitchpec are estimated to be 7,102 cfs, a decrease of 4,437 cfs.  

Klamath River flows and conditions: Iron Gate is releasing 1,014 cfs. Seiad Valley is 2.72ft at 1,639 cfs. Happy Camp is estimated at 2,325 cfs. Somes Bar is estimated to be 3,997 cfs. The Salmon River is 2.94ft at 952 cfs. Orleans is 4.97ft at 4,949 cfs. The Klamath River at Terwer Creek is 11.44ft at 10,311 cfs and water temp is 44.8 degrees. Flows for the Smith River at Jedediah Smith are 11.70ft with flows of 9,950 cfs, and flows at Dr. Fine Bridge are at 16.97ft. The Smith could be blown out by this coming weekend with the new storm coming in.

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