Rain Impact on Steelheading?

[Randy B]

I've always heard that a rainstorm will bring new steelhead into a river system.

As a rule of thumb, and I understand there are a number of variables (size of river, distance from ocean, etc) but how much rain is needed to bring new fish into a river and how long after the storm does it take them to move in?

For instance, how much rain and and how long after the rain would it take for fish to move into the Trinity, say around Weaverville, and into the American, from Paradise upstream?

Also, will the rain make fish that are already in the river, staged/holding in a certain spot, move upriver as well?

Looking for insight from some of the widom that resides here on the board.

Thanks in advance.

[lee s.]

http://www.ncffb.org/index.cgi?frames=n;read=364912
http://www.ncffb.org/index.cgi?frames=n;read=364991
http://www.ncffb.org/index.cgi?frames=n;read=365036

We tend to believe they enter the system BEFORE the storms, moving according to the "ripeness" of the fish, and are ready when things get wet. We mostly only fish coastal fish though.
.....lee s.

[jbird]

Randy

Rain does make fish move into the river and within the river. How much rain and how far will they move is probably one of the biggest variables on earth. So the first part of the question is yes, but the last part is unanwserable. For us steelhead junkies, rain is a wonderful sight after a long dry period. Not only will it make them move but it'll usually make them really "grabby"

Jay

[Steelin' Time]

Randy,
As you can see from the comments made by Lee and Jay, a good rain will have a different effect on fish moving from the ocean or estuary after a rain versus fish moving within the system (Weaverville area on the Trinity or Medford area on the Rogue, for example).

Water temperature is quickly affected by a good rain when the rivers are running low and cold. Even with the little bit of rain we had yesterday here in the valley, the morning air temperature yesterday and this morning is several degrees warmer than the morning temps of the past week. If the water temp has been constant (and colder than the fish like) for several days or a few weeks during a dry spell and a rain warms the water even two degrees, the fish feel pretty good about things and usually get very active or "grabby" as Jay mentioned.

On the other hand, if we are in a two week stretch of steady rains, the rivers are already up and the fish are on the move, more rain likely will have no effect on the fish. The biggest change in the behavior of the fish as a result of a rain will be seen when the conditions that we have had for the past 3 weeks exist--rivers dropping & clearing with low water temps.

One more quick thought: I was up North fishing during the last few days of the January cold snap. Morning water temps were 38 degrees on both the Mattole and the Rogue, 40 degrees on the SF Eel and the mainstem Eel. When the cold snap gradually gave way to more normal air temps over a few day around Jan. 21-23, the morning water temps came up 2 degrees and the fish got more active early in the day and were on the move, though no rain fell at all. Water temperature is often overlooked by Steelheaders, but it affects fish behavior as much as any other factor (clouds, bright sunlight, water level, etc).

Hope this helps a little! ST

[bigtj]

Fish move on a falling hydrograph. Try to fish a falling hydrograph when you can. Some rivers, like the Chetco, are notorious for fishing slow on a rising hydrograph. I always seem to do best on a falling hydrograph, OK on a "flat" hydrograph, and poorly on a rising one. You never know though it's fishing.

-John

[Randy B]

Thanks for all the valuable information, I really appreciate it. Learned fisrt-hand how "blown out" a river can get...fished the American on Saurday in the rain at the log hole...water clarity was great. Fished it again on Sunday...parked the boat in roughly the same place, water clarity was less than a foot and it was probably a foot or more deeper (with a lot of garbage floating downstream).