Big winds this morning in Florence a bump in the river and steelhead!

[hobster]

don't think its over yett i got chromers last year around march 28th up there i think the slaw is just a better February march run am i wrong?

Far from over, i'm just chompin at the bit.

 

[plumb2fish]

That's great news Rodger! As I have said before, I have nothing but praise for those that can and do volunteer in the Florence Step as well as the NW Steelheaders. If it weren't for you folks, we'd not have any fish ....mother nature has been unkind to the letz creek folks the last few years

 

[rippin fish lips]

With the logging thats getting done around the slaw the last couple years, it has made the slaw stay muddy and siltier for a longer perios the last 2 years. It takes 1 week or longer for the lower slaw to clear up, which means the fish we do get shoot right to the trap for the cleaner water. However, the fishery isn't done yet as the siuslaw basin is mostly known for its later returning fish! It seems there is quite a few wild fish this year, and now is they time they would be coming in. Still got fish coming in... no big numbers. Work hard and cover some ground to find your fish...

 

[GaryP1958]

I noticed years past the Step folks updated the trap numbers but this year nothing since January? Will be running to Eugene in a day or 2 will fish Whitakker!

 

[rogerdodger]

I noticed years past the Step folks updated the trap numbers but this year nothing since January? Will be running to Eugene in a day or 2 will fish Whitakker!

last update I have is Thur 2/19: 30 steelhead (these should have come in since that Tuesday): 2salt: 8M/5F; 3+salt: 1M/1F; recaps: 15

 

[GaryP1958]

With 100k smolts seems they are late or lost?

 

[rogerdodger]

With 100k smolts seems they are late or lost?

not sure about that so let's make some basic assumptions and see what we get...goal is 85K to be planted at Whitaker but that has not been met in all recent years (but double hatching eggs in Florence and Alsea hatcheries make it almost certain we will meet that going forward under CMP), Jan-Feb-March total 90 days, so that makes 45 two day periods. so if 60K smolts have been getting in recent years and resulted in 1% return, that means 600 back from each years planting, so let's double that to account for more than one years fish coming back (2salt-3salt fish), so 1200 should hit the trap, spread non-uniformly over the 45 two day periods, so on average that means 26.7 fish per 2 day period, and accounting for weather and such, let's say +/-50% scatter (13.4 fish) means we should expect between 13.3 and 40.1 fresh fish to arrive over any 2 day period.

and the data I found for 2 days in mid-Feb are that we had 30 fish hit the trap, 15 new, 15 recaps. cheers, prof. roger

 

[GaryP1958]

They should allow fishing below the trap at Whittaker after the eggs are met for the year or move the trap to the entrance to the creek, it seems like a waste of hatchery fish being sent back down steam to mix with wild fish the idea is to catch the clipped ones right? Once you get your eggs for next year I don't see the point of just tossing them back unless you are trying to create hatchery wilds?

 

[rogerdodger]

They should allow fishing below the trap at Whittaker after the eggs are met for the year or move the trap to the entrance to the creek, it seems like a waste of hatchery fish being sent back down steam to mix with wild fish the idea is to catch the clipped ones right? Once you get your eggs for next year I don't see the point of just tossing them back unless you are trying to create hatchery wilds?

you should take that up with ODFW, they set the fishing rules and provide trucks for fish transport.

 

[hobster]

They toss them back so we can catch them. I have seen some chrome fish with their gills stamped this year. I got a nice hen full of eggs with good meat and so did my buddy. Why does it make sense to move the trap to the entrace if the fish are getting tossed back anyway? What would you suggest instead of tossing them back? They move back into the river and we get another shot at them.

 

[GaryP1958]

Don't get your panties in a wad it was just a question, if the goal is letting wild fish spawn and kill the planters I see no harm in bonking the planters! Seems making it easier to kill planters is a win right

 

[hobster]

Easy now, just seeing what your suggestions are. If you are a good enough fisherman you will bonk them.

 

[rogerdodger]

They should allow fishing below the trap at Whittaker after the eggs are met for the year or move the trap to the entrance to the creek, it seems like a waste of hatchery fish being sent back down steam to mix with wild fish the idea is to catch the clipped ones right? Once you get your eggs for next year I don't see the point of just tossing them back unless you are trying to create hatchery wilds?

