Columbia & Snake/Clearwater comparison

[skyriver]

I was half bored/half excited about fall steelheading so I geeked out and downloaded some counts and used some pretty colors.
Interesting counts this year. Not an exact science by any means, but I think a good enough data point to show that upriver stocks are doing better than lower river stocks. Both hatchery and wild. Take a look.



To me, it looks like the dams that don't count after 10/31 are missing fish and the damns that don't count before 4/15 or 5/1 are missing fish. The clear example is PRD and WAN having less fish over than RIS.
There ARE small runs of winter fish in the basin as well as "springers" (summer fish so won't spawn for an entire year) that are headed for upriver tribs in April. PIT tagging has proven that. Most of those are in the Bonneville pool, but not all. There was a decent bump of wild fish over Bonneville in April that didn't get counted at several damns if they kept going.
So like I said, not an exact science.

In summary, not as many fish over Bonneville, but more fish going upriver. So less fish for Bonneville pool tribs like Wind, the Salmons, Hood and Klick. And this changes every day, but I've been tracking and the overall theme is fish are really moving upriver right now. On 9/13 there were 40k fish in the Bonneville pool. That's a different spreadsheet.
Now there are only 33,909. Obviously some go up the tribs, but on 9/13 there were only 13,989 above LGR...I just checked today and LGR shows 27k! So the Clearwater, GR & Salmon systems have twice as many fish today compared to just a week ago. Metalheads are on the move!

So while it's a better year than last in nearly all the basin, it's not all roses for the lower tribs. Have fun and please keep em wet.

Stacy

 

[wmelton]

This is really interesting stuff, thanks for sharing

 

[JayB]

That number for the Tucannon is quite striking. Must be heading to a hatchery fairly low on the river based on what I've seen of that drainage while driving by. Looks like marginal carp habitat, at least in the summer.

 

[Pink Nighty]

That number for the Tucannon is quite striking. Must be heading to a hatchery fairly low on the river based on what I've seen of that drainage while driving by. Looks like marginal carp habitat, at least in the summer.

That creek should not be underestimated.

 

[skyriver]

That number for the Tucannon is quite striking. Must be heading to a hatchery fairly low on the river based on what I've seen of that drainage while driving by. Looks like marginal carp habitat, at least in the summer.

That number is just how many have cleared LMN damn. Most are headed for the Clearwater system. The Tuc won't get more than a few hundred most likely.

The pool numbers is a bit more complicated and can really only be calculated at the end of the year. But even then, there are in river (Columbia & Snake) spawners, fish that go back down to their river and fish that don't go to the river of their birth. All sorts of options.
Steelhead are quite a bit different than salmon. We really don't have much understanding of them, but the PIT tagging is helping a lot.

For example, I found a fish on the PIT tracking site (https://www.ptagis.org/) that has had quite the journey. This is a Skamania strain fish released in the Klick:
-marked in fall of 18 in the Klick
-migrated out in 19
-came back as a 2 salt fish and went all the way over LGR in 21. Assuming it spawned in the Clearwater or GR system.
-migrated out in 22
-last seen at John Day damn in June of this year.
This is a big 3 salt hatchery fish that is supposed to go to the Klick. Maybe he'll come back down through JD and The Dalles and go up the Klick. A lot do that too. Who knows though? Based on him going all the way to the Palouse last time maybe he likes that better. Crazy it seems, but I've found a fair number of fish that stray all over the place. The Deschutes is famous for carrying fish from all over, namely big B-run fish headed for Idaho. So the next time you catch a steelhead in the Deschutes that is over 10 lbs...it's probably not a "Deschutes" fish.

Fun stuff.

 

[Tom Butler]

That number for the Tucannon is quite striking. Must be heading to a hatchery fairly low on the river based on what I've seen of that drainage while driving by. Looks like marginal carp habitat, at least in the summer.

The hatchery is near river mile 40. With the stock change 10 or so years ago over 70% of the returning fish will do so now after the 4/15 closure date when flows are higher. No more Thanksgiving bonanza. Around 40% of those will be strays. The Lyons Ferry Hatchery is on that same Snake River pool a few miles downstream as well.

 

[O' Clarkii Stomias]

That number is just how many have cleared LMN damn. Most are headed for the Clearwater system. The Tuc won't get more than a few hundred most likely.

The pool numbers is a bit more complicated and can really only be calculated at the end of the year. But even then, there are in river (Columbia & Snake) spawners, fish that go back down to their river and fish that don't go to the river of their birth. All sorts of options.
Steelhead are quite a bit different than salmon. We really don't have much understanding of them, but the PIT tagging is helping a lot.

For example, I found a fish on the PIT tracking site (https://www.ptagis.org/) that has had quite the journey. This is a Skamania strain fish released in the Klick:
-marked in fall of 18 in the Klick
-migrated out in 19
-came back as a 2 salt fish and went all the way over LGR in 21. Assuming it spawned in the Clearwater or GR system.
-migrated out in 22
-last seen at John Day damn in June of this year.
This is a big 3 salt hatchery fish that is supposed to go to the Klick. Maybe he'll come back down through JD and The Dalles and go up the Klick. A lot do that too. Who knows though? Based on him going all the way to the Palouse last time maybe he likes that better. Crazy it seems, but I've found a fair number of fish that stray all over the place. The Deschutes is famous for carrying fish from all over, namely big B-run fish headed for Idaho. So the next time you catch a steelhead in the Deschutes that is over 10 lbs...it's probably not a "Deschutes" fish.

Fun stuff.