I think you might have overlooked something here, the spawning grounds are farther up Whitaker Creek, wild fish are passed on above the trap to spawn; our hatchery fish are never allowed to go above the trap. Remember also the fish we are spawning and raising are Siuslaw River steelhead, they are not some 'generic planter' fish from a hatchery hundreds of miles away...cheers, roger

 

[Aton]

I think you might have overlooked something here, the spawning grounds are farther up Whitaker Creek, wild fish are passed on above the trap to spawn; our hatchery fish are never allowed to go above the trap. Remember also the fish we are spawning and raising are Siuslaw River steelhead, they are not some 'generic planter' fish from a hatchery hundreds of miles away...cheers, roger

Well perhaps not "allowed" but...last year I was up there at high water levels 13'+ and watched MANY steelhead jump right over the gate. It appeared to sometimes take them a couple of tries. The thing is, I don't think any smaller fish had the power to make it up. So even if they intermingle on the gravel, seems like natural selection is still happening. A couple of times this year we had like water events.

On a side note, and I have not seen anyone mention it here. What about the new footbridge up there? Could drive a tank over it.

 

[hobster]

Well perhaps not "allowed" but...last year I was up there at high water levels 13'+ and watched MANY steelhead jump right over the gate. It appeared to sometimes take them a couple of tries. The thing is, I don't think any smaller fish had the power to make it up. So even if they intermingle on the gravel, seems like natural selection is still happening. A couple of times this year we had like water events.

On a side note, and I have not seen anyone mention it here. What about the new footbridge up there? Could drive a tank over it.

I've seen em get over too, and banging their heads on the iron gate. Guess there is only so much you can do. That new footbridge is pretty sweet, built to last like you said.

 

[rogerdodger]

Well perhaps not "allowed" but...last year I was up there at high water levels 13'+ and watched MANY steelhead jump right over the gate. It appeared to sometimes take them a couple of tries. The thing is, I don't think any smaller fish had the power to make it up. So even if they intermingle on the gravel, seems like natural selection is still happening. A couple of times this year we had like water events.

exactly, 'stuff' happens (storms/floods, planes crash, people spontaneously combust...), which is why I think it is so important to use local fish, biters whenever possible, in hatchery programs. Being 'stream born' and going through the natural selection coming out of the gravel and reaching smolt size competing for food is considered a big component of getting a run of strong tough fish. The potential effect of one parent having been born & raised to smolt size in a hatchery program is reversed immediately in that next generation of fish provided the parent is genetically correct and not a multi-generational hatchery brat from another system...cheers, roger

 

[Native Fisher]

not sure about that so let's make some basic assumptions and see what we get...goal is 85K to be planted at Whitaker but that has not been met in all recent years (but double hatching eggs in Florence and Alsea hatcheries make it almost certain we will meet that going forward under CMP), Jan-Feb-March total 90 days, so that makes 45 two day periods. so if 60K smolts have been getting in recent years and resulted in 1% return, that means 600 back from each years planting, so let's double that to account for more than one years fish coming back (2salt-3salt fish), so 1200 should hit the trap, spread non-uniformly over the 45 two day periods, so on average that means 26.7 fish per 2 day period, and accounting for weather and such, let's say +/-50% scatter (13.4 fish) means we should expect between 13.3 and 40.1 fresh fish to arrive over any 2 day period.

and the data I found for 2 days in mid-Feb are that we had 30 fish hit the trap, 15 new, 15 recaps. cheers, prof. roger

Understand now that I'm tired, been up with the baby awhile, but I'm not sure your estimates are right. My understanding is that they assume a !% calculation as a culmination of all run years, or rather all age classes, although it is difficult to know how many repeat spawners you'll get. Meaning the initial 1% of 60,000 is the correct number as it includes jacks, 2 year and 3+year fish.

 

[rogerdodger]

Understand now that I'm tired, been up with the baby awhile, but I'm not sure your estimates are right. My understanding is that they assume a !% calculation as a culmination of all run years, or rather all age classes, although it is difficult to know how many repeat spawners you'll get. Meaning the initial 1% of 60,000 is the correct number as it includes jacks, 2 year and 3+year fish.

excellent, that sounds correct to me, I wasn't sure exactly what the 1% number I had heard included, that cuts the returns numbers in half, so 13.4 fish per 2 day period instead of 26.7. cheers,roger