OMG, another Internet wormhole I will spend too much time studying. Thanks for that!
I found a 2-salt that was first marked on the Lostine River. After 2-winters in the ocean, it found it's way up to the lower Okanagan where it overwintered. It was last seen the following spring in the Wallowa river. Insane!

 

[JayB]

The hatchery is near river mile 40. With the stock change 10 or so years ago over 70% of the returning fish will do so now after the 4/15 closure date when flows are higher. No more Thanksgiving bonanza. Around 40% of those will be strays. The Lyons Ferry Hatchery is on that same Snake River pool a few miles downstream as well.

Interesting. Must be spring-fed - at least in the lower stretch?

 

[Matt B]

Interesting. Must be spring-fed - at least in the lower stretch?

When the farmers and water suppliers leave some water underground, it is.

 

[Tom Butler]

Interesting. Must be spring-fed - at least in the lower stretch?

Not at all. It heads high up in the blues (near bluewood but the other side of the ridge) then flows down. Lots of irrigators taking water below the wildlife areas, hence the frog water look.

 

[Matt B]

Not at all. It heads high up in the blues (near bluewood but the other side of the ridge) then flows down. Lots of irrigators taking water below the wildlife areas, hence the frog water look.

“It should also be noted that there are many well developed wetlands and spring areas between the upper and lower measuring points that are fed by the ground water system and contribute to the base flow of the Tucannon River system.” (p. 6 from https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/publications/95004.pdf; check the section on GW/SW interaction beginning on p. 5) cheers

 

[Tom Butler]

“It should also be noted that there are many well developed wetlands and spring areas between the upper and lower measuring points that are fed by the ground water system and contribute to the base flow of the Tucannon River system.” (p. 6 from https://apps.ecology.wa.gov/publications/publications/95004.pdf; check the section on GW/SW interaction beginning on p. 5) cheers

Yeah, I guess I said that wrong, I was thinking more like "traditional limestone spring creek". I watch those stream gages and check temperatures almost daily. On the 18th the upper gage was around 70cfs, and the Starbuck gage was the same, just below 70cfs, and they tend to run pretty close all summer anymore.

 

[Mtnsaremyhome]

I had noted a similar trend, I keep an eye on the Idaho page https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/dam-counts

The numbers of at LGD are pretty staggering.

As a new resident to the Palouse two years ago, I have yet to find a Idaho steelie... but I've only put in light effort. Something about the paper mill, smells, and jet boats is less exciting than coastal rivers with dime-brights... I guess it has its own charm thought. The new baby has changed availability and family dynamics so I expect light days this year, however looking forward to the future.

I did get out for a dawn patrol swing on Wednesday, but no takers. Saw nets fly though...

 

[skyriver]

OMG, another Internet wormhole I will spend too much time studying. Thanks for that!
I found a 2-salt that was first marked on the Lostine River. After 2-winters in the ocean, it found it's way up to the lower Okanagan where it overwintered. It was last seen the following spring in the Wallowa river. Insane!

Oh, it's a serious wormhole. Haha!

 

[Pink Nighty]

View attachment 83038
I had noted a similar trend, I keep an eye on the Idaho page https://idfg.idaho.gov/fish/steelhead/dam-counts
View attachment 83041
The numbers of at LGD are pretty staggering.

As a new resident to the Palouse two years ago, I have yet to find a Idaho steelie... but I've only put in light effort. Something about the paper mill, smells, and jet boats is less exciting than coastal rivers with dime-brights... I guess it has its own charm thought. The new baby has changed availability and family dynamics so I expect light days this year, however looking forward to the future.

I did get out for a dawn patrol swing on Wednesday, but no takers. Saw nets fly though...

I did 5 years on the palouse, and I cannot reccomend enough heading down to the snake and fishing the rip rap for smallmouth. I wasnt steelheading at the time, but those smallies are some of the most fun I've ever had on a fly rod

 

[SKYKO]

I did 5 years on the Palouse also, a long time ago, spot on advice above, additionally the GR is not that much farther than Lewiston and the paper mill run.

 

[Mtnsaremyhome]

I did 5 years on the Palouse also, a long time ago, spot on advice above, additionally the GR is not that much farther than Lewiston and the paper mill run.

Sounds like I've got some smallies to explore! Fortunately/unfortunately I have not fished that much the last two years as house projects, mtn biking, bc skiing and fall hunting are all more convenient, however I did make a few drives and despite the heightened pressure the gr is one of my favorite places, mouth to minam and everywhere in-between. I look forward to more local adventures!!!

 

[BDD]

To me, it looks like the dams that don't count after 10/31 are missing fish and the damns that don't count before 4/15 or 5/1 are missing fish. The clear example is PRD and WAN having less fish over than RIS.

My guess for this is because many summer steelhead overwinter upstream of Wanapum Dam, passing it in the fall but not passing Rock Island until the following spring. Typically you will see hundreds of steelhead passing Rock Island and Rocky Reach in the spring, when they start counting again on April 15 but those fish were counted the previous fall at Wanapum. That probably is the main reason for the difference in steelhead count numbers from one year to the next.

 

[skyriver]

My guess for this is because many summer steelhead overwinter upstream of Wanapum Dam, passing it in the fall but not passing Rock Island until the following spring. Typically you will see hundreds of steelhead passing Rock Island and Rocky Reach in the spring, when they start counting again on April 15 but those fish were counted the previous fall at Wanapum. That probably is the main reason for the difference in steelhead count numbers from one year to the next.

You're probably right and a big reason they should count all year